Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 282, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 December 1917 — WANTS THE HAUNTED HOUSE [ARTICLE]

WANTS THE HAUNTED HOUSE

WOLF HUNTER WANTS TO TAKE A FLING AT MISSISSIPPI GHOSTS. “Ghosts! gosh my all, “exclaimed Charles Bussell, dean of Hanging Grove township, as he adjusted himself in a chair, in his accustomed place behind the stove at McCoysburg’s leading general store. "Just look at this, scoffed the veteran wolf slayer, as he drew a copy of The Republican from his pocket with one hand and snared a large, juicy, red apple from a barrel near at hand with the other, ghost house in Mississippi he muttered, casting a malignant eye over the group of regular hangers-on, “who ever heard of such a thing,” he demanded. No answer being forthcoming, Uncle Charley sank his molars savagely into his apple and started to read an article which appeared in this paper recently, which ran as follows:”

.“In my rounds the other day I ran across a plantation that will be given away to anyone who will spend a night in the house. It is located down near Woodville, Miss. The residence, which is large and imposing, was built some years ago, by a wealthy resident of St Louis, who used it as a winter home. The story goes that a murder was committed there some. years ago. The house was closed for the winter and when the owners returned the next winter, they were scared away by uncanny noises and mysterious doings at night. They left for St. Louis, and never returned. The next year they rented the property, but the new tenants remained only a day or two and then left. They claimed the house was haunted. Others tried to live in the house, with the same results. Finally the reputation of the house became known the country over and it remained vacant. Boys took, delight in breaking out the windows as they passed in the day time, and the building at this time presents a delapidated appearance. Finally a standing offer was made to deed the ilace to anyone who would remain n the house over night. Several tried it but remained only a few minutes. The experience of one was about the same as all the rest. He took a lamp along and he had no sooner retired than the light went out and he began to hear unearthly noises. The room seemed to be filled with howling cats and they seemed to be crawling all over him, but when he struck at them his fists met only the air. Then a voice whispered, “there are two of us here,” and 'le could discern a phosphorescent ’orm moving around the room. He grabbed for the visitor, but only empty air met his embrace. With a shriek he ran from the >building, and as far as is known he is running yet. After several venturesome visitors had had varying experiences of this kind, no one could be found to try to win the prize of the plantation, and the offer is still open. “Darn my socks,” quoth the hunter of Hanging Grove, “isn’t it queer what fools some mortals be, just to think that 300 acres of land and a fine a mansion are going to waste because so and so told so and so that once upon a time there were ghosts in the house. Whoever saw a sureenought ghost—not your Uncle Charley—just watch me boys,” and te glowered at the assemblage as le spoke, “just watch one Charles W. Bussell coming marching home one of these days with a deed to a 300 acre farm in Amite county, Miss., tucked safely inside his coat pocket.” And the wolf hunter of the Iroquois stomped over to the cracker barrel, filled his pockets and marched out into the darkness, muttering as he went: “whoever heard tell of such a thing,’< leaving the ittle group seated around the fire with their mouths wide open with astonishment.

However, that Uncle Charley is not resting very well owing to the fact that the acquisition pf such a property may be gained so easily, is evidenced by the following letter ffom him, by one of the editors, recently: . , , McCoysburg, Ind. Dec. 6, 1917. Mr. Leslie Clark, Gloster, Miss. Friend Leslie:— Received your letter some days ago. I think I want to try for that farm that is haunted, if the chance is still open. If so, advise me and I will come down at once. Please tell me how much of- a plantation it is arid if therd is any timber on it or any springs or streams. Tell me all the particulars and I will be right down.. Your respectfully, CHAS. W. BUSSELL. 1 . ’ l> ’

I The Work Of An Ambulance Driver , ' r In France. I - Nov. 21, 1917. Dear Father and Mother:— I received your letter dated Oct. 19, just one month on the way over. I received that two pound package over a month ago and it came in very handy. Several of the boys got a share of it, for when any of us get a package from home we divide it up and all enjoy its contents. This new section, No. 9, we are now in is 25 American strong and is like a large family, although it is under strict military rules. We are deprived of many liberties we had before we were militarized. While in the old section, No. 72, we were at the front for sixty-two days, opposite an important town the Germans held. Our two outposts were just behind the third line of the French trenches, not over one hundred steps, and in plain view of both the German and French trenches, only hidden by a small clump of fruit trees, and a little raise in the ground by taking a

dozen steps to the edge of the orchard if we canid to take the chance. The whole battle front of the sector lay right there below you, regiment after regiment and army after army, both French and German opposite each other, all entrenched. We green Americans always are where we should not be felt bad if anything escaped our eye (or camera J payed no attention to the old French warriors, crept out of the cave abri and sneaked to the orchard to review the performances, the most interesting and thrilling time of our life, laying low and watching the trenches thick with steel helmets bobbing up, aiming and shooting at the Germans as they stick their heads above the trenches to get their shot in. At this point the trenches were only an eighth of a mile apart. , We watched the shells bursting over the trenches, raising big clouds of dirt and smoke in the air where the shells struck. After snapping’ our cameras a few times we put them back in our blouses and crawled back to the cave, where we were greeted with a good “bawling out” and ordered to stay in the cave or under cover, as that was a very important military post and used for observation. Being right at the trenches, we were all right so long as the Germans did not locate it, but about three weeks later it was discovered by “Boche” aviators and

they proceeded to immediately wake us up by putting 400 big 32 centimeter shells in there. The earth was torn and plowed up all around the cave. Two lit and exploded on top of the cave, tearing holes in the ground six feet deep and ten feet wide and giving things an awful shaking up inside the cave. Now I can see why they make these caves so solid, thirty feet deep, covered with steel rails, logs, sandbags and hidden by brush, dead grass, etc. One of our ambulances was hit by shrapnel during the shelling. Only one car is stationed at these extreme outposts at a time. When this car is loaded with wounded, which are brought in from the trenches, the driver takes them back to the hospital and another car takes its place. Two artillery men were ahn at this time. One of these men was the one who allowed me to shoot the cannon twenty times into a town occupied by the Germans. I did not go back to the battery anymore. We were just getting a good taste of gunpowder. The roads to these outposts were almost continually being bombarded ahd torn up. Sometimes the roads were so full of holes one driver was forced to walk ahead and pilot the car around and between the holes. While the shells were popping all around us we were thinking of rhe good times we used to have at home. After the bombardment was over we get together and joke about how lucky we were and warn each other “not to let the shells catch up with us. Before the sixty-two days were up we all admitted it was beginning to be poor sport. During the whole time at the front we had four cars hit, but none of the drivers were touched. One week after we left the old section we got word that a shell lit by another car and demolished it. The driver had iust left it and took to the cave and along came the fatal one-more good luck for the drivers. We finally got word that we would be relieved by an Allentown, Pa., section just forming. Time rolled on, one day a new section of twenty-five new Ford ambulances drove up to our park, drivers in nifty U. S. regulation uniforms topped off with cow-boy hats. They looked mighty fine besides us With our uniforms ranging from V nee length corduroys uniforms, all kinds qf hats and caps, no two dressed, alike- We have one fellgw in the regiment who is so long he can’t get military trousers and leggins together. The government has issued us nothing as yet, but we are expecting a visit from the quartermaster soon. Our clqthes are about worn out we have nd more... " t S i

Anyway at six o’clock we took part of the new section out to show them the way,aa none of them had ever been anyways near the front. We showed them where the roads were frequently bombarded and how to time the shells. A few shells were coining in then, but not yety thick. It was comical to see the expression on their face*, they were soared almost tw < death. <but did not want to let pp- We finished the route and turned it over to them. N*xt day we packed up, drove our ears to a repair park twenty kilometers back and took the train to Paste, arrived there late and went to

the hotels and slept in honest to God beds. Once more after sleeping on floors and stretchers for three months it almost made us sick. We got twenty-four hours in Paris and after another good sleep we had orders to report to 21 Rue Raynouard for final orders. This section was notified that it had ten men too many for a little Ford section, therefore I was among the ten who went to fill hx No. 9, which, was an repos, about thirty pailes behind the lines and muqb farther south. The old section’s number was changed to 27 and sent to a different front too. They are on duty and having 'a pretty tough time at present. We are on repos No 9, resting up for something. arb Expecting an order to »uuve back 'io the front at any We tb’hlc before the 25. ;Wv have rio *dea what front we will go to P.&xt. The only work we do on *€pos is to evacuate hospitals and act if the aviators start to dropping bombs. A certain town is bombarded on an average of twice a week. This section evacuated a hospital under heavy bombardment a few days ago- We tried to find our French lieutenant and he was down in the deepest cellar in town, afraid to look out. After the work was all over he eamo out and received the thanka of the mayor of the town, while the section did all the work. There are a number of American troops and camps near here. When or before you have received this we will be on duty at the front again. I will dose, Your loving son,

VERN.