Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-07-14
A GREENWOOD COUNTY GHOST.
Story Of the Voice That Haunted the
Old Isaac Burnett Place.

Story Of the Voice That Haunted the
Old Isaac Burnett Place.
After leaving the old DeVore place
we come to house, the site of the old
home Of an early settler. Mr.. Isaac
Burnett, where in the year 1928, al
most one hundred years ago. was OBJ
served by hundreds one Of the most
peculiar phenomena in this or any
other country. This place was refer
red to as the Haunted House" or the
House with the Spirit" etc. In early
childhood the tales of what had hap
pened here used to make the writer's
hair stand on end, especially when
told on rainy nights with other ghost
ly tales. This thing or that thing"
as 1t was generally referred to, was a
voice that spoke from out Of space,
recognized human beings by name,
told their history, and made the house
point of interest to hundreds Of visi-
tors while it lasted. The writer has
one or two old newspaper clippings
about II and has heard Of II, as has
every one else In that and many
neighboring sections, as far back as he
can remember almost.
Mr.. ]. H. Burnett, here In Green
wood, is a grandson Of the Isaac Bur-
nett who owned the place then and
from him a short statement was Sc
cured.
The voice was first heard In 1929.
He only knows what his father s. J.
Burnett, told him Of 1t. 1t was first
heard as a whistle in a plum thicket
near the house. It attracted attention
because 1t was kept up and the family
thought 1t was some Of the boys In the
neighborhood hiding in the thicket ana
trying to get some one to look Tor
them. The whistle left the plum
thicket and gradually drew near the
house, that Is 1t would be heard at
intervals, not all the time, but each
time 1t would be nearer the house
than before. When Ii had almost
reached the house the family noticed
that II was forming words with q
whistling sound Soon what was said
could be distinguished very clearly,
though 1t was always with this whist
ling or wheeling sound. The family,
notbeing able to see any one, and not
being able to solve the mystery, be-
came greatly annoyed and some or
them more or less alarmed. The voice
apparently recognized this, for II said
frequently that 1t would harm no one,
that II was useless to move out OF the
house, that II would follow them, and
several times II said that II was l25
years old. People from miles and miles
around came to hear 1t. The Rev.
Nicholas w. Hodges, the pioneer Bap-
tist preacher, the one who Is buried
at Mt Moriah, came to hear 1t and
talked with 1t. The voice seemed to
get angry with him and finally refus-
ed to answer questions. The voice
seemed to get nearer daughter OF
Mr.. Isaac Burnett, Martha by name,
than any one else and greatly annoyed
her. At the suggestion of the Rev
Mr.. Hodges she repeated to 1t the Nc
Testament verse, ! Tim. lis. This
Is a faithful saying, worthy Of all ac-
ceptation; Christ Jesus came into the
world to save Sinners" and Ii left her
Whereupon Mr.. Hodges pronounced
It an evil spirit. The voice was heard
in two other places in the neighbor-
hood for a short time, once or twice
only, one time at Mr.. Rodgers and
another at Mr.. ShettleWOrtn 8 mouse.
Once a man named Wash Hall came
from Georgia to hear 1t; he had lived
in this neighborhood. The voice rec
ognized him and told him what had
happened to him since he left The
voice left the house as II had come, af-
ter a time being heard only In the
yard, then little farther away, lit
tie farther each time until finally 1t
had disappeared entirely. 1t lasted
almost year.
This then is the statement at first
hand from a member Of the family.
This remarkable thing" exercised it..
self in 1929. What 1t was. at this late
day and time. is a problem we will not
attempt to solve. The easiest explana-
ton Is that there was ventriloquist
in that neighborhood or In the imme-
diate radius OF the house and that the
owner Of that voice used 1t as above
described. The older people right
around II would never admit or this
solution. as no person could be FOUND
who had such a voice or at least II
was never exercised around there any
where. and If such was the case the
owner carried the mystery with him
or her to the grave. Mr.. ]. H. Bur-
nett does not believe II was ventril-
oouist. though he says he cannot offer
any explanation.-Greenwood Index.