The St. Louis Republic., 1900-06-25
Mysterious Raids on the Pantries S
of st. Louis County Farmers
Are Explained.
TRAMPS CAMP IN A HAYSTACK.
Operations Were of Such a Nature
That People Thought Ghosts
Were at WOrk-Evi-
dence in the Den.

The wind which accompanied the rain
storm of Saturday afternoon explained TO
farmers Of ST. Louis County who live south
OF Valley Park St. Louis County, the mys-
terious thefts of which they have been VIC
Tins. 1t blew the top of strawstack on
the property Of Frank Connolly and dis
covered den of thieves" Some night
proWlers who always cleverly managed to
escape and whose queer doings even Great
ed the impression that the neighborhond
was haunted have been helping themselves
10 the contents of the farmers pantries.
Inside the unroofed strawstack was found
a shelter that would have accommodated
two or three men. and there We're evil
dences which left little doubt that the
originators of the disturbances made the
place their home.
The first indication that anything unusual
was around came about three weeks ago.
Then most extraordinary yells disturbed
the calm Of Meramec Valley Irishmen of
whom there are several living near. be-
came convinced that "banshee," a ghost
which Is the terror of the Irish in the EN-
ersid Isle had followed them across the
Atlantic.
The next night the same sounds were
heard. Farmers of the country are not
usually superstitious. but the talk of the
Irishmen had worried them. Next morning
IL was found that from Connelly's home "A
couple of hams, several loaves of bread
and other eatables had been abstractcd.
The third night there were no sounds. but
the pantries of two other farmers were
visited. Then people became excited and
determined to keep a vigil for the ma
rauders. They watched. but nobody was
robbed that night. and again no sounds
were heard. Two rights later the ban
shee began operations once more, and
there was third raid on the pantries.
This thoroughly aroused the neighbor-
hood and strict search of every field and
woods was made to ffnd II there were
tramps or thieves living near. There were
no results. 1t seemed as II no expedient
could unearth the perpetrators Of the lar
cenies. Food disappeared and nobody was
seen: the extraordinary yels arose under
the very windows of the farmhouses. but
no human being could be discovered. The
supersti;ions as TO the natural source of
the phenomena gained ground.
The only opening to the haystack. save
that made by the wind. was email hole
next the ground. This was evidently the
door, ard the only way to get through WAS
to crawl. The inside had been boistered
up with old timbers The place was strong
enough 10 stand an ordinary strain, but
the wind had never entered into the cal
cuidtions of the architects.
In size. the novel residence was about
5 feet high and about feet square. There
was straw on the bottom. and In this were
the impressions of two persons, showing
that this must have been the number OF
the banshees.
Hung on the timbers on the sides of the
place were a couple of old baskets and in
these were what was left of the eatables
that had been secured from the farmers.
Beside this was an old horn. which. when
1t was blown. emitted a mournful wheezy
sound. This was Immediately recognized
the "banShee." There were some foot
marks i'm the mud. obviously those OF the
Inhabitants Of the strange shelter. but the
finders of the place. among whom were
Connolly himself. were so much amused at
the joke played upon them that they did
not attempt TO pursue the combined thieves
and "banshees"