The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-10
JERSEY ROADS KMYSTERY
WOMAN IN BLACK APPEARS NEAR
DAVENPORT'S GOAT FARM.
Denville Folk Thought Twas Mary TuttIe's
Ghost Come Back to Guard Her Chest
nuts-SOme Now Say Man Disguised.
Who Attacks Girls-Ed Howies's Scare.

II
| or the ghost of Mary Tuttle? That is the
question which agitates Rockaway, Denville
| Mt. Taber and other suburbs OF Dover,
' What Is this thing which haunts the cross-
roads close by the Angora goat corner Of
Homer Davenports Jersey menagerie,
and clanks chains? And Is 1t the same
creature which chased girl the other
night In Wharton?
Stage drivers and other wayfarers along
the road to Morris Plains began to tell Of
this thing away back in July. They said
that now and then, and always at night,
yelled woman in black would stand be-
side the road by the farm OF Homer Dayen-
port. 1t was mentioned at first in desul-
tory fashion, just as bit Of gossip. Even
when a stage driver who had seen the wo-
man three times remarked that he always
heard a metallic clinking sound when he
saw her no one paid much attention.
One night when the fair at Morris Plains
was going full blast Driver Bill Moore
took over a hay ride party of eleven couples
from Denville. 1t was a glorious night,
but little dark and cloudy.
Some one remarked that II was great
weather for ghosts. That started Jerry
Latham going. Jerry always was a lu-
gubrious cuss. He got to talking about
the phantom OF old Connors, who hanged
himself down in Aurora. and how they
proved 1t was a ghost because they put
flour on the floor and the blame thing didn't
leave any tracks.
That made Ed Bowles's girl tell the story
of the haunted dressmaker. Then every
body that knew ghost story told IT, They
all got 30 shuddery and creepy that they
couldn't do thing but hold hands under
the hay and tremble, and when Tom Picard,
who is a great wag, made a wailing sound
his girl said joke was joke, BUTT wasn't
funny to scare a person out of her skin.
And then Jerry atham spoke up and said.
with the awed voice OF one who had seen q
great light
Say, bet that black woman down by
the Davenport place is old Mary Tuttls
come back
They snuggled right down in the hay
at that and trembled harder than ever. In
the remotest suburb Of Dover they knew
all about Mary futile. She used to own
the place next to Davenport, the little old
house with the chestnut trees in front. Mrs.
futile used to guard thos. ohestnuts with
a double barrelled shotgun. She seemed
IL
coming to steal them, and the thieves always
found her on the spot waving the gun.
Mary futile died two years ago, and the
place passed into the hands Of other per-
sons who are awfully careless about those
trees.
aThe way those chestnuts have been
swiped, it's enough to bring Mary out &, Of
boyhood was chased by Mary futile any
number OF times. Then Driver Bill Moore,
who had been taking In the conversation
from the front seat, spoke up In an awful
awesome voice.
Every time seen her. they was a sound
like some one was working gun-o kind OF
clinky sound" The rack OF the hay wagon
creaked with twenty-five shivers.
Yes, sir, continued BIZ Moore, and she she
one out front like she had a gun. You
couldn I see it-stands TO reason you couldn't
see ghost gun. And-My God! Whoa
there!'
Bill pulled his horses clear up on their
launches Everybody rose up and looked
Twelve straw hats rose up from twelve
bristing heads of hair and eleven screams
pierced the night air.
There it wal
1t stood right by the Davenport fence
a tall. yelled woman m black. heay,iy veiieo,
doubled by her side. just as though she
were holding an invisible gun: =,
In the paralyzed second before the girls
began to scream they heard cinking,
clanking sound. Some said afterward that
there was kind Of a breath Of cold air hit
them. The woman in black stood still
in the moonlight for an hour-long moment.
Then, with a stately, ajestic tread, she
moved of into the bushes.
Ed Bowles got grip on himself first
-Tm going to sec what that la" he said
aYou amt going to do any such thing
said his girl.
Ed went anyhow. Jerry Latham volun-
teeretl to go along. The rest said that they
hadn't lost any ghosts, and stayed with the
girls. Ed and Jerry could hear the bushes
moving in front OF them, and once they
caught glimpse Of black form,
The trail led through set Of bars and
down into little hollow. They duoked
their hair rose again under their straw
In front OF them was something white that
swayed back and forth with Kind Of undu-
lating movement. At the same moment
She's changed her clothes for a shroudl"
said Ed. struggling with tongue that
clave to the roof Of his mouth.
The white, undulating thing. stopped
swaying and came right at Jerry. He
that movement the white thing ran also.
And then, on every side. white ghosts began
to rise up from the bushes and run with
a great Gathering OF hoofs. They found
tongue, too, in a most unghostly fashion.
They cried
"Ba -a-a!"
Then Ed and Jerry laughed to beat the
cards. They had stumbled onto Daven-
ports flock OF Angora goats.
Goats are goats, but that didn't explain
the woman in black. The more the hay
ride people thought OF IL. the more it looked
like Mary Tuttle to them. It really spoiled
the hay ride; and besides. Ed Bowless girl
was sore on him because he'd gone ghost
hunting against her orders.
Ed couldn't square himself for two or
three days. Finally she let him take her
buggy riding. just to show that he would
obey orders next time he ran across ghost,
he drove down the same road, There was
the woman in black again. The girl
screamed That started the horse running
30 Ed had no show to 60 ghost chasing
even il he'd wanted to.
The story was told to the Dover Iron
Era and the Rockaway Record. These two
papers printed the account Of the woman
In black, but without even limiting that
she might be ghost, At the suggestion
OF Constable Charlie Clark. the visible
majesty Of the law in Denville and there
about. they said at the end Of the piece:
"The persons who are doing this thing
are known, and IL it continues it will go
hard with them
That, Charlie Clark figured, would drive
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