The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-23
THE GHOST OF
RICHARDS PLANTATION.
A TRUE STORY OF LOUISIANA.
Nelson Ayosr in New orleans picayune.

/ berry day dat dose politishyunS was kilt
| up to de big house. I was des trompliu
/ down de yarf aroun' hit when 1 yeared
/ de yellin' an deshootin', an you ought
to seen dis niger run to git behinU de
| levee."
The speaker stopped to laugh loudly at
the amusing recollection of his own limo
rous activity.
| He was a well-built negro, well along in
! years, and was working in the garden of
/ the "big house." one of those spacious
and imposing plantation mansions which
! line the levees of Louisiana. The house
was not far away, half hidden in a grove
| of stately live oaks, orange trees and
| Towering shrubs, which extended to
! the levee in front, on the other side of
/ which flowed the majestic stream of the
muddy Mississippi. His auditor M'lindy,
was young negress, plump and shiny,
| the nurse and companion Of a l0-year-Old
| girl, who was standing idly by, half
amused and half annoyed at the very evi-
! dent efforts of the old man to play the
| agreeable to NJ Indy. His attentions,
! despite his age, were not lost on M'lindy
| She approached him a little closer and,
| to continue the conversation, asked: Mr..
/ JOhnsing, did you ever saw de ghosteses
| oh dem pOlitiShYuns2 ! done hearn tell
| dat dey comes aroun' dis yere plantation
/ cherry yeah. I done don BELIEF it, cause
| Miss Marie an de white folks s&Ss dat
! dere Amino SIGH hallOsumatiOns.@
Where yo' git dat big word, honey"
said the old man, leaning on his hoe and
regarding the girl with undisguised adj
miration. ''Yo dun bin to school, Amt
yo2 What 20 know bout hollosuma-
/ tionsln rolling the SyllableS luXuriOusly
on his tongue. But halIosumatiOns or
no hallosumations, dere is ghostesses, fer
| seed UNI | seed, de ghOstesses oh dem
politishyuns las yeah an de yeah before
um, and twict it wus right here in dis
| gayrding.'
STell us about it, Uncle Ben" said the
| little white girl, assuming an attitude of
interest.
Il don't darst tell yo bout hit, Miss
Marie, cause yo' ma she'd git mad eff | put
any notions in yo' head; but hits a fac
dat dem ghostesses comes round here
cherry yeah an hits bout dis time o.
yeah, too. l seen um!'
Uncle Ben turned away, and began to
| hoe vigorously in the flower beds, as
though the conversation had come to a
close.
'.Oh, yes, Uncle Ben, 80 said Marie coax
| ingly tell us all about it. ! won't tell
[
| ghosts. | wouldn't be afraid if one stood
right there beside you now"
| Uncle Ben started and turned suddenly,
! as though he expected to see some IN
| canny visitor from the world of the IN
real at his elbow. Then he laughed I'M
! easily
"'Clare to goodness! chile, yo' mos
| skeered me! l don't want no ghOstes
side me Well, yO' see. dar was two
politishyuns, what come foolin' rOun' de
niggas on dis plantation one time good
while ago
What is a politishyun2" demanded
Marie
Denis men what talks to folkses bout
votin', an rights, an preston, an man
pashun, an all sech fOOGShnesS. I
amt paid no 'tenshun to UNI. Dey wuZ
roun' desc parts aholdin' meetins' mOngst
de niggas an tagonizatin' de white gem
mems, an dey got kilt. l amt asayin
who kilt um " and the old man assumed
| an expression of great reserve and mys-
| terry, "nur what it was fer, nur how it
happened, nur whe'r hit wus right ur
wrong. | don know muffin bout dat
reckin eff dey'd staid way fun yere, an
minded DER own bizniss, dey wouldn'ta
rot kilt. But dey did git kilt, an OATS
all dere is bout hit. An eber senCe den,
bout dis time OBJ de yeah DER ghOsteS
comes Il rambulatin' rOun' de planta ton
for a week ur 50. [ see UNI, an lots O. oder
folkses seen UNI. Why las summer one
night | went ober de ribber fer some oc-
cupat ion dat wus perturbatin my min,
an hit wus pretty late in de night when
| got back | locked de sl1ift dere by de
| leVee, an ! comes right down dis PAT
trough de gayrden. Hit was a awful
ceruleous night, blacker'n Moses, an
couldn't see muffin but ies' my lantern,
when all ov a suddint | heard somefin.'
,,.lf -r,Err ,srte4 dot clyn dot 1,o
couldn't git UNI BRET. l stopped right
| still u mint, an dyn I hearn dat groanin'
again. an Dress de libin goodness! dar
seed dat ghOstes standin right under dat
tree, clOst by whar dat swing am ahangin'
now
GO long, nigga!" said M'linda, in
tone half of fear and half of incredulity,
"how yo' see dat ghostes wen hit wus so
| da'k3 An how yo' know hit wus a
ghOstes, anyhow
''Yo' is on'y chile, Mlindy," replied
Ben, in a tone of grave rebuke, IAN yO'
neva seed a ghOstes yit. Yo' don know
dat ghostes kinda shine all Ober like,
deS de same es coon's eyes in de da'k.
| Yo' kin see UNI widout no light"
What did you do when you saw it,
Uncle Ben asked Marie, who was hang
ing on the tale with Open-mouthed in
| tereSt.
L ruined !" answered he with empha-
sis, u ruunned wusser n race boss.
| Hit want a mint tell I wus in de cabin,
an had my head kivered up wild de bed
cloes', asayin' my pra'rs. Hits mighty
bad luck to see a ghOstes."
What did the ghost look likel"
/ Il don know, 'zacly, honey, I neva
stopped to 'Samine hit. Hit wus 'boutes
big es a man, an hits head wus des like a
dead mans skull, an it had great, big,
shiny eyes, an long, white clOf roun'
hit like a windin' sheet Hit wus de
mos horrible sight cher seed"
do you think it will come around here
again." still questioned Marie.
L don know, chile | spec hit mought
Hit mought come tonight fer all l knows
Dis is de time o. de yeah, an hits de da'k
o. de moon
do ghosts always come in the dark of
the moon 30
Il recl1in' dey does. Ineber seed dem
no oder time Yeah bcfo' las, when I
seed dat ghostes by de suga house, hit
WIS"
What stuff are you telling that child,
Benz" asked a sharp voice, and lady
who had evidently overheard his last re
mark. came around a curve in the wind
ing walk full upon the group.
Il want a tellin' ov her muffin Miss.
Jane, only she wus a askin' me eff I'd cher
seed a ghOsteS."
Nonsense" replied the lady, ''you
ought to be ashamed of yourself to put