Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-08-12

question about the possibility OF the
ghosts appearing. Headless and acting
for all the world like an animate thing
the apparition occurs intermittently
Sometimes the elements appear TO con-
troll its action. but more generally Il
makes its appearance. dinner pail In
, hand. on the platform and attempts 10
swing its arms as II 81 we're tagging a
passing train. Then Il disappears and
its subsequent appearances are a mat
ter Of chance.
Hearing so much OF the alleged spirit.
a company Of young men. accompanied
by a newspaper correspondent. went to
the station the other night and the pre-
vious night for the purpose OF investi-
eating the matter.
on the first night they sat near the
depot. and amused themselves as best
they could until daylight began to break.
when they returned home without hav-
ing their curiosity satisfied. but the next
night they had a different experience.
Reaching the station early in the
night, they prepared 10 take things easy,
but had hardly made such disposal of
themselves as was satisfactory. when
one Of the boys raised his hand and
cried; Hist
They all looked and saw the ghost
the ghost they had been told about
headless and carrying a dinner pail. II
was no delusion OF the eyesight. II was
the real. clear outline OF Columbus Cole
as they had known him in life and the
same eternal dinner pail. For five min
utes or more they watched the apparl-
ton as the arms swung as ii signaling q
train, and then. spurred on by one unit
ed impulse. they rushed to the place
where they had seen the figure Moth
ing but vacancy greeted them when they
reached the spot where the figure had
been seen. Coles spirit had entirely dis
appeared and they stood and looked at
each other in silence. marveling at the
supernatural incident and no longer
skeptics, but believers.
Unstrung from the shock OF the mani
festation-totally unexpected. by the
way-they walked home in silence, firm
adherents Of the ghost theory.
Some of the good people who live in
the neighborhood of Flaherty are anx-
ious TO do something 10 set the spirit at
rest. They say that something is
troubling II. The generally accepted
theory is that Cole wanted 70 do some
thing before he died-that the some
| thing remains undone and that the
spirit will continue 10 wander until il
comes in contact with a sympathetic
spirit clothed in worldly clay TO which
IL can communicate its desires.
Columbus Cole was a well-known and
! popular resident of the vicinity OF Flah-
erty, who lost his life years ago in a
boiler explosion. The top of his head
was completely blown of by the acct
dent. Soon after he died the trouble
with the ghost began and the people
have come TO look at 1t In a matter-of-
fact manner. They do not deny the
story. They have got beyond that point
and many interesting Incidents are re-
lated Of the ghosts history
Flaherty people swear by their
ghost" II is an interesting ghost and
Il is more powerful in keeping the old
and young within doors than all the
curfews that ever sounded from city hall
or church steeple. There is hardly a
man living within three miles of Flah-
erty station who cannot entertain one
for hours with stories Of the ghosts do
ings. Meanwhile the people are anx-
ious to locate the kindred spirit CARRIED
with human body TO which the shade
Of Columbus Cole will tel its troubles.