Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-04-23
The CAVE GHOST.

Away back, when the big Mammoth
cave In Kentucky was disco vered, the first
man to explore its depths, and who was
known as the first guide % the cave, was
a slave named Lewis. One day IL was ru-
mored that there were two entrances 10
the cave. This meant that the receipts
from visitors would be divided, as the two
entrances were on different estates. The
man who owned the one entrance, the land
on which it was and the guide Lewis was
quietly told one day by the old man that
he had discovered the second entrance 70
the cave. Lewis owner at once told him
he would give him his freedom II he would
show him and another man the second
mouth TO the cave.
Lewis agreed to do the fob. One morn
ing the slave entered the mouth Of the cave
the present entrance, by the way. The
arrangement was that the owner and an
other man were TO remain on guard and
see that the old slave did not come out the
way he had gone in. Ten hours later old
Lewis proved that there was another en-.
trance TO the cave. He had used il as an
exit and came TO his owner over the hills.
That night three men are said to have 81
lently sffaoed this entrance, and although
IL is known In the neighborhood of the
Mammoth cave that IL did exist no mas
has TO this day been able TO find it, SO
there is only one entrance 10 the wonderful
cave.
Years rolled on. Lewis died. He was
made free, but he would not leave the cave.
He explored it fully and knew more Of its
mysteries and beauties than any Other
soul. Then he was buried In the old GEM
etery up near the hotel. His widow is still
a1i pata la fa
ago, when the story of the ghost was made
known.
Now for the ghost story. A now man
ager took hold of the cave aud the hotel
there. He heard about old Lewis and his
wonderful history. So he concluded il
would be good idea to dig up the old fel
lows bones, RENTER them at the mouth OF
the cave and erect tall white marble
monument over them sacred tO the memo
ry of the first guide to the cave.
When the old mans grave WAS opened,
the negroes down there say, his widow
went down into the pit and gathered up
the fragments of bone and placed them in
the new coffin. Then they were placed In
the new grave at the mouth Of the cave,
and the monument was erected over them.
One night In the summer a few years
ago a party Of men and women, six in
number, came out of the cave at o o'clock
They looked at the big monument and
talked about old Lewis. Then they told
the guide TO go on TO the hotel. They
were In no hurry and would loiter about
the mouth of the cave. An hour and a
half later they started to go to the hotel
They bad gone but few steps when, a
few yards In front, they saw man. He
was dressed in a white shirt and dark
trousers and wore no hat. One of the men
remarked casually that the guide had been
loafng round near them, aud he stepped
forward to ask the man why he had not
gone to the hotel when told to do so. Us
he left the party and moved toward he
man the latter suddenly turned and faced
him. He saw In an instant that II was
not the guide, and he asked the man what
he wanted. There was no reply, aud IN
an instant the figure had vanished.
The man returned to bis party and was
laughed at when he told his story. Ther
the men and women went to the hotel.
They found that their guide had been
asleep for over an hour. Then they were
puzzled. No other person had been near
the cave, and nobody could explain the pc
ouliar occurrence.
Next day the affair was discussed. A
party was made up OF men who agreed to
go to the'cave and see IL the affair was re-
peated. They sat on the ground near the
monument until IL O'Clock, when one Of
them grasped his nearest neighbor's arm
and whispered, "Do you sec that manW
at the same time pointing TO thick part
of the wood near. All the men looked and
saw the figure of the night before. II was
floating by the group, and in an instant
each man sprang to his feet. One of the
men drew a revolver and shouted:
"If you do not stop and tell us who you
are instantly, l will shoot youl give you
fair warning"
There was no response. The man took
aim and fired. He discharged the five
chant bers of his revolver, and then the par
ty rushed to tae spot where the figure had
been seen. There was nobody In sight,
and after scouting the woods in every di-
rection the men started toward the hotel.
Then the story came out. The colored
people heard of 1t. They said that old
Lewis wasn't resting easily in his new
grave. Several Of the more supertitious
left the cave and could not be persuaded TO
come back. Many men and women saw
the figure, and to this day they all know
they saw a ghost.
Soon after this the ghost story became
so widespread that the manager Of the cave
took an interest in 1t. He was asked by
the negroes to put old Lewis bones back
In their first resting place and thus lay the
ghost, which everybody believed by this
time TO be that of old Lewis.
The manager did not like to give up his
idea Of the fitness Of things to a supersti-
tious belief, but finally the feeling grew
too strong for him, and he yielded. He
tore down the monument, broke II to pieces,
moved old Lewis bones back TO the ceme-
terry, and from that tirns to this no ghost