The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-11-03
THE HAUNTED HOUSE

country that is old enough to have u his
tory has it's haunted house and it's story
of ghostly visitants and eerie, uncanny
sounds and sights, connected with some
particular locality. To this rule, Florence,
Ala, many of whose older residences and
families date back to the days of Andrew
Jackson. forms no exception. Around
several Of the ivy clad mansions of the old
town hangs mysteries which makes them
objects of interest to the educated whites
ana OF terror to the ignorant and super
stitious negroes, ever prone to repose full
faith and crcdencc in the supernatural
Were it only upon the evidence of the
ignorant and superstitious that the follow
ing facts hinge, they would be worthy of
slight consideration. To the uneducated
mind science can work marvels which, i'm
an earlier and ruder era, would have sent
their inventors to the stake as wizards
Had Edison lived in the days of the nqui-
sition he would have had the rack and
thumbscrews for his reward, and Morse.
Stephenson and Watts been martyrs to the
cause OF the worlds progress Humanity
III every age has been eager to listen to the
marvellous and to swallow the incredible
upon very slight guarantee However, it
is upon no such slender testimony that our
story rests Its truth is vouched by men
OF approved veracity, good education and
tried courage, high in the esteem of the
community and members of one of the
learned professions.
Early i'll the history of the town, among
the first attracted to the locality by tho
picturesque beauty of it's location above
the swift flowing Tennessee was Il North
Carolinian named Richard Hunter Like
one of the patriarchs of DID, with his nocks
and herds, his family, his menservants
ana his maidscrvants, lie had left the old
North State and, per vnrios caslls per tot
dlscrmina rcrum," crossing thtfUrollinp
waves Of the Blue Ridge and threading the
rugged spurs of the Cumberlands, fordinp
streams and ferrying rivers, he had Mt last
paused here, cxclaiming with the ancient
warriors alabama! Here we rest" And
here, fronting upon what is now one of the
principal streets of the town, arose his
residence.
Wealth in those days was counted in the
south by the acreage of plantations and
by the number of slaves male and fc-
male. OF the former, Richard Hunter
possessed enough for n barony and of
tho latter small regiment. Around
the great square brick house, with
its massive pillars and wide spreading
porches, could be seen bright and happy
black faces by the score, the cotton fields
rcsounded to the hoeing songs of well con-
ditioned and swarthy field hands, while in
the quarters" not faroff picaninnies and
dogs aboundcd. 1t was II sight of peace
plenty and prosperity. Notwithstanding
the fact that this section was the head
quarters of the great Cherokee Nation, all
went well between the whites and the In
dians, neither Interfering with nor molest-
ing the other.
Richard Hunter had but one child. the
sole heiress of his acres and his wealth.
and she had just budded, under the warm
glances of southern sun, into woman
hood, fresh and blooming rs n wild rose
Tall and willOwy, with all the 1.-the grace
peculiar to the women of the south, she
was nevertheless i'll hair, eyes and coloring
type of one of her Scotch ancestresses
who, born amid the hills of the highlands
had been transplanted to n congcnial home
amid the mountains of western North
Carolina.
She had been educated in all the lady
like accomplishments of the day under the
watchful eyes of Il mother who united to
the love of literature, music and art that
intimate knowledge of the mysteries of
housekeeping, then considered essential to
the mistress of a household. The idol of
her father, she had been his comrade and
the companion of his sports, until she
could back II half broken colt, paddle a
pirogue or bring down a partridge with
the same ease that our modern belle carries
her train through crowded ballroom.
Alice Hunter was in that period of life
where the present is so bright that its glow
reaches out and dominates the future
Wealth, doting parents, qualification of
mi nj oil CT, l..
won the love of the man of her choice and
was happiest in the knowledge that Philip
Marston's dearest hope and highest aspira-
ton centered in herself Phil Marston
us ne was known to every one or ''AIarse
PhiI' us the negroes called him, was younp
handsome, free handed, free hearted. ral,
liant and all that went to make him an
ideal lover. In spite of strong rivalry he
had won his lady love, and the day was
set for their marriage. His broad and well
titled lands aajoncd the Hunter planta-
ton, and Richard Hunter knew that it
would make almost principality, Joined
to his own. Nevertheless Alice was only
seventeen, and so the wedding dav WINS
postponed until the following year
Suddenly. in 1885, the Cherokee ,yor
broke out. Philip Marston raised n com.
pany of rifemen from among the hardy
yeomanry of the section and Joined the
command Of his friend and neighbor, Gen
cral Coffee. Throughout the sharp and
decisive campaign that followed Marston
bore conspicuous part for gallantry, until
the final battle on the banks of the Coosa
Hemmed in upon peninsula, bounded. all
but narrow neck of land, by swollen
waters of the rivers, the chiefs and bravest
warriors of the Cherokees made their last
and desperate stand. Leading his riflemen
to a charge Philip Marston fell, mortally
wounded.
Bad news travels quickly. 1t was on a
night of furious wind and rain that n
hunting shrted rifleman brought the It'd