The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-13
GHOSTS IN AN OLD FORT
An Indian Massacre in Arkansas
Re-CnaCted Every Night.


with Her Piteous Screams, and an
Old Pioneer Who Shouts a Continual
Warning That the Indians Are
Coming"
From the Philadelphia Times.
Lewisville, Aug. s.-Situated about a
mile and a half from this place are the re-
mains of an old fort which standing on
bluff of the Red river, in former days
commanded the approach up that stream,
and is said to have been erected by the
settlers of this part of the country in 1899
or 1900. These remains, that are now lit
tie more than broken and ruined breast
works, with the walls of a fortified log
house, have for years borne an uncanny
reputation, and by many to this day are
believed to be haunted by number of
spooks. Among these unearthly deni-
zens are the headless trunk of a man who
walks about throwing up his arms with
gestures of despair; the ghost of woman
with the blood running down her face
from a skull from which the scalp has
been torn, and a third man in pioneers
dress, who weeps and walls continuously,
and who spends the time he is visible in
searching about the old fort, as if he was
looking for something that was lost.
These specters have been seen repeat
eddy by different members of the com
munity, either standing on the breast
works toward the river, watching its wa
tiers, or in the act of disappearing some
where in the vicinity of the old house. 1t
is said that a company of infantry, dur
ing the late war, bivouacked under the
shelter of the walls of this cabin one
night, on its way to join the forces on the
Mississippi at Vicksburg, but that they
were driven from the place by their fire
being extinguished every time they tried
to light it, by woman, who came and
threw bucketful of water on it. This
woman invariably eluded them, when
they attempted to catch her, passing the
guard like a shadow and disappearing
apparently down the steep bank of the
river, though it would seem impossible for
any human creature to gain foothold at
that point.
The officer in charge of the company
took up his position near the fire, mean
ing to inquire of the woman her object in
putting out the fire. When she came the
third time he said to her "Why do you
not want the fire to burnt" She answered,
without raising her head: 1.-The Indians
will see it as they come down the river in
their canoes" She spoke with strong
French accent, and was roughly dressed
in blue hOmespun frock and wore huge
calico bonnet, which concealed her face.
AS soon as she had replied to the officer
she emptied her bucket over the flames
and disappeared. The men who were
looking on at this scene, here gave a loud
cry and started to their feet. "She
walked right through you, captain" they
said in a chorus, ''just as if you had been
smoke, or If she had been"
This broke up the camp, for the sol
diers preferred the open country to any
such haunted spot Oneof them remain
ing behind to search for his pistol, which
had fallen in the grass, shortly overlook
the others at run, screaming to them to
wait for him, and exhibiting the greatest
terror He said that on leaving the
shadow of the wall of the ruined house
he almost collided with man carrying
his decapitated head in his hand, and
covered with blood from the CORY throat
to the feet. He had only one glimpse of
this frightful figure when the moon
passed under a cloud, and he was left
staring into the dark, but all at once an
icy hand clutched his, and he broke and
ran. The man was perfectly sincere in
his story, and was pallid with fright,
while his hand was dripping with blood.
But as he had scrambled through bush
his company IL was thought by some that
this accounted for the condition of his
hand.
On another occasion a small body Of
troops in the early days of the war were
marching past this fort in broad daylight
when the men in advance saw a man is
sue from the thicket just to one side, and
on halting him with a demand to know
his business, he called to them, "Back to
braves" This was taken by the men to
mean that the enemy was in sight, and
they turned back with the information,
but the officer in command riding ahead
to interview the man could find no trace
of him. He inquired of the men in trout
as to which direction the man could have
taken, when they informed him that he
had entered the old fort wringing his
hands and muttering to himself. The
ruins were thoroughly searched, but
nothing was found to indicate that there
had been anybody within its limits for
days.
But still thinking that some citizen had
warned them, the troop turned in at this
point and prepared to be attacked, and
when hours passed without the slightest
sign of the enemy. it was decided that
they had been hoaxed, until one of the
men who lived in the vicinity inquired of
those who bad seen him concerning the
man that had given the information, and
on learning that he wore a dressed skin
Jacket with long, buckskin breeches, and
the friGged moccasins affected in immi-
tation of the Indians by the early set
tiers, exclaimed: "Why, that's no man,
but the ghost of the old fort. He was
the traitor, Joel Patterson, who betrayed
the fort and twenty of his mates to the
Indians, and was killed by them for do
ing it, in spite of their promises to spare
him if he would deliver the place over to
them. He walks for the crime to this
day, warning everybody that they're
coming, though he and the red devils he
speaks of have been dead nearly sixty
years.
This explanation, however, was pooh
pOohed by the officers, and the more in
telligent, or skeptical, of the men, and
these resolved that if they could Law
hands on the rogue who had contrived
TO delay them several hours, he should
suffer for his practical joke. But on
their starting again, presently the fore
most man called out, Here he is again"
and in plain view of the three companies
the man in the pioneers dress crossed the
road crying as before, "They are coming
with two hundred braves. Back TO the
fort for your lives" Nearly every man
made rush after him, but he disap-
peared into the shadow of the old breast
works, and though the place was again
thoroughly searched. no trace Of him was
found. The majority of the troops, how
ever, refused to believe that there was