The Charlotte Democrat., 1896-08-13

+Corries an Awful Club and T ava with
Roar Like Summer Thunder Storm IN
Forest -Heeds Neithe: Buckshot Nor
Rife BuIlets-Brave Men terrified
Cleveland Plain Dealer.
BENTON, Ind July 26,-Wearing a long
white beard and robe and carrying u
huge club, real ghost. eight feet high,
is abroad in Benton township, E khart
county. Night after night it has been
seen for the last week, and night af-
ter night searchin parties Of farmers
have fred at the fearful object with shot
guns. But that il is real ghost is pro-
ved by the fact that the shot whisled
harmlessly through the ghost and it dis
appeared only to reappear in a different
place, wavin it's Ion white arms ar
shaking it's club at pursuers.
1t has been seen by hundreds, it ha-
been fred at by terrified searching par
ties, and it has each time vanished and
then flashed it's fearsome presence q an
OF er place.
Last Tuesday night it mad its first
appearance. On that evening John W.
French and his good wife made call at
neighbours some miles away from their
farm. The evening was spent in story
telling and jolity, and it was we'll along
toward midnight when Farmer French
elped his wife into his big farm wagon
and climbed up beside her TO start home
A few miles aloug the lonely country
road over which they had to ira 7el is an
old church, moss grown and wealth
beaten, and besides it is graveyard we'll
filed with the bone OF those who ce
titled the soil n this locality. Ten year
ago an aged man who lived alone not far
from tho old church and visited the
graveyard almost daily to watch over the
resting place of some relative, was foully
| murde cd for the store of gold he was
supposed to have hidden about his her-
NIT abode. The robbers and murder RI
escaped Justice and the luckless gray
| bs ard was buried in the graveyard where
he spent so much time.
And lust as the numbering wagon OF
| Farmer French drew within sight OF the
white head stones in the church var the
horses reared back on their launches and
suorted in terror. French was alarmed
and suspecting highway men had be-
scented by the horses, be reached tor a
shot gun which lay in the bottom OF the
wagon for just such an emergency. Blu
before h & hand t. u:hed it he "a- startled
by Ac,eam from his wife CIutcEing
his sim she 20 nted at aight ahoai ald
uasped: Look John, look"
Far downthe rua' =, just be do the
g} mmeri g monuments Qt the olu grave
ward be saw an apparition. It was that
O. q man with long white bear sweep
ing over his breast The figure appeared
to be ght feet in height, and in one
hand it carried a club, sue as the brains
Of the old an had been beaten out with
ten wears before. Sowly raising one arm
the Ghost with majestic step beckon
ed French to come ahead. He was toe
startled to do anything except try to re
strain the prancing horses which wer'
straining at the harness in attempts t.
TO break away and run. C'ld swea
. starteG out all over the body of the tarm'
q as he realized that he was at last look
i at a ghost, an then the sound of his wit
g voice came to him begging him to retur
theway they had come and escape tn
e doom which seemed impending Frenc
was still too much scared and excited
Icontrol the horses, and as he g zed stea
T. fastly at ,he fearful white object in tt
road it slowly began to move towar
the wagon. The club was now raised t
;ts shoul Ser, ss a soldier carries riff
e and it seemed to move toward Wltho
d touching the ground like winged thin
-, 10 Then the farmer recovered his tacultl
" and. whirliug his team around, be lash'
the horses into q run and began the tr
* tn the house of the friend he had just le
As he did so great roaring noise as
thunder filled all the air and madden
- the frightened horses, so that they u
II ovar the road like wild creatures. L
Y NOISE came from the ghost which tol ow
+ close behind the wagon. Though faint
II with fear Mrs French could not resist t
temptation to look behind and see Whe
the spook was following She saw 1t aoe
ten feet behind the wagon and as
+ screamed it vanished.
d A few minutes later French drove II
e 4 the barnYard of bis friend and told
tale to the frightened people. No gn
could then be seen, and some OF Tn
in the house were inclined to doubt
story ahd laid it to imagination.
Mrs French could not be induced to p
the graveyard again that night. and
couple stayed for the night with II
friends The next day the story was
1g. heated over the country side. ana
,,aa night every ode from MillersbuFg TO \
Paris had heard of the Benton gh
in The old church and graveyard were v
tied during the daytime by hundr
but no trace of the ghost could be TO
- Parties of boys and young men Dol
ventured to stay 10 the graveyard
night and wach for the apparition Ou
the shade of night drew on and tho st
ows of the headstoues began to ieng'
across the grass most of the wachers
, the place under various excuses
uaIy culiar, creepy feeling. common to t
wbo remainedn it loon
r. amounted almost to q panic, so
every man in:the crowd left for home
vowad the ghost could do as it plei