Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-06-10
MILLINGT0N'S GHOST
Hartford Globe.


river, and joins the township of Cor
chester.
Mnlington Green is its center. Milling
ton Green is a little collection of weather
beaten houses, church and school
house, situated at the forks Of four cross
roads on the summit of high hill
and on the direct turnpike road from
Goodspeed's Landing to Norwich
MillingtOu Green has its history. IL Is
the history Of the slow decay and gradual
degeneration that has characterized hun
dreds of inland towns in the state. Mill
ington Green is q less point of trade and
importance to-day than it was 100 years
ago. But fifty years ago this thriving
little collection of wonderfully antique
houses and barren crossroads was thirty
ing mercantile mart. II doubly outstrip-
ped East Haddam and Goodspeed's the
two landings on the river.
At Millington Green was done a large
and thriving business, and several great
and hourishiug general merchandise stores
made il center mt which much Of the
produce from adioing points was sold or
bartered, eventually to find It's way to the
then profitable West India trade. In short
the West India trade made Millington
Green, in exclusion to many river towns
with rival facilities for shipping goods.
Here it was that mules, horses, cattle,
swine and farm products were hauled by
the meek-eyed oxen and numbering We
hicles, 10 be again dragged To Goodspeeds
Landing and shipped TO the West Indies.
Gradually the prosperity died away.
Twenty five years ago il was dead To-
day there is not a yestige of 10 save the
fast decaying buildings of more than usu-
al country elegance, which stand on the
main road near the church, the school
house and cross roads to mark the decline
and decay of once prosperous business
But the ghost, what of the ghost?
Edgar Martin is a Millington resident.
He is tail, lauk man, of true Yankee
physique. He is a farmer, owns acres OF
land, and deals considerably in silroad
ties and lumber. Martin owns land
owns land through which a trout brook
runs, and Hartford spurtsmen, he says,
have stocked it, and pay him well to keep
off pOuchers. But the ghost All the
winter, says Mr.. Martin, the ghost has
been terrifying Millington people, and
several have seen it, Among that number
Mr. Martin himself.
II was about two weeks ago Martin
says, he left his homo with three yoke
team of oxen to draw a load of railroad
ties to Ii. c. Burnham, of Hadlyme
Hadlyme lies southwest about six miles,
and the roads wind round through heayi-
ly timbered land, over the classic emi-
hence called "Tater Hill.n Mr.. Martin
left Hadlymc ON his return homoward
about : o'clock in the afternoon, and in
the usual course of events and the slow
movements of his OK team, would arrive
homo at about 8 o'clock in the evening.
Slowly crawling mp the rough, hilly road,
ne had passed the deserted Rathbun house
at the turn of the road TO Norwich, and
''hawing" of to the left pursued his way
toward Millington.
The moon was in its last quarter, and
when Mr. Martin passed the Rathbun
House and turned toward Millington, it
was between Z and o'clock in the eve
ming, and the shades of night made the
woods gloomy and weird. But Martin
was thinking of getting home more than
he was morali2ing on the barren sight OF
leaflcss limbs and dark hillsides bespat-
tered here and There with patches OF half
melted snow
Suddenly the mouotouy of the scene and
the creaking OK cart and swing of the
low carried head of the tired oxen and
tired driver was broken. With a sudden
start the leaders, a pair of two-year- olds,
jumped to one side, while the wheel oxen
and the center yoke caught the infection
and started up i'm an unusual manner.
Mr.. Martin, too, was startled out of his
senses, and, looking about him to discoy-
or the cause that had excited his cattle,
saw, apparently walking some twenty feet
ahead of his leaders, little dwarf like
man not more than three feet tall, as he