The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-07-13
A GHOST STORY
Mysterious Doings at Leg House
On a Farm
In INDIANA
The Aboding Place OF Aged Woman
and u Girl--Ccilins There Is Said

The Aboding Place of Aged Woman
and u Girl--Cciins There Is Said
to Drip Watcr-County Officers
Visit Scene and Find Bricks in
the Bed.
For miles around the little hamlet
OF Petit, seven miles east Of Lafay-
cite, Ind, the residents are in
state of great excitement over the
strange happenings at the home OF
Rosanne Ritenour.
An alleged haunted house, dreary
and dcsolate. infested by evil spirits,
who hurl bricks and stones through
solid walls without leaving a hole,
thro, ',nnks OF dried clay about the
rooms /. I'm invisible sources and
pour water through ceilings upon
the heads Of unsuspecting persons
beneath-these are the conditions
that are attracting hundreds OF peo-
| pie 10 the ldEul every uiJ.
And while several persons have
made rigid inquiries they offer no
other explanation than to accuse the
old woman and her little grand
daughter, who live alone in the
house, of concocting the scheme to
keep the old home from being SOLD
bv relatives who seek to remove Mrs.
| Ritenour from her dreary, dllapl-
dated surroundings and dispose OF the
property.
It is only since recent evening
that the Ritenour house has come
into the limelight as the abode OF
| ghosts. The house and its surround
ings from an ideal setting for ghost
story and to the superstitious mind
they appeal with great force as nj
ting rendezvous of spirit forms.
The house is q mile north OF Pet
tit. Ind, and stands back from the
road in clump Of trees and shruo-
bery. It is an old log house, oulif
in 1892, with weather-boards ON
two sides Retween the logs Is a
clay plastering that furnishes the
ghost" with ammunition.
For forty-nine years Mrs. Kitten
our has lived in the house. she is
rs years old and since the death OF
her husband. civil war veteran
in Nav. 1905. she has lived alone
with little Rosie Julian, aged -
years. Rosie is the daughter OF Mrs.
Ritenour's daughter, who has been
missing for several years. leaving
home and never returning. FIVE oth-
or daughters. all married, are Nv
ing within few miles OF the so
called haunted house.
Since the memorable Friday nISh',
an which the manifestation OF ma
terial activity of unearthly power
was first noted in the house, many
remarkable things have come to pass
Mrs. Ritenour declares that larS"
stones and bricks have been hurled
ut her and her granddaughter by IN
seen hands, coming through walls
without leaving a mark.
She says the pelting with stones
begins each evening at O'Clock anu
continues at intervals until mid
night. when all is quiet Both she
and her granddaughter. she says,
have been struck repeatedly WIN
stones and pieces of dried clay, VIZ
ter has been poured on them from the
kitchen ceiling. bricks have been
hurled with great force from above
the house. crashing into Il stove ana
tearing it to pieces.
In the yard. she says, she and the
girl have been pelted with corncohs
withou, "a person being visible except
themselves One brick, covered yith
moss. she says. cam" into the house
the other night and landed on the
bed Of her granddaughter, striking
ON the pillow Il few inches from the
girls head.
Every day sine. Mrs. Ritenour hrst
reported that the house was haunted
hundreds Of curious people have Wis
tied the farm and remained through
the evening. Many report that they
saw the stones come crashing in1"
the rooms and heard the water
splash.
Mrs. Emma Ranch, nciShNoT.
saws she was with Mrs. ltitcnour ana
tn" little girl the other night and q
lara" piece of clay bit h'r on the head
and bruised hcr severely. She says
!; l1 the time the aged woman and III"
: girl wcrr in front of her. There
: was nobody els" in the house, she
said. She also saw water come from
the ceiling There is nothing but an
} empty lott above the living rooms.
Mrs. Frances Meyers, another
ncighhor. was also struck on th"
hin with stone and slightly injur-
ed. Size says Mrs Ritenour and tn"
girl could not have thrown the stone
, Both Mrs. Ritcnour and her grant
daughter have marks on lheir bodies
to scw ,hat they havo been struck
by missiles.
For thy purpos" OF laying th"
ghost. party of Lafayette n"n
headed hy Noah T. Rogers. deputy