New-York tribune., 1903-01-11
SOME WEST VIRGINIA COAL MINERS.
RREAK LOOSE And VISIT LARGE CITIES oNCh h>
.wuJ1E-THE IRLSHlI4N WHO WAS HAtN1ED

orally those in which a Tragedy mas ocNUiieA- -
! is different with haunted mines, Nearly ever
room, in mine has seen its accident, and hardy
p mine escapes disaster some time Your super
s+i+ious miner insists on his ghosts being thor
ousbIv supernaturaI. He infests his haunted
chambers and spook galleries with dreaolul
dragons headlessN horses and real fire spitting
devils.
1.-The haunted mine is old story. and L
won't retell It, But who has ever heard OF a
haunted miner?"
Tho ex-superintendent paused for effect He
know that his haunted miner was something
new
Nearly all the miners under me were Polano-
ers and / was glad TO give this particular son
of Erin a lob because the Irish as rule are
harder workers. He was more than SIX feet
;n his stockings and as strong two Poles, as
ne showed later on. He had little TO do with
anv of the men, even the few of his own race
who worked in the mine. Some thought IL was
because he was redheaded. but that was no
reason even though more fiery hair never grew
on scalp.
"A week after he went to work there was
STAMPEDE of Polanders out of the mine Fuily
a dozen of them tore the slope as II Ola
Nick himself was after them. They quieted
down on reaching daylight. and stood around
the mine entrance muttering. Seeing them
tbare scented an accident. and hurried TO
them.
Amy hurt? asked
mo Mister Boss, no one hurt the an
swer
Then go back to work. / ordered
mo work Mister Boss; all much afraid
..I knew the mine was safe, the air pure and
digging good so the answer puzzled me-
Afraid of what% 1 asked
Govt was the answer.
cd wOnderingly. whose
COW? Where is it?'
Devils cow, Mister Boss, devils cow Him
runs like h through the heading.
II smiled at the confusion of gender, and
started in to Investigate / went through the
mine and found nothing. On returning to the
surface I asked more questions The cow had
no head They knew it was cow because 1t
made a noise like A nervy miner had
tried to seize it and was knocked down. The
COW had trarnpled on him. The fellow would
show the bruised place.
The next day there was another stampede
and the alarm spread over the whole mine. This
time there was the further detail that the head
less thing had turned into the butt heading where
the redheaded Irishrnan was working. He must
be haunted as we'll as the mine They would
not return to work so / sent one Of the foremen
for the Irishman.
He admitted that the headless thing had gone
into his room. But it is no cow he said, it's
bull
Then you have seen 1t before ventured.
Are you not afraid?
ME afraid% he exclaimed. Afraid of moth
ingi Besides, this - bull won't hurt any one.
1t has been following for years wherever L
go, It's harmless
But why should It follow your I asked.
amazed at this matter of fact manner.
That's my business not yours, he answered,
iaring up somewhat tell you the thing won't
do any harm
Question ! would, / could get no further
explanation out of him. My Poles refused to
work long the spook bull remained
captured. and in the end had to discharge the
Irishman- He did not seem surprised. and had
nothing to say. He shouldered his pack and
tramped out of the district. The headless mon
ster was never again.
And could you never explain it?" asked one
of the listening group.
1T is still much Of a mystery as ever
I though most mining spooks easily ex-
planned. The smoke from open lamp will
form itself into intensely human shape. The
reflection of ones lamp the dripping water
from the mine roof Will 81 re weird confusion