The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-12-20
rINLAY ROSS GHOST STORY.
He Gives His Experience in the "Lone star


He Gives His Experience in the 'Lone star
| State.
"Why in thunder don't ySu publish
ghost story in the Eagle any more!
said Ffnlay Ross 10 an Eagle reporter
! last night.
Il would rather read about a ghost
! than anything on earth, and ! know if
you would look about you could find
| plenty Of them in Wichita. II makes
/ men hot 10 hear men, because they
have never seen a ghost get UP and de-
( clare that there is no such things. I
! am willing 20 STAKE everything | have
on earth that 1 not only met a ghost
one time, but that actually held con-
1 versa ton with a ghost.
1T makes me trelnble yet, when
. think OF my experience. And 1 am one
that don't blame Negro Jim for turn
( ing white this morning at o'clock
! when he thought that old man Leon
ards ghost was after him"
Tell us about your experience with q
! ghost" asked the reporter
Well, wait till 1 wipe off the cold
sweat from my face, and if John Fisher
! VIII tell YOU how he made Negro Jim
! turn white, / viii get a drink of water
/ and tell you, but remember ii Is not for
/ publication Notwithstanding RE fact it
! IS every word true" said the city treas
urer, who declared he had been cited to
/
/ why he should not be committed to jail
for refusing TO pay the warrants when
signed by the police commissioners
well, will tell my story" said Mr..
Fisher, ''if Finlay viii tell his"
"a Agreed
| For some time past have been call
ed I'D every night TO furnish lodging
for Negro Jim. He has a place to
I work in the day time, but he is trying
n Va I'M Cn a n q n =
! tend a convention at Hot Springs dur
| ing the holidays and viii not blow him
! self for a bed. Well, this morning he
came as usual and wanted TO be allow
ed to sleep here. ] told him that / had
positive orders that he must accom-
pany me 10 the alley near the Carlton
school house at o'clock. That ii had
been reported that a ghost was there
and we wanted to capture II.
Jim promised and let him lay down
/ and go TO sleep. At fifteen minutes 10
2 o'clock l woke him up and we started
! for the scene of the gnost. In the
/ mean time, while the negro was asleep
! had sent word to Remspear and A.
NJ. Sutton that Jim and myself would
} be at the alley. When We got there
! Jim wanted TO hold back, and / told
him to stay at the end of the alley and
/ would 90 down and scare the ghost
out and for him 10 nail him He got
in the shade of the barn and stood there
with his teeth chattering. All at once
Remspear appeared on the scene with
Z sheet on and grabbed for the negro.
/ He made one bound and fell in the arms
! of A. NJ. Sutton, who was also covered
/ with a sheet.
Z" Please Mr.. Leonard, you and your
! cousin let me go. One OF you ones
catch John Fisher. He IS the man
that disturbs your midnight preambu-
lation. 1 swear 1 never said that haunts
don't come back. Oh, God! what will
! / do? shrieked Jim.
1.-The ghost caught him by the tail OF
the coat and started in the direction Of
/ a manhole. Jim watched his chance
! and give a Jump. The coat came in
. twain, and coatlesS, hatlesS Jim made
! for the headquarters and beat me there.
"When / came in he was as white as
a ghost and swore he would stand up
/ all night before he would hunt ghosts
to pay for his nights lodging l I'M
derstand he has made a bed down on
/ the top of the oven at the Carey hotel. y
( well, 1 can't vouch for all John
/ Fishers story being true" said Finlay,
but mine is a fact. Some of my friends
! in Ohio had gone to Texas, and when
! they came back they pictured such
glowing tales of how a man could be-
! come rwealthy in the Lone Star state
! 1 got the chiils and everything else, but
. money and finally l got busted fiat. l
/ resolved to leave the state and come to
. Kansas.
I fell in company with Jew peddler
. and got 10 ride as far as waco. Just
J north of Waco there was prairie called
''Fortv-Mile" | was walking and
when night came I was as tired as a
hired man on a farm. / came TO 4
house where campers stopped and ask
ed to be allowed 10 stay all night. The
man seemed to take pity on me, be
! cause this was before l had become city
| treasurer of Wichita. and / had an in
! nocent look The man told me that
/ his house was full, and, In fact, could
| see that for myself. There was no
| room 10 lie down. even on the floor. The
night was cold, and regular northern
er had began 10 blow.
| FINALLY the man came 10 me and said
! that up the road about 800 yards there
! was a new house partly finished, but
that there was a good fireplace and L
. could spend the night there very COM
/ fortably. But that there had been a
I paddIpr killed there and that the peo-
. pie said the house was haunted.
Il told him I was not afraid of SpoOks
! and If ne would give me some matches
/ and a robe would sleep in the house.
( I reached the place and soon had fire
built. and made ready for bed. All az
! once 1 heard the cellar door slam. l
will acknowledge that it made me feel
1 A little nervous. l got out my pistol
/ and laid il by my side. / next heard
/ some one on the cellar steps coming up
( on the inside Of the house.
Now IS my time, l thought to show
the Texas people that a boy as not
I afraid OF ghosts. but my knees were
/ shaking nevertheless. The cellar door
| opened and in walked the ghost. l
/ told him 10 halt or l would shoot. He
/ grinned at me and I raised the pistol
and fired. He put his hand to his nose
and made an ugly sign at me. He walk
! I'd towards me. l fired again, but he
I only laughed.
Put up your pistol my hoy. I am not
Of this world. I am peddler but they
killed me for my money. They did not
| set it, l had IL buried In the cellar,
and II you viii so with me l VIII show
| You where Il is hid
u told him did not want his money.
| but Ne laughed and pointed 10 the Gel
/ lar door.
90 Go" he said.
! y don't know what came over me. I
| guess 1 was hypnouzed. and l went
! There seemed 10 be kind Of blue halo
/ about the man and with this phospho-
/ ras light thrown of from the ghoSt l
1 could see dimiy. even in the cellar.
He went about pokinS with his cane
/ and finally came U a soft place where
he told me 70 reach down. did 50 and
! my hands fell upon 3 dozen va tCiles. I
! fell asleep and was awakened by the
/ landlord saying that breakfast was