The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-02-25

TRENTON PIKE GHOST.
FRIGHTENED EVERY ONE AND WAS
BADLY SCARED ITSELF.

BADLY SCARED ITSELF.
The Scare Perpetratcd on a Negro at
First Grew to Look Rather Serious When
the Whole Village Took Hand in
Solving the ProbIem-A Daylight Search.
"Out to the Red Lion" is favorite trip
for New Brunswick sporting ana driving
men, and the old tavern which has stood
four miles out on the Trenton pike ever.
since the old coaching days is also wet
iay resort for the farmers of New Bruins
wick township, and in the quaint old par
lor you may gather all the social ana po-
Etical gossip of the country side. and so
long as lockjaw is not rural epidemic you
can also hear many a hair stiffening legend
or side splitting joke revived under the in
fuence of good company and good cheer.
Monday afternoon goodly crowd was
assem- bled, when 6 newcomer said:
Wasn't the Trenton pike ghost located
somewhere out here?"
"Oh, yes," replied Landlord j. Holmer
Bergen, 1.-The place was close by here, and
the ghost is closer by now"
81 don't see anybody here that looks at
all ghostly. What do you suppose you
meant"
There he is, sir The only true and
genuine ghost in North Brunswick town
ship" and Mr.. Bergen pointed to small,
modest looking gentleman who was smok-
ing with his chair tilted back against the
window. THAT is the retired ghost. Let
him speak for himself"
THE STORY.
WHAT Freeman Ayresi" almost shout
ed half dozen younger members of the
group, while the older men chuckled aud
IDLY, saying:
"Oh. yesl remember all about it now.
Tell us the story, Freeman, for the benefit
OF the boys"
After being a little further importuned
Mr.. Ayres lighted a fresh cigar ard pro-
ceeded:
1T was in the summer of 1868 or 1869,
Pm not sure which, that this thing hap
pened Frank Tracy kept this house here,
and the big frame cottage down yonder on
the left as you go to New Brunswick was
owned by another man named Tracy, who
lived in New York The house was empty,
and Frank, who looked after it, had lot
of oats stored in one of the parlors. AT
that time I was a young fellow, working
on the dam at Parsons snuff mill. and
went past here TO and from home.
Frank Tracy had chore darby he
called Nose, and one morning early, as
was going to work, / saw Nose coming
down from the hotel with bag for oats,
Something put it into my head To give the
darky scare, and | slipped into the cot
tage, which was open at the back, and
went up stairs.
"Mose came into the parlor whistling
cheerfully and began filling his bag. let
out groan like a sick cider mill.
"'Wh-wh-who's dahl? | heard Nose
exclaim in q kind of awe struck whisper.
He evidently listened little bit, and
then went on filling his bag. | let out
another two horse groan sRd brought one
foot down on the floor like pile driver.
SOARING THE NEGRO.
"'W-w-a-u-ghl O-o-o-hr yowled Nose as
be flew through the door, fell over the yard
fence and few up the road, yelling at
every jump till he fell on the hotel porch
and all Frank Tracy could get out of him
was.
"'Ghosesi Oh, Lordy, Massa Frank,
ghosesi De Lord have mussy on dis pore
niggahl GhosesP
"a bucket of water and tumbler of
liquor brought him around so that he was
able to tell how q ghost seventeen feet
high, carrying it's head on pitchfork, had
warned him for stealing oats; that the legs
had kicked him out and the hands had
tried to knock his brains out with the head
on the pitchfork, and lot more of it.
Frank Tracy, of course, took no stock
in the ghost.
1.-THE next morning was in the cottage
again, but Nose never showed up until
broad daylight, and Tracy threatened to
thrash him because the horses were not
fed AT length saw Nose coming down
the road like scared colt. while Frank
and another man stood in the road at the
hotel watching him. | let Nose fill his bag,
and then ! began my racket. OF course
Nose fed, but held on to his bag He went
up the road on the full yell. tell you
thought was having lots of fun, and so
did as long as it lasted When | looked
out | saw Frank Tracy and lot of the
neighbors coming full tilt for the house,
"In three minutes they were all around
the place, and more were coming. | never
saw a crowd gather So quick in all my life
didn't like the looks of the thing at all
] could not get out, and besides / did not
l.
there were a good many of them who
didn't like to be fooled 1t was the ghost
that was scared now. When they came
nosing in down stairs skipped up into the
garrett, which was only a cockloft
groaned and made a little row occasionally,
and when did they would scoot outside.
THE GHOST CAPTURED.
Then the stage from New Brunswick
came. and all the passengers got out TO
help hunt the ghost. Frank Brewer, from
Franklin Park, came over with a squirrel
rifle, big knife and a huge bloodhound.
Finding the fellows fed every time
groaned, ventured down into the second
story and found lot of wallpaper that
had come off from the dampness.
wrapped il around me and paraded in front
of the windows.
"'Therel Look There it isr shouted
Squire Tom Pearce. It's got on striped
shroud It's the ghost of some convict
George Brown took crack at me with
lis rife and fed 10 the cockloft again.
I'll bet there never was a sure enough
ghost that wanted to get out of the bust
ness auy worse than did.
They organized a storming party, and
Fred Van Deursen volunteered 10 go into
the cockloft. Il was not floored, and the
first thing he did was to break through the
plaster and nearly break his neck. / gave
a groan and the storming party fed. Fred
Van Deursen was no coward, however, and
after he had rubbed his scratched shins
and talked little he swore he would have
asight of that ghost or know why he didn't.