, 1897-10-18
GHOSTS IN ARIZONA.
SAID TO APPEAR ANNUALLY NEAR
SKULL CREEK.

@"s WON
SKULL CREEK.
The Spot Where the Hobber Of the ssase
Were Killed Is Hauntcd-A Man Who
Aided at the killing Tclls the story
and vouches For Its Truth.
"Tnlkins nhout ghosts" snid Colonel
Ham splopetto of Arizona, ''don't you know
l never seed n ghost until / went out to
Arizony. mighty nigh ontcr 40 yenrs ago.
l never put much belief in spirit stories
until l seed II spirit with my own eyes,
and ever since that time I never was
knowed to Doubt u man what says hos
done seed a ghost.
"Thar's n Rrlley some ten miles out or
Bonneville on Skull creek, what a party Of
ghosts ride once n year always en- the same
night, lowing for short months, and thou.
snnds of the best citizens Of Arizony have
done secd tho things, and I seed them my.
self, and ] never wants ter See nothing
like them ng'in.
lit was In rough times, when every man
WINS hound ter carry u brace Of Colts on his
hips and u rife across the hollcr of his
bnck. Men never thought nothing of crack
Ing loose at other men whenever they
Thought their dignity had been kinder in
jercd.
For several months after l got inter
Bonneville the inbound stage had u mighty
hard time in getting ter the town. and
several times it came in without the mail
bags: without the money box from the
Tucson bank ter the mine, md with the
driver pulling reins upon painting horse
flesh md n couple Of dead men hanging ter
the straps inside the coach. The boys In
Town at last got sorter rilcd over these
raids, and finully ledge Smith, who was
kinder the Leading maj Of Bonneville. called
a business meeting of the boys ter discuss
the ways ard means Of Kidding Bonneville
and its suburbs of the hold up ~fellers. A
plan was mapped out, and every Teller in
the crowd was told ter shct his mouth and
go ter work.
The next trip Of the cOnch about 20 Of
h Eoys, W b their rifles, went out to
Skull creek AID ambushcd ut tho end Of a
long bridge which crossed the creek.
Here it was that the stnge was generally
held up, and a row Of crosses near the
crceE' q bank marked whnr different fallers
had passed In their checks what had rid
den In the stnRe. Waal, right IN time We
heard the stage come over the brow Of the
AIIIl, kpIuk llNc i'll Tb III lulltu OutSf
the bridge there came n vollcy of shots.
and six fellers on horseback came tearing
down the bridge after the stage. Not n
Teller In our crowd moved II muscle. The
driver Of the stngo laid on the lash, and
tho animals Jest ratified over the boards
with them six fellers pounding hard after.
Jest before the stnge reached the ambush
the driver fell of Of the box, dead as a
doornail. and the horses swcrved and
went inter tba creek, stnge and passengers
and all. Tho gang on horseback refined in
a. they reached the ambush, and then
there was IL rattle Of rifles md a chorus Of
yells that mr lie my heart sick, as right as
I knowed 1t was. Tho smoke cleared
awny. and thnr, right on the bridge, not
MORN 40 tect from whnr l stood, lay six
dead bodies Of mon md six dead bodies Of
horses. Not a STARK left to tell the tale.
WaaI, We managed to get the stage out of
the creek, hut we had tor kill tho horses
and pull from the stage one of the rassen-
gers, u ruOr little woman who was coming
ter JUN her husband Mt the town, md she
was dead, jest IA little round hole in her
neck telling its story. We picked up the
body Of tho driver and took 1t ter town
with the little woman, and that night the
boys dug II deep cut near the creek and
Dumped the killed robbers into it md COW
cred them up for good.
"Now cores tho funny part OF the story.
1t must hIyc been u year after the wiping
nut Of tho gs'rg that one of the boys from
the town was out hunting n.uu Skull
creek. Dusk caught him right alongside
of tho lr'dpe iciorc he knowed 1t, ard
then rs he realized whar lie was he took
put for home on IA long gallon. Before he
had time 10 go very far he hcnrd n rattle
Of " he, Is. nrd, looking buck ut the bridge,
he saw the e'agrcoa,h coming across the
boards ut an awful rate. While he wis
ronGcring lieut. the stage, knowing 1t
wasn't due until the next day, he snw six
men on horseback como a-tcaring along
Lehind the stage rnisiIg Ned and shooting
ter beat the devil. Wall. he stood kinder
sIolI. ound In his trucks, not knowing
whit Tor do. although Ee snid ter nc aft
erward that he wanted ter run mighty
bad. but was nfearod that he might DO
needed. Before the stage reached him he
Hnw tho driver tumble TO the bridge. dead.
The horses and stage went into the creek,
and the next minute n cloud seemed to
hide all the light, and when he saw ag in
there wasn't u blamed thing In sight save
the trees md the bridge md the creek.
Then he knuwed what hu had seen.
"Tle whtlc picture of the killing OF the
robbers nnd Ike smashing Of the stage came
inter his II ind. and jest then he caught
sight of tho CROSSES OH the hank OF the
creek md the high mound under which
tie robbers slept, and he suddenly seemed
TO ct enough Of the locality. He turned
tail End ran inter town lik. a scnry coyote,
ard lie never went back. Jest as sure ~
that tiate rolls around and nnybOdy's near
the bridge 'hc same thing happens jest
like it did In life. i seed 1t twice, and X
] hudn't or Ind some Of the boys with me
I'd pr left loforo 1t ended.
"It's awful ter see the sight. You can
hear the roll Of the wheels, heavy like the
rnttic of u smothcred drum beating the
funeral march, and the pounding Of the
nnimuls' hoois uIon the bonrds seems dead
cned, jest for the world like you henr them
II long way of, and then, too, the shots
come TO your cir like you don't Lenrd them
in u Cram. You see II all. and then a
eloud 'iunIs 10 hide everything and when
1t oltura away thur mint u thing In sight
'cett yourselves. New Orleans Times
Democrat.
Genius and Work
Mcn give mo credit for genius. AL the
ecuiua l have lies just In this: When l
hnvcn subteet In hpnd, stud IL pro-