The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-19
GHOST HAUNTs NO MORE.
Disappeared When Its Mortal SIIcI-
etOn Was Buried.
Spencer Qnd) Cor. Chicago Times-Her-

| Spencer Qnd.) Cor. Chicago Times-Her-
aid.
Residents of this placid village are talk
ing in half-suppressed whispers of a ghost
| which has been appearing to the villagers.
For some time its existence was known
only to select coterie of believers in spir-
itualism, but the full details have been
made public recently.
Many years ago a man was found dead
in the old stave factory which is situated
in the southeast part of the town. His
| body was covered with numerous wounds,
| and it was evident that he had been the
| victim of a most brutal assault All his
| pockets were turned inside out, and not so
| much as match remained in the ragged
| garments which clothed the corpse. The
marks had been carefully removed from
| his underwear, and there was no clew to
| his identity. For weeks the citizens were
| excited over the crime, and searching in
vestigation was made for the perpetrat-
| ors, but finally, no traue of the murder
| ers being discovered. the deuizens of the
| quiet little town settled down into their
unruffied grooves of existence and forgot
| about the dead man in the stave mill. As
| there We're no claimants for the body of
| the deceased, it was turned over to
resident physician, who, in a few years
after, passed from the living.
Years rolled by, and the old factory was
| bought by out-of-town men, and, after
| being repaired, was started up again in
| the manufacture of barrel slaves. Bust
ness was brisk with the newcomers. Or
ders rolled in upon them, and they found
| it necessary to keep an immense stock of
lumber on hand. The value of this raw
| material necessitated the employment of
a watchman to guard the property at
night against the depreda lions of preda-
| a. / III -
to fill the newly created position. He
performed the duties of Waterman for
just one night In the morning when the
| managers came to the mill the old man
was waiting to hand in his resignation.
He declared the building was haunted and
said he would not enter it's doors after
dark.
Another man was found who was WILL
ing to act as watchman regardless of the
thrilling descriptions which the Irishman
gave of his experience. The new incumbent
remained at duty for several nights, but
finally he, too, succumbed to the fear
some spell of the ghost, and resigned. He
told the manager that every night at u
o'clock the apparition of the murdered
man appeared in the factory, its face
wearing an expression of the most intense
agony, and that it would stretch its hands
toward him appealingly.
For the first night or two, he said, he
finally summoned courage enough to adj
dress the specter, it faded slowly away at
the sound of his voice. When told by
| scofhng listeners that it was merely his
vivid imagination he averred that every
word was as true as gospel
Hoping to drive away all recollection Of
the ghost he repaired TO the village saloon
and drank himself into state of blissfui
intoxication, meanwhile repeating the
story of the horrid specter to every one
who would listen to him. Soon the news
was disseminated throughout the town
and the surrounding country, and it be-
came the all-absorbing topic of conversa-
ton. Some venturesome spirits among the
townsmen volunteered to lie in wait for
the mysterious visitor, and the next night,
after plentifuly terrifying themselves
with Dutch courage" they went to the
old mill, where they played cards during
the evening by the light of a stable LAM
tern. An insufficient supply of oil caused
the lantern to go out about II o'clock.
Funny stories kept the party in good spir-
its until midnight, when the specter APP
| peared. One Of the bravest of the lot,
who had been boasting of what he would
| do saw the thing first
Struck speechlesS with fright he could
do nothing but point to the corner of the
| big barn-like structure. The figure of a
man was walking toward them, seemingly
surrounded by blush blaze. An agonized
| expression was Oh MS CONTINUANCE ana
blood poured from the wounds which al
most covered his body.
! One glance was enough for the ghost
| hunters; as one. man they jumped to their
feet and ran for their lives. Within an
hour the village was aroused and half
the inhabitants gathered around the stave
| factory, but there was no sign of ghostly
vistants. That night was a sleepless one
for most of Spencer's people.
Next morning a conference was held by
| those who had seen the visitant of the
night before and it was decided to call in
the aid of Wood Lawson, peculiar char
acter well known to Spencer people. He
is said to be possessed of miraculous pow
| ers, which enabled him to communicate
with the spirits of departed persons with
whom he has been acquainted before their
demise Some who know him say that
many times he has exercised his grewsome
! faculty for their satisfaction.
! Lawson was called upon to visit the mill,
see the ghost and communicate with it. He
readily complied with the request, on con-
dition that he be allowed to choose the
! time for his experiment without the
| knowledge of the people, in order that
] there might be no obstacle TO successful
| interview
| A few nights later he went to the mill
| about 10 o'clock and waited for the APP
pearance of the specter. Midnight came
| and no ghost. Hunger asserted itself, and,
seating himself on pile of lumber in the
building, he began to eat light lunch.
| When nearly through with his repast he
was startled to see man seated beside
him. Just as the others had described the
apparition Bringing his occult powers to
bear he entered into conversation with the
| ghost and elected the Information that he
| had been murdered by fellow tramps,
Nose names he did not know, over
| game of cards.
Lawson asked why he haunted the place
why he persisted in frightening the
watchmen. The phantom replied that his
body, when taken in charge by the ply
stefan, had been boiled away from his
| bones which had been articulated and
used as skeleton by the doctor. When
the latter died the skeleton was thrown
unceremoniously into a garnet, where it
remained mere heap Of bones. Never"
said the ghost, "can / rest until my bones
have been decently Inferred"
Lawson went home TO bed, after prom
ising the specter that It's bones would be
buried next day. The first thing in the
morning he called the manager Of the
stave factory TO him and the two men
went to the house of the late physician.