San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-04-24
JACK-O'- LANTERN TOWN,
GHOSTLY GLlMMERINGS IN THE
LACkAWANNA VALLEY.


Strange Night scenes in the Town of Arch
baId-Good Material for Ghost Stories
Phil Crehau and His Turkey-The Mys-
terry Easily Explained.
Have YOU ever heard of the knowing
lights of the Lackawanna valley: They
present an interesting phase of a phenomenon
which has cxcrted II strange influence over
the minds of many persons in the mining
hamets of northeastern Pennsylvania, and
particularly in and about the village of Arch
bald which stands a little to the north of
midway between Scranton and Carbonate.
The mere mention Of the "hghtS' to any resi-
dent of Archibald is sufficient to convey the
significant meaning which usually attaches
in that neigh5OrhOOd to the mysterious mid
night glinn3erings that are frequently Seen
hoverin- over the shallow river that runs
through the town, drifting along the noun
tain side or floating over the tops of the
houses.
These m;a,ic ii,hts have been seen at all
hours Of the night by persons who firmly be-
lieve Fat hey arc manifested Ivy ghOStly
hands \ certain old Lady who has frequent
| " seen the lights soemnly AYERS that at
various times Sue has observed a candle held
by a spectral hand, and carried swiftly along
the mountain ~i.in end over the house tops in
| the dead Of night. That she saw the light
there can bc 10 doubt whatever, but the hand
was furniS 10y Ter Imagination that Is
cert&in.
These lights ave been seen most frequent
| " emerging from the mouth of an Old, aban-
| doned cOiery ,'pli"d the SebaStOpOl mine,
| where it is said several persons met a violent
| death several years ago. Others have seen
| them dancing across the village graveyard,
| and others yet at the dilapidated water
wheel 1t is needless to say that these par
| ticular landmarks have been regarded with
no small degree Of awe for years past, but the
| terror is not 50 great now as it was ten or fiji
teen years ago, when the lights We're
usually spoken Of with bated breath by those
| who actually believed that they were manipu-
| lated by the spooks and hobgoblmS who took
! a sort of tiendIsh delight in frightening the
poor mortality that were not well versed in
| the scientific causes from which such phe-
nomena proceed.
Tho coolest inhabitants" could of course
| tell some ha..' raising stories concerning the
| ghostly lights and the thrilling experiences
| Of the pioneers who encountered them.
| Among the stories current of DygOne days,
| or rather nights, when these haunting lights
| were first observed, is one Of a mysterious
| gIimmer tha, actually spoke to one Of the
! ''old settlers on his way home from the
upper end of tine village OF course it was
| past the midnight hour, ''whem ChurChyards
yawn,n and the hero Of the adventure, Phil
| Crehan by name. was returning from rattle
| with fine fat turkey he had won under his
! arm. just as Mr.. Crehan was passing the
! "BOttOmicss mine light started up from the
mouth of the shaft, and, after lowering about
| for few seconds, as if undecided as to the
| course it should take, it fiCkered merrily to
| his side. Phil CTchan was a man of power
| full physique and rare courage, but he con-
feSsed afterwari that when he saw the I'M
| cauuy light neepng him company for hun
| dred rods or 50 it made him feel rather shaky
| This was nothing, however, until the light
began to talk TO him.
you are out rather late, Phil, for man
of family it began
| Thinking silence was golden under the cir
| Cumstances. Mr. Crehan made no reply, but
| FASTENED forward As he did 50 the light
darted ahead of him, and with a laugh, which
| he described as light laugh it said: "Oh,
not so fast Phil; | am not so easily left be-
| hind see you had good luck at the rattle, y
| said the light rather sarCastically, and as it
| spoke it fastened itself to the head of Mr..
Crehan's turkey, giving the gobbler the
quaint appearance of having an Illuminated
| head.
By this time Phil plucked up some courage,
and he replied, with a slight show of temper;
well, what if l did! l don't see that it's
any of your business"
1T wouldn't be if you played fair" re
torted the light, but you know you won the
turkey by cheating and if YOU attempt to
eat the bird it will choke you"
Mr.. Crehan knew that his playing had not
been entirely fair, but it startled him to think
| that this 1clcring intangible thing with a
voice should be aware of his conduct. The
! threat of choking 50 terrified him that he &C
! tualIy lost his appetite for turkey. In his
! desperation he blew at the offending light
! with all his power of lung, hoping to eXtiu-
! guish 1t, but the result was that instead Of go
| ing out, as he intended it should, the tiny
| light burst into a great sheet of flame, which
entirely envelOped the turkey, and Mr.. Gre
han in his terror flung away the blazing bird
and ran home as fast as he could. Instantly