Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1903-02-20
Two DOLLARS Per YEAR
THEGUOST OF COVER
Deathbsd Confession Reveals perDs-
traitor Of Weird Jokes.
new tAs Mtssouvt Town Wss Ter
Fiasd ~ the rra aks of = NO.
shievous Resident sos .
NunAh~r Of xsarA.


When Thomas +. Ogden died few
days ago the ghosts at Cover, Mo-.
ceased terrifying the residents OF that
town. Ogden, on his deathhed, con-
fessed that he had been the ''ghosts'
about Cover. For several yeers he
terrified the village, and while playing
one OF his Jokes he caused young
man TO lose his life by running against
q tree. Al another time he came near
being the cause Of q citizen OF Cover
being lynchcd says q special ST. Jo-
seph tNo) correspondence of the
Chicago Inter Ocean.
In tho livery stable In Cover were
box stalls for the horses, Posts were
set In the ground between the stalls
and planked up on each side. Ogden
bought long rubber tube and, con-
cesling himself in the haymow, let the
tube down between the boards oa opv
side OF n stall. Then he groAnsd nee
the tube and the sound of hA ypsae qyaa
carried down 10 point cl Se te Mo
ground. In Il little while the 9reNns
attracted the attention OF the men
employed about the barn. They tore
Ogden drew the rubber tube up, aud
they found nothing. The boards were
replaced and the groAns were heard
again.
There lived In the neighborhood
man who boAsted that he waA not
afraid OF ghost or devil" and he was
employed to locate the cause Of the
groans. He said they came from the
bottom OF the stall. and went TO work
with a pick and shovel. While he
worked the voice Of the "ghoSt" en-
couraged him. and when the pick
struck a rock the "ghoxt" declared
that he dagger had struck his bones.
Several hundred men stood around
waiting for a solution Of the mystery.
When night cams = lantern was hung
up In the stall ard the man who was
not afraid Of ghosts worked on.
Ogden threw y white blanket down
on the man at work In the stall and
he lesped out N the hole with fright
ened yell. running toward the door
with the blanket clanging 10 him. The
crowd scattered and one man ran
against a tree and was killed When
some OF the men ventnred back to the
place the "ghost" begged them 10
continue the work Of digging, but none
OF them would go into the stall. Ths
owner of the stable finally closed the
place and built another barn.
On q hill near Cover stands an old
mansion built in the style that plant
era affected before the war. II had
been vacant number Of years when
Ogden conceived the idea OF giving II
the reputation OF being haunted. Hs
had lights fitting about the place AZ
night, and people going near II could
hear screams and hollow groans. The
doors would slam. and the place was
stunned even in daylight. II was Inn
possible to sell the house, and II stAnds
to-day a weather-beatsn wreck.
Ogden contrived network Of wires
In the cemetery near Cover, TO which
/ he attached balls OF cotton soaked In
kerosene. These he would light at
night and work the whole by meenA OF
a long string reaching 10 a thicket. .
considerable distance away. IN which
he concealed himself. The dnnqlnH
lights In the graveyard attracted d4hs
attention of people the first night.
and before Ogden quit he had an audi
ence Of more than thousand stand
ing at a saf fe distance and watching the
strange sights Many people would
not 90 into the graveyard In daylight
after TINT. and some OF them removed
their dead from the dreaded place.
Afterward the ghostmaker Of Cover
fixed up white figures In the cemetery,
and they could be seen swaylng about
TO the accompaniment Of his groans
and screams. The cemetery Ia almost
abandoned now on account Of the repu-
tation given II by the ghosts"
Ogden has confessed that he haunt
ed many OF the housee nbout Cover.
and that he IL alone responsible for the
reputation that has attached TO tho
place Of late years. When he rieyed
"ghost" In the livery stable In Cover
he made the ghost declare that he was
the spirit Of man James Woodward
had killed and buried In the stall. and
the excited crowd gathered about tha
place came near lynching Woodward.
When he realized that he wak on bis
deafhbed Ogden called in number Of
his friends and made confession. He
expressed deep sorrow for having
caused the death Of a young mhn who
ran ncsiust A tree In his fright and
said he had always refrained from
frightening women and children ~
much a. possible.