The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-12-25
BAD A TEREIBLE rXpERIENCE.
a Christmas Story that Occurred in Gen.
trail Missouri Long Ago

Yes, I tell you a Christmas story"
said well known citizen yesterday.
Thirty-four years ago this Christ
mas L lived in Usage county, Missouri.
i was then IL years old, but a small boy
Tor my age. About two miles from
where we lived there dwelt an aged ne
gro couple named Alb and Phoebe Har-
ris. Uncle Alb was the handy man of
the neighborhood, or rather settlement.
He was a slave and so was his wife
but he was a kind of privileged bonds
man who titled his own leased patch of
ground and gave his landlord, who was
also his master, half the crop. By his
wood fire place a night he would patch
snoeS and 90 great many other things
for the people in the neighborhood. He
was also rural barber | went to his
little log cabin about 4 o'clock in the
afternoon of the day before Christmas
10 get my hair cut, and before l could
return home a terrible looking storm
gathered in the west and distant
thunder could be heard. Thunder a
CHRISTMAS is a very rare thing in this
latitude. but those who lived in central
Missouri viii remember the remarka-
bic electric storm of Christmas. 1861.
Rain came down in torrents but Aunt
Phoebe didn't mind il a bit nor did
Uncle Alb. but l was terribly scared.
not 50 much by the fearful lightning.
perhaps, as by the thought that l had
10 return home after dark and pass
an old tobacco barn that two men were
Killed in about seven years before. and
which every negro. and a great many
whites, in that vicinity believed to be
haunted. Uncle Alb Harris told me him
self many times and oft that he saw
N-.AE "
barn was haunted but the entire foot
path through the woods had grue-
some history. Aunt Phoebe. in accord
ance with some primitive plantation
custom. lighted a Christmas candle as
she called it. and while she was pre-
parIng supper Uncle Alb kept me in a
FEVER OF excitement and terror with the
most thrilling ghost stories. Aunt
Phoebe adorned her table with a spot-
less white cloth and a miscellaneous
little assortment of china ware that
had been broken in some mansion.
picked up by Uncle Alb by whose hand
work they were mended and made 10
serve on the table OF his home and
proud he and Aunt Phoebe were of
them. Aunt Phoebe leant on her huS-
bands knee in STOPPING from the Goals
and just then a terrible crash came
that filed the house with a Hch. that
almost blinded me. The candle was
quenched and the moment l gathered
my senses / knew that lightning had
struck the house.
Il did not hear word from the old
couple nor a movement and could not
understand II. I struck a match and
10 my great horror l saw the old couple
on the hearth dead. Lightning had
killed them. l was rive.ed 10 the spot
with fear. l remained in the house af-
ter getting my hair cut on the promise
OF Uncle Alb that he would accompany
me home after supper. Now he was
dead. To remain in the cabin alone
with two dead people was dreadful.
but IL was preferable 10 returning
home through an intricate pathway
every angle and turn of which was
sentried by the ghost Of a murdered
man. / almost became raving man
lac With fear and every hour seemed
an age. and quick as my heart beat I
thought a day interviewed between the
pulsStioDs- All at once the interior Of
the cabin was illumina ted from some
invisible source and could see the
glazing eyeballS Of Uncle Alb and Auns
Phoebe. / heard voices and glanced at
the window and saw strange lights
moving about. They came nearer and
nearer until finally I heard footsteps
and when / heard loud knocks al The