The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-01-03
.SPOOKS HAUNT
Of ND.
Ghost Lore Almost Religion
Among inhabitants OF
Eastern "NeCkS.

EASTON, Md, Jan. 3.-The East
ern Shore "necks," or small PENN
sulas, that jut out into the Chesa-
peake, or into the broad rivers that
empty into the bay, have ghost
lore which is the same among the
inhabitants of them all from Elk
Neck to Tangier. Investigators OF
such matters claim that the ghost
lore the omens-lore and the moon
lore of these "necks" is the same
that prevails among the inhabitants
of the English downs.
BELIEVE IN GHOSTS.
Our Eastern Shore "neckers." as a
rule, believe in ghosts as firmly as
did their ancestors 200 years ago, and
the bravest of them physically are
afraid OF appsrtions. Few Of them
are stout hearted enough to pass at
night by graveyards or lonely graves.
The unknown drowned, whose bodies
are cast ashore, are, as a rule, buried
in the bank of the waters where they
are found, and such graves are gen.
orally avoided. even in the day time.
HUNTERS RUsE.
A wild goose hunter some years
ago used his knowledge of this fact
to his advantage. This man had no
fear of ghosts An important feature
of the winter hunting for him and
his neighbors was shooting wild
geese on their feeding ground near
the shore by crawling down on them
in the dark as stealthily as an Indian
ever trod the forest until the feeding
grounds were brought within gun
40
found signs that the geese were feed
ing at night on Piney Point fats.
Broad creek. He dug a grave on the
bank, put log in it, mounted 1T, put
head and footboards to 1t, and caused
the report to be circulated in the
neighborhoOd that strange schooner
had anchored there, brought dead
man ashore and buried him. One
Sunday a crowd of people went to
Piney Point to verify the rumor, and
there, sure enough. was the grave.
No goose hunter, except the man who
dug the grave, went near that spot
that winter. He had all the cunning
to himself and killed ffty-nine wild
geese during the season.
DREAM BOOKS AND MAGIC.
Dream books and magic books are
not uncommon on tie Shore. There
are yet believers in the enchanter's
power of putting spells on the enc
mics of those who engaged his assist
ance and in the ability of a more ex-
pert enchanter to remove the spell.
Fortune-tellers are still consulted.
and gypsies, when they come into a
neighborhood are well patroniZed by
some for amusement, of course, but
by others in all sincerity. Every long
road has one spot or more haunted
than any other along its course, and
it's there, in every Eastern Shore
neck, where the spectre Of the head
less white horse has been seen rush
ing past with incredible speed and
with silent hoof beats.
The spectral white woman, seen
first ahead and then behind the way
| farer at night is as absolutely real
as any, other woman to those who
believe they have seen her, as many
do believe.
A hot blast of air striking the face
by day or by night is a ghost pass
| ing: If at night and alone, a mortal
| terror seizes the person whom the
ghost has passed
HORSES IN TERROR.
Horses are liable to take fright and
| run away at the haunted turn In the
road. They will jog along quietly
| until the fearful spot is reached. Sud
| denly fear seizes them as If they saw
something invisible to the driver.
| They bolt headlong or stand still and
| SILVER or throw the rider by a sud
den, sideway jump.
Sometimes in the morning stable
men flnd their horses covered with
sweat and mud and their names and
tails tangled and knotted. witches
been riding them" is the sufficient
a n N N a q "a
everywhere the spectral woman and
the spectral horse are always white,
while the spectral dog is always
black.
BELIEF IN MOON-LORE.
A volume could be written on moon
lore Our "Neck" friends, II they are
the right kind of people, will not kill
hogs on the waning of. the moon. If
they do the meat will shrivel up in
the pot with great loss Of weight and
nutritiousness, etc, they positively
insist Nor must potatoes and many
| other vegetables be planted during
tho moons third and fourth quarters.
The new moon Is carefully watched
for. II the crescent slopes it is to be
a wet moon. but IL a vertical line
drawn through one Of the horns Of
the crescent touches or nearly touches
the other an upright instead OF
sloping crescent, the weather will be
ffne for a month All the old sailors,
as well as the "Neck" people, be-
Iieve IN tho moon-lore.
ORIENS NUMEROUS.
Signs and omens are 'irnumerabfe.
Some OF them are too childish even
to be characterized as absurd. Ones
nose itches, and a stranger coming,
ones palm In similarly affected, and
-.
etching palm"); salt spilled Is a sign
that there is to be a family quarrel;
lie q knife or fork be accidentally
dropped and sticks up, IT is the sign
of an approaching death, etc.
In ono of the TALBOT necks there
was q man who years ago dreamed
that he WAS looking over tho records
| in tho family Bfblc and there read
the record OF his own death. He