The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-05-09
A FUNNY PHANTOM.
T9,e Ghost OF q Chant Goat Ter.
rorizee MissiesippiAnA


Three miles west of New Albany the
Rocky ford road crosses a creek which
was originally named Big creek, but
was more appropriately named Hell
creek by persons who have been COM
pelled to cross the adjacent bottom in
recent years. Just beyond this is an
other rum called Mud creek. which
stream is grown up with thick and
heavy underbrush, and on cloudy nights
the blackness that surrounds the trav-
eler could be sliced into chunks and
sold for ink. The bottom or lowland
adjacent to the stream is of unusual
width for one so small, and at the best
is exceedingly uninviting.
Some years agosa gentleman passing
through the bottom at night was al
most thrown by his horse shying to one
side, and when he looked ahead was
confronted by monster goat of white
color rearing upon his hind feet as il to
annihilate the animal and rider. One
look was sufficient, and, making sud-
den turn, he galloped out of the bottom
at the risk of his life, swearing that he
would drink no more New Albany blind
tiger liquor. Not wishing to put him
Fself up as target for the jeers of a sus-
picious public, he held his counsel and
heard or saw nothing more of the weird
appartition for some time.
About year later his goatship was
again on the warpath and confronted a
gentleman of known sobriety, who, not
daunted, urged his animal forward de-
spite the warlike attitude of the ghostly
visitor. The goat kept in the middle of
the road, and when the small bridge
was reached disappeared as mysterious
ly as he had appeared. The gentleman
related his experience, which became
noised abroad and gave courage to the
man who had first sighted the vapory
animal to relate his experience, and the
two coincided so well that the people be-
gan to giveAhem credit for having seen
something to disturb their piece OF
mind. The story was given enough
credence to cause an uneasy feeling to
enter the mind of the traveller who
crossed the bottom at night, and cause
chill to ramble up and down his spinal
column as he passed the spot where the
ghost had been seen.
lever in things uncanny at all, and has
a supreme contempt FOR a man who has
seen spool1s, had been beyond the creek
harvesting hay, and was detained until
after nightfall on his return home. The
night was intensely dark and slight
rain was falling. AS he drove through
the impenetrable gloom, trusting to the
instinct of the mules that drew the
rake which he was astride to find the
road, the misty and uncertain form of
the giant goat suddenly appeared in the
road ahead of him. The mules reared
and plunged, very nearly upsetting the
rake. Leaping to the ground to grasped
the bits and was gratifed to see the
phantom recede as the team moved for
ward. The mules, trembling in every
nerve, carried him along, and when the
bridge was reached he disappeared as
on former occasions, much to the re-
lief of the gentleman who did not be.
lieve, in spirits or unnatural appari-
tions.
Since that time number of thorough
ly reliable witnesses have been placed
in positions to vouch for the truthful
ness of the existence Of the phantom
goat. Persons who travel that road to
and from town make their arrange
.ncnts to pass that spot before nightfal,
and very few have the temerity to in
wade the territory of his goatship after
darkness has fallen. New Albany
(Miss.l Gazette,