Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1909-06-24
Home OF the Late Sarah Whitmire Haunted
BY Spectre.

BY Spectre.
A correspondent to Il Philadelphia
news paper has the following to say
regarding the mysterious murder at
Muncy Valley, on the night of De-
cember 20, 1905, of aged Sarah Whit
mire which renew public interest in
one of the most atrociOus killings in
the history of Sullivan county, the
object of which was presumed to be
robbery though there were other cir
cumstances which pointed to IA mo-
tive more terrible.
The little stOry-and-a- half house
directly alongside the Willamsport
and North Branch Railroad, over
which the traffic to Eagles Mere
passes, in which the murder was
committed, is said now to be haunt
ed, while but few weeks ago there
came dramatic story from the lum-
Der woods of Sullivan county to the
effect that woodsman, finding him
self ut the verge of death from con-
sumption, sent for the district
preacher and made confession to
him that he was the murderer of the
old woman hermit, the crime hav-
ing been committed with a stick of
stove wood because the woman
wauld not permit him to find shelter
under her roof that night.
The woodsman so the story ran,
had been drinking at the towns
down the valley aud came to the
lonely hut late in the evening" see
ing light within he raped for en-.
trance, but when the old woman
saw that it was stranger she at
tempted to push the door shut; that
he then forced his way into the
room, and when she attacked him
with a poker he grabbed II stick of
wood and felled her to the floor;
then, fearing she would scream he
struck her again until she was quiet.
The report of the woodsnan's con-
fession was so vague that but little
credence was placed in it, and it
would have passed away as another
seveh day gossip if the rumor of "A
ghost being seen at the blood smear
ed cabin had not startled the little
comn>nnity dawn ia thn--vallnu
Once last winter when the snow
was deepest, a Villager who stopped
and went in from the road to the
little house to peer into the windows,
reported finding the tracks of a hu-
man being, barefoot, in the snow
leading from the house into the
woods a short distance away. The
theory as to these tracks was that
the murderer of the old woman liv-
ing some where in the wilds
of lower Sullivan and Northern
Columbia county, had come through
| the storm to the scene of his
crime, in accordance with the
old belief that "a murderer cannot
stay away from the spot where he
slew his victom.
The finding of tracks too recall
ed the fact that for several seasons
h unters and fishermen have re-
ported having seen wild man in
the territory lying off toward jami-
son City
Now it is said that a certain houl
at night strange light flicker
through the little old house anC
that one night few weeks ago
late passer-by heard a scream simi
lar to that heard by a young preach
er who was driving toward the hOus
: with his horse and buggy on hi
way home from melting at Straw
bridge on the night of the murder.
Seldom, if ever has the price o
eggs been as high at this season Q
, the year as they are now. This
the time of year when dealers usual
, ly put their eggs in cold storage AM
few years ago they were able t
buy at from II to 10 cents per dozen
f This year even in the month of tn
, greatest supply there is a shortage
and the wholesale price in Ne,
, York is above % cents for the be,
grades with other grades at propol