The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1894-10-19
THE GIRL IN WHITE.
mVsTeRloUs DISAPPEARANCE OF LIZ
zle CLkRH TWENTY YEARS AGO.

Always Arrayed In White Gown.
Fully 20 years have passed since Liz
zie Clark, an orphan with n heritage,
disappeared from hotel in Dallas City,
Ills, as completely as il 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 aud money. a guard
ian had been appointed, and Lizzie,
being ambitious to aid 70 her little
store, set about TO work in hotel hard
by the riyor edge. Through the dining
room Of this hotel runs the line between
Hancock and Henderson counties. 50
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
IA man wanted for some otfense in Han.
cock county has sat at this table in Hen
derson county and grinned at the sheriff
of Hancock county.
1t Wa. one afternoon about 90 years
ago that Lizzie CLARK, who had been
washing dishes in the kitchen, stepped
ont into the yard of tho hotel. She was
seen to leave the kitchen by several
working around tho house, who paid TO
attention to the girl, but that was the
last ever seen of her. Those who saw
her stop o@t into tho yard heard nc
scream. no stiflod 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
Bo that rs it may, the murderCrs, If
they remained ia the samo locality long,
have been amply t1lmented since
II L. said that the murderors did not
leave the locality fOr some time there
after, and et again, others say the
girl was II, er murdered, but drowned
herself, ant that her ghost is not one Of
q murdered persons, but one Of sui
eide. All C.ie can gain from the differ
Ont stories aid theories is that the girl
was dealt with fouliy in some manner,
and that her ghost stiil haunts the 10.
cality. OF course every effort was made
to ferret out the mystery. Detectives
huntod high and low, money was spent
TO no purpose, and finally the guardian
of the girl 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 Do
cember, 1857, when party of duck
hunters We're returning to Dallas City
( from the islands. An excursion steamer
| mad become disabled late in the season
/ and was lying on the bank of tine island
across the bay. She was in arJther bad
/ iX. 1t was expected tc leave hoT there
/ during the winter. rs the hunters
ne9red the craft "a form in white was
seen to run out upon the upper deck. IL
was young girls figure, and she was
evidently being pursued, for from
across the water came screams, and then
the following words: Leave mo alone,
leave me alone, or Will drown my.
self With that tho specter flung itself
into the 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 aud at early candle light around
the disabled steamer When the steamer
was taken away the next spring, work
men and stcamboatmen heard pitiful
screams from the willows on shore as
| the boat moved away. Tho spirit did
not leave the island, aad it is believed
now that she WAS bGI.od on the island
after the murder.
OF later years, however tho girls
ghost has been seon in a s.,itT at night,
and it was only few evenings ago that
one of the st Lo.is and st Paul fast
steamers ran into the spectral thing.
The pilot did not SEQ the ghostly craft
until too late. He says he saw boat Of
white that looked moro like floating
fleece than anything else In the boat
was a 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 frRil
craft, it cut through it like mist The
ghostly occupant only laughed sort Of
unoanny laush-a half scre"m-anl
when we had passed | saw the spectral
craft dancing on the waves behind. |
doubt il an ordinary sldff 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 boat?"
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
a dram TO brace their nerves, saying
that while coming down from tho is
lands above ON the ice they had met Liz
zio Clark walking rapidly toward them.
She always wears that white dress, aud
the blood stains ON the neck are plain.