The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-26
THIS BICYCLE IS HAUNTED.
1T WANTS TO FOLLOW Up THR
sLAYERS OF ITS Young RIDER.

] hlue H. ana III WIZ ht destroyed
in SeIf-Defense.
From the Bunalo Courier.
You have doubtless heard many stories
about bicycles and their owners in these
days when the steed OF steel has supplant-
ed the gentle easy-gOing, sate-eor-a-lady-.
! to-drive family horse. Nowadays every
cycler has some yarn or other 10 tell about
the inherent qualities of his wheel-qual-
tiles which were unheard OF and unknown
until the unexpected test arose which re-
vealed the presence Of those merits. But
did you ever hear Of a bicycle possessing
faculties of intelligence. or that which is
akin TO such faculties-supernaur pow
ers? You never have? Well. there is
such a wheel, and II is undoubtedly the
only one of its kind in this vicinity. where
there are 5000 or more Of them ridden
daily The owner OF the wheel is dead.
and thereby hangs a tale.
Across the river in the outskirts Of the
sleepy little town OF Fort Erie on one Of
the many country lanes which lead from
the village. there is a weather-beaten lit
tie cottage: 1t is a one-story structure
with a lean-to that serves as a kitchen.
/ The cottage has long since seen its palm
| lest days. and were it not for the pre-
| serving, entwining tendrils of ivy which
| cover it from roof to foundation. IL would
| present a sorry If not pathetic picture to
the occasional wanderer in the obscure
| country lane where it stands. Everything
about the place is scrupulously neat and
clean. although the meager possessions
/ indicate that poverty is not unknown with
i in its walls.
The owner of the place is an old man
/ who already has passed several years be
| yond his allotted three score and ten. He
/ is a recluse In every sense Of the term,
| and although always kindly and polite to
| the stranger visitor, he maintains a shy
| attitude toward his neighbors and avoids
| contact with them at all times. AS a re-
| suit Of this few Of the villagers have ever
| been in the old mans home, and fewer
/ still are they who know aught Of the life
| of old Josiah Whitwell.
| In the front room of the cottage, care
| fully hidden from the prying eyes of the
| curious, under a large piece of cotton
| cloth, is the mysterious bicycle. This is
| the old mans cherished, most valued, and
| sacred possession. The wheel is a clum-
| sy. GO-pound, solid-tire ordinary, one
| which was made TO order perhaps a doz-
/ en- years ago. The story of the wheel was
| fresh in the minds of the villagers a
| half score years ago but 1t has never
| been told in print. Few speak about it
! to-day, and perhaps all have forgotten it,
| all ecept the old man. As told by him. IL
| is pathetic. when the circumstances are
| taken into consideration Stripped of
/
ed into readable English, It reads like
| this:
When Johnnie Whitweu the old mans
| only child, was about is years old, he
caught the bicycle fever in its most vio-
| lent form, and the ambition of the boy
was to possess a wheel which should be
| ali his own. The old man worshipped the
| boy, and would have done all in his power
| to aid him in securing a wheel. but mon
ey was scarce in the motherless cottage.
| and bicycles cost more money in those
| days than they do now
| One day Johnnie came home IN a frame
| of mind which bordered almost on
| frenzy. He had heard of second hand
| wheel Just as good as new" which the
! owner was willing to sell oa time. ana,
| what was better STILL was even willing
| to allow the purchaser to work out the
| cost Of the heel Johnnie had heard a boul
| the wheel down at the custom house.
| where the ferry boat lands, and had learn
! ed that the owner lived at Chippew,..
| When old man Whitwell heard the news
! he could offer no reasonable excuse why
| Johnnie should not earn the wheel by
| working for ii, and 50 the next day the
| lad set out on foot for Chippewa To sec
| the owner of the wheel which he desired
| to possess. That was the last time OLD
| man Whitwell saw his boy alive. john
| ME had been gone about week when the
| father received a letter saying that the
| wheel could be had for $50 cash or for
| twelve weeks work at s. a week in Pot
| ter's wood lot. Old Abe Potter, now dead,
| was the owner of the Wheel and his wool
lot was few miles back of Chippewa
| in the bush.
Johnnie went to work with a will II
was then the fall of Sc, and Abe Potter
| wanted all his available timber cut into
| cord wood as soon as possible. He had
| heard that natural gas would soon sup
| plant coal and wood as a fuel, and as no
| did not wish TO lose any more money
| than he could help, he decided to sell all
| of his wood before the Introduction or
gas would make such sales impossible or
| of little value.
There wasn't a prouder, happier boy in
| all the world than little Johnnie Whit
| well when he came into possession of his
| wheel. There had been heavy frost the
| night before but the November sun rose
so bright and warm on that day that the
| little frozen Jumps OF earth were soon
softened and crumpled to dust. Johnnie
left the wood lot about 3 O'Clock in the
morning. He went 10 Chippewa, and ar
ter having the wheel turned over to him.
he mounted it and rode away.
At o'clock in the afternoon Johnnie
had not returned and the anxious father
who had been looking for his boy all
day. could stand it no longer, SO he walk
ed down the river road to look for him.
He went along until he came to French
mans creek. What prompted him, he did
not know, but he stopped moment TO
look over the railing of the bridge, and
there, lying in the shallow water, face
downward, was Johnnie with the wheel
lying on his back.
The mystery of the lads death was
! never SOlNeQ, out at the lltfle some OF the
people who lived along the road recol-
lected seeing three drunken men come up
the road at terrific clip behind a large
gray horse, and making for the ferry.
This was about o'clock in the afternoon.
1t is supposed that the men ran into
Johnnie at the bridge and threw him of
The boy, being rendered unconscious by
the blow, was drowned in the water I'M
derneath. The men thinking the boy dead,
hurried away as rapidly as possible.
Old man Whitwell could never tell how
he managed to get home that night. But
he did, and he brought his dead boy and
bicycle with him. Three days later the
boy was buried in the little country GEM
etery on the hill back of the village,
where his grave may be seen to-day
All through the long winter of 1sS9-90
the wheel was kept carefully housed in
THE front room of the cottage. In the
spring of 1890, the father now older and
less able to work, owing to his loss, was
badly in need of money and desired 10 sell
the wheel A boy from the village wanted
to buy 1t, but before making the purchase
he tried the wheel. Although good rider,
when he attempted to take the road to-
ward Old Fort Erie he fell from the
I wheel three times before ne had gone 200