The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 10, 1901, Page 11

view © caw many which, affalr barn from one flames and smoke. ‘Come, boys,” he cried to his two sons, fire! Come and help me als.” And with that he he door in the direction of liowed with all possible &s they reached the barn door the phosphorescent gleam vanished, led them to the very mar- was once more stili—stiller rtable od for & moment as spell- the father advanced to 1 s were snorting in thet stalls, perbaps alarmed at the late vi ghtened at wh 4 taken out of the ordin- The next ern paper o'clock suggested , and at § er Houls very few moments were nalled tight The cellar door, for cealment, and so the into its elected rendezvous, ST=ROM Texas comes this strange ac- Ea pernatural but satis- factory oc Before the Civil War, an for several years there- Mrs. Rachel Moores, with her hus- vid H. Moores, resided t | country plantation ncar , Tex., mbout twenty miles count of & after, M1 f Texarkana. They had been large slaveholders and In the early part of 1866 had many of their former slaves living on the place with them. About that time sev- Alamc . eral robberies by ex-slaves of thelr former masters were reported in this sec- = of which occurrences led tn a consultation between Colonel Moores and his wife as to the proper action neces- sary for the safety of their own property. It was deeided best that the colonel go @lone, at night, and bury the treasure at n of shrieks and yells, ked open o streak of | the door, and t coming from a »w stood a tall d out to catch n nothing but The epook had vanished! A rapld search of the entire place was m made, but no traces were found of terious visitor, who acted like a d not resemble one. At least, no one else has ever seen one than thi E ¥s it was not white nor black and—wonderful. carriages were pulled out med places, the talls of braided as before, the a calf, bl te its weaning, w of the flo ere thickly and the straw bed- all over the interior of taken notion that ghosts only r at night and in the darkness,” 4 remarked a solemn looking young man > his neighbor at dinner. “I have tn broad daylight in Wall street.” bsurd,” laughed the pretty girl to whom was talking. “Fact, I e you,” continued the se- rious youth, T have seen her several times and I am sure she is a ghost. How do I know? Oh, by her general appear- e. Once I saw through her—and, be- sides that she seems to sort of float in- stead of walk. But the thing that really convinced me she 1s a spirit is that I am sure I am the only person that sees he The last time she appeared to me was a month ago. Did I tell you she was & ) some sultable and safe place. This was done. Eleven years later he dfed sudden- 1y without acquainting his wife with the location of the hidden money. One night, A month ago, she dreamed the hidden money was at a certain place on the ola plantation, where it had been buried thirty-five years ago, and two nights later the vision In every detall was repeated. She asked a male relative to go for a visit with her to the country and about a week ago they landed at the old plan- tation. A negro man was employed, and the three started out over the place. After several hours of wandering the landmarks, as seen In Mrs. Moores' dream, were found. The negro was told to dig at a certain spot and went to work with a will under the promise of extra pay if anything was found. After nearly an hour's digging he sald it was no use, “‘dis groun’ ain’t never been 'sturbed since de Lord made | But Mrs. Moores was not satisfied, and she urged the negro to go on with the dig- ging. After considerable parleying, the work was resumed, and at about the third stroke the spade struck a metal pot, in which, when unearthed, was found $2500, all in $20 gold pleces THE SBUNDAY CALL. me, beckoned slightly but unmistakably, then glided up the stairs, I following. “At the top was an open door leading into an empty office, where near an open window was a desk upon which stood & typewriter. Once more the girl turned toward me, pointed to the desk, and then, to my horror, sprang out on the nar- row window ledge and apparently plunged into space. I rushed to the window anl looked down. In the street below the people were walking to and fro as usual, and, to my great rellef, there was no evi- dence of the tragedy I had teared, for, although I told you I thought she was a ghost I did not actually belleve it until that moment. Golng down stairs I en- tered the cigar shop, and buying some cigarettes, I engaged the proprietor in conversation, in the courss of which he told me that flve years before a tragic event occurred in the bullding. A young HEADLESS person of the order of ghosts, Sandy MeGovern by name, 1s making a great deal of trouble for the Pleasant Valley Coal Company in their Winter Quarter mine out in Utah. The miners, most of whom are Hungarians and Slavs, strenu- ously object to San- dy's presence In the mine, and to certain supernatural mani- festations which take place In the village gr a veyard, where the tomb- stones glow like fire at night. The min- ers do not mind work, but they do object to work under the prevailing super- natural c o nditions, and are threatening strike—in fact, have partially struck. Ghosts do not belong to the Miners' Un- ion, anyway, &nd Sandy McGovern has got to quit the mine or the other mea will. Last May there was a big explosion in e W 5 ter mine and 2 lost their lives, m more belng sever injured, some of them maimed for life. When the mine was opened again after the explosion there ensued a period when great massed fell from the roof, masses which had been loosened by the shaking up the mine had had iIn ploston. For weeks there was scarcely a day when some miner was not injured the falling debris and rock to shake the nerves of the mir they stood it, and after a time the loos- ened masses ceased to fall But & more nerve-racking thing foli- lowed. The mine became haunted Strange and weird noises were heard, the calling and groaning of the spirits of the dead miners who had perished in the great explosion, made the piace hide h and to work In the bowels of the ea with ghostly voice gonized groans from departed fellow workmen sounding around one is, as any one will adm something to try the stoutest hearts. But all these things might have been endured, for men must work that they may eat, and miners cannot choose their company or their surroundin had not Sandy McGovern put in his headless ap- pearance. Who Sandy was in life or hew the miners can recognize a hes s does not appear, but th less epirit as well as they rer, ak of him as th a sy any other fellow miner. Whateve may have been In life, he is decidedly u popular now. His habit of o withowt his head is one of whi minerfs cannot approve. They are | people, too, and not much given to ng e t 1 of demarkatio good habits and bad ones. But draw the line at Sandy's repr habit, which, it will be admitted, is car- rying a joke too far. Sandy walks about the mine and one never Knows when he will meet him or glance over his shoulder to see the headless one standi se be- hind him The mine is dug in the and from its depths m draw the loaded cars to the opening on the sunlit glope ie of 11 a tired of walking about he gets up be- de the driver of the car and rides with him until the light from ou de grows trong through the opening of the mine's mouth, when he vanishes Into thin afr. Scores of miners are ready to swear that they not only have seer landy, but have talked with. him; for, though headless, Sandy seems to be able to converse. All > qu mine, te ghost and will listen to reason. Up in the age bury- ing gro the h where so many of the of «the grezt tragedy Ne bu r ghosts flit about o' nights and it has been represented to Sandy that he would » much e comfortable up there in company with the other diseme bodied ones than can possibly be in he the mine, w the hav- in the ty live ones aruis are “hifick dla- aisoctable milght get ately “‘chummy" bi§ head; but he for, if he w uid only es to wear Mo e miners de- themsalvea. e mining com- Quarter to try accomplish with Sandy. Pos- ten to the * is a man looked >. miners, and The ghostly go- are less annoy- but they “goose flesh’™” customed 2 the clare t The pany what h will get ral manager has gone to Win wh side ! ge window e so mady of his the dead ones with a sirange. un- knows that the at rest, and he either, but specter-bauated gray dawn and take his way to the mine whers the ghost of Sandy McGovern is awalting him. The e t has been tried of w r the tombstones at night, but the was of and all the 5 which ¢ about the stones. Between the glowing tombstones at night i Sandy McGovern by day, Winter Quarter is in the throes of nervous prog- tration and a general strike. typewriter? That is, I imagined she must have been one when living. She carries 2 roll of papers and is almost as pretty as you are. Well, as I was saying, no one geems to notice her. A newsboy ran right up against her, or rather, as it seemed to me, through her, and he never swerved, and a horrid old stock broker I know, who always stares at a pretty woman, passed her by without a glance. She is evidently haunting me alone, but why I cannot imagine. I feel cold shivers run down my back whenever I meet her and am sure I am singled out for some purpose. What would you do about 1t? “Are you really serious?’ queried his eompanion. “I really am,” returned the man with apparent conviction. “I am haunted by the daylight ghost of a pretty typewriter and I feel that I have a mission to give Ppeace to her troubled soul.” “Is Mr. X. a little queer?’ asked the girl of her hostess after the women hadl returned to the drawing room. And she related the foregoing conversation. ‘‘Was he trying to quiz me, or did he, like the Ancient Mariner, feel impelled to teil his tale to some particular person and there- fore single me out?’ A week or two later, says the writer, who tells the tale, she again met Mr. X. 71als time it was at a ball. “How about your ghost?” she asked him filppantly. “I have found out all about her!" he ex- claimed solemnly. ‘‘Come with me in to supper and I will tell you all her history. “You know,” he began. after he had sup- plied her and himself with chicken cro- quettes and salad, and taken his seat at the little table, “that I told you that I thought I was haunted by that girl for & purpose, and so I was. The day after I talked with you about her I saw her again, and I thought I would follow her. Try as I might I could not overtake her; she was always about ten feet in front of me. Sometimes the crowd would separate us, Lut I would soon see her again flitting ahead, always at the same distance. She continued for a couple of blocks in Wall street and then turned into Pearl street, stopped before an open stairway next to & small cigar shop, and, turning toward girl committed suicide by jumping from the window of the room above. Thers had been some money lost in the office where she had been employed as type- writer, she had been suspected and her self-inflicted death confirmed her employ- ers in the belief of her dishonesty. As he talked I began to discover the reason why I had been haunted. I am of what is ge1- erally known as a réeceptive nature—that 1s, T have been told so by my friends that experiment with magnetism and the so- called spirftual manifestations. My theory is that I was chosen on that account to prove her innocence to the world, for, I went to her employers, told them the whole story and insisted, despite the skepticiam, upon a therough examination of the dead girl <. Back of one of the drawers was an empiy inclosed space formed by the construction of the desk; the back board of the drawer had been slightly shoved down, and through this aperture the missing money had undoubt- edly fallen, for it was found at the bottom of the empty boxllke space. Of course, she in her spiritualized condition became aware of this fact, and, as was but natu- ral, sought a medium to whom she could discover it." “Did Mr. X. make that all up, do you think,” said the soclety girl afterward, “'or does he belleve it himself?" EAR Muncle, Ind., a phantom dog H like the ghost of Podunk road, this spirit visitor can not be seen, but is heard barking night after night. The phantom dog is =aid to frequent the road between Yorktown and Daleville, I barking will be heard close to pedestrians, ‘wheelmen or vehicles, but, upon investi- gation, no dog can be found. Several brave young men have endeav- ored to catch sight of the uncanny antmal that is heard but is never visible, but all to no purpose. People who believe In ghosts predict some dire catastrophe for travelers in this section, while others declared it is nothing but a hitherto unnoticed echo. But no dog about this portion cf the country has the shrill, terrified and terrifying note that the phantom canine gives vent to, Another theory s that the dog itself has been killed, and that this Is its spirit. A peddler was found dead by the road- side between the two towns several years ago, and the dog is supposed by some people to be his. A MOST mysterious occurrence bor- A dering on the supernatural is re- corded as having happened at the home of J. H. 8mith of Findlay, Ohto. The family was awakened at mid- night by the souné of music in the house, and were horrified to find that a large music box in the parlor was grinding mer- rily’ away without any signs of having been tampered with by human hands. A side door leading to tne street was open, but as nothing in the houss with the pos- sible exception of the music box had been touched the idea of burglars seems almost preposterous. The occurrence was decld- edly uncanny, to say the least. Mr. and Mrs. Smith retired as usual after locking the house securely. Major, an immense St. Bernard dog, was in the house, usual, and no thought of un- welcome guests was for a moment enter- tained. They had been asleep some time when Mrs. Bmith was awakened by the barking of the dog. He soon desisted, however, and thinking it was nothing more than some one passing on the out- side, Mrs. Smith dropped asleep. In about an hour she again awakened and saw that the door to her bedroom, which had been closed but not latched, was open. Bhe called Mr. Smith’'s attention to the fact, but they decided it must have been caused by the dog forcing his way into the room. Suddenly Mrs. Smith was again awak- ened. Bhe distinctly heard the sound of music. There was a party across the street, and she was inclined to think the music {ssued from that source. A glance at the clock showed her that it was near- 1y 2 o'clock, and that the party had been over for some hours. The sound of the music was remarkably plain. She could distinguish each note. It was the “Mock- ing Bir ““No one can appreciate the weirdness of that musio at that hour of the night,” #ald Mrs. Smith. "As soon as I was thor- oughly awake I realized that it issued from the music box in the parlor, directly beneath my bedroom. I aroused Mr. Smith and told him my fears. He wouldn't be- lieve it, and we both walked into the hall and peered over the banister into the hall below. I was not mistaken; it was the music box. I knew it had been wound up, but we had not used it since Christ- mas day. “The dog was resting easlly on the stairs in plain view of the parior and the music box and showed no signs of annoy- ance. No one could have touched the box without Major's having seen him. My thought was that some one had broken into the house and started the music in the hope that Mr. Smith would go down stafrs and then they would assault him. I insisted and we went down the stairs. The rooms, which are heated by steam, were icy cold. All this time the music box was playing that weird ‘Mocking Bird' I think I never heard a plecs so utterly out of accord with my feelings. “As we entered the parlor we could ses that the side door leading from the sit- ting-room to the street was wide open, and the wind was blowing a perfect gale. Mr. Smith at once shut off the music box and then closed the door. The door had SHOST =IGOT OW can this strange story, coming from Miller, 8. D., be accounted for? According to persons of long residence near Miller, there fre- quently appears, moving over the prarie, a light as large as the headlight of an ngine. At times it was smaller, and at still other times it assumed very much larger proportions. No one has been able to exactly locats it, as {t disappears before the investiga- tion. At least two men who lived there in an early day left suddenly and went East. One was Gable Post. He came to town and left withofit say- ing good-by to any one. In Writing back he would ask if the settlers in his section were still holding their claims. other man was Dennis Connihan. letters he frequently speaks of a section, and asks if the settlers are there yet. They lived alone and were superstitious. It is believed they saw the strange light and left on account @ it. A local newspaper gathered these facts regarding the mysterfous light: A tew nights ago a number of persons were confident they saw a burning bulld- Ing six miles west, but inquiry has fafled to locate anything of that nature in that nelghborhood. Those who have been Investigating the INDIAN BRAVES, e — been locked by a spring lock and key, but stood wide open, with the bolts thrown. We could find nothing disturbed, and have since been unable to discover any loss whatever.” The music box is turned “on” asd “off"” by the movement of a stiff-acting levery quite a pull is necessary to move it. Grang it that a man had entered the door that was found open, the dog, Who is a savage fellow at night, would have seen him. If burglary had been the object' something would have been missed. A lumatic would have broken into the house for the pw pose of turning on the musie box; no sane man would. On the theory that the door had not been securely locked and that the high wind had blown it open, what, then, had caused the music box to play? Some hand turned it on. Some of the theories are practical, and the family is at a total loss to krow how and why their home was entered andl the music boX set going in the dead of night. cause of the fire they saw now recall the fact that during the last several years they have seen, at intervals, a light about the size of that in a lantern on the track west of town. often appearing like the headlight of an engine. It _would frequently dodge about and disappear for a few minutes, and then come back. No one has ever been able to exactly locate it, but all agree that a light that cannot be accounted for frequently dodges about over the prairfe a faw miles west of here. Were those who have seen the uncer- tain light of a superstitious turn they might imagine that an Indian brave from the happy hunting ground had returnea to shoot his arrow of fire over the old battlefield, for it was not far from this spot that the Rees were struck down and annihilated by the Stoux. Tradition says that thousands of braves bit the dust in that contest. »