The herald., 1894-12-02
THE GIRL IN WHITE.
MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF LIZ
zIE CLARK TWENTY YEARS AGO.

Toe Tragedy Of a Little Illinois Town.
Murder OF Suicide-The Ghost That Is
Seen by Hunters and River Men-It Is
Always Arrayed In q White Gown.
Fully 90 years have passed since Liz
Eie Clark, an orphan with a heritage,
disappeared from hotel in Dallas City,
Ills, as completely as if the earth had
swallowed her up In all that western
country there has never been stranger
case than the disappearance Of that girl,
and there has never been greater ghost
mystery than has been and still is occa-
stoned by the evidently disembodied
spirit of the girl.
The story of Lizzie Clark has been
county history. She was an orphan and
had some property and money. A guard
ian had been appointed, and Lizzie,
being ambitious to add to her little
store, set about to work in hotel hard
by the rivers edge. Through the dining
room of this hotel runs the line between
Hancock and Henderson counties, so
that often a guest reached from Han
cock into Henderson county when after
butter. A country swain and his lass,
if seated opposite each other at this
board, are in different counties. Many
a man wanted for some offense in Han
cock county has sat at this table in Hen
derson county and grinned at the sheriff
of Hancock county.
1t was one afternoon about 90 years
ago that Lizzie Clark, who had been
washing dishes in the kitchen, stepped
out into the yard Of the hotel. She was
seen to leave the kitchen by several
working around the house, who paid no
attention to the girl, but that was the
last ever seen of her. Those who saw
her step out into the yard heard no
scream, no stifled moan, no struggling,
but there are people yet living who be-
lieve that the girl was suddenly seized,
strangled, concealed in the house until
dark and then cast into the dark river.
Be that as it may, the murderers, if
they remained in the same locality long,
have been amply tormented since.
It is said that the murderers did not
leave the locality for some time there
after, and yet, again, others say the
girl was never murdered, but drowned
herself, and that her ghost is not one Of
murdered persons, but one Of sui
eide. All one can gain from the differ
ent stories and theories is that the girl
was dealt with foully in some manner,
and that her ghost still haunts the To-
cality. Of course every effort was made
to ferret out the mystery. Detectives
hunted high and low, money was spent
to no purpose, and finally the guardian
of the girls estate turned her money
and property over to the county authori-
ties, in whose hand it remains to this
day because there is no kith or kin to
claim it.
The girls ghost was first seen in De-
cember, 1887, when a party Of duck
hunters were returning to Dallas City
from the islands An excursion steamer
had become disabled late in the season
and was lying on the bank Of the island
fix. It was expected to leave her there
during the winter. AS the hunters
neared the craft form in white was
seen to run out upon the upper deck 1t
was young girls figure, and she was
evidently being pursued, for from
across the water came screams, and then
the following words: "Leave me alone,
leave me alone, or will drown my
self!" With that the specter flung itself
into tie river. There was splash, and
the cold waters closed over the white
body Several times during that winter
the ghost of Lizzie Clark was seen at
night and at early candle light around
the disabled steamer. When the steamer
was taken away the next spring, work
men and steamboatmen heard pitiful
screams from the willows on shore as
the boat moved away. The spirit did
not leave the island, and it is believed
now that she was buried on the island
after the murder.
OF later years, however, the girl s
ghost has been seen in skiff at night,
and it was only few evenings ago that
one of the st. Louis and St. Paul fast
steamers ran into the spectral thing.
The pilot did not see the ghostly craft
until too late. He says he saw boat of
white that looked more like floating
fleece than anything else. In the boat
was young girl in white raiment. but
there were blood clots on the white
dress. ''She was rowing swiftly. When
the Prov of the steamer struck this frail
craft, it cut through it like mist The
ghostly occupant only laughed sort Of
uncanny laugh-a half scream-and
when we had passed saw the spectral
craft dancing on the waves behind.
doubt if an ordinary skiff could have
lived in the waves of our steamer, right
under the paddles. - Thus spoke the
pilot and he is man of few words and
sterling integrity.
'Have you seen Lizzie Clark s poat?"
is now the question that goes from one
mouth to another during the summer
season. The question is not asked so Of
ten in winter from the fact that the
poor girls spirit does not seem to roam
so much. Hunters have come into Dal-
las shaking with fright and calling for
dram to brace their nerves, saying
that while coming down from the is
lands above on the ice they had met Liz
zie Clark walking rapidly toward them.
She always wears that white dress, and
the blood stains on the neck are plain.
The girls eyes are always staring wide
open, as if she were being suffocated-
Her spirit has been known to step out