The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-04-16
The Haunted Mill.

ADEL, GA, April 10.-It is a pity to
throw the dark lantern of cold facts on
an interesting ghost story, but it must be
so. In this instance, however, the ghost
was not dragged to the light until it had
thrown whole neighborhood into state
of feverish excitement and revived all
the ghost stories that had lain dormant
for century.
Messrs. Greene and Mathis are in the
sawmill business, and in connection with
their mill are four large cotton gins.
The gins are run with the saw engine by
use OF two and one.half inch counter.
shaft. The hollow pipe would serve as a
telephone, but no one knew 1t save the
engineer. He, being full of fun, would
speak in one end and the sound was
heard at the other. A few evenings ago
while Mr.. Green was in the cotton room,
his attention Was attracted to peculiar
sound fright in the room with him."
Mr.. Greene searched in vain for the
mysterious voice. 1t was heard again
and again, till the mill was shut down
and all hands were put in search of the
daring demon, in which all failed, as did
Mr.. Greene. They grew: nervous aud
thought of things from away back. The
man at the other end of the phone was
the only tickled man there. He would
make groans, bellows and growls, whoops
and howla, and blend them in peculiar
tones that would trighten a priest.
Failing to locate the frightful, laundering
"imajination," which was heard at inter.
walls only, the crew went home, each to
his respective place of refreshment, to
mediate and have frightful dreams-the
engineer TO laugh all night.
The next morning Mr.. James Peacock
happened to be in the ginhouse, when
the man in the pipe quietly saluted Mr..
Peacock. The sounds that came through
the hollow pipe were neither fam iliar or
appreciated. The gentleman held down
his nerves for q short time only, then
gave vent to his feelings by leaping from
the building and tearing across the coun.
try at 2:40 gait. He spread the news,
and an hour afterwards, hundreds of
people congregated around the ginhouse
to hear the frightful sounds. Fifty brave
men arrived with clubs and rifles, entered
the ginhouse, but when the engineer gave
another howl through the pipe they fled
in dismay and were convinced that the
building was haunted by no ordinary
ghost. 1t vas still mystery to all save
the man in the engine room. A lot Of
school children were also victimized by
the hidden voice. They viewed the
eyentful spot from different and distant
standpoints as 30 many Wild turkeys
would view q suspicious trap. Finally
one loped off home and the rest followed
suit-minus caps, buckets and bonnets.
During the intervals between callers the
man in the engine room would lie back
on bale of waste and laugh himself
fat.
All this time Mr.. Greene grew more
and more serious, recalling different
events of his life, trying to think up an
excuse for "Old Scratch" visiting his
mills. Meantime the school children had
carried the news to the neighbors and q
posse of men arrived, armed to the teeth
with everything from pitchfork to q
rifle. This time he wisely kept his ghost
hood ont of the shaft and went With the
gentlemen in search of the monster. All
failed alike with heavy hearts.
People would not carry their cotton
there for they could not endure the
unearthly sounds long enough to unload
their wagons.
The neighbors could have endured the
racket all the season. but the mans fun
was too much to keep.
When the secret WAS made known the
victims put on dry grin Of smile and
said, 'I told you so !"-Aaonta Constitu-
finn