The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-09-08
A LIVING GHOST
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
BY w. II. TRENcnARD

speaking of ghosts," said Colonel
Haverley, as he knocked the ashes from
his cigar, 81 had an experiences with
them once which was not altogether
pleasant, although it did'make me hero
among my young lady acquaintance. 1
was always venturesome youth,
ready to engage in any rattle-brained
episode from raiding a melon patch to
playing practical Jokes.
'Some ten or twelve miles from my ma
tive town, in rough, deserted place,
among high hills and surrounded by
dense forest of pine and fir trees, was an
old house. Its owner no one knew, and
for how long 1t had existed was mys-
terry to even the oldest pioneers of that
region. The mysteriousness of its origin,
together with its uncanny situation, had
been the cause for many Evolutionary
stories, all differing essentially, yet all
connected with the supernatural.
TT was said that one Silas Jones had
owned the place many years before and
had carried on in this secluded wilder
ness distilling business without paying
any internal revenue on his production.
More definitely he was a moonshiner.
One night having drunk heavily of his
own whisky he, in drunken frenzy, hau
murdered his wife and two small children
and had then committed suicide.
"Of course murder and ghosts are nat
uTally associated. and the popular belief
was that Silas Jones and family still
haunted the habitation which had given
them shelter in their days of moonshin-
cry; and those who had been brave
| enough to venture near the silent abode
! of the spirits had seen old Silas making
| them by the gallon.
at was in July, 1868. that party of
Us young fellows made this lonely place
| our shelter.
1--WE had been away back in the noun.
tains on hunting expedition, and just
at shutdown one evening as we were re-
thunder storm. The rain came down in
torrents, mighty tiunderbolts rent the
giants of the forest, splitting them in to
myriads OF match like pieces; the light
ming lit up the scene for moment ana
then plunged us into deeper blackness
again.
I'VE all of lis had wholesome dislike to
our Quarters. but although the shingles
we're broken and rotted away in many
places the old house afforded some pro-
lection, even if our situation was not
calculated to cure the blues.
"A boat II o clock the storm ceased, but
the da khess was intense-an occasional
flash Ut lightning still played along the
horizon, and the roar of the torrents
down the mountain side was deafening,
but we endeayored to get little rest.
Soon my companions were wrapped in
the arm sof Morpheus, but found it diff
cult to control my mind it wandered on
and on, until l wondered indefinitely no
the story OF the Jones tragedy. Sudden
ly l fanced l heard a sound half raj sing
myself or my elbow 1 listened. Yes,
sure enough, there came from no par
ticular quarter a pat. pat, pat of feet. and
almost simultaneously from ben cath me
came low plaintive cry like that of g
bahy'o. In a twinkling l was bolt up
right, the rotten boards in the flooring
came more distinct and with it was a low
cultural muttering sound. like the
suppressed cursing or an angry man. Fol
an instant my path of duty seemed fal