The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-08-15
GREEN'S UNEASY GHOoT
THE FITTING sPooK THAT BROKE
UP AN INDIANA SCHOOL.

A special correspondent CT the Chi
cago Intcr-Ocean writcG from Ilora,
Ind. as follows: There is one com.
nunity in this State where there Ia
70 dissent on the question as TO
whether there are such things as
ghosts Walnut Grove, village tvs
milos west of here, Is the place, and
so firm is the faith of the residents
there in spookc that they have forced
the school trustees of the township to
abandon the Gclcolhouse that for
years has answered for their needs
aud construct another that will be
free from the taint Of being haunted
For some years the st>ry that ghc stg
were common visitors in the vicinity
of tho Walnut Grove schoolhouse have
been current. but the trustees, who
are hard-headcd types of Hoosiers.
have always refused t. give any Gro
dcncc to the reports. They have lived
In hope that the storicc would be for
gotten, and have dene all that was in
their power - cast ridicuie unon the
rumors. Their course was dictated by
two motives. In the first place, they
did not believe in ghoats, and in the
second. they had an Investment in the
cchoolhouse and resented the clrcula-
ton Ct stories that were liable to i'm
pair itc value and usefulness.
From the standpoint of the trustees,
this action on their part was all right.
but it did not meet with the approval.
of the parents of the children who bad
to attend the school. When little
Johnny Jones and his sister Size, for
instance, came screaming home to
their mother and told her of seeing a
man swinging by the neck to tree in
the immediate vicinity of the school
house. and that the hanging man
amused himself by making ugly faces
at them. it became matter OF mo-
ment to the parents, especially as lit
tie Johnny and his sister Sue almost
went into spasms when told to go 10
school as usual the next day. The
story of Johnny and as sister had cor
roboration from other children who at
tended the school. and finally the par
ents began to withdraw their children
from the place and send them to this
city or to some other place to get an
education.
Sometimes the ghost varied his ap-
pearance, and instead of hanging from
the tree. would be seen strolling along
the road, his head very much on one
side. his tongue hanging out of his
mouth, and an expression of indescrib-
able agony on his face. The children
said that they would no more than get
n glimpse of him when he would disap-
pear in the most unaccountable man
ner The ghost would be walking on
tie road where there was not an OBJ
ject to afford him concealment, when,
presto! he would be gone
The children and the parents said
that it was Amer Green's ghost. The
school trustees said "fiddlesticks," but
the parents stuck to their belief and
accentuated it by withdrawing their
children from the school. At the last
term of the school, the one that has
just closed, there We're only two schol-
ars, and at it's termination the teacher
told the trustees that she could not en-
dure the lie at the school for another
term, and must leave. The trustees
tried to get a teacher to take the
school for the fail term, but its fame
as a ghost haunted place had become
nolsed abroad, and the quest of the
trustees was unsuccessful In view
of this fact, and in Difference to the
wishes of the taxpayers the trustees
have awarded the contracts for the
erection of another schoolhouse in lieu
Of the old one 1t will have another
site, and the hope is that the ghost Of
Amer Green will not in future bother
the children and interrupt their edu-
cation.
The slim attendance at the school the
last term, as well as the change o.
heart on the part OF the trustees, was
largely due to the apparition that ap-
peared TO DR.. Budiort Karns OF this
city one night last fail. DR.. Karns IS
not an emotional man, and his repu-
tatlon for truth and reracity are I'M
questioned. The doctor had been
making a professional call In the Wal
nut Grove neiShborhood on the-nlght
OF November 30 and had to pass the
vicinity OF the schoolhouse on his way
nome. While passing grove of
trees near the schoolhouse he saw the
body of man hanging from limb
and swaying back and forth. When
the doctor told of what he had seen
the next day it settled the matter, and
the fate Of the old schoolhouse was
assured.
While there has not been anything
new discovered to account for the ap-
pearance of the ghost or the unearthly
noises that have terrified the children
at school, there is only one belief on
the subject. and that is that the un-
canny object is the ghost OF Amer
Green. On Il walnut tree in the vi
linifU nf l,a