The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1904-01-06
forigtnal- For the Register.l
HOW THE GHOST WAS LAID.
Telling How Detective Solved a
Hard Case.


It was a dismal evening that ]
sat at my desk at headquarters list
ening to a couple of young detect.
ives spinning yarns with the Chief
of Police in a West Virginia town,
not hundred miles from the OHIO
River and thinking what night i,
would be five were out on duty.
The slest beat against the windows
with musical ryhme. 1t was then
that the Chief spoke that put all OF
my detective talent or the alert.
1t was ghost story that he was
telling that had only been brought
to his notice few days previous,
and he being of supertitious turn
of mind was willing to let we'll
enough alone. although he was a
brave man; otherwise to give you
the Chiefs story. 1 will tell it as
near as possible in his own words:
81 was sitting at my desk couple of
days ago when an old man came in
and asked could hesee the Chief of
Police. when 1 told him he had the
pleasure of speaking to the person
he wished to see, he became nerv-
GUS. 1 began to think / had a
crank to deal with for the simple,
reason that he began to wander
around the office all the while
mumbling to himself. 1 let him go
his own gait and returned to my
duties as thought by the looks of
him he would take his own time in
explaining his business After
about five or ten minutes be came
over and sat down near my desk
and asked me if 1 remembered
certain servant girl that had CON-
mitted suicide four months previ-
ous at certain house that stood
uponSthe bank of creek not four
blocks from headquarters 1 told
him / did. 1t was then that 1 rec
ognized the old man as Skaggs
himself the employer of the unfor-
innate girl. The next question he
asked quite startled me; he asked
me if / knew that her ghost was
haunting his property, (of course
you boys know that my weak point
is ghosts says the Chief turning to
us in his narfative) so of course /
told him that / did not; then he
asked me to detail couple of ner-
~ men to lay that ghost because
he had been forced to vaoate the
premises as he held ghosts in NOR
tai dread and had shut up the
house and had gone to the other
end of town to live with his sister
I saw that his nerves were all IN
strung SO promised that 1 would
have some men over at the house
that night II seemed to relieve the
old fellow who after leaving his
keys he left after thanking me and
saying that he would pay we'll to the
man that laid the ghost. Well, that
night L took Shorty Burns, of
course you know that be is six foot
three and afraid of nothing, and
Joe Blair another good man and
went down to the house. 1 put Joe
on the lookout SO that if anyone
left to arrest then 1t was fear
fol night. raining like the old Har-
~ and cold as blue blaz=s Well,
boys, L can tell you when L opened
that door 1 expected to see that
ghost make a grab for ma 1 would
have backed out but for Shorty
pushing from behind me in the
dark. AS I had been the first on
the scene at the time of the trag
edy knew the lay of the house
AS You all know it is fine house
and at the time of building it must
have COST about fifteen thousand
dollars, and the most peculiar thing
was the foundations, and that was
they belonged to an old ice house,
the cellar proper only going down
about ten feet the remainder left
for in time of high water from the
river. Well we made our way to
the kitchen where the ghost was
supposed to show herself when the
city hall clock struck the hour OF
eight. (that was time in the even
ing that she took her own life II
was reported that she had just came
from the cellar with kindling wood
so that she would have it ready fol