The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-07-30
GHOSTS DO A cAKEwA1K.
one Night in Every Year a Company of
Negro spoOks Appear.

NS9AV 5POVAAH <AEpV0ke
The entire population Of Dickson is
not aware that almost within a stones
throw Of the towns center, and ad-
joining the eastern limit of the railroad
depot yards, on certain night in
each year-the night Of June 7-revel
and dance a company Of the most
hideous appearing spooks that ever
held high carnival in any quarter Of
the globes surface, and yet the fact
is established beyond any shadow Of
doubt.
During the Civil War the spot where
the town of Dickson now stands was
occupied by colored Federal troops
from soon after the surrender Of Fort
Donelson to almost the close of the
conflict, and many were the privations
and suffering caused by the soldiers
during their stay.
Many of the negroes were old men,
who had been enticed away from good
homes, where hardships were unknown
upon the alluring promise of freedom,
only to realize that they had in real
! ity bartered freedom for the worst of
serfdom. Disease broke out IN the
camp, and among the visitations of
this character smallpox In violent
form ragged. The patients who died and
all OF them did die, were buried heller
SHELTER, never over c1ree feet deep in
the earth, and in rude pine collins fur
nished by the Federal government.
A favorite burying place was low,
marshy ground near where the Union
depot now stands. Some years ago a
brick manufacturing firm operated
upon the ground and unearthed num-
Der of collins which contained nothing
but blue mud, the remains once in
cased therein having returned to dust.
In the very recent past an old citi-
zen of Dickson, who is by the way, an
ex-Federal soldier, who witnessed the
terrors of the Civil war here whis-
pered to the writer thue If the latter
would accompany him on the night of
June to the burying round above
mentioned he would show him some
thing worth seeing. The hour for taxi
ing up the watch was set for midnight
and the appointment was kept to the
dot.
The night was a propitious one for
ghosts, and we had not long to wait.
| Reaching the ground which belongs to
the Nashville, Chattanooga & st. Louis
Railway company, and which during
the recent wet weather has almost been
covered with water, we took posi-
ton at the mouth of the big culvert
that discharges its refuse from the en-
CINE house into ditch cut through the
plot. We had not more than got COM
fortably seated when apparently a
multitude of bone knockers, as 1t were,
took up their rattle, and never before
was such tune and melody heard from
the relics of the dead.
The "clack, click, clickety- click" rose
and flowed-it sighed, it groaned it
screamed, 1t sobbed--it rose and fell
for at least an hour, and then all was
silent again. Suddenly misty light OF
phosphorescent hue rose from the earth
and stood over the ground like huge
specter, whose mission 1t was to over
come the darkness and instead bring
light. In the mellow haze of this light
we saw the hideous and gpinning skel-
etons of more than a score of human
beings get up out Of the earth and
take their positions as in the old-timt
country dance practiced during the
Civil war. Two of the number were
set apart apparently as bone clappers
These stood a short distance from the
main body with their bony arms ex.
tended in front and slightly elevated
At a given signal their bony fingers
and hands began a manipulation tha
showed us plainly from whence tht
previous bone-clapplng music hat
come, and then the ghost dance wa.
on in all its glory.
Protruding knee caps, crooked thigh
bones, glazing shoulder blades and v
shaped shins cut the figures with sucl
elasticity and apparent delight that WI
almost forgot our gloomy surrounding!
and foolishly ventured up to where thu
sport was in progress. Such intrusion
was apparently too much for tn,
spooks.
The light went out, the dance wa
over, and all was again as silent a,
the grave,-Dickson (Tenn.) Cor. Nash
willie American.