The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-15
A TURBULENT GHOST.
Noisy Nocturnal Rounds of an
Invisible Visitor.
QUEER DEATH OF OLD JABEZ.
The uneanny Incident That Disturbed
the Quiet Of an CID Virginia Home.
A Nightly Tramp That Never Ceased
Until the House Was Demolished.

A Nightly Tramp That Never Ceased
Until the House Was Demolished.
Il am not exactly prepared TO say
that | believe in 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 a doubt, l cannot allow my
self to ridicule the ideas OF others who
do believe in an occasional return to
earth of the dead.
There is one case in particular that
| know of personally and that can be
vouched for by number of citizens
in the upper counties of my state. and
that is the case of old Uncle Jabez
Martin, who Knew a number OF well
to do farmers in Fauquier as well as
in Spottsylvania, Rappahannock 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
his disposition and led a wandering.
pastoral life. He was always willing
to work when any one needed his serv
penterlng in return for a meal o.
whites and a shakedown.' as he ex-
pressed 1t, and as he was pretty well
known in the land of his pilgrimages
1t was a rare occurrence when he was
not given a welcome.
"If 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 relat-
ed in some degree of consanguinity to
the others of that name. The Greens
of Virginia is the finest tribe of that
name in seven states was the con-
slant boast of Uncle Jabe, and above
and beyond any other Green anywhere
he placed Marse Dickie Green Of Eau
quier. and that is where my ghost
story. If you will please to consider 1t
as such. begins
"One wild night in the month Of Oc-
tober not very long before the war the
old wanderer made bis appearance at
Squire Green's. Mr.. Green was called
squire by virtue of being a justice of
the peace Jabe wanted his usual
meal O. whites and shakedown,' and
it was at his service, as usual. and
after good supper he sat on the back
steps of the house, smoked his old
pipe 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 IL 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,
which was opened noisily and then
closed with a terrific crash.
thinking it strange that old Jabez
Martin would be guilty OF making
such unnecessary noise, the squire
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 slep,
when he made his calls. He found
everything 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 ar
to the ceiling, where the squire lef,
/ him until the morning.
when 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 nigh
the same sounds were heard again
/ even to the slamming of the door, an6
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, ant
when they were heard. as they were
/ frequently at midnight they became 81
used to them they would simply re
| mark that Uncle Jabe was trampini
again and go to sleep again.
Friends and neighbors who knew o.
the ghostIy exercises were averse t
staying all night in the house, and thu
darkies couldn't be bribed to come nea
the place after nightfall. The SOUNDS
never ceased until after the house wa
torn down, and even its demolition
which II was hoped might reveal TIL
source Of its strange and grewsom'
sound. failed to present any explains
ton. There are folks living today II
Fauquier county" said the relater o
the ghost story. who can. and I hav'
no doubt readily will, testify to tn
i truth Of what I have made mention
of"-washington Post.