The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-07-22
GHOSTS REIGN OF TERROR.

GHOSTS REIGN OE TEkkUh.
The strange story of ghost haunted
and deserted Surrency was first told
me by a friend:who is one of the most
famous and brilliant railroad lawyers
in the South. The horrors and grue-
someness of the story captured my
imagination, and after much hesi-
tation I decided to go to that desc.
lated spot, within fifty miles of the
coast of Georgia, and to get the facts
in the remarkable case for my own
satisfaction, writes Mrs. I. K. Reno
in the Nashville Banner.
Old Surrency, the original bat now
deserted Surrency, was in the begin
ming but the name of a quaint, small
estate, the homestead of the Surrency
family in Southern Georgia. 1t has
grown now to cover and include the
community OF scattered farmhouses,
wide in extent and separated one from
another by varying distances from
one to several miles.
These homes, which have been de.
serted for decade more than a quarter
of century, are all in ruins, and oi
many of them, originally only tiny
frame structures of one or two rooms,
not a vestige of timber or stone re-
mains. The lands around them, too,
are deserted and untitled, leaving as
bare, wild aud desolate a spot as per.
haps exists nowhere else on the earth
today.
The special interest of the strange
and mysterious drama which was en-.
acted here thirty-fve years ago cen.
ters in the old homestead. The house
was a double frame structure, two
stories high, with a wing in the rear
and was both roomy and comfortable
and far more imposing than any othel
in the vicinity. Though deserted al
these years and bearing the unmis
taxable scars of wind and storm anc
desolation, it is, nevertheless, al
things considered, in state of preser'
vation scarcely to have been expected
Mr.. Surrency, who is a living wit.
ness to the story he told me, is pos
sibly so or 55 years of age. and po
sesses the quiet courtesy and dignity
of manner of the true ways of the
South. He has charge of the little
railway station, Surrency.
my fathers name" he said, wa:
A. P. Surrency. He built our ole
home there in the '4os, and he, with
my mother, brothers and sisters, livet
here many years before the trouble.
came which finally drove us from the
place.
lone afternoon in the summer o.
1870 my mother was sewing in hel
bedroom when she heard an unaccus'
toned noise. Again and yet again il
came with ever 1essening intervals
and when my mother, interested II
spite of herself, finally glanced up
she was amazed to see the pitcher il
the bowl on the washstand rocking
back and forth. She got up and went
over to the pitcher to see if any string
or wire were attached to it, for {
mother of mischievous boys is rarely
taken by surprise, but she found none
and investigation assured her that al
of her boys were out of the house and
that she was indeed alone.
'She resumed her former seat anG
her sewing and was about to con
clude that the strange occurrence
would not be repeated, when she wa.
amazed to see the pitcher lift itsel
several inches from the bowl and ther
settle down into it again with lout
noise. This was repeated severa
times, then the pitcher was lifted en-
tirely out of the bowl and placed
with deliberate care, beside it on tn,
washstand.
Immediately after this the bow
was flung from the washstand ant
fell in a shower of fragments at my
mothers feet and in quick success
sion the smaller pieces of the entire
toilet set followed and added thei
several little heaps to the debris OF
the floor. Then, as if done by in
visible hands, the larger pitcher OF
the washstand was lifted and poiset
on its side, so that the clear spring
water it contained was poured slowly
from it on the carpet, and when quit,
emptied it was lifted high and funi
with much violence to the floor
where it was entirely shattered. From
that day the peace and quiet of th,
happy old homestead were destroyed
and were never again re-established
"The very next day after Its frs
manifestation, when all the famil,
was assembled for the midday dinner
a door which opened on the wide gal
lery, and which was standing open
began to move slowly and was shu
as with calm deliberation by unseel
hands.
"'That was done,' said mothe
quietly, by the wind But she hat
scarcely spoken before the door wa
opened and was flung back to it
original position with great violence
At the same time two windows in tn
room, which were raised to admit tn
keen breeze from the Atlantic, wer