Evening star., 1902-08-02
PUZZLED EVERYBODY
CoLoRED FELLOWS THOUGHT
THEY SAW HIS GHOST.
But It Was Haviland Himself, Dressed
in Better Clothing and
High Hat.

met, when an event occurred which excited
| the whole countryside said an old Wash
| ingtonian.
| The miller one day was missing His
name was Haviland. 1t seemed as IL the
earth had opened and swallowed him The
jolly, fat smiling miller had been there
| thirty years. The farmers missed him, but
his ministrations even more, fer farmers
can't get along without a miller.
Where was Haviland? What had be-
come of him? His wife didn't know; his
| beautiful daughter had no i6ea. Both were
in CONSERVATION. All that was learned was
that the miller had started for Washing
ton in the early morning. When night
came, and no miller. his wife and children
| grew anxious. They sat up, watchful and
| distressed the hours passed on. Havi-
| lands wagon and two horses were found
next morning; the rens tied to the top RAN
OF fence in the rear of his house. His
| torn coat and battered hat were picked out
| from lot of rubbish in the wagon.
| OF course the miller's absence was an
inconvenience to all the countryside, apart
from the sentimental aspect of the case.
| Posses secured the towns about.
The wonder was, and still the wonder
grew, what in the world had become of
| was crowded daily with men who gathered
to swap wise and astute theories over the
| disappearance of Haviland. Rock creek
/ was dragged as far up as Point of Rocks
| and down to Georgetown. The metropoli-
tan police prosecuted a search. There was
| his wagon with the shabby garments and
rubbish. Spots of blood were also found.
Rigid Search for Haviland.
''The searching parties invaded Forest
Glen and Edgewood and Oliver Clark's
place and Tom Norton's and Wheatland
and Crosby Noyes' and they called upon
me after they had investigated the Bach
ellors' and Will Rileys, at the risk Of being
|
| Spring, Blair's place, had previously been
| gone over. Mr.. Peters, the postmaster of
| Linden, was interviewed so often that he
! grew suiky and refused to reply to anyone
| on the subject. Finally the searchers came
| to Locust Grove, my place.
| There was disused well on my prem
| ises that was dangerous from its tumble
| down condition, and, of course, had ac-
| quired bad character, owing to the SUPER
| stitious ignorance of many of the neigh
bors. This well was probed and sounded
| thoroughly. My big, black bloodhound,
| Bruce, was brought into requisition. The
! two or three bridges, rotten and dangerous
| over the deepest parts of the creek were
again and again carefully examined and
| the black depths beneath them carefully
| sounded and dragged.
ut was thought once that a small clue
mad been found on my place on the banks
| of a little brook. where the confluence Of
| two streams and the configuration of the
| land caused a washout and a deep. dark
pool to flood the spot. There was found
a
| bush of the thick shrubbery which bor-
| dered It. Swaying weirdIy from the top
| most branch, and old coat and straw hat
| and waistcoat, with a silver watch and
nickel chain and fixtures attached were
round. The search was eagerly renewed |
/ but 1t came to nothing. 1t looked like a !
| tragedy-perhaps it was-but none of these
| articles had any connection or relation to |
| the mystery of the lost miller.
And Yet No Trace.
md
tidings whatever of Haviland The wife
and the daughter stayed some time and en-
| deavored to run the mill, but they found it
| unsatisfactory. They sold out their lease |
| good will and fixtures and departed for
| parts unknown. A new miller was found
ana the wheels went round as usual. The |
Search for the miller was continued Look |
| ing for sign even in the heavens, it was |
! observed that first a solitary one and then |
a congregation of turkey buzzards were |
circllng about the steeple of the old frame |
chapel and school house on the corner OF |
the turnpike road to Washington. 1t might |
| mean the body of the miller. Ropes were |
procured and other modes adopted and |
ascension and examination was had of the |
steeple, but nothing was found except rats
dust, reaches and centipedes
My two boys, George Clock and Rud |
ROSS, colored, became frightened that they |
might be suspected of murder The mill |
on the Burnt Mills road was vet as silent |
as the tomb. haunted, hated and avoid |
/
innate craving Of our human nature for |
scenes of horror Or tragedy
fIyor, the postmaster at Wheatland, op- |
posite Bachelors place, thought he had |
some clue connected with the mystery FROM
the circumstance that he had found an |
other team that same morning fastened 70 |
Ine renee IN the woods back of his house |
he notified the authorities. His astuteness /
was not rewarded with success. He as |
wen as all the rest, was barking up the
wrong tree. Days, weeks, months and
n
gotten. Montgomery county became ex-
cited. Haviland, it was said, had been
seen In Richmond and at other points in
the south. He was with another woman
it was said, and was apparently very much /
alive and well and much more prosperous
imam he had ever been in Maryland Could |
u De true? was there no mistake? Had
the dead come to life? Had the man been |
leading double life all these years? was
ne indeed another Jekyl and Hyde? He |
mad hidden 1t well if really so and had
cheated and deceived community All now
pltied more than ever the deserted wife
ana daughter. The story was absolutely |
and in all particulars true, and HayiIand
the missing miller of Maryland was nm
earthed; was found at last Could the
farmers have captured him they would
nave made short work of him
The Mystery Cleared.
1t was never known whether his family
ever heard the revelation or whether he
ever came pack to them. At length there
came out some conclusive evidence con-
corning the lost miller that should have
oeen ELECTED in the first instance Bud Ross
aiso suddenly disappeared next day in one
direction and George Clark, our other COL
ored boy, departed in another, and neither
returned for quite a long time, during |
which we had to employ other assistance
Ihey dropped in singly at last at quite an
interval and then had a remarkable con-
fession to make, They had both met Havi- |
land the night, or rather morning OF his
return, and spoken to him. He made NO
anxious to escape observation His faca
was flushed, yet palid, and he hastened out
OF sight, through the woods and bushes in
the direction of the city, stumbling and
tripping over vines as he went What
struck the boys as singular was that he
appeared to be the miller and yet not the
miller, for he was doubly disguised inas-
much as he was evidently considerably in
nquor. he wore new store clothing ON |
his head was tall silk hat, which he had
pulled far down over his eyes, and his looks
were so altogether queer and uncanny thai
the ignorant colored youths had oil +bnin |