Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-08-22
VISITS FROM THE SPIRIT LAND
Ghosts and Their Warnings to the
Iivino

|
Living.
At a house party in the south the
talk fell upon the supernatural, and
there were cited a number of instances
showing either vividness Of imagina-
ton or something harder to explain,
but not less interesting because not
understood. 80
A man in the party, according to an
exchange, said: Il am telling you this
Just as it was told to me by my father.
Both my father and my Uncle John
! were planters before the war. They
owned thousands Of acres which they
planted in cotton and rice, and lived
several miles apart on separate PLAN
tations. Their father had been dead
for several years at the time of my
story. He had always been fairly idol
lied by his sons, for while stern man
he was a loving father.
MY uncle owned a number Of ne
groes, one of whom, Black Dan, he had
special fancy for and kept as a valet,
or body servant, as they were called
then in the south. No one could un-
derstand my uncle's fancy for the ne
gro, for he was surly fellow.
"One night Uncle John was sitting In
front Of the fire in his study reading.
do not know what the book was, but
will mention, however, that it has no
direct connection with the story, that
he was an agnostic and was looked
upon by the family as little better than
an atheist-a stern, embittered, irreli-
gious man, intensely materialistic, be-
lieving little in either God or the devil,
and given to reading authors of his
own scoffing tendencies.
Suddenly a shadow seemed to fall
across his book, and he glanced up.
Standing on the opposite side of the
fireplace and looking gravely at him
was my grandfather, who had been in
his grave for years. Ny uncle jumped
up, dropping the book, and the figure
disappeared.
Thinking that he must have been
dreaming, he sat down again and tried
to resume his reading, but a sense of
uneasiness possessed him, and he felt
himself impelled to rush out into the
darkness OF the night. My uncle had
much sorrow, and he began to wonder
If his trouble had affected his mind.
He endeavored to fix his attention on
his book, when suddenly the shadow
fell again, and he looked up to see
his father standing facing him with a
heavy frown darkening his face.
my uncle sprang up and held out
his hands. and the apparition dsap-
peared, leaving behind a sense of i'm
pending disaster. My uncle tried again
to settle to his reading, refusing to
give way to the impression of danger
with which he seemed possessed, and
had almost convinced himself that the
presence had been a dream when the
apparition suddenly appeared again.
My uncle sprang up and my grand
father spoke, frowning and pointing to
the door My uncle thought he caught
the words, John, go! go!' and then the
ghostly visitant for the third time dis
appeared.
my uncle rushed from the house,
and following an impulse, saddled his
horse and rode to my fathers, three
miles away. / was a small child, but
can we'll remember hearing the clat-
ter Of the horses hoofs as he dashed
up to the door. He told Of his ghostly
visitant, and said he wished to spend
the night with us.
my mother and father thought him
i'll, but forebore to argue with him. He
spent the night with us and the next
morning my father rode back with him
to his plantation. When they entered
my uncle's room they cried out in
amazement. Two heavy loads Of buck
shot had been fired into the bed the
night before from an open window.
Had my grandfather appeared to his
son to save him from death the night
before?
Years after Black Dan was hanged
by mob for crimes committed against
the white race. Ny uncle endeavored
to save the negro's life, but his efforts
in his behalf were in vain. During the
last conversation my uncle had with
him the former slave told him that II
was he who had fired the buckshot into
his bed, thinking he was asleep in II
as usual at that time of night, and
hoping to kill him.
Was I not a good master to you,
Dan?" my uncle asked. why did you
wish to kill me?"
"'You were my MASTER the negro
said. You were white and am black
and 1 hate the white people, and that is
the reason for every crime have COM
mitted.'
When my uncle was very old man
he had another dream or visitation,
whatever you choose to call it. In his
early life he married a beautiful wo-
man whom he loved very dearly. She
died of typhoid fever six weeks after
the marriage. In the early days Of
their honeymoon they had given a
promise that the one who died first
should, if possible, return and warn
the other of approaching death.
MY uncle's grief grew less as time
passed and he married again. His Sec
ond marriage brought him great un-
happiness, but he lived to be an old
man. In the early stages Of his illness
he told my mother the date and hour
of his approaching death.
g. came to me last night he
said, and sat beside me. She told me
that my hour was approaching and that
l must prepare to meet her in Heaven
My uncle died at the exact date and