The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-11-30

land. The envir-
ons here we think w
would have been
ideal and the whole picture would
be perfect if we had an Icabod
Crane and a headless rider ttrick
by rival in lovel and Rip who
drank too much and then slept so
long that he wasn't recognized when
he returned to the village.
In Raven Rock Hollow, in imagin-
alton, you might hear the nine pins
rolling down the mountain side.
The original story goes: even to
this day they never hear a thunder
storm on a summer afternoon about
the "Kaatskill' but that they say
Henry Hudson and his crew are at
their game of nine pins; and it is a
common wish of all henpecked hus-
bands in the neighborhood, when
life hangs heavy on their hands,
that they might have quiet
draught out of Rip Van Wrinkles
fiagon." The place where Icabod
Crane lived is described as a
dreamy, drowsy place where an in
fluence seemed to hang over the
land" Some say that the place was
bewitched by a high German doctor.
AS a teacher of children Icabod
Crane ever bore in mind the golden
axiom, spare the rod and spoil the
child" He is said to have been a
perfect master of Cotton Mather's
History of New England Witch
craft" in which he firmly believed.
Icabod, you will remember, had a
formidable rival in love, or the tale
would never have been written.
But we will leave all these things
behind and consider something near
er home. We wish it understood
that there is nothing superstitions
or ghostlike aboue Raven Rock Hol
low. Instead it is a peaceful, Sc
quested spot where flowers bloom
and birds sing and except for the
murmur of a babbling brook, quiet
reigns supreme-just the place to
rest and sooth your nerves. Round
about, orchards laden with fruit
flourish This rift in the mountain
chain can plainly be seen from the
valley below. A large perpendicu-
lar rock skirts the road which goes
through the pass" on the north. An
incident directly concerning this To-
cality, comes to us, as follows:
Arthur Harbaugh, well known local
pharmacist, was in Raven Rock Hol-
low as wee little boy, with his
mother. Arthur saw a long brown
thing on the ground and began to
investigate, With a stick 1--WE are
not told how long it was) he stirred
the thing about, to see, we suppose,
if it was alive. 1t proved to be so
but his mother interfered and
brought the investigation to quick
close. What happened to Arthur?
Anyhow the Copperhead, which it
was, did not bite him.
Raven Rock is composed of solid
limestone with an ascent of 400 feet
to the summit, from which point one
can see for a distance of 40 miles,
looking down over a perpendicular
cliff into an abyss over 400 feet deep.
In 1841 arrangements were made to
erect a monument on top of the
rock, SO feet high, to the memory of
President Harrison. It was to be on
a Corinthias base. Work was COM
menced on it. but never finished.
Now let us go back some 800 years
to something which happened in
New England. A historian describes
it as 'one of the most singular de-
lusions recorded in history and in
some respects the last expiring eff
fort of ecclesiastical ambition to
control the political affairs of the
colony" The clergy, it seems, tried
to fight their political enemies with
spiritual weapons and in New Eng
land this was carried to the extreme.
Il ..z4s