The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-04-09
AN ANDERSON MYSTERY.
Very Unusual Occurrence Take Place
aran Old Mill.


DO YOU believe in ghosts: l. you
do not how can you explain the hap.
penings that are taking place in an
Old mill in the city in Anderson. Ac-
cording TO the Daily Mail, of that
city. it is haunted by spirits of some
kind. When the mill shut down a
short time ago two negrOS by the name
of Collins and Davis were employed to
clean up the machinery. They were
at work on the second floor Thursday
about , o'clock when, they say, their
attention was attracted by steel bolts,
nuts, bits Of scrap iron, ETC., falling
about the room. They say they paid
no ptrticular attention to it at first,
but as the pieces OF iron continued to
fall about the room they decided some
one was playing joke on them and
they commenced a search for the
Joker. They hunted all over the bnild-
ing, even opening the sky light and
going on the roof, but could find no
one. The missiles Continued to fall
about the room, and then they began
to get frightened.
They reported the matter to Mr.. j..
II. Townsend, the president of the
mill. and to his son, Mr.. G. B. Town
send. These gentlemen made an in
vestigation. and while they were in
vestigating several iron bolts and
pieces of scrap iron fell about the
room, apparently falling from the
roof. The Messrs. Townsend were
amused at first and then puzzled.
Finally they decided that the Collins
negro had been trying to frighten the
Davis negro, and charged him with it.
Collins strenuouSly denied his guilt,
and was corrobrated by Davis, who
said he. too. had suspected Collins and
had been watching him, but had not
seen him throw any of the miSsels.
Al! is happened Thursday after
noon. Friday morning the strange
proceeding commenced again. Iron
bolts, pieces of scrap iron, etc., would
fall to the floor in different parts OF
! the room. and there was no account
ing for them, None Of the missels
weighed more than a quarter Of
pound, and all of them had come from
pile of scrap iron in one corner of
the mill building. but there was no
explanation Of why they should be
dropping from the roof Of the mill.
The only possible explanation was that
somebody was throwing them, but the
utmost vigilance on the part of the
Messrs. Townsend failed tc detect
any one in the act or discover any one
who could be responsible for it.
Finally Mr.. G, B. Townsend had an
idea. He thought that possibly the
electric wires running into the build
ing had something to do with it, and
Mr.. Harry Orr, the electrician OF the
Water, Light and Power company,
was sent for. Mr.. Keith Chapman
and several others went with him
Mr.. Orr couldn't make anything out
of the strange procedure. He Saic
that in all his acquaintance and expe'
rience with electricity he had never
witnessed any such strange phenom'
ena. While he and several Others were
looking around the building small.
piece of iron fell from the ceiling anc
struck Mr.. Keith Provost on the head
Mr.. Provost was not hurt.
A few minutes later a porcelain
door knob fell in one corner of the
room. Then Mr.. Townsend knew
there was nothing in the theory Of
electricity as porcelain is non-con
ductor. 1t is said that during Thurs
day afternoon and Friday morning
more than 100 bolts, nuts, pieces OF
scrap iron, etc., were thrown about
the interior Of the mill. No one ex
cept Mr.. Provost was hit, and in fac1
the person Or spook throwing the mis-
siles did not seem to be trying to hi
any one. Friday at noon James Col
Inns was discharged and told to leave
the premises. Mr.. Townsend couldn't
get rid of the idea that this negro was
responsible for the mischief that hat
been going on.
| About 2 o'clock Friday Afternoon
a reporter for The Daily Mail went
down to the mill and looked around
bit. Nose Collins was the only per
son in the building. He was emphat
ic in his assertion that the missile
throwing had been the work of what
he called ''ha'nts." He gave graphic
story of all that had been going on
which was substantially the same a:
that given above. The rewspape
man went up on the second floor O.
the building, where mos Of tht
strange occurrences had taken place
Nose accompanied him. While tht
reporter was looking around, tryins
to figure outa solution of the mystery
a piece of iron fell with clank on tht
opposite side of the room.
Did you hear that?" inquired
Nose excitedly. "Cose you did
An you didn't see me throw it either
did you?"
The reporter confessed that ht
didn't see Nose throw anything, ant
Nose seemed relieved.
It's been gwine on this way evel
since Thursday" said Nose, AN it
amt no folks what's been dOin' al
dis. It's 'ha'ntS.'"
The reporter waited possibly hall
an hour longer but nothing else fell
and then he came away.
Two Tales Of Children.
A young mother in putting her
year old son to bed noticed that ht
clambered under the cover without