Year: 1871

L


Indiana has long been the home of sem
satlons in crime and divorce, but the fol-
lowing story, published by the New Alba
ny Standard. surpasses anything yet re-
ported from there, and seems like return
to the days of the Rochester knockings:


From letter from friend at the little
town of Huron, on the Ohio & Mississippi
railroad, we learn the particulars of some
very singular spiritual manifestations. Our
correspondent states that fifteen or twenty
years ago a peddler was in the habit of
passing through the country selling no.
tions, who drove two-horse team. That
one night about nine o'clock he passed the
house of a Mr.. Rubeck, who lives some
miles east of Harrisonville, on the Bryants-
vile road, going towards the former place.
This was the last that was ever seen or
heard of him. The fact of his being
missed and failing to make his regular
visits created some talk in that nelghbor-
hood at the time, but soon died away, and
the peddler was forgotten.


On this road, about one or two miles
from White river, and some two and
half miles from Harrisonville, is very
rough hill, up which the road runs, and on
the top on the southwest side of the road,
is an open field, long since abandoned.
Near this field, and right by the side of
this road, stands an old tree Some three
weeks ago Mr. Rubeck was passing along
this road on his way home from Harrison
vile, at about II O'Clock at night. The
night was quite dark, and it was with con-
siderable difficulty that he could keep in
the road or prevent his horse from STUN
bling over the stones that obstructed the
highway.


He finally, however, reached the top of
the hill, and when about twenty rods from
the tree he heard a noise over in the old
waste field above described, which he
took to be two dogs engaged in desperate
fight. Their growing, barking, swapping
and scratching was fearful. 1t was ap-
parently the most sanguinary dog-fght he
had ever heard At the moment it created
little or no surprise. He only wondered
that two dogs should be at that time of
night SO distant from any human habita-
tion, Oor there is no farmhouse within a
mile of this field,) engaged in such des-
perate encounter. On second thought,
however, he concluded that they had been
out on sheep hunting expedition, and
having accidentally met here, got into the
fight


He had not long to consider upon this,
however, for soon the clanking of chains
attracted his attention in another direction,
and looking toward the tree, to his aston
ishment he beheld large broken links Of
what seemed to be a boat chain, red hot,
falling around the tree, sizzling and
scorching. There seemed to be at least
twenty of these links falling at the same
time, and continued to fall about a minute,
when Mr.. Rubeck was startled almost out
of his wits by heavy groan, which
seemed to come from the earth beneath
him. Strange as it may appear, up to this
time his horse had not manifested the
least uneasiness, and Mr. Rubeck had not
imagined anything connected with what
he had seen or heard but what could be
accounted for upon rational theory. The
falling of red hot chains, he admits, he
though a little extraordinary, but had
concluded within his own mind to revisit
the spot the next morning and gather them
up, believing, as he did, that they We're
meteors that had fallen from the sky in
that peculiar shape.


At the groan his horse reared and cur
veted, plunged forward and started to
run. Now came the most trying time to
Mr.. Rubecks nerves, for Just in front of
him he heard the plunging, rafting noise
of runaway team coming toward him,
and the noise manifesting every indication
that their course would be directly over him.
He tried TO rein his horse out of the course
it was taking, but his efforts were to no
purpose. On, on came the frightened
team; on. on toward it plunged the un-
terrible suspense. All the deeds of an
hopaSt l;fo M ornw1;pr upop bic wind
He offered one short prayer for safety,
and gave himself up for lost, when, more
astonished than ever, the noises as sud-
denly ceased as they had commenced.
His horse still fretted and tried to run,
but Mr.. Rubeck held him steadily in the
road.


At this moment Mr.. Rubeck heard
voice calling for help, and then the cry of
murder fell upon his ear; and as he was
getting out of the way he was more than
ever startled by the exclamation, the
voice apparently coming directly from the
old field: "For Gods sake Jim, don't
murder me"


! Having by this time passed the old field
he made his way home without seeing or
hearing anything further, but in state of
mind better imagined than described He
spent very restless night, and the next
morning rode over the country telling his
experience of the night before, and re-
questns the aid of his neighbors to assist
him in solving the mystery. He gathered
some eight or ten who attended him the
following night, when the same scenes
were repeated.


The dogs barked, the red hot chains fell,
the unearthly groans rose up from the
ground, the frightened team came thun-
dering down upon them, the voice was
again heard in the waste field calling for
help and begging Jim not to murder him.


Most of the witnesses to this second
demonstration of the unearthly visitants,
If such they may be called, became panic
stricken and precipitately fled. Those
who remained could find no reasonable
solution Of the mystery, though one or
two, who knew intimately and dis
tinctly remembered the missing peddler,
are willing to swear that it was his voice