The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-01-20

SIR-I have to make you acquainted
with one of the most successful exam
amples of wickedness and delusion,
that ever came within my knowledge
4 had thought the time past, in
which stories of ghosts and hobgob-
blins, and witches and warlOcks and
long nebb'd things, could have been
passed even upon the most ignorant
and credulous, "a facts-but to show
you the extent to which some ignorant
persons have been imposed upon, by
the devices OF some wicked person or
persons, | have penned the following
story, all of which except the super
natural part, actually occurred.
A few years ago there lived, near
Bedford, Pa, one Abraham Coon, since
deceased, and one Conrad Haverstock,
who removed from thence about 8 years
ago, TO Tuscarawas county, GA short
time after COon's death, he appeared to
young woman, residing in the neigh
bourhoOd, near Bedford, of the name
Of Sills-he appeared two or three
times, before Miss Sills could muster
up courage enough to speak to him ;
she mentioned the visit she had re-
ceived to her friends, and they advised
her, in case Coon came again, to speak
to him, and ask him what he wanted
Coon appeared to her once more she
spoke to him-Coon told her that some
years ago he and Haverstock played
cards on Sunday, for dollars worth
of liquor, which was won by Haver-
stock that having had no money, he
borrowed the dollar of young Haver-
stock, and sent him for the liquor
I that some short time after, he Coon
started from his home 10 repay the dol
lar to young HaverstOck, and when he
had proceeded few rods from his
house his wife called to him to return,
for the child was dying-that previous
to returning he placed the dollar un-
| der the root of tree-he then came
home, the next day took sick, and in
five days died-he described the tree
where the dollar was concealed-and
/ told Miss Sills to get the said dollar,
and take il to young Haverstock, from
whom he said he had borrowed it-and
| further told her that as the dollar was
| Justly due To HaverstOck, she must re-
turn it into his own hands, or in failure
so to do, he enjoined her not TO return
within 100 miles of her home for the
space of three years-Haverstock, at
that time was, and now is, a resident
of Tuscarawas county Ohio.
Agreeabiy to the above command,
the young woman went to the tree de
scribed, and there found the dollar, and
about the first of this month she arriv-
ed in this county, and went in cOmpa-
ny with her uncle, the rev. Abm. Sny-
der, Philip Menich, Peter Williams,
and Abraham Knicely, Esq. TO Mr..
Haverstoek, and made tender of the
dollar-Haverstock denied having any
knowledge or recollection of the trans
action, insisted that Coon did not owe
him dollar, and refused taking il.
She then threw the dollar to him, and
insisted that he should take it, as she
was under the injunction aforesaid
(which she described to give it to him,
and agreeably by the said injunction
she had travelled from her residence
near Bedford abour go miles, wholly
and solely for that purpose. Hayer-
stock still declined taking the dollar,
and threw il back to her-she sft it "
ing where he had thrown it, with the
belief that she had done her duty, and
turned away. Esquire Kniceley, he
ing as it is said, friend to specie cur
rency) took up the dollar lest il should
be lost, for the purpose of giving it to
the proper owner, so soon as the owner
could be found-a most uncomfortable
dollar to him On the second OF third
night after, being engaged in burning
brush on his farm, man in dark
clothing appeared at his side, on large
served him, he accosted him with
good evening sir'i-the man, or appa-
rition, replied in hollow tone "Abra-
ham COon"-and asked Kniceley if he
had not dollar belonging to Jacob
Haverstock? Knicely replied that he
had-COon then enjoined him to go
aud give the dollar to Haverstoek-
Coon enjoined him repeatedly, and he
rs often promised 10 obey-COOn told
him that if he could not prevail upon
Haverstock to take the dollar, he must
lay it on a pile of bricks near HIS
house. kniceley sent his father to
Haverstock with the dollar, who again
refused TO take it, and persisted in say
ing that Coon owed him nothing-the
old man told II. what had occurred,
and at length prevailed on him to per-
nit the dollar to remain in his house.
III. at length consented-the dollar AN
old rusty onel was seen, few days
ago, by the writer of this, laying on
Haverstock's window.
Squire Kniceley said that the man
on the black horse, (who he has no
doubt is an inhabitant of the other
world) when he first appeared to him,
told him all about the injunction laid
upon the young woman-that he spoke
In a hollow sound, as tho his words
came through a tube-that when he
had done conversing, he vanished,
horse and all, into the air, in flash of
fire-he described his face as having
all the colours of the rainbow.
What further adventures the dollar
is doomed to meet with, time only can
tell, and will probably be the subject of
another history.
The girl, with her uncle, returned
home few days ago.
will confess that II is almost incred-
ible, but it is nevertheless the fact, that
this young woman aud her uncle
should have travelled two hundred
miles, at anexpense probably Of 30 or
40 dollars. for the whole and sole pur-
pose OF returning a dollar TO a man who
was an entire stranger TO them-and
that these people should have believed
TIE injunction laid upon them to have
been supernatural one, is no great
18th eentuFy.-But that justice Of the