Arizona republican., 1901-07-29
GREENS UNEASY GHOST
The Fitting Spook That Broke UI
 a School.

Flora. Ind.-There is one community in this state where shere is no dissent on the question as to whether there are such things as ghosts. Walnul1 Grove. a village two miles west cf here, is the place. and so firm IS the faith of the residents there in spooks that they have forced the school trustees of the town ship to abandon the schoolhouse that for years has answered their needs and construct another that will be free from the taint of being haunted.
 For some years the story that ghosts were common visitors in rhe vicinity of the walnut Grove school house have been current, but the trustees. who arc hard-headed types of Hoosiers. have al- ways refused to give any credence to the reports. They have lived in hope that the stories would be forgotten and have done all that was in their power to cast ridfcule upon the rumors. Their course was dictated by two motives. In the first place they did not believe In ghosts, and in the second, they had an investment in the school house and re- scented the circulaion of stories that were likely to impair its value or use fuhness
 From the standpoint of the trustees this action on their part was all right but 1t did not meet with the approval of the parents of the children who had to attend the school. When little Johnny Jones and his sister Sue. for in- stance, came screaming home to their mother and told her of seeing man swinging by the neck to tree in the vicinity of the school house. and that the hanging man amused himself by making ugly faces at them, 1t became a ma:ter of moment to the parents. es- pecially as lltle Johnny and his sister Sue almost went into spasms when told to go to school as usual the next day. The story of Johnny and his sister had oorroboration from other children who attended the school and finally the par ents began to withdraw their children from the Irace 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 Nhe 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 indiscrib- able agony on his face. The children said they they would no more than get glimpse of him than he would disap- pear in the most unaccountable msn- ncr, The ghost would be walking on the road where there was not an object Co afford him concealment, wehn. pres to afford them concealmen:, when pres to! he would be gone.
 At all times the children would hear the most unaccountable noises In the vicinity of the old school house Sobs. grolns, screams. as if band of wildcats were bose In the neighborhood and there hasn't. been a wildcat in Warren county for years; followed by an inter- val of silence. when he appaling noises would break out again and go through tho same gaHiut. The frequency of these reports and the general accuracy of description finally 'persiiaded the taxpayers that there was something in the s.orles of their children and they set on foot an investigation to learn theft origin. ..t
 The children and the parents said 1t was. Amer Greens ghost. The schuol trustees said "fiddlesticks But the parents stuck to their belief and accen- tuated 1t by withdrawing their children from the school. At the last term of the school the one that has just closed, there were only two scholars, and at It's close the teacher told the trustees N she could not endure the life at the V school for another term and must leave. The trustees trieC 10 get a teacher to take the aphno1 fov .h von tx..a It's fame as a ghost haunted place had become noised abroad and the quest of fhe trustees was unsuccessful. Tn view or this Tact and In deference to the wishes of the taxpayers. the trustees nave awarded the contract for the erec- uon Of another school house In lieu of the old one, It will have another site and the hope is that the ghost of Amer Green will not in future bother the children and interrupt their education.
 The slim attendance at the school the last term. as we'll as the change of heart on the part of the trustees. was largely due 'ro the apparition that ap- hared to Dr. Budford Karns. of this city one night lastffan Dr. Karns Is not an emotional man and his reputa- to3 for truth and veracity are unques- toned. The doctor had been making a professional call in the Walnut Grove neishborhood on the night of Novem- per go. and had to pass the vicinity of the school house on his way home. while passing n grove near the school mouse he saw the body of man hang ing rom a hmb and swaying back and forth When the doctor told of what he had seen the next day se;tled the mat Ter and the fate of the old school house was assured.
 WhEe there has not been anything new discovered to account for the ap- p'atance or the ghost or the unearthly hoises that have terrified the children at school. there is only one belief on the subJect. and that Is that the uncanny object is the ghost of Amer Green, On walnut tree in the vicinity of the