Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-14
GHOSTS OR APPLEJACK.

As I came the last mile or two of my
days ride Twas entertained by the best
ghost story have ever heard. call it the
best because, while simon pure ghost
story, and the narrator was himself witness
of its horrors, he was so plainly truthful
and sincere. The product of unlimited ap-
pleiack l grant you it might haYe been, but
he never invented 1.-THE couldn't have in
vented anything.
was riding along, still laughing over
nv late adventure, when overlook him, q
typical Carolina mountaineer, with an open,
chiIdlike face. hay-colored hair and mex
pressive light eyes. He had the familiar
rifle over his shoulder, and a couple OF
hounds trotted at his heels. He responded
to my salutation with native politeness, and
none of the mountalneer reserve and taci-
turnity that you sometimes find among these
people. We discovered that we were going
to the same settlement and fell into desultory
conversation. Presently he asked: ."Aint
ye 'feard t. travel this kentry by yer lone
se'f this away?"
ASLEEP IN THE MOUNTAINS.
"Why, no." said I, "I have good pistol
and I'm not afraid anyway. What would
harm me?"
"Nothin' that pistols kin reach" said
he. "'Taint O. no varmints ner folks I'm
afeard"-then with a sudden dropping of
the voice, "Ain't ye never seed no ghoses?'
Then he pointed to mound and told his
story.
"I'd ben out hunt1n' late one evenin' an
wuz tar'd, an 'stid a-goin' home, I jes'
clumb up onter thishyer knob, and laid
down on that thar big rock; Pete and Bus
ter was long o me, looking at the hounds.
81 coulden' res easy on the rock, so got
often it, an laid down on the groun' ways
of. ] recken I'd slep' right smart spell,
when rs walked up by Pete an Buster jes'
a scrougin' up to me, tremblin' all over,
an sorter whinnin', low like.
81 heerd shakin' in the bushes. The
moon he'd riz, an looked for some varmint
to come out; when the leaves parted twas a
heejus, painted up Injun come th'oo, a step
an another, tell the side o. the hill wuz
plumb alive weth 'em-them movin' like
shadders.
''The mex mint hyer come er lot more
tarin' right acrost the top O. the mob, an
yellin' like devllsi Look like to me they
jest nachelly run all over an roun' me; an
I CANT see why they don't kill me; but I
don't so much ez feel 'em, an I'm that
skeert CANT stir ham nur fut.
WITH BOWS AND ARROWS.
"They let in to firm at 'tother fellows be-
low-all bows an arrers-they want gun
in the crowd. They all got benin trees an
rocks, an lodged, an hollered, an fred.
Finely these t wuz up me made big rush
On them 'twuz below. a hollerin' fearful, an
tother fellers broke an run. But I seed
these'ns ketch three or TO Nv 'em an
threckly they come back bringin' 'em, an
some others, It wuz wounded.
"And they jest to'chered 'em like devils.
They gouged Their eyes out, an chopped off
Their fingers an toes an ears and noses, an
stuck knives into 'em all over; they run
sticks an spears thr'oo Their arms an legs
an twisted 'em around. When they's all
hacked an gouged an tore tell they didn't
look like human critters, they tuck an tied
'em all with big hickory withes, at they
dipped in the branch, an piled 'em all upon
the big fiat rock where I'd ben a lyin'. an
dry wood all under an among an over 'em.
One big feller struck far weth flint, an
they burnt up ever one O. them pore butch
cred up critters, all ayellin' an dancin' an
apilin' on fresh wood.
THE FRIGHTENED HOUNDS.
''The pups wuE all the time atryin' to
jest crawl under me, nigh about; an look
like I'm so skeert my blood fairly stopped
runnIn', an I'm about froze. / says, 7
Giant stand this much longerp An I
tuned my head an looked to'ds the Eas',