The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1889-03-13
THE HAUNTED HOUSE.
4 Story of Interest from Rabss County.

Rabun county, known as the " hit
mire Hill. It's chief claim for no.
toriety lies in the fact of its being
popularity supposed to be the play
| ground of number of disembod-
led spirits.
Situated one and half miles to
the north of Clayton, between two
ffowning mountains, with a deep
gorge on either tide, and clothed
with sad sombre pines, among
whose boughs the wind continually
plays a nountul requiem, it is cer-
tainly a SPOT calculated to bring all
that is superstitious in mans nature
to the front.
The high road from Clayton to
Franklyn, N. c., leads directly
over the top Of this hill, and just
on the top is a level srot in the
road, perhaps twenty yards in
length, where all these wonderful
sights and sounds are seen and
/ heard. Often has the travellers
cars been suddenly startled, by the
nournfull hoo>hoo or demoniac
laughter of the great horned owl
ard the eldrich shrek of the night
hawk, or perhaps the first sound
that greets the ear would be that of
a soft whir of wings, accompanied
by vicious swapping sound, as if
some one was rapidly striking
two dry sticks together,
to be almost instantly followed
by the tremulous wall Of little
screech owl.
Being placed by nature almost
before that great natural gateway
in the Blue Ridge known as Rabun
Gap, it is almost constantly envel.
Oped during the summer and au-
tumu with the dense fogs and nlists
that rise out Of the fertile valley OF
tthta little Tennessee. which lies
some few miles to the north, and as
a matter of course, everything is
favorable to the development of
those phosphorescent CLEANS known
us fox fire. The belated traveller is
often startled upon turning an alb
rupt lend in the road by being
confronted with immense sh, cts or
beds OF this substance, lying spread
upon the ground in front and to
either side.
1t appeared from the story of old
citizens that there were couple of
foul and mysterious murders done
at that level spot on the Hill long
before the war. The persons MUIR
dered were strangers, and 10 clew
to the perpetrators were ever dis
covered. 1t is said that on certain
nights between the hours of one
and two o'clock, that any one CO.
ing north is almost certain to meet |
a phantom in the shape of a gigan> |
tic headless horse, coming at a fu> |
rious rate from the north, and
seemingly trying to use every en- |
deavor to run over and trample
under foot the unlucky wight that |
may be so unfortunate as to be In
its way, but just as it gets to them
the phantom vanishes, aud the ire,
menious CHATTER of hoofs upon the
hard and stony soil instantly !
ceases.
Some years ago very bold and
adventurous man by the name Of
Fountain was going over the hill
with a stout hickory cudgel that he
always carried, and was met by this
phantom horse. Fountain instead
of giving it the road, grasped his
cGdgel firmly, aud as It came upon
him, dealt it u powerful blow. The
phantom gave a terrible scream of
murder aud fell over in the road,
Kicking and struggling as if in the
agoni,s OF dea'h. AS for Foun>
tain, he said afterwards in relating
the occurrence. that the moment he
struck it his arm and shoulder felt
as if he had received a powerful
electric shock, and was so sore for
several days afterwards that he was
deprived of the use of it. In
short time the horse became still,
and Fountain was certain that he
had killed some one, and fastened
after assistance, rousinr up two or
three of his friends who lived not
far from there, they returned to
the spot, but the moon was shining
placidly, and no horse, man or
phantom was to be seen, and the
earth at the spot where the phan.
tom tell was smooth a I'd undlsturb.
ed. Fountain was murdered a
short time afterwa-d by being
struck across the head with the
barrel OF a Kentucky rife.
Other strange 81 5hts have been
witnessed there. Men Of the ut
most verAcity say that at times in
passing there they have heeu as,
sailed with a perfect shower 81