The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1889-10-25

/ The Ghosts That Stalk on Moonlight
/ Nights-spooks ~ Tall n rinc Trees.
/ How Old Uncle Joc's spirit Was sp.cdcd
! on Its Way.
Down south IL is interesting & hear tho
/ darkios tell about the spirits" as they sit
/ around the log wood fires, IN their old, tumble
/ down cabins in the woods None can equal
in horror their thrilling stories nor make
/ their listeners feel - truly that the "splrits'
are really to loo scen.
An old darky, Aunt Peggy 10y name, was
\ nm enthusiast on the subject How she en-
/ joycd telling us about one cventful evening,
/ when she was nearly "skcerod to doath.n She
| was going to prayer mectn'n through the
| lonely pine woods, aud "thnkin' right hard
! bout de guide lAwd,' when, what should she
sec but "shaddcr walkin' right dar aside
! hcr.n She told how she closed her eyes right
! tight so ~ not 90 see it hut stumbling over an
old stump which happened TO bc in the way
Size had 60 open her eyes, and "dar IL war
ugin, right aforo hcr.'
"lAwd a'mussoy," she said, "how she did
run, an dat ere spccrit right 0rtcr hor' aud
it came so close that II made her feel cold all
over The good oh soul declared tho spirit
did not leave her until she reached the meet
| guide lawd secs nrter dat, an thoys skccrej
OF him.
ONLY STALK ny MooNIIGUC
She told us that the spirits were only 90
bc seen on moonlight nights, aud that some
! times they looked like long, thin shadows
dressed In gray They often bond right down
! over people aud peer into their faces, whilst
| their breath is like "a cold north wind. II
any one notices them they sigh dolcfully, and
/ then suddenly disappear with wild shrek
| OF mocking laughter. some of these shadows
are us tall as the lofty pines, and ~ they toss
their long arms wildly n the air, the clingiug
! drapcry OF their shrouds waves la the brccza
! This belief might well Ice accounted for 10y
! the long cimgng Spanish moss, whilst the
wind "soughng' through the pine trees
might be compared Ia the plAintvo wall of
] some lovely "spirt' hailing from the LAND
| of the Dead
Another old darkcy, by the nainc Of Aunt
| SaOlic, once lived la "A log cabin In the woods
/ She was IA queer little old woman and do
! lighted la telling us nbout tho spirits" aud
] how she could "snc them when the moon
sliun, though, tho Inwd bc blessed, she'd
/ never seen 'cm'
Some OF us dared 10 suggest that she might
! possibly liavc reference 90 the spirit Of the
]
failed 90 understand our meaning. Poor
/ Aunt Sallic, she Is now at home among the
spirits, and is far wiser than we arc a. 10
their pcculnritics
Uncle Joe, another Of our dnrky friends
dwclt in log cabin on our estate, within u
/ short distance of tho house, and we had hn
excellent opportunity for observing the ways
| aud customs of tho "dnrkiesn in that part OF
the country. One day while the poor old
! mau WIS driving tenn Of mules ho was
thrown out of the wagon and dragged somo
distance. Although he was not badly hurt,
yet he was much shaken aud could do very
little work after that.
With care hc might possibly have rccov-
cred but his friends seemed to think That u
was about time for "do guide Lnwd 90 take
| his soul /" 80 they camo tramping IN from far
aud wide ~ hasten him on his journey. They
+ certainly did so most cifcctunlly, Tor they
gave him every possible thing % eat, from
fried ulligHtors 30 unupe watcrmclons
Finally the doctor who bad been attending
Uncle Joo declared bin n hopeless case ond
after "A futile effort to dbperso the crowd, hc
pushed his way out and lcft tho man 10 his
fate.
srEEDING Mn OS THE WAY.
In short while the cabin wns full ~ dnr-
Lics singing and praying waiting for Uncle
Juc's spul 81 take its Eight Tho greatest
confusion prevailed, and amid tho din the
dying man tried in vain 10 mako himself
heard. llis wifo aud daughter were watch
/ ing every breath lac drew, aud telling him 10
| "hur1.y, TO- dc gudc Inwd was nwnitn' for
! g. take him "crOss dat golden ribbor' More
| and more cumo crOwdug iu from oil drcc-
! tiUns and Joined u the mOuOtouOus chanting,
| until at length Uncle joe brcnthod bis last
/ His friends were now ~ excited that they
| Jumped md screamed with Joy, chipping their
| hnnds and sayiny. "The guido Lnwd hnb
taken his soul, hc am gone 81 dc guido Lhwd
lawd brs poor Brcr' Joc.'
A. the shades Of evening fell fires were lit
| all around the cabin 81 keep tho spirits
away, whilst tho dnrllics snng hymns ~ cbcor
| Unclc Joe on bis way II was weird scene,
NJ the dnrky preacher stood there, solouiniy
| chanting the first line ~ every hymn, which
was then vigorously sung, or rather shouted,
by the asomblcd crowd AZ. around vas tho
darkness II night, nyc fpr this one lonely
spot Illuminated by the lroIiglt, showing the
Old lyg cabin boz strong relief against the dark
background of pine tree. Such n bowling
| and lnmenintipu a. tbDso dnrkios kept up all
night long IL Was truly ptiful, and only nt
curly dawn did The weird yInR md nud tho
crowd di-prlr".
AZ noon they all assembled osnin nt the
cabin tJ follow the coffin containing the ro-
mains n Uncle JDo, o. be- wns cnrIicd ~ his
lat resting place Al The way the dhrkie.
| kept up their low upuotDuOus chant, until
they rcnchcd tho lonely grave Boo lhc midst pf
| the pine NO,ds Fires were lt ut thr hr1d II
the grave ~ light tun waudornr on bis wny,
and overhead tho pine trees snug solemn
/ reguieln fuf tHo traveller ~ that bourne from
| who's -hyrra none return.
A. the dnrkis returned hDurwarl their
| funeral chant Vus changed 'y u rDng ~ JDy
nu1 'ur.r appearance ulf' 'nl little u the
glrmu fc,uo nHi"h bal yu.i iaaau piace.
After Uncle Jpa.s dnofu DO" iDl cabin was
deserted. md b. uoa ,ioniy inhmg ~ decay.
/ His spirit a uWD-nI - haunt tho Old
. home aud a. night nothing could p"ruude "A
/ dnrsy tp gO near tIr place A. Aunt Snllio
| told u- f "ihrre var anything fho war
sfoerd nH." 30 would be- 70 sse Uncle JOos
/ spirit n uprar. Do Dad not bcen very god
| during Li. lifetime. or p.n Do" would have
gone straight ~ do guIn iavd,' but Aunt
salIie ssry much frar.l ''Iat bed ~ long
| time gat'iu' dIr'
Eto-i,s were uow toll about mysterious
/ lights % d. seen boo thr cabin an night, and
how one evening "a dafky ra.ly youturing
/ inside toe cabin with tuc intention ~ taking
plnnk Iyiug thcre. suddenly heard deep
I gruG vo.c3 saying. Benyc dat plank right
dar7 and 30 b. nooIlssl - remark that be
went without nsnitirg further nlors. Nhcn
/ Aunt Peggy beard about it slr aid n bis