Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-07-06
WAS He
A SPOOK9
By EDWIN T. GARRISON
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
"a, Association. -

some students were d1spudng. One
of the party declared that the PSYCHE
cal research societies would one day
prove that spiritual bodies revisited
their former haunts. In support Of his
belief he told the following story:
Gilbert Ellison was a prodigy at
school. carried of all the prizes In 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
for lovemaking, no woman could resist
him.
was member of a small social cir
Gle in a place where Ellison spent
some time. He appeared like rising
sun. In a 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 at
tennis; on the 4th he beat a profess
sional billiard player. Then followed
series OF feats calculated to put to
the blush the athletic youths of an
Gent Athens.
BY this time every girl in the place
was in love with him. He was hand
some chap. with a Byron head and
neck. and could write verses that
Judges OF such matters pronounced re-
markable. One Sunday when par
son was Ill Ellison supplied bis pulpit
and preached the most remarkab BILE SER
mon that was ever heard In that
church.
One girl among those who fell in
love with Ellison seemed to find favor
In his sight. She was Lois Beverly.
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 q sort of rev.
erence by the others. Had it not been
for her retiring disposition she would
have been belle. for she possessed
beauty in repose that was very effec-
tive. Many a young fellow on first
seeing her thought he would fall In
love with her. but when he came to
talk with her was chilled. Was it her
want of interest in him or that she &C.
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 were all watching this
couple. who seemed to be the compile
ment Of each other. We agreed that 1t
required universal genius to awaken
her dormant faculties. Every one was
saying. What pair those two will
make" ~
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-.
fancy. He seemed rather to be excif-
ing hers. There was suggestion OF
something plaintive both in him and in
her. Many a time l have watched
them when they we're together, too far
to hear what they were saying. and it
eemed to me that he was playing upon
her as he would upon either. -
Then one day everybody was asking.
'What has become of Ellison?' 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 U.S.
he 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
who owned the house where he lived
told me that at the time he left her
she had found drop Of blood on the
hearthstone in his room. l asked her
II any one was with him at that time,
and she said there was no one. He
had gone up to bed at 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 lodger didn't come
down she went to his room. It was
empty, the bed had not been slept in.
and drop of blood was on tho 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. l could never trace his anteced-
ents or his identity after he left us.
One day, having nothing better to do,
wrote out an account of the case and
sent it to a society for psychical re-
search.
After some weeks received reply
from the secretary. It stated that the
society had discussed the matter OF
Gilbert Ellison, but that there was
nothing in it that any one could grasp.
One Of the members had made sug-
gestiOn to which was welcome. It
was this: In the sixteenth century lived
a Sc0tchman named Crichton, who
was universal genius. He spoke
dozen languages and could dispute on
any subject in Latin. He excelled in
all exercises and sports. While in the
service Of the Duke Of Mantua as tu-
tor to the dukes son he was assas-
sinated. Ellison's accomplishments, his
vanishment and the drop Of blood on
his hearth would seem to indicate that
this man Crichton had paid the earth