The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-11-30
GOOD SOLID GHOST.
SEVERAL sRAKY CITIZENS HAVE
SEEN 1T

And Will Make Afidavits to Their
Statements That the Spook Prom
ised to "Come gain" and They
Say That His Promise Made On
the ScaffolS Was Fesrfully Kept.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
DANvILLE, KY, Nov. "a. As the traveller
going south over the Queen and Crescent
road approaches Junction City. KY. he can
see, If he looks on high hill little south
east of the Tribble house. a primitive log
cabin. This cabin was on March z, 1872.
the scene Of a blood-curdling tragedy, the
memory of which has gradually grown dim
in the minds of the older citizens, who were
once familiar with all its horrid details.
at the time stated there was no town
where Junction City now stands, the near
est being Shelby City, one mile eastward.
In the cabin referred 10 lived Joseph Nc
Neal, an old man so years Of age. and his
wife, perhaps twenty years younger. They
had no near heighbors, few cares and few
wants. They passed their days quietly in
their humble home, fearing no molesta-
ton.
At an early hour on the morning Of March
3 a countryman, on passing tine cabin, was
surprised to see the face Of Mrs. McNeal at
a garrett window, and to hear her utter
cries of distress. Approaching near enough
to talk to the old lady, he was told that she
feared
SOMETHING AWFUL HAD HAPPENED
In the downstairs room during the night
as some one had broken in, and that when
she escaped from the room and ran upstairs,
she had left her husband and the Intruder
engaged in a struggle. Entering the house,
the plunfrVmaO fQhiag and CHAIRS
turned, bed clothing scattered about, and in
the middle of the floor the body of the old
man McNeal, stene dead, with a gaping
wound just over the heart. A crowd Of ins
dignant citizsns soon gathered about the
promises. Mrs. McNeal was taken to neigh
boris house, and, after a time, told her story
at length. She said that she and her hus>
band had retired rather early the night be-
fore, and had both fallen asleep, when they
were awakened by loud pounding at the
door. Soon the door was broken open and
man entered with horrible oaths. He at
once approached the bed and began an inde-
cent assault upon her person. She fought
him as best she could, and in the struggle
rolled from the bed TO the floor He az ain
seized her, but by this time her aged hus-
band was on his feet and had grappled with
the villain, who released her, when, although
the room was intensely dark, she found her
way to the stair door and escaped to the
garrett.
From her place of cohcealment she heard
the struggle continue for a short time, and
then she heard a heavy fall. After that
there was a sound of footsteps in the room
below, as though some one were cropping In
the darkness. Then all was silent, and she
remained crouching in the corner on the
bare floor, aud praying for daylight to
come. When asked If she had susoicion
as to who the murderer was, she said she
strongly suspected Tom Guthrie. young
colored man about % years of age, who had
been doing odd Jobs of work about the
place for some months past She thought
she recognized his voice, ''as he always
talked as though his mouth was full Of
mush." Guthrie was arrested, tried and
SENTENCED TO BE HANGED
In the following July. After sentence the
condemned man had little to say for two or
three weeks, when one morning he opened
his heart to the jailer, J. l.. Minor, and oou-
object in entering the house was to outrage
Mrs. McNeal, aud stating that when the old
| lady got away from him the old man held
on to him so tightly that he had to stab him
| to get loose.
On the morning of the execution he
| seemed proJtrated with terror, but refused
drink of whisky which was offered him,
not begin then. As he was driven through
the streets to the place of hanging he was a
| pitiable object TO look upon. On the
scatfold Tom ma1s rambling speech, clos
ing with the significant words: II will come
again"
Toms threat on the scaffold to "come
again" seems to have been faithfully kept.
| Several weeks after the hanging three boys
who were playing near the building where
| fha dONkOrc bod ant he hOdu Eos
heard sepulchral voice cry out, II am
Tom Guthrie.n
P. A. Mooks, a citizen Of Danville, also
| heard the words quoted, and will make oath
| to the fact,
After the circumstance just noted Tom
was not known to visit the earth until
about six months ago. when a shrouded
form with black face was seen repeatedly
near the scene Of the hanging and on the
turnpike road leading from that spot to the
scene of the murder. Around and around
| McNeal's long cabin, which is now unoccu-
| pied, about the hour of midnight the ghost
| goes, wringing its hands. On the exact
| spot where the scaffold stood the wrath
stalks slowly, pointing upward. On the
pike between the two places it walks bare
headed, and disappears when approached
too closely. Following are certificates from
several eminent citizens bearing upon the
surprising matters just related:
| DIR. ADDISON HARLAN'S STATEMENT.
am physician Of many years. practice
and believe strongly in the curative proper
ties Of roots and herbs, and in order to be
certain Of getting what l desire always
| gather them myself. 1t has been my habit
| for years TO gather these medicines in the
KNOBS" near Junction City, and on my
return have sometimes been overtaken by
darkness, always passing by the McNea
cabin. Several times within the last six
| months ! have seen near tbs cabin figure
which strongly resenbled Tom Guthrie
when In the flesh. One night about -four
weeks ago while passing the cabin I again
saw the figure. / spoke to it, but received
no answer, although it continued to ad
vance upon me. Becoming frightened
fired upon it when three PAGES distant with
44-caliber bulldog revolver. When the
| smoke cleared awey the figure, or ghost
was nowhere to be seen.
| DR.. ADDISON HARLAN.
| PROF. THOMAS HALLEY'S STATEMENT.
lam musician and artist, but latterly
have devoted my entire time to music
| Much of my time for the last ten years has
been spent in Lexington, but within the
last year have been in Danville. One night
about the middle of October last was re-
| turning from the country where had been