Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-10


n miner. who was new TO the working.
The girl. Il seems. had shown more favor
to the young Irishman, who was, IN con-
sequence. much elated. the Ens'isnman
becoming detected in like degree. Ihere
had never been any open quarfet De
tween the two, but the EnBlishman snow
ed in many ways his jealous natred OK
the other. They were at work one DAY
in a remote part of the mine, ana carry
In the day the Englishman came OUT 70
where a group OF other miners WIZ
working, and shouted TO them 70 hurry
back with him, as his companion hao
been buried beneath fali OK eartn anu
rock. They found the fallen mass and
soon removed It, The young lrishmap
was crushed beneath II. They bore the
dead body outside. There was a sharp,
deep wound In the centre OF the poor
fellows forehead, besides the mutilauons
on his body, made by the cave-in.. me
marvel of 1t all was that the Englishman,
who had been working at the same Dank'
should have escaped without having even
been touched by any OF the falling mass.
'The Englishman continued WORKING
i'm the mine. but many of his feliow-ia-
borers quit. declaring there was some
thing wrong; that there was mystery
about poor Barney's death, or wnicn
something terrible would come. Iney
believed that the miner had been Killed
by the wound In the forehead, and tnat
the wound had been made before the fall
OF earth covered and crushed him. A
palmer charge of foul play could NOT
have been made than that, but we paid
no attention TO 1t, and the Engiisninan
remained at his work, but 1t was noticed
by those who worked with him that ne
never would go into that part OF tne
mine where the Irishman was 1ounu
dead beneath the cavern.
zone day a month or more after the
tragedy in the mine, while this miner
and a number of others were at work
in a new drift not far from the main
gallery, using one light, which was
torch, such as is used in political n'sht
parades a sudden draught of wind, so
the miners said, extinquished 1t. 1t was
not only a strong draught, but chilly
one. such as none of them had ever
felt before although they thought
nothing of 1t at the time. only TO wonder
what had caused the sudden blast. phe
darkness became instantly inpeneraDle'
and one of the miners, who knew the
workings well, started TO another part
of the mine to get a new light. He had
been gone but few minutes when one
of the workmen exclaimed:
'Yonders light down by the
gallery opening!
'The voice was the Englishman's. me
others looked in the direction Indicated
but saw no light.
A man went by the opening with one,
at any rate, and I'll go fetch him Dack'
insisted the Englishman.
with that he hurried along the drift
as fast as he could in the darkness TO-
ward the main gallery, which was only
a few yards away. Some of the miners
followed him. 1t seemed but Few
seconds, according to the story OF the
miners. when a cry Of anguish filled the
depths. and an agonized voice cried:
Mercy, Barneyl Mercy
This cry was followed by another
shrek, and the terrorized miners heard
a loud splash, as of some heavy object
falling from height into water. Whlie
they were standing thus the miner VINO
had gone TO fetch light returned win
one. After hearing the tales the fright
ened miners had to tell, that miner ex-
claimed:
Bob. has fallen into the test-hole.'
with difficulty he induced two OF
three of the others 10 accompany MIN
to investigate the matter. True enough,
when they came to the test hole. the
water in which was several feet below
the top, and threw the light Of their
torch down into it. they saw the pody
of the EngIishman floating. They man
aged to raise the body from the hole.
They carried it to the outside OF the
mine. Then, in the centre OF the dead
Englshman's forehead, they saw exact
ly such wound as had been in the
Irishman's forehead The deduction to
be made from all this was plain TO the
excited and supersttious miners. The
Englishmnn had killed his rival by a
blow with the sharp end of his pick,
they declared, and then felled the mass
of dirt and rock upon him. The wrath
Of the murdered man had come In due
time extinguished in ghostly way the
light the miners were working by that
day. then showed a spectre light, which
only the guilty Englishman could see,
and which he followed, to meet death
at the hands OF the ghost of his victim
In the same way that the victim had fall'
en- before his hand. AS a matter OF fact,
of course, nothing of the kind ever oc-
Cured, but that mine at once came 10
be known az the Haunted Test-Hole
keep men at work in ii after they hear
Mine. and it is no easy matter now to
its story"