The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-02-15
A PHANTOM PLoWMAN.
Terrified Farmers Watched Him as He
Turned TIP the soil Perfectly

McllOn toNlohlp' Ht'ii ,-,"'.'' ,'""
ty. Pa terrible hubbub has been
raised bv a phantom farmer, who Is
nightly seen blowing in field The
apnarition was first discovered about
three weeks ago 10y farm
hand who was returning late
from counting n pretty maid.
Fmerrinr from "a wooded path
way chat sbirtod on old forest for
miles. this rustic was startled TO hear
"a sepulchrul voice commanding a
team to halt lie looked i'm vain about
the place for moment or two. and
was about moving ON again when the
some sound fen on his ear. A shivcr
crcpt down his spinal column as he
heard the cracking Of an unseen har.
ness. and this terror was far from
being allayel By the whinuy Of a
horse almost directly before him. At
that moment the new moon stole over
the ucighlOring tree tops and IN Its
misty light the rural swain plainly
saw the phantom farmer il was
clearly outlined against the dark back
ground and It's two hands held IN
steady grasp Che projecting handles OF
a pillow. Before it, marched "a pair Of
spirited horses. dimly outlined in the
misty light their heads erect and
their eyes flashing fro as they moved
VASTLY along The young man waited
another moment 10 reas,urc himself,
and was about to take 20 his heels
when plow1nan. horses and plow sud
denly vanished Then he, too, fled IN
wild alarm
st Sills Browns corner grocery on
the night succeeding this the young
man. Albert Cooper By name, told
this startling story Brown, like
many of thc loungors in the store.
smiled incrc3ulously, and advised
Cooper % reform. a DISCUSSION
arose I'm which hot words were ex-
changed. and several bets we're made
that Cooper was drawing iho long bow.
The upsh0t OF Che matter was that the
crowd adjourned 90 tho alleged scene
of the ghosts operations to verify or
disproyc Coopcrs tale.
They had not long to wait. With
out the noises that had warned Cooper
the night before. tho phantom farmer
appeared before the eyes Of the seven
men who sat upon the fence, or, TO be
more accurate. who clraost fell from
IL In terror. His long white hair and
beard strcamed Ia the passing wind.
so hat was on bis head nor could any
portion of his face be seen except the
listening eyes These shot ont from
a height OF more than seven feet from
The ground, indicating that the spec
nal granger was taller than the aver
age of human kind About his body.
which could not wei be traced, there
was phospAorescont glow which
da7zlcd the owes of the terrified spec
tat0rs and shown far ahead Of the
steadily moving horses. The pl0w he
ioanedO on seemed Of skeleton frame,
I bat 10 tossed of the soft. moist earth
as easily as q steamer turns the uvor
waves. On he came the horses seem
/ inc 20 cghalc fire, their heads erect
and arching. and footballs IS firm and
/ clear as any the watchers ever heard
/ At the corner oftho field they turned
obelicntlv at word from their spec
trail driver. and again passed before
F the airiehtod spectators, who there
upon fed IN haste.
+ On the following mOrnrg a crowd
of mstcs determined TO 20 70 the field
and see whether any trace Of the far
mer could bee found As they came
In SIGHT OF the inclosure one of the
number exclaimed in astOnishmcnt;
+ "Tn be burned if the thing doesn't
plow. sure enough" lie was right.
Onelalf OF tie Gcld had been gone
over. evidently by no novice. The
burrows were not quite so broad as
f those made by am ordinary plowman,
but they were less ragged and more
deep. and were as straight AS tie most
experienced csc could make them. y
dav ortwo after the same group went
/ out To view the fields AGAIN, and this
time they found that the phantom had
finished hs work. The owner of the
field Was one of the number and he
took % olcmn oath that he had not
turned sod DO the inclosure. st
Louis GlobeDemocrat