The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-07-02
THE DUTCH PORK.
BY DE-. o. b. MAYER, SR.

at thy cOmnan':,
Again the crumbled halls shall rise;
Lo! as on Evans bank We stand,
The past returns-the present flies.
CADyow CASTLE.
In Mrs. Crows book, entitled the
Side of Nature" mention is
made of an annoyance in some parts of
Germany, called the Poltergeist. I'm
der its action there were produced in
various homes crashing noises which
made the inmates believe that every
piece of crockery-ware in the house
was broken into fragments. Upon
searcl however, everything was found
entire and in place. [ was about
thirty years old when I read this ac-
count in Mrs. Crows book, and with 8
thrill of establishment was at once re-
minded Of what I heard my mother
narrate when was q mere child. She
said that, long time ago, in the days Of
her girlhood, an alarm went through
the Dutch Fork on account of large
stones falling to the ground without in
jury to any one, or possibility of finding
them after they had been seen and
heard to fall. Also, that in many
houses all the crockery-ware seemed to
be dashed to the floor from the cup
boards with sounds forcing the people
to believe that not whole earthen
bowl was left. Chairs and benches
were likewise apparently overturned,
but upon examination everything was
found to be whole and in order. The
mutual corroberation of these two ac-
counts had an irresistible effect upon
my mind in planting there shame
faced belief in the supernatural which I
would not for any consideration part
with; for there is an iudescribable fasci-
nation in a mild superstition, the alb
sence cf which in. some of my dear
friends excites my commiseration.
One of these, of whom can say,
Since my dear soul was mistress of her choice,
And could of men distinguish her election,
She has sealed thee for herself,
attempted to disembarrass me, as he
said, of my frailty; but I answered him
with the same quotation which Others,
I think, have employed to silence their
friends under similar circumstances:
There are more things in heaven and earth,
Roratio,
Than are dreamed Of in your philosophy,
Now, itmay be that1 was born with
predisposi9ion to such romantic weak
ness by coming into the world in my
grandmother's house,-a house in the
uppermost part of which ghostly
footsteps were heard from time to time.
This part of the house was just under
the shingles, and was called the garret.
During college vacations, and at other
times, I had slept in the large apart
ment Immediately under the garret,
without much dread, until the adven-
ture of Carolus Kahlkopf, in connec-
tion with more palpable manifesto
ton of these footsteps, was told to me.
While youth of not more than
eighteen years of age he was employed
by my grandmother to superintend the
labor on her farm. He slept upstairs
in the same apartment which myself
occupied whenever I was at home.
The little door leading from below by a
dark, narrow, cramped stairway up
into the garret had provoking habit,
remaining to my last. experience with
it-a startling habit, Of slowly opening
very slightly and then shutting again
very quickly though without noise. l
always had suspicion, that if I had
not closed my eyes, would have be-
held some haggard, sepulchral face
peeping out. Persons disposed to
rationalism endeavored to explain the
footsteps by referring them to flying
squirrels entering by two small end
windows,and jumping over the uncov-
cred sleepers as they made their way to
and fro across the garret. The fright
full experience of Kahlkopf put an end
to all such fimsy explanations. One
hot moonshiny night in July, Carolus
Kahlkopf went upstairs, Immediately
after supper, to seek much-needed re-
pose; for he had done hard days work
in killing grass. He merely threw off
his shoes, and laid himself down to
sleep in the same clothes he had on at
the supper-table,-that is to say, his
shirt, his pantaloons, and his suspend
ers. About midnight yell of horror
awoke all the inmates in the house,
and Carolus Kahlkopf was heard to
rush down stairs, out uf the front door,
and Up the big road towards 'G-"nny
Summers" screaming as though pur-
sued BY demons. Candles were quick"
ly lighted, and the chamber up stairs
examined. They found the pillow on
which the young mans head reposed
spotted with blood, as also the floor as
far as to the head of the stairway by
which he descended to the hall below.
A few persons went in pursuit of Caro-
lus and found him sitting in fence
corner very much exhausted. He was
led back to the house, where the light
of the candles revealed that his shirt
front was very much smeared with
blood. Now he was sharply questioned
as to the meaning of all this. Wha.
was the mattero He begged for a little
time to collect his thoughts. It was
proposed to give him a tablespoonful
of Jamaica rum. He was induced to
swallow it; and soon he confessed that
he felt stronger and better. Then he
was urged to tellall that had happened.