Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-05-17
AN UP.cOUNTRY GHOST.
4 strangS sight witnessed by q Man Re-
turning From 4 Danes.

News Of one Of the most interesting
ghost stories ever heard in upper De-
kalb county has just been brought to
light here, says q Smithville, Tenn,
special TO the Nashville American. The
facts are about as follows: Last Tues
day night a young man, returning from
q neighborhood dance, where he had
been p~artaking too freely of tanglefoot,'
saw the uncouth sight About / o'clock,
he took the.lonely road for home, which,
runs through n dark woodland. sur
founded By deep wales and lofty peaks,
and o~yerhung with huge cliffs, whose
SUBMITS are crowned with gigantic
bines. Not a clearing disturbs the
thickness OF the woodland, save one SOL
itary spot almost overgrowh With vines
and shrubs, where stands moldering an
old stone building with decayed and
ruined walls and lofty towers, almost
with moss. resembling
greatly the old haunted Kirk Alloway,
so famous in Tam O'Shanter.
All these scenes combined could not
daunt the courage of the young noun
taineer as he marched on with quicken.
ing pace. But just as he was approach
ing the old haunted building, which has
for many years been ~frequented by the
ghost OF a mysterious old lady, who
many years ago suddenly disappeared,
as an old freside legend has it, and took
up her abode in the vaults Of this old
building, which was anciently used by a
band Of exile monks, -rd thought 10
have been built by them at least a CEN
tury ago, and which has for many years
been hidden from public notice unvis-
tied for a long time by any human being.
There. suddenly risidg from the ground,
like the ghost Of Banquo, appeared be.
fore him a tall, dark apparition with
outstretched hands and glowing eyes re.
yolvipg in their sockets and tangled
gray hair, wearing a loose robe decend-
ing from shoulder to feet. The boy
stood amazed, motionless and dumb.
This scene lasted but for q few mo-
ments. The ghost as suddenly disap-
peared. Recognizing his situation the
boy Immediately made a forward double
quick at an almost incredible rate.
CHANGING over his shoulder be saw the
old monastery lighted by candles which
were held in the hands of a solemn pro-
cession of monks in their religious at
tire, as they treaded noiselessly around
an iron coffin in the center OF the floor.
Cpon the coffin we're two candles, one
upon the head, the other upon the foot.
Each monk carried q cross OF his order
and they were chanting an old English
tune.
Upon the head of the coffin was a
golden cross, and as each monk passed
the cross he made a low bow and uttered
some words OF prayer. Suddenly all was
dark and the vaulted doors Of the inter-
ior part of the old monastery were
heard to open and "reak upon their
rusty hinges. and tt a began a clicking
of chains and a chaos Of ghostly noises,
which was soon hushed, the vaulted
doors shut with a slam. All was now
silent and the owl again began his hoot-
ing and the wind was heard signing
through the pines.
n No consideration could have kept the
boy long at this lonely spot. He rushed
onward and reached home almost un-
conscious. He aroused the family with
his terrific cries, and ii was not until
several applications OF c~amphor were
made that he was able to tell his story.
Quite a number of men and boys WIS.,
tied the scene of the ghost last night TO
ascertain what they could OF the lonely
ghost habitation, but little was learned,
however, except the place showed signs
Of recent mysterious habitation.