Connecticut western news., 1910-12-29
SALTED THE LIVE BEEF
Ghost "Reminiscences, with its Sequel, Which lots ot Canaanites Will
 Remamber

Which lots ot Canaanites Will
 Remember
 Some thirty-fve years ago, or so, when 1t was customary for the villagers to congregate each evening, after supper, at the principal stores, to discuss affairs of state and deliberate on the local gossip or scandal of the day. any event or sensational rumor was sure to receive thorough dissection and consideration, if not conclusive settlement, in these dellberative assemblages. Sam. Beckley's old store in the Town Hall was favorite resort for the local philosophers and statesmen in those days, and no weather was severe enough to prevent the fore gathering of a generous quorum. It was the custom at that time for the stores to remain open until 10 o'clock at night, and the "chair-warmers" began to gather very soon after tFe supper hour, and there was generally rush for the best chairs and the end of the long bench nearest the stove.
 One topic that caused these sitters no
 
 of ghost that had been seen in Wetaug, on the other side of the Housatonio river. This ghost was an elusive and mystifying spook, that revealed itself in various shapes. ways and localities, always at night, and always in white. According to the report that came to the store chair brigade, this ghost would scoot across the road just head of lone pedestrian; it would suddenly appear from nowhere as some belated driver was riding along and walk or run beside the frightened horse for some distance and suddenly vanish back to nowhere; it would stal t up from the roadside on the approach of spoony couple at some secluded spot, and go whisking off out of sight through the underbrush Nobody could tell what it looked like, nor what it's shape was, and no two persons who ever saw 1t could agree on any description of it.
 The ghost was reported regularly, until it became universal topic where two three were gathered together. and among the store sitters it's exploits took on greater terror as the excitement grew. Grussome, creepy stories in explanation were circulated. Some body remembered of hearing somebody else tell of tradition that jealous lover had murdered his sweetheart in the haunted region, and buried her at the foot of tree. Somebody else re- called story told by his grandfather, that 8 clock maker was murdered for his money, over there. and his ghost was still snooping around seeking whom it might scare somebody. These yarns, and others inspired by the spooky circumstance, filled the timid ones with terror and kept many 8 youngster at home O nights, who wouldn't venture out because he was afraid to go home in the dark.
 When the mystery was at it's height the more venturesome suggested ghost hunting expeditions, and the idea took. A posse was organized, armed with guns, pistols, pitchtorks and kindred deadly weapons, and marched, after dark, to the haunted territory. But that night the ghost didn't walk. Neither did it walk the next night, when the hunting party was increased iu numbers. s
 After several unsuccessful expeditions in search of the uncanny game, the excitement began to die down, though some few bold hunters kept up the search, with full armament of weapons, loaded principally with salt, while the opinion became general that the whole gho stly scare was 8 fake invented by some person of either disordered mind or mischievous proclivities, and the affair was rapidly being forgotten when an excited hired man from the Wetaug district, who spoke with a lisp. came into town one morning and related. between gasps, story that divulged the whole secret of the haunted section and provided the sequel as well, from which it appeared that white COW owned by Wetaugite, which had some times found gap in the pasture fence and wandered up and down the road for a moonlight constitutional, had furnished all the excitement, and ultimately come to grief. The gist of the hired mans revelation was that "Latht night thome thcoundrel shot VanDeuthen'th old white COW right in the hind legth with thalt."
 Michael Kane has returned from 8