Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-03-03
An ApparitiOn that is Greatly Ex-
citing the People Of Rich
mOnd, Texas.
An Emigrant Wagon Which Nightly
Passes Through the Streets
of the City.
The Citizens and Officers are Unable
to Unravel the Mystic
riOuS Affair.

The entire city is agog over an appari-
ton which is said to visit Main street
every night about y o'clock, and which
takes the form of a large old-fashioned
wagon OF the sort known as emigrant's or
prairie schooner" and drawn by two
oxen, says Richmond, Texas, special to
the st. Louis Republic. TIE phantom, as
it Is believed to be, is commonplace
spectacle enough and would attract little
notice were 1t not for the hour of its visit,
and the extraordinary phenomena attend
ing Its appearance. About two weeks
ago the people residing on Main street
were awakened at the hour mentioned by
the creakIng of wagon as Il went along,
but thought nothing of the occurrence un-
TIL the thing was repeated the next night
and the night after, when their curiosity
concerning its GRAND began to be aroused.
Several prominent citizens waited on the
fourth night, and when the wagon ap
lroacned hailed the driver, who could be
somewhat lndlstinctly seen sitting rather
back IN the vehicle. No response was
given to their hail, which was repeated
several times, and at last with some per-
emptorlness, determined to solve the oues-
ton for themselves, the men ran forward
and attempted to lay hold of the oxen's
heads, when, 20 their utter amazement.
nothing was to DC tUun ON the spot where
the moment before b. huge team was to
DC seen. 1t was gU4-e rs pletely as a
shadow before TIE s5ln, but twenty or
thirty feet further on AS presently seen
wagon and oxen joiting on as composedly
as ever.
Dumb struck at the occurrence, the men
resolved to thoroughly investigate the
matter before speaking Of the puzzling
thing. they had just witnessed, as they
feared the story would meet VITA only in
credulity and ridicule. They ran after the
wagon, but failed to overtake it before it
was swallowed up in the night, and were
unable to find it again. The next night
all were at their posts full hour before
the apparition made its appearance, and
the watchers of the night before, joined by
others whose slumbers had also been dis
turbed by its passage, waited, guns and
revolvers in hand for the coming of the
mysterious vehicle. 1t was seen coming
promptly at the usual hour, appearing all
at once just beyond the first house on the
street, and moving along at a leisurely
pace.
The oxen appeared to be very weary and
dispirited, and every now and then the
sound of whip snapped in the air could
be heard, but no other sign Of life could be
heard or seen about the wagon itself. A
dark figure sat on the scat, which was
pushed back under the canvass, but
whether the driver was man or woman
could not be decided. Several of the keen
est sighted declared it to be a man with
his hat drawn down far over the face, con-
cealing the features, while as many others
were quite as positive that the figure was
that Of a woman wearing a dark sum
bonnet.
But whatever the sex of the driver, the
shadowy figure paid not the slightest at
tentlon to the crowd collected and stand
ing on both sides of the street, but pur-
sued It's way without SO much as turn of
the head In answer to the questions piled
to 1t. The oxen plodded ON without sign
that they heard the shouts, and did not
pause even for moment. Twenty men
sprang into the the streets as the wagon
neared; twenty pairs of hands were put
out TO grasp its sides. the harness of the
team, the team itself, but only empty air
did they grasp. There was not even
trace OF the phantom to be seen at that
spot, though it could be distinctly per-
ceived disappearing in the distance. In
the meantime that portion of the crowd
that had remained on the sidewalk con-
tinued to call out to those who had essayed
to stop the wagon, and, seeing the mys-
FERROUS vehicle as plainl y as ever could not
but wonder at the discontinue displayed
by the others.
These spectators declare that the wagon
moved placidly through the midst of the
eager hands that grasped at 1t, and to
them no reason was visible Why they
could not have stayed it.
Excitement now became almost uncon-
trollable, and it was impossible to keep
the matter quiet SO that ON the following |
night the street was lined from end to |
end with crowd determined to solve the |
mystery or know The reason why. Each |
man carried a weapon, and across the |
street was stretched ropes, and even a roll |
Of barbed wire attached to stout posts. not |
to be uprooted by any gentle means.
Punctual to its tacit engagement the
strange team made It's appearance, and as
the night was brilliantly lighted by the |
full moon, the white canvas with the dark |
body below. was more clearly outlined |
than ever. As it approached them, Officers
Gray and Connolly stepped out into the
street and directly in front of the oxen and
called upon the phantom driver to halt. |
The next moment the men we're seen to |
stagger lack aud stretch their length up
on the ground while the wagon seemed to |
pass directly over their bodies So sure
was the crowd that this had happened that
volley of shots from half hundred guns
were poured into the vehicle But with
out even a momentary check the team
pursued its way through ropes and wires
as if they had been but shadows of the
things they were. The crowd ran after
the wagon until it disappeared close to
the river as mysteriously as it had come
In the meanwhile the officers had been
taken up unconscious, but unhurt in any
way. 1t was hours before they could be
restored to their senscs. Both were
genuinely frightened out OF their wits.
Mr.. Gray says:
Those that Ike may continue to ip-
vestigate the wagon, or ghost of one, and
what it carries, but they may count me
out. [ have nothing more TO do with it,
for while I'm not afraid of anything |
can hold on to, III admit N a very poor
hand at tackling the unreal. No, | won't
describe what | saw, for | can't, and be-
sides | don't want my nina } dwell on
it; bat | tell you how | felt, and
that was as if I'd stumbled OF an ice
berg IN the dark only the air about that
ghost s team was colder than any ice |
ever saw
Connolly confirms this statement about
the inexpressible chill that came sweep
ing from the apparition, but says that
as be fell back, overpowered by it, he
caught glimpse OF q number of dead
faces in the wagon, and that the driver