The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-10-30


oner McCoiIister for the Purpose OF
Borrowing q Wagon, but on the Wa,
Sees Strange Sights and Later on has q
Hand-to- Hand Contest with Huge
Ghost with vbiskers, and When Found
by His Friends is Perfectly White
The Coroner Tells the story.
did you ever see a white negro?''
asked Coroner McCilister 10 an Eagle
reporter yesterday afternoon.
The reporter informed the gentleman
| that this was nothing new, and tha-
such sights were very common in COM
rnunities where colored people resided.
preston as he saw that the reporter did
not appreciate his story, and with one
, final effort ne exclaimed: did you ever
see black man become as white as
-four within a few ninutes?"
The reporter said he could not call
any such circumstances to mind. When
this was said the Old smile came back
on Mack's face and grabbing the re-
| porter by the arm he led him off TO the
| court room Of the appellate court where
ne gave him the following experience
| of the night before:
You know / am now living on the
| island just west of the water works and
while it is one of the best spots on
| earth yet at night it is extremely lone
some. For sometime / have let Russell
Border, a colored man have the use of
my horse and wagon. He has been en-
gagged in digging his sweet potatoe crop
| i ,.t-fl.% L. %
my house to sea about getting the horse
| and wagon to use in hauling his pota-
| toes.
TT seems that he came to the court
| house just after had gone, and falling
! to see me ne returned home to supper
| and started over in the evening for
my house. He tried hard to get some
one TO go with him, but was apparently
unsuccessful, and was forced to go it
alone.
81 learned today for the first time that
| the colored people have received legend
from some person, who declared he had
received his knowledge direct from the
Indians that the portion of land where
my residence is located is where the
Indians held their ghost dances in olden
times. For this reason the colored peo-
pie have chosen the island as the loca-
ton for their hoodoo dance. That they
believe the place to be inhabited with
spirits and ghosts of the worst kind.
Looking at it in this light il is not TO be
wondered at that Russell did not want
to make the trip alone last night. He
says he he.sitated for some time whether
to go or not, but when he thought about
his sweet polta toes, and the danger of
losing his entire crop if he put it. off
for another day, he resolved to risk II.
When he got to the river he felt in
his pocket for his rabbits foot but
found it was gone. What would he do?
He was within 800 yards OF my house
and if he turned back without accom-
plishng his Grand he knew that Sam
Jones and the boys would run him 10
death about getting scared out, and he
resolved TO go.
HE had advanced in the woods about
100 yards when he stopped. He heard
something in the brush. What could 1t
be? He looked in the direction from
which the sound came, and there he
beheld a streaked light in the shape of
a cross. His heart sank within him.
For a moment he was frozen to the spot
His lower jaw fell upon his breast while
his heart leaped and thTmped like
wild beast in cage. He could not
run, nor could he yell. He was speech
less.
Just at this moment an owl in a tree
gave a screech. This started his blood
in circula ton and his legs in motion.
He gave forth the most heart-pieI'cing
scream / ever heard in my life and
bounded through the brush in the direc-
ton of my house. He had no time TO
stop for roads or paths. He saw the
light and could not stop for briers or
plum bushes. On he came yelling at
ever jumps
81 acknowledge to you, but don't
want you to say anything about it in
the Eagle, that 1 felt little shaky my
self as 1 heard his yell and thought Of
loneliness Of my house. The dog gave
one bark and then sneaked around the
house and was gone. We have a billy
goat at the stables and he came out
with his head full of irquisitiveness and
jumping upon stump he took one look
in the direction from whence the sound
came. He shook his whiskers and was
off ike flash, but unlike the dog he
went in the direction from whence the
sound came. Soon the sound was con-
fined to one place. The goat had meet
the advancing figure and stopped it in
its wild career.
Il FASTENED to the spot and there I
found Russell and that tormented goat
=.
Sometimes the negro was on TOD and
sometimes the goat. The negro would
get on his knees and cry "Oh, Cod
when that goat would get in his work
and all would stop. Then there would
he muttering which was not exactly
praying.
Il finally got the goat off and took the
poor man 10 the house. He was as
White as any man in Wichita. He swore
he had not only seen ghOst but had
also had a severe contest with the same
l tried 10 reason with him that there
was no such things as ghosts. but he
would not admit ii. He declared he had
bruises which he would carry 10 the
grave. He acknowledged that he had
goat smell about him. but how could
L explain the strange lights. / got my
old horse pistol and started on an inves-
tigating tour. i found what had given
HIM his first scare was a piece of old |
punk or rotten wood. Il did look ghost |
~ keep the man an night. but he said 1
he could not sleep. and that he would /
not go on the island again after nsghr 4
for all the sweet potatoes in the world; I
especially not when ne did not have the |
LETT hind leg Of a cotton tail rabbi; IN
his pocket"
HE JOKED THE CORONER.