The Oskaloosa herald., 1902-01-09
Ghost Story Denied.
Stone Ridge Mills, Jar

Editors Herald; The article in the
HERALD about the ghost Of old man
Drake (unless it is intended as huge
joke) would be laughable if it was not
so silly. We bought the stock pasture
on the farm and for the last two
months have been down through
his yard twice a day to take the
cattle to pasture and bring them
home. Some. days have set down in
the house to rest, and never thought
of or saw or heard of anything I'M
usual. There are no children passing
the place to school and never was,
Not one Of the neighbors ever thought
of driving past in a hurry or avoid
ing the place, no lights have been
blown out, and no one has left half
crazed or anything of the kind. The
whole story is 80 utterly silly that it
is notsworth laughing over by the
neighbors here who know how the
matter stands. H. II. Drake came
here about twenty years ago and
bought the land (then goose pond)
at very low sum-one or two dol
lars per acre, later he built the little
shack he lived in and fenced the land
and took in stock to pasture, and
realized about $3.50 year out of it,
and lived by himself. He was always
honest and cared for the stock in
good shape and was not hard to deal
with, but wanted to be let alone.
About six years ago he borrowed
money and bought horses, harness,
cultivators, sulky pillow and other
tools and broke up part of the land
and planted it in corn and raised a
fine crop of corn the first year-in
1877 think, the price was low and he
held the corn over and raised an
other good crop and had about 1900
bushels of corn on hand for the two
crops, that he sold at about 80 cents
per bushel, paid the borrowed
money, gave $500 to Chef Drake, his
sent 1915 to his brother in
Wisconsin. After that he rented the
farm and it being wet he realized
little off of it. 1t is not hard to
account for all the money that he
ever realized off the land, and unless
he had money come to him other
than what he made here, it is certain
he had no money to tempt any one to
rob him or murder him. Now as to
the circumstances of his death, he
was seen last alive on Thursday. On
some neighbors went to look
after him and found the door and
windows closed and locked. They
took out a window and on entering
found him lying across the cot dead.
They at once notified the coroner and
he got out early Monday morning
and commenced an investigation. He
found two bullet marks in the fore
head, one on the left cheek, one
above the right eye, that went through
the brain and came out behind the
left ear, then one in the fleshy part of
the left arm, and found his revolver
Just as it had dropped out of his hand
On the cot with five empty chambers.
The door was locked from the inside
and brace put against the lock with
. fastening at the foot, the windows
we're closed from the inside, the
amp was on the table and had
burned all the oil out and gone out,
not chair or dish was upset or dis
,urbed. Seventeen dollars of money
was found In his pocket. l asked the
coroner If he would hold an inquest
and he said no. The case was 80
plain of suicide that he did not think
It necessary. All that were there SO
far as / know concurred in this
opinion, and so he was buried
and think 1t would be charity to
him to let him rest, he never had
much rest in life.
The nephew and son came and
made thorough search for papers
and money and left expressing them
selves satisfied 1t was suicide. But
what ever may be done with the body
let this silly squeak about ghosts,
noise, wind, lights being blown out,
etc., cease. Come out and will 20
with You and stay all night In the
little shack and guarantee that we
will hear nothing unusual.
Respectfully,
w ~ Rnnmu