Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1908-09-26
A TURBULENT GHOST.
Noisy Nocturnal Rounds Of an
Invisible Visitor.
QUEER DEATH OF OLD JAbEZ.
The Uncanny Incident That Disturbed
the Quiet of an Old Virginia Home
A Niahtly Tramp That Never Ceased
Until the House Was Demolished.

The Uncanny lnClueht i"ae
the Quiet of an Old Virginia Home.
a Niahtly Tramp That Never Ceased
Until the House Was Demolished.
81 am not exactly prepared TO say
that | believe in ghosts" said the oiu
gentleman from Virginia, but at the
same time, in view of certain things
that have been told me by persons
whose regulations for yeraclty DO not
admit of a doubt, | cannot allow my
self TO ridicule the ideas of others VINO |
do believe in an occasional return 10
earth of the dead.
"rbere is one case in particular that
| know Of personally and that can DE
youched for by number or cltizehs
I'm the upper counties of my state, ana
that is the case of old Uncle Jabez
Martin, who knew a number Oh wen
70 do farmers in Fauquier as well as
in Spottsylyania Rappahannock ana
other counties in the northern part OF
the state. Uncle Jabe,' as most every
ono who knew the old fellow called
him. had considerable of the nomad III
his disposition and led wandering
pastoral life. He was always WILING
to work when any one needed his serV-
lices and did a good deal of rough car
pcntcring in return for meal o
whites and a shakedOwn,' as he eX-
pressed it. and as he was pretty wen
known in the land Of his pigrlmages
If was a rare occurrence when he was
not given a welcome.
"If old Uncle Jabc thought more OF
one family in the state than he ala OF
another it was the Greens. Virginia
rs all know. is full Of Greens. An es-
Unable crowd they are. and nearly all
of them consider themselves as relat-
cd in some degree OF consanguinity TO
fine others of that name. The Greens
OF virginia is the finest tribe or that
name In seven states was the con-
slant boast Of Uncle Jabe, and above
and beyond any other Green anywhere
no nlaced Marse Dickie Green of Eau
quier. and that IS where my ghost
story if you will please to consider II
as such, begins.
zone wild night In the month OF Oc-
,, tober not very long before the war the
old wandcrer made his appearance al
j Souire Green's. Mr.. Green was called
squire by virtue of being a justice OF
j the peace. Jabe wanted his usual
/ meal o. whites and shakedown,' and
II was at his service, as usual, and
j after a good supper he sat on the BACK
steps of the house, smoked his OLD
J. nine for awhile and then went to bed
u Squire Green was engaged In some
" work that kept him up until midnight
and as the clock struck l. he heard
" heavy sound on the stairway. 1t seem
10 oil AS if some one was coming down th'
= stems with heavy irons on the legs
}! The sound was carried to the door
which was opened noisily and thel
closed with a terrific crash.
.S thinking it strange that old JADE
10 Martin would be guilty of MAXIM
such unnecessary noise, the SOUR
ce rushed to the door and opened 1t. IN
moon was shining in all its beauty
and everything was perfectly calm an
nobody in sight Back again went IN
surprised squire and up into the atti
chamber. where Martin always slel
at when he made his calls. He foun
everything calm and quiet there.
was the quiet Of death, for old Uncl
Jabe was lying supine on his bacl
ir. with his CLASSY eyes staring right u
nd to the ceiling, where the squire le
him until the morning.
lat "When he related the circumstance
in the morning it seemed that ever
t l other one OF the house had been I'll
turbed by the uncanny noises. III
a strange part Of it Is that next nlgl
ok. the same sounds were heard agar
rth ovcn 10 the slamming of the door, III
ler an Investigation proved that there w
ng M nersou TO make them. There we
,as no towards in Squire Green's iahh
zen but the noises disturbed them, al
red when they were heard, as they wei
Gu Frequently at midnight they became
She used to them they would simply
. a mark that Uncle Jabe was trampll
md AGAIN. and 90 to sleep again.
ed. .Friends and neighbors who knew
his the ghostly exercises were ayerse
Ugh staying all night in the house. ana
darkies couldn't be bribed to come ne
the place after nightfall. The soun
never ceased until after the house W
ull- torn down, and even its demoiitl.
which it was hoped might reveal
source of its strange and grewsoi
she sound, failed to present any eXplal
tlon. There are folks living today
vas Tauouier county" said the relater
see the ghost story "who can ana Ia
ln." 70 doubt readily will, testify TO
truth of what | have made meht
ov H1-ocbfn0tou Post