Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-07

human forms, with tossing limbs, were
swept around by this wnirlwind, which was
roaring in his ears. Faint wild outcries
noated past him In the darkness, and IL
was suddenly borne in upon his spirit that
these We're the lamentings of the wraiths
or the dead whom he had despoiled
Dropped on His Knees and Prayed.
Then the man said that he dropped upon
his knees before the open door and prayed
with all the earnestness that terror can in
spire to be delivered from the conse-
quences of his dissertation of the tomb OF
these unknown dead. at the same time
promising to restore the skulls to their
former resting place with the earliest dawn
OF day, which duty he religiously per-
FORMED. Upon this promise being made the
supernatural visitation instantly ceased.
The Old man then told the doctor that he
knew nothing of his (the doctor's) object
In hunting for these relics, but that all the
gold in America would not induce him to
deSecrate one of these cave burning
grounds Of unknown dead
The prevalence of animal phantoms has
been mentioned, and among these the
'headless bull" Of the valley Of the Chatata
is not the least famous. This apparition,
however, unlike those of similar order, ap-
pears TO be more or less purposeless. II
terrifies the beho.der. but, unlike the black
dog of the same locality, the white stag
horse" which haunts the ravines Of the
Smoky mountains. this phantom conveys
no premonition of disaster or death.
Haunt Of the Headless Bull.
The chosen haunt OF the ''headless buli''
Is a dark. densely wooded vale on the west
side OF the Chatata. The country is very
wild and all its features savage and broken.
Not less than four separate witnesses in
formed the doctor that they had seen this
specter, and their accounts Of what they
had beheld correspondent almost exactly.
His appearance was heratded by a violent
commotion among the bushes on the right
hand side of the wooded trail This was
Immediately followed by the appearance
itself, which, after tearing about in fran
tic and aimless manner upon the height,
charged straight down upon the intruder.
None OF these men. according to their own
account. waited until the ''headless bull
approached very near to them, but made
decided and rapid retreat. In no case,
however. did they suffer anything beyond
the fright incidental to such an occur
renee.
Immunity from the consequences of super
natural visitation, however, is not granted
to those unfortunates who run across the
great white stag OF the Sequatchie. Sick
ness or death, either to the individual him.
self or to some member Of his immediate
family, invariably follows that experience.
1t so happened that one night, when an
tcilpSe OF the moon na0 1rlgntene0 tne IN
habitants of one of these clusters OF log
cabins in the Smoky mountains. as much an
If they had lived upon the Congo, and peo-
Piled the darkness with phantoms as numer-
Gus and fantastic as those which ever beset
the negro imagination. the doctor met with
a man who had the reputation of being
rather more homicidal in his tendencies
than most of his contemporaries. and who
had actually fired his rife at this threat
ening specter This man said that being
In hiding in some of the Businesses OF that
wilderness, the white stag had suddenly
appeared before him, and that in a kind Of
desperation ne had aimed and fired his rife
at IL. Before the smoke Of his gun blew
away he heard a shrek exactly like that
uttered under like circumstances by a reve-
nue. officer who had had the temerity. In
company with a posse of hired officers, %
raid his private still
Waiting for Something to Happen.
Up to that time none of the usual conse.
quences had befallen the individual In oues-
ton. but his acquaintances Were all firmly
convinced that the penalty attaching TO
seeing the specter must surely be paid, and
he himself conceded with this belief
The black dog is more particularly q
forerunner Of fatal diseases to those un-s
fortunate enough to behold him, or their
families Many corroborating instances
were given the doctor TO this effect Nh.
merous persons told how they had cast sil-
Yer bullets and laid in wait for an oppor-
tunity to counter charm this specter and
one man, otherwise of good report, related
circumstantially how he and two friends
OF his had seen the phantom while riding
up from the Chatata. 1t was brilliant
moonlight, and the snow lay on the ground,
he stated, as he and his companions turn
ed their horses heads homeward- Midway
In the path. after going a short distance,
they all saw large, gaunt dog bearing
down upon them at a rapid trot The mar
rator was riding in the center. and as he
said, was under the impression, for the
moment that 1t was an actual dog. and
probably mad.
In order to avoid IL he wheeled his horse
to the side of the path. and the phantom
passed him close enough to have enabled
him to touch it with his riding whip Hay
ing done so. however. it disappeared. TO use
his own expression, like cloud OF smoke"
In this case. also, the specter's warning
was fulfilled, for he lost his eldest son by
typhoid fever before the expiration of three
weeks.