Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-24
TALKED WITH GHOST
WEIRD TALE OF MURDER AND a
VISITATION FROM ANOTHER
WORLD.
Narrowing Experience of Gabriel Pickle.
OF neutrality-suspicious. Vow Imposed by
the Uncanny Visitor.

plymouth and Logansport, is all agog
over a remarkable ghost story, the de-
tails of which were made public Sun.
day. The most uncanny feature of the
affair is the peculiar action of the ghost
IN binding to secrecy for a certain peri
cd the man who is the only person who
has held converse with it. At last time
has absolved the oath and the facts in
the case have been related. In the fall
OF TO, John Baer, stockbuyer, estab-
lished headquarters at Thornhope and
engaged extensively in the purchase and
sale of stock. He was frequently
known to have large sums of money in
bis possession, but he scoffed at the idea
of possible robbery. He lived with John
Wildermuth and on Feb. Is, 1868. he
prepared to go to Star City and arrange
for the shipment of carload of cattle.
He had $1,000 in cash on bis person to
pay for the stock and before starting to
Star City he started to walk to the resi-
dence of John steele, mile south of
ThOrnhOpe, to procure heavy Overc0at
he had left there few days previously.
That WAS the last ever seen of Baer. He
failed to reach Steele's and the only
clew to the mysterious affair was ad-
vanced by Gabriel Tickle, a warm
friend of Baer and a resident of Thorn
hope to this day. Tickle and others
heard pistol shots shortly after Baer
failed to return to Wildermuth's. Tickle
associated his disappearance with the
shots, but close search failed to dis
close any trace of tie missing man and
IN few months it came to be generally
believed that he was foully murdered
for his money. Two men were suspec-
ted but there was no evidence against
them and no arrests were made Near
the water, midway between Thornhope
and Steele's, was an abandoned well
close to the bank of Indian Creek, and
few years after the disappearance of
Baer, some school children who were
fishing in the creek hooked shreds of
clothing and an old boot out of the well.
The circumstances of this find were
given no consideration by the children's
parents, but in the light of recent de-
yeiopmentS it suggests the truth of a
weird and CHASTITY story of murder.
Gabriel Tickle is responsible for the
present disturbed condition of Thorn
hope people in his solemn avowal that
he saw and talked with the ghost of
} Ohm Baer on the night of Feb. 10, 1898,
the thlrtieth anniversary of the disap-
pearance of Baer Tickle explains his
silence that he vas bound to secrecy by
an oath under conditions that would
have driven many men stark mad. Feb
ruary 16, 1899, removed the seal from
bis lips and he unburdened himself of
strange account that cannot be disbe-
lleved coming as it does from a man
whose standing is unquestioned. His
startling tale is substantially to the effect
that on the night of Feb. 16, 1898, as he
was returning from Royal Center to his
home via the railroad he dimly deserted
a form approaching as be neared the old
water tank The figure was walking
slowly and AS Tickle approached lt1
stopped in front of him. Tickle crossed
to the other side OF the track and the
figure did likewise at the same time ex-
tending hand and exclaiminp. "Why
Gabe, don't you know me-" Tickle re-
Piled negatively, and put forth his hand
to shake hands with the friendly
when to his horror he found
grasping thin air, although in
other respects the apparitiOn was life
like. Before Tickle could make an eff
fort to speak the spectre further fright.
ened him by continuing, 81 am the ghost |
of John Baer, murdered on this spot thir- |
ty years ago tonight" PICKLE declares he
was seized with the most abject fear. |
His hair stood on end, his throat was
parched and strive as he would not a |
sound came from his lips. He tottered |
past the vision of the dead, |
but the latter followed. conjuring him
not to be afraid and finally Tickle re-
tanned his courage sufficiently to ask
how Baer met his death. The ghost |
then tod of the foul murder naming as
his assassins two men still living, bind
ing Tickle to never reveal the names or
tell of his meeting with the ghost until
one year from that time. A request
for another interview was also made
but compliance was not authoritively
imposed. The ghost detailed infinitely
he circumstances of the murder. The
yrewsome recital ended near the aban-
1oned well, and "This is where they put
me" said the ghost stepping into the
opening and sinking into its dark depths.
Quaking in mortal terror Tickle ran
lomeward ard for days his peculiar
actions occasioned comment. He was
tempted to tell of his singular adven-
lure, but the admonition to keep silent
was not to be forgotten. For year
no kept the secret and then unable to
onger fOrbear, he told of the turn heck