The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-01-22
1 TAVERN GHOST.

lief in ghosts is a general thing in Arkan-
-sas, but / do say that | had an experience
out there q few years age. 1t was late ia
the fall, and I happened to be in the viii
lage OF Bucktown, which deseerates Il very
limited portion of mother earth in tho
southern part of the state. The town is
about as small and dirty a place as ever /
saw, and the Bucktown inn is not much
above the general character of the place.
>The region is inhabited by natives who
still cling TO all sorts of foolish supersti-
tions. The inn in the antebelluln days
was kept by one who was said to be the
meanest and most grabbed of mortals.
The old demon was as miserly as he was
mean, and all his narrow life he boarded
his filthy Iucre with fiendish greed. Re
port had it also that he bad even murdered
his patrons in their beds for their money
What the facts actually were Idon't know,
but even to this day the old M is held i'll
suspicion. A lingering effect of former
horrors still clouds its memory.
The present proprietor, unk Watson
his real name is Bunker, 1 believes an
altogether different sort OF chap-a south
ern type, in fact-one of those shiftless,
helpless, happy go lucky mortals who love
strong whisky and who chew an enor
nous quid of black tobacco and smoke a
corncob pipe at the same time.
When the former keeper "shuff1ed of, "
his property fell to a distant relative, in
the person of the present keeper, who with
his family Immediately moved in from a
neighboring hamlet and took possession.
1t was we'll known that the old proprietor
had accumulated considerable wealth dur-
ing his s~ojourn among the living, but all
SD ~ l,-o4xcn onr %VsooCx7no 111,H thu
premises had failed, and now the idea of
ever finding it was practically given up.
As far as Bunk was concerned, the matter
troubled him little. He had a ~hardwork-
ing wife, who ran things the best she could
under the circumstances and saw that his
meals were forthcoming at their respective
intervals. What more could he wish?
Why should he care if there was a treasure
buried upon his place? Indeed it would
rave been a sore puzzle for him to know
what to do with a fortune unless perhaps
his wife came to his aid.
Among other stories hat lowered in the
history Of the Buckstown inn was one
which involved a ghost. In the room
where the former keeper had died peculiar
noises were heard at unearthly hours.
Signing, moaning and, in fact, all the
other indications which point to the exist
ence of ghosts were said to be present. On
account Of this the chamber had long
since been abandoned.
I listened with keen interest to the
wonderful tales about the haunted room
and then suddenly resolved to investigate
to sleep in that chamber that very night
and see for myself all that was to be seen.
l told Bunk of my purpose. He shook his
head, shrugged his shoulders, but instead
of warning me and offering a flood of pro-
tests, as / expected, he merely took his pipe
from his mouth and called out "Janel"
His wife appeared, and he intimated that
I should settle the matter with the Gold
woman" The prospect of a fee persuaded
the wife, and off she went to arrange for
my bed in that i'll fated room.
At 9o'clook that evening / babe the fam
lily good night, took my candle, assembled
the rickety stairs and entered the chamber
of horrors. The atmosphere was heavy
and had a peculiar odor that was not at
all pleasing. However, I latohed the door
and was soon in bed. Having propped
myself up with pillows, 1 was prepared to
await the coming of the ghost.
Overhead the dusty ~rafters, which once
had experienced the sensation of being
whitewashed, but which were now a dirty
yellowish color, were hung with a fantastic
array of cobwebs. The Pickering light of
the candle reflected upon the walls and
against the ceiling a myriad of grotesque
shapes, and, this effect being contin-
ually disturbed by the swaying cobwebs,
tho whole caused the room to appear rather
ghostly after all, and especially SO to an
imaginative mind.
1 waited and waited for hours, it SEEM
ed, but still no ghost. Perhaps it was
afraid Of my candlelight; SO I blew it<out.
No sooner had I done this and settled
back in bed again than a white hand ap-
peared through the door and then a whole
figure. At last the ghost had come, a white
and sheeted ghost!
1t had come right through the door, al
though it was locked, and now it advanced
toward the bed. Raising it's long, white
arm, it pointed a bony finger at me and
then in a hollow voice commanded, "Come
with nell T~hereupon it turned to the
door, while instantly Jumped out of bed
to follow. Some unseen power compelled
me to obey. The door few open, and the
ghost led me dow the stairs, through long
halls, into the cellar, through mysterious
underground corridors, up stairs again, in
and out of rooms which l never dreamed
were to be found in that old rambling inn.
Finally through a small door in the rear
we left the house. l was in my sleeping
garments, but no matter. l had to follow.
The white form, with q slow and meas
ured tread and as silent as death, led the
way into the orchard. There under a tree
at the farther end Ii pointed to the ground
and in the same ghostly tones before used
said:
Here YOU will find a great treasure
buried.''
The ghost then disappeared, and l saw
it no more. | stood dazed and trembling.
Upon recovering my wits / started to dig,
but the chill of the night air and the
scantiness of mysnight robes made such
labor impraeticable. So / { decided to leave
some mark to identify the place and come
again at dsybreak. Preached up and broke
off a limb. Overcome with my night ex.
artions, I slept the next morning until g
loud rapping on my door and a croaking
voice warned me that it was noon.
/ had intended to leaye Bucktown inn
that day, but prompted by curiosity and
anxious to investigate I unpacked my
gripsack for a comfortable stay.
You must understand that this was my
first experience with a ghost, and | feared
I might never sec another.
At breakfast my landlady waited on me
in silence, though once / detected her eyes
following me with a peculiar expression.
49, ~