Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-03-02
Saturday, March 2 1889.
A PHANTOM PLoWMAN.


-
Turned Up the Soil Perfectly
In the northwestern corner Of Lower
Merton township, Montgomery coun-
II, Pa, q terrible hubbub has been
raised by q phantom farmer, who Is
nightly seen blowing in a field. The
apparition was first discovered about
three weeks ago by a farm
hand who was returning late
from counting q pretty maid
Emerging from q wooded path
way that skirted an old forest for
miles, this rustic was startled 10 hear
Q sepulchral voice commanding q
team to halt. He looked in vain about
tho place for a moment or two, and
was about moving on again when the
same sound fell on his ear. A shiver
srept down his spinal column as he
heard the creaking of al nsee har.
men, and this terror was far from
being allayed by the whinny of q
horse almost directly before him. Al
that moment the new moon stole over
the neighboring tree tops. and in its
misty light the rural swain plainly
aw the phantom farmer. II was
clearly outlined against the dark back
ground, and its two hands held in
steady grasp the projecting handles Of
Q pillow. Before il marched a pair Of
spirited horses, dimly outlined in the
misty light their heads erect and
their eyes flashing FIRE as they moved
hastily along. The young man waited
another moment TO reassure himself,
and was about to take to his heels
when plowman, horses and pillow sud.
denly vanished. Then he, too, fed in
wild alarm.
At Silas Browns corner grocery on
the night succeeding this the young
man. Albert Cooper by name, told
this startling story. Brown, like
many Of the loungers in the store,
smiled incredulously, and advised
Cooper to reform" A discussion
arose, in which hot words were ex
changed, and several bets we're made
that Cooper was rawingt the long bow
The upshot of the matter was that the
crowd adjourned 10 the alleged scene
Of the ghosts operations TO verify or
disprove Cooper's tale.
They had not long TO wait. With
out the noises that had warned Cooper
the night before, the phantom farmer
appeared before the eyes of the seven
men who sat upon the fence, or, TO be
more accurate, who almost fell from
Il in terror. His long white hair and
beard streamed in the passing wind.
No hat was on his head nor could any
portion Of his face be seen except the
glistening eyes. These shot out from
Q height OF more than seven feet from
the ground, indicating that the spec
trail granger was taller than the aver
age Of human kind. About his body,
which could not well be traced, there
was q phosphorescent glow which
daxzled the eyes OF the terrified spec
tators and shown far ahead OF the
steadily moving horses. The pillow he
leaned on seemed Of skeleton frame,
but it tossed of the soft, moist earth
- easily n q steamer turns the river
wavea On he came, the horses seem
ing to exhale fire, their heads erect
and arching, and footballs as firm and
clear as any the watchers ever heard.
Al the corner Of the field they turned
obediently at a word from their spec
trail driver, and again passed before
the affrighted spectators, who there
upon fed in haste.
On the following morning a crowd
Of rustics determined TO 20 TO the field
and see whether any trace of the far
mer could be found. As they came
In sight Of the Enclosure one of the
number exclaimed in astonishment:
"Tu be burned IL the thing doesn't
pillow, SURE enough" he was right.
One-half OF the field had been gone
over, evidently by no novice. The
burrows were not quite so broad as
those made by an ordinary plowman,
but they were less ragged and more
deep, and we're as straight a the most
experienced eye could make them. A
day or two after the same group went
out to siew the fields again, and this
time they found that the phantom had
finished his work. The owner OF the
Geld was one Of the number, and he
took O solemn oath that he had not
turned q sod In the inclosure.-St
Louis Globe Democrat