Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-06-22
The Hawthorne Farm Mys-
terry
= JEREAnAH .. Al,cARrHY

Iu6 IEuIls THESE ilLeS WOulu never /
have been written, and the strange /
story, of which they form a part, would /
be locked fast in my heart just as it |
has been locked for seventeen years. !
and not exposed to the sneers and
scoffs of a doubling world. Though,
when I think the matter over, I come
TO the conclusion that the doubling
world is not to be blamed so much
alter all, for my story certainly does
seem more like the offspring of vivid
Imagination than the plain. truthful
narrative that 1 declare it to be. Still
1t is annoying to feel that a state
ment which you make in good faith,
and which you know to be the IN
vanished truth, not in any way
adorned with the trappIn2s OF fancy,
will be received as the meresJ false
hood, and the maker of it an inten-
tIonal deceiver. 1t is not pleasant, 1
repeat, to know this, and, therefore, !
I have hesitated long about giving
my story to a skeptical world. How
ever, 1 am now resolved to relate my
strange experience, be it believed or
not. I believe it to be my duty to do
So My story will prove to the reader,
if he is not of doubling disposition,
how true is the saying that truth is
stranger than fiction, and it will show
what strange mysteries exist conceal
ed from our knowledge in this very
queer world of ours.
Ifanyone is qualified by experience
to write about the qneer sights and
adventures OF this life, 1 think l am
/ the person, for no man, am sure,
| has had a larger experience of both
I ~ IL
many q man before me, who has set
/ out to seek his fortune, 1 have
/ travelled extensively in my time,
and seen life III many phases
and aspects. / have sought the tickle
! Jade, fortune, IN Europe and Austria
| liza, and IN far of Africa and Indie, as
we'll as in my native country. have
| seen strange things, indeed, and met
/ with stranger adventures, while wrest-
/ ing fortune from mother earth IN the
/ gold mines of California and Austria
/ liza, among the rough molly adven-
/ lures Of the one, and the cOnVicts and
] bushrangers of the other. 1 have
sought fortune in the diamond mines
/ Of Africa, and have seen queer things
/ there, both among the miners, and
/ the weird savages of that benighted
! region; and / have met with adven-
/ lures in India-that paradise Of MUIR
/ der and uperstltIOn-amOng the thugs
/ and other fanatical demons Of that
acCursed cline, which if related would
/ cause people to stamp me as a TO-
manCer-nOt to use a stronger term
/ OF the first water. But the strangest
/ ex perienCe OF my life was met with, not
among the rough miners of California
and Australia, nor among the
| fierce saVages white and black
of the South African diamond
fields, nor yet the meroiless
/ Phansigars of the land of the HindoO..
1t was in a plain, commonplace farm
( house, in q dull prOsaic New England
/ village, that the weird experience,
which ] can truly say is the strangesG
/ and most mysterious l have ever met
with IN all my eventful life, and which
forms the subject of this story, Was
encountered.
1t happened this way. Seventeen
years ago, when I was a much young
er man than / am at present, 1 was
engaged IN farming in the little town
OF S., in Massachusetts. The farm
on which ! had lived was not a desir-
able one in some respects. The build
iugs on iU were good enough, but the
land was poor, being rocky and i'll
adapted to agricultural purposes. L
had rented 1t by an arrangement l
had made with the owner, but 1 did
not intend to settle on it permanent
ly and was looking around for more
suitable location. One day. l heard
OF a farm which was offered at figure
which I considered very cheap. This
farm was situated in the town of
J. R. about ten miles from the
place was living IN. 1t
b. was called Hawthorne Farm. owing
90 the profusiOn Of hawthorne
bushes growing about it, and when
examined 1t, in company with the
agent who had charge Of 1t, 1 was very
b much pleased with it. The farmhouse
o. and the Out-buildings connected with
? it were in excellent condition, and re-
2 ouired but little repairing, while the
= land surrounding them was, as well
as / could Judge, greatly superior to
that of the farm ! was occupying. ]
, was surprised at the price which
, thought extremely cheap for such a
4 Dlace. and without further talk on
l. the subject purchased the farm, pay
D ing the price down. In the light Ol
D subsequent occurrences, / can. see now
:. whv the place was disposed. Of sc
cheaply, but L knew nothing about il
q then, and grasped eagerly at what
G considered a bargain. / brought my
vie to see it, and she was as pleased
d with the farm as 1 was, and approved
2 the purchase. A day or two after
we moved into Hawthorne Farm
= 1t was a warm day II
y June on which we moved, ant
r. ike all such work, especially IN tn
it country, it was a tiresOme Job.
a was almost dark when the last OF on
N things was conveyed into our ney
/, dOmiclle and we were tired enough
y So alter supper was eaten we retire
y at once to bed and were sound aslee
Is in a lew minutes. We arose earl
d next morning much refreshed by GU