Year: 1879




A gentleman of this city who owns o
tract of land in the American bottom,
near East st. Louis, and rents it in
small lots of from two to ten acres to
farmers and gardeners, relates an
amusing scene that occurred there few
days ago between two of his tenants.
One of his ten-acre lots has comfort
able house on il, and is rented to
thrifty German and his wife. Adjoin-
ing is n two-acre lot, on which is a small
cabin, which the owner had some diff
Guilty in renting, but short time ago
found a tenant in the person of a sable
son of Ham, recently from the South,
and possessed of all the superstitious
feelings of his race. Near the two
houses is an old graveyard, which was
long since abandoned as place of bu-
rial, and during the winter many of the
bodies were removed. In exhuming
the bodies fragments Of collins and
headboards were left behind, and these
the thrifty wife of the German convert
ed into kindling-wood, to the horror of
the African, who regarded the act as
the worst kind of sacrilege. The Ger
man and the negro were not very neigh
borly, and the former conceived the
idea of frightening the latter from his
cabin by working on his superstitious
fears. One night, as the negro was
preparing TO retire to his couch in front
of his fireplace, the door of his cabin
was thrown open and tall figure, clad
in white. with arms outstretched, stood
before him in threatening attitude.
The poor negro was frightened out of
his wits. He supposed the visitor W as
the spirit of one of the tenants of the
graveyard whose coffin had been con-
verted into kindling-wood. and, falling
on his face, he begged piteously for
mercy.


40, good Mr.. Ghost" he exclaimed,
"it wasn't dis nigger what done it. Fo
God sake, let me alone; it want me;
deed it want. Go way from me, and
go arter dat Dutch 'oman over dar.
She's de one what burnt up your coffin.
| o, Mr.. Ghosty, spar my life; Use inno-
cent, deed | is. II wur de Dutch 'Om-
an what made kindlin'-wood of your
coffin"


The ghost disappeared, leaving the
negro more dead than alive. The next
day the negro went to see the owner of
the land, and told him what had oc-
|
wouldn't stay in the cabin another night
for a million dollars. The landlord,
knowing his German tenant was anx-
ious to frighten the negro away, assured
Sambo that the ghost was harmless and
could not hurt him. He told him he
had been trying for long time to capt
in St. Louis, and would give him $50 if
he would catch one.


"How / gwine to cotch 'emP" in
quired the darky, feeling return of
his courage at the prospect of making
$50 in a single night.


:" You can catch him easy enough.
I've got an old musket, and I'll load it
with horseshoe nails, and you just poke
the muzzle through the crack in the
door, and when the ghost comes, pull
the trigger; but mind you must aim low
and shoot him in the legs, because he
must be taken alive. You shall have
the $50 as soon as l get my lands on
him."


"Foh God, I'll do it. I'm not afraid
of ghosts, no how"


The landlord next called on his Ger
man tenant and informed him of the
arrangement he had made with the ne
gro to shoot ghost, and requested
him if he should hear shot fired, to
go over and help his colored neighbor
secure the ghost by putting its head in
a bag. The German expressed doubt
as to the negro's ability to shoot, but
was convinced when informed that
Sambo had served among the colored
troops who fought nobly during the re-
bellion.


1t is needless to add that the negro
has had no more visits from the ghost,
and that the landlord still retains both
his tenants. st. Louis Globe DeDs0cT at.