Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1902-02-27

a GHOST
TOriginal.l


grandpa proceeded:
ut was before the day of railroads
in America. l was travelling between
New York and Boston by coach and
stopped over in village which has
since grown to be city. During the
evening the coffee room was full, and
in those days people did not sit apart,
but fraternized with each other, drink
ing, smoking and telling stories. One
man, it is true, sat at Il table by HIM
self and would have nothing to do with
any one else. He was man with q
red shocky head and snaggle teeth No
one regretted his unsociability on &C.
count of his disagreeable appearance.
At one of the tables half dozen of us
were discussing the subject of super
natural appearances on earth, and
young peddler brought his fist down on
the table and said:
The man who says the dead come
back to us liesv
"The redheaded man turned his head
slowly and fixed a pair of greenish eyes
on the speaker.
81 say that the dead come back
""Then you lie!'
''The peddler started up, but one held
him back.
"Young man. said the green eyed
man, If chose l could convince you
Of the truth of my words
eff you will do so, will give you
all the money I have with me. See
here; it is S1O.'
1.-THE other turned away with a ges-
ture of contempt. Raise the dead for
$40! What sacrilege! Then, sudden
ly changing his mind, he said, I'll lay
you wager of 500 to $50 that can
call up one of the dead who will make
you howl with terror
But have only So
"'Well, then, if you cannot make
good your words, hold your peace
by this time we were all interested
In making the green eyed man prove
that he could raise the dead. To do
so it was necessary to get $40 to put
with the peddlers $40 There were by
this time eight of US, and we each lent
the peddler So.
asked.
"'You,' said the green eyed man.
Keep your fifty and take my hundred.
Go up to your room. 1t is now II
O'clock. AT midnight shall show you
your friend Elnathan Harmon
'Elnathan Harmon! How did you
know he was my friend?
sy,d ~ -
ROOM
''The peddler went up stairs, the
green eyed man took up newspaper,
and the rest of us discussed in low
tones the probability Of the peddler
winning the money. We feared that
the ghost raiser would play him some
trick, for he was a villainous looking
creature, while the peddler was hap
Ply go lucky individual who might be
easily swindled. But when we con-
sidered that he himself held the stakes
we could not see how a fraud could be
possible.
1--WE sat thus, watching the clock i'll
the corner, drinking, smoking chat
ting, stealthily keeping an eye on the
ghost raiser. He paid no attention to
us whatever, keeping his eyes on his
newspaper. AS the hands of the clock
neared the hour of - we expected to
see him get up and go out. What we
most feared was that he would go up
stairs, brighten the peddler and claim
the stakes. A few minutes before mid
night said to him:
Are you going to raise ghost sit
ting there reading that newspaper
Gle turned his green eyes slowly to-
ward me. 4 do not raise ghosts.
have only the power to communicate
with the dead, which do mentally.
sent a mental message to Elnathan
Harmon to meet his friend up stairs at
midnight have nothing more to do
with the matter. The spirit of Elna-
than Harmon will be there
"As he spoke the hammer Of the big
clock began to strike the hour of II
At the first stroke we heard sudden
jar in the room above. By the sixth
stroke something fell heavily on the
floor. Every stroke after that was ac-
companied by a piercing shrek, each
growing more frightful than the previ-
GUS one. At last there was cry Of
Help! followed by gutteral sounds, as
if some one were strangling.
Every one of our party sprang to
his feet and, rushing up stairs, attempt
ed to enter the peddler's room. 1t was
locked. We listened, but heard no
sound.
"'He's done forv cried one.
"'Break open the door, cried an
other.
"'Give me lift said l. sI'll look
through the transom.'
II was lifted to the proper level, but
as the room was dark could see moth
ing.
Then we tried to break open the
door. 1t was not only locked, but Sc
curely bolted on the inside by one of
the enormous bolts used in those DAYS.
Finally the strongest as well as the
heaviest of the party drew back and,
rushing forward, drove his heel against
a