Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-07-06
WAS HE
. A SPOOK
BY EDWIN T. GARRISON
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.
BY EDWIN T. GARRISON

their former haunts. In support of his
belief he told the following story:
Gilbert Ellison was prodigy Mt
school. carried of all the prizes I'm col
iege. could declaim In almost any Ian
guage. was the best shot, swordsman.
whist and chess player. artist, musi-
clan. that the sun ever shone upon. As
Tor lovemaking, no woman could resist
him.
/ was n member of small social cir
Gle In place where Ellison spent
some time. He appeared like a rising
sun. In very brief period he had
captured every one OF us, young men
and young women alike. He came on
the LIST OF June, and on the I'd. by his
experiences In the water. saved two
girls and man from drowning. On
the Sd he won the championship Mt
tennis; on the 4th he beat a profes-
sional billiard player. Then followed
series OF feats calculated to put to
the blush the athletic youths of an
cient Athens.
this time every girl I'm the place
was In love with him. He was n hand.
some chap. with Byron head and
neck. and could write verses that
judges OF such matters pronounced re-
markable. One Sunday when n par
son was Ill Ellison supplied his pulpit
and preached the most remarkable SER
mon that was ever heard in that
church.
One girl among those who fell I'm
love with Ellison seemed TO find favor
In his sight She was Lois Beverly. n
quiet, demure creature with large.
dreamy eyes. She was not prominent
In any of the affairs going on in the
place. but was held in n sort of rev.
erence by the others. Had IL not been
Tor her retiring disposition she would
have been belle, for she possessed a
beauty In repose that was very effec-
tive. Many young fellow on first
seeing her thought he would fall I'm
love with her, but when he came to
talk with her was chilled. Was It her
want OF interest in him or that she oc-
cupied plane too far above him? 1t
was certainly not her stupidity.
When ellison appeared she became
another person. She was often seen
chatting with him with great anima-
ton. TO say nothing of flashes OF wit.
Before long we we're all wntching this
couple. who seemed TO be the compile
ment of each other. We agreed that it
required universal genius to awaken
her dormant faculties. Every one was
saying. what pair those two will
maker
The only difference between Ellison's
bearing toward Lois Beverly and other
girls was that he seemed TO be intent
upon fascinating her. He would when
chatting with her keep his eyes fixed
on hers as though pouring his soul
through her orbs TO mingle with her
own soul behind them. At such times
there was an absence of his own bril-
liancy. He seemed ra Their TO be excit-
Ing hers. There was suggestion OF
something plaintive both In him and I'm
her. Many n time / have watched
them when they we're together. too far
to hear what they were saying. and 1t
eemed to me that he was playing upon
her as he would upon either
Then one day everybody was asking.
What has become OF EllisonY No
body knew. He certainly wasn't with
us any more. OF course we all turned
TO Lois. All she would say was that
she didn't know any more of Mr. ELI
sons whereabouts than the rest of us.
lie didn't reappear. and Lois sank
back into her former condition. The
only change was a profound sadness
that had settled upon her. and the
dream In her eyes was intensified
Ellison never returned. Some time
after his disappearance the woman
~ho owned the house where he lived
told me that at the time he left her
she had found drop OF blood on the
hearthstone I'm his room. j asked her
II any one was with him at that time
and she said there was no one. lie
had gone up TO bed mt 10 o'clock. the
house had been carefully locked-she
was fearful OF burglars-and no one
had been in during the night. In the
morning when her ledger didn't come
down she went 20 his room. II was
empty, the bed had not been slept I'm.
and drop OF blood was on the hearth
Lois Beverly grew frail and lived
only about six months after Ellison's
going.
/ got It into my head that the fellow
was some sort OF spook. At any
rate. / could never trace his anteced.
ents or his identity after ne left US
One day, having nothing better TO do
' wrote out an account of the case and
sent 1t TO a society for psychical re-
search
After some weeks j received a reply
from the secretary. 1t stated that the
society had discussed the matter OF
Ebert Ellison. but that there was
nothing in It that any one could grasp
One Of the members had made sug
2estion TO which / was welcome. II
was this: In the sixteenth century lived
Scotchman named Crichton. who
was universal genius. He spoke n
dozen languages and could dispute on
any subject I'm Latin. He excellcd i'm