Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-10-03
4 Turbulent GHOsT,
Noisy Nocturnal Rounds OF an
4 Invisible Visitor.
QUEER DEATH OF old lAREz
t'The uncanny Incident That Disturbed
the ouist Of an Old Virginia Honis.
II A Nightly Tramp That Never Ceased
Until the House Was Demolished.

i A NiahtIy Tramp That Never Ceased
Until the House Was Dennolished.
FIJI am not exactly prepared to- say
fhatsI believe II ghosts, !" said the old
gentleman from Virginia, "but at the
same time, in view Of certain things
that have been told me by persons
whose regulations for veracity do not
admit Of d doubt, ] cannot allow my
self to ridicule the ideas Of others who
do believe in an occasional return TO
earth Of the dead.
AThere Is one case in particular that
] know Of personally and that can be
vouched for by a number of citizens
in the upper counties Of my state, and
that is the case Of old Uncle Jabez
| Martin, who knew number OF wei
| to do farmers in Fauquier as well as
in Spottsylvania, Kappa hammock and
other counties In the northern part of
the state. Uncle Jabe, as most every
one who knew the old fellow called
| him, had considerable of the nomad in
I bis disposition and led wandering.
| pastoral life. He was always willing
to work when any one needed his sery-5
ices and did good deal Of rough car
pentering in return for q meal o.
whites and shakedown, as he ex-
pressed 1t, and as he was pretty well
known in the land Of his pilgrimages
it was rare occurrence when he was.
not given a welcome.
eff old Uncle Jabe thought more Of
one family in the state than he did OF
another it was the Greens. Virginia.
as all know, is full of Greens. An es-
Unable crowd they are, and nearly all
Of them consider themselves as reiat.
ed III some degree Of consanguinity to
4 the others of that name The Greens
! Of Virginia is the finest tribe Of that
d name in seven states was the cOn-4
slant boast Of Uncle Jabe, and above
and beyond any other Green anywhere
he placed Marse Dickie Green OF Fau-t
quier. and that is where my ghost
story, II you win please to consider it5
as such, begins.
@One wild night in the, month Of Oc-
tober not very long before the war the
old wanderer made his appearance at
Squire Green's Mr.. Green was called
squire by virtue OF being d Justice OF
the peace. Jabe wanted his usual;
/ meal O whites and shakedown,' and
:, lit was at his service, as usual, and
after good supper he sat on the back
4 steps Of the house, smoked his old
) tpfpe for awhile and then went to bed
Squire Green was engaged In some
work that kept him up until midnight,
!, and as the clock struck u he heard a
heavy sound on the stairway. 1t seem
ed as if some one was coming down the
steps with heavy irons on the legs.
The sound was carried to the door,
4 which was opened noisiIy and then
4 closed with a terrific crash. 8
Thinking 1t strange that old Jabez
Martin would be guilty Of making
!, such unnecessary noise, the squire
y rushed to the door and opened 1t. The
moon was shining In all Its beauty,
and everything was perfectly calm and
nobody In sight. Back again went the
> surprised squire and up into the attic
chamber. where Martin always slept
when he made his calls. He found
teyerything calm and quiet there II
was the quiet OF death, for old Uncle
Jabe was lying supine on his back,
with his CLASSY eyes staring right mp
j to the ceiling, where the squire left
' him until the morning.
III I hen he related the circumstances
In the morning 1t seemed that every
other one of the house had been dis
turbed By the uncanny noises. The
strange part of 1t Is that next night
!. the same sounds were heard again,
t even to the slamming Of the door, and
: an investigation proved that there was
: no person to make them There were
no towards In Squire Green's family,
but the noises disturbed them, and
. when they were heard, as they were.
frequently at midnight they became 30
used to them they would simply re-
; mark that Uncle Jabe was tramping
i, again and so to sleep again.
J. friends ana neighbors who knew OF
Is the ghostly exercises were averse to
staying all night in the house, and the
darkies couldn't be bribed to come near
: the place after nightfaIl. The sounds
& never ceased until after the house was
q torn down, and even lbs demolition
which 1t was hoped might reveal the
source of ifs strauoa and c,roxsye,o,,,n