Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 29, Number 31, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 30 September 1908 — Page 2

H A Peg-Leg Ghost If By Wellington Vandiver

I was raised among the plantations' of southern Alabama, had an old black mammy and was imbued with all the superstitions of my foster-mother. And though I’ve lived to, have many of them knocked out of me. there are some that have worked in deeper than the skin. There was an old ’’cunjah” (conjure) nigger on my father’s plantation when I was a lad, and I believed just as firmly in his miraculous powers as I now trust in the efficacy of a recently decided case. Why, I’ve seen him do things that would make your hair stand on end, and that no book of philosophy I’ve ever read could account for. Every darky within ten miles of that place would have suffered death before arousing the enmity of that old cunjah" doctor, and no young buck or maid ever began a courting affair without first procuring a lov6 charm from old Cato. I left the place and grew up to manhood. and had almost forgotten all about conjuring and such trash, when an incident in the trial of a criminal case recalled it all again very vividly. I was called on to defend a splendid specimen of the negro race for killing his wife. He was a Hercules in bronze, and had lived happily with a quadroon .wife until he. had. the misfortune to lose his leg in falling from the roof of a house —he being a carpenter by trade. After this his wife seemed to have lost affection for him; she allowed the attentions of other men, and worked him into a frenzy with her flirtations. He remonstrated, she continued; he threatened, she replied with Counter threats; and one day, when fully convinced of her infidelity to him, he came to town, purchased a pistol, announced his intention to kill her, hobbled a mile with the loaded pistol openly in his hand, and reaching home, followed by a curious crowd, he deliberately walked up to his wife, put the pistol against her bosom, and shot her five times; then stumped away, leaving her dead, with her clothing burning. W’ell, he sent for me to come to the jail and arrange about his defense. When I . reached his cell he related about what I have told you, and I frankly told him I saw but little chance to prevent his being hanged. Not a single minute did that darky wait before breaking out in a loud horselaugh. “O, Lawd; colonel,” said he, ‘‘dar ain’t a bit o’ danger o’ dat. I’ve got a cunjah charm on me, made by old Cato Feels, that’s a sartin ’ventive o’ death; you just go 'long and make your poration an’ your ’jections, an’ I’ll come out all right.” It was no use talking to the fellow, and so I prepared the best defense I could under the circumstances. Greatly to my astonishment, the jury after being out four days sentenced him to the state farm for six years 1 But I haven’t got to the strangest part of the story yet. The negro gave me a deed to his little home, a mile from the town, as a fee; there were about two acres of land, a fine well of water, and a comfortable cabin on it. I tried to rent the cabin, but couldn’t get a darky to occupy it for love nor money —they all said it was haunt.ed. In the meantime, Harry went to the state penitentiary,, and, after arriving there he wrote me that I’d have to get some conjure doctor to “obeah" —that is., remove the spell from the house, or no. negro would stay on the place. Finally I got mad and had the cabin torn down, and every vestige of the timber burnt up, and 1 built two new and modern cottages about 100 yards west of the former location, and quite near a public street. But all my tenants in the new houses remained but a few. days, and “folded up their tents like the Arab.” . Well, I was at my wits’ pnd. About /this tim6 I received another letter from, my client in the penitentiary, ' asking if the place had been “obeaed,” /and urging that I- employ old Cato Feels to fix it so the ghosts wouldn’t walk there. That came like an inspiration, and I nigger 50 miles with a horse and buggy to fetch the old rascal. He arrived three days later —but he wouldn’t put foot-on the place until midnight on the first night the moon began to wane. I wepjr there with him op. the night selected, and the mayor, two drummers, an3Ta Universalist preacher accompanied me, You see, the Universalist was just one of those fellow's who was always looking into the curious, and came along anyhow. The house had been situated on top of a little-plateau about 75 yards square, and the soil there was a slaty white clay mixed with sand, was dead level, and clean of grass and rubbish. The old darky had on a red wool blanket, which he wore Mexican-Pon-chO fashion, a queer kettle-looking iron hat, and was bare-footed and barelegged. He made us all stand at least ten yards away from him, and charged us particularly not jo come close to him while the charm was "working. He squatted down on the ground, and for about 16 minutes he chanted or crooned the most outlandish gibberish I ever heard. It seemed to be a sort of crude poetry, with the refrain of: Halum. skalum saglum llliah, PolUon Rollion lpsum kllltah. Where in thunder he got this dog

(Copyright, by aborts lory Pub. Cos.)

Latin, or what it means, I can’t answer; I only know it sounded mighty solemn. , After awhile he arose, and taking a short, black, thick wand from under his blanket, he walked ten steps backwards, and stooping over, he began to draw, upside down, on the ground, the familiar diagram that the children used to use in playing the old outdoor game, “hop-scotch,” The fact is, I had never thought of what geometric figures there were in that old hop-scotch game. First, you know, there is a parallelogram, then, on top of that a square, then on this follow four right-angled triangles, and lastly, an arch. In each corner of this diagram he placed small dolls made of the resin pf the pine tree, figures fashioned rudely like a woman, and stooping over them he blew his breath on them, and all at once each of those puppets broke out into flame as quickly as a skyrocket and continued burning as long as we stayed. , Around all this he drew a large circle, still walking backward, and mumbling in an undertone in a way to make your flesh crawl; the fact is, he reminded me of old “Horse-Leg” Jones at a backwoods prayer meeting, except that old “Horse-Leg” had. a different way of breathing through his nose. Well, I got so interested that I couldn’t stay away from near the old sorcerer, and inadvertently I stepped

“Halum, Skalum Zaglum llliah.”

into the ring old Cato had drawn; immediately I felt a hot streak run down my leg, heard the horse-laugh of my client Harry break out exactly as it had in the jail, and old Cato fell to the ground as if* lightning-struck. We poured cold water on the old fellow, and when he got so that he could talk, he bitterly upbraided me for breaking the charm, saying that the spell would now work backwards. And I'm willing to be branded as a monumental Ananias all over America, if every night you can’t hear at that spot the familiar hobble of the fellow that I know to be safe in the penitentiary walls; you can hear his laugh, and you can see a track of rings as round as a dollar, that no rain will erase, and punctuated with the dot and carry, the dent of the wooden leg and the flat foot of Harry, running around that spot. ' It may rain floods, but the next day there Is the same old peg-leg track, and every night from the street can be heard that same horselaugh, that I’d swear to among a thousand voices. In the hop-scotch ring there has grown up a red flower, strange in -these parts, but which the florists pronounce an African tiger lily, and by which the sharp outline of the ring is as well preserved as if a gardener had carefully planted them. Recently I had a letter from the warden of the penitentiary, saying that every evening just at sundown Harry dropped into a cataleptic sleep, from which no power could awaken him until the next day at dawn. Reople may sneer- at conjuring as ihuch as they like. I know the facts, and I know .that night after night Harry's old home is haunted by a live ghost. Against the Law. , “In Switzerland this summer,” said a Philadelphian, “I heard Charlemagne Tower describe the stringent police regulations of Berlin. “Mr. Tower, by way of illustration, concluded with a little story. “Schmidt and Krauss met one morning in the park. “ 'Have you heard,’ says Schmidt, ‘the sad news about Muller?’ "“‘No,’ says Krauss. ‘What Is it? 1 “ ‘Well, poor Muller went boating on the river yesterday. .The boat capsized and,he was drowned. The water was ten feet deep.’ “ But; couldn’t he swim?’ “ ’Swim? Don’t you know that all persons- are strictly forbidden by thf police to swim in the river?’ ” A Word to the Wiee. “That lady told me that she is very much Interested in my work.” "What, that widow?” “Yea” "You might as wall order your wedding clothes.” .

JOHN TICNRY

BY GEO. V. HOBART, ("HUGH M'HUGH.’*)

Dear Bunch: Yout* letter from London to hand and contents noted. Peaches and I ure mighty glad you’re starting for home in two weeks, and we’ll meet you at the pier with bells on. We’re all well here with the exception that Peaches gave an onion saengerfest night before last and I’ve been on the blink ever since. This onion saengerfest thing may be a new one on you, Bunch, so I’ll specify. . An onion saengerfest is where a bunch of people gather in your parlor in the evening and spill a lot of cheap songs all over the carpet while waiting for dinner to be announced. I don’t know just exactly where the onion comes in, but I suppose that applies to most of the guests. There were present at the battle I speak of Uncle Peter Grant and Aunt Julia, Bud Hawley and his second wife; your sister, Jennie, and her husband, Stub Wilson, from Milwaukee. Oh, I forgot to mention that old Dr. Guffhander, the celebrated food expert, was the guest of the evening. Dr. Guffhander is a great friend of Uncle Peter’s,* and has been using him for a meal ticket for several days. Somehow or other Uncle Gregory got on to the fact that Morty Smith had cent me a case of Pommery, and

“Down In the Lehigh Valley—” long before the dinner hour Uncle Greg complained pf dust in the pipes. He hinted around so hard about the Pommery that I took him out in the butler’s pantry,“opened a quart of the only real wine, and let the old geezer slosh around in the surf. After Uncle Greg, came to the surface he marched back into the parlor and insisted upon singing the swan song from Lohengrin, but his Idea of a swan was so much like a turkey gobbler that loving friends had to put the moccasins to him and run him out of the room. Then he went out in the butler’s pantry, hoping to do another splash in the Pommery, but not finding any, he began to recite: “Down in the Lehigh valley me and my people grew: I was a blacksmith, cap'n; yes, and a good one, too! Let me sit down a minute, a stone’s got into; my shoe—” But it wasn’t a stone. It was potato salad which the Irish cook threw at him for interfering with her work. After all the excitement was over and Unk Greg. Was sleeping with magnificent noises on the sofa' in the library, your sister Jennie was coaxed to sing Tosti’s “Good-by.” Os course you know, Bunch, we’re all very fond of your sister, but I’m afraid if Mr. Tostl ever heard her sing his “Good-by" he would say: "The same to you, and here’s your hat.” Before Jennie married and moved jwest I remember she had a very pretty mezzo-concertina voice, hut she's been so long helping Stub Wilson to make -Milwaukee famous that nowadays her

“Good-By, Sumrper—" top notes sound like a cuckoo clock after it’s been up all night. I suppose. Bunch, ft’s wrong for me to pull this on you about ywgi/wwjf flesh and blood, but when woman with six fine children, one of them at Yale, sidles up in front of the piano and begins to squeak: “Good-by, summer-! " Good-by,' summer 1” just as if she were falling the dachshund in, to dinner, I think It’s time she declined the nomination. v , < Then Bud Hawley, after figuring it all -out that there was no chance of his getting arrested, sat _down on the piano stool and made a few sad statements; which in their - original slate form the. basis of a Scotch ballad called, “Loch Lomond." As you know, Bunch. Bud’s system of speaking the English language is to say .with his voice as much of a word 'as be can remember, and then finish the rest with his hands. You can imagine what Bud would do to a song with an oatmeal foundation like “Loch Lomond.”

ON DINNER GUESTS

When Bud barked out the first few bars, which say: “By yon bonnie bank and by yon bonnie brae,” you can believe me, Bunch, everybody within hearing would have cried with joy if the piano had fallen over on Bud and flattened his equator. And when he reached the plot of the piece, where it says: “You take the high road and I’ll take the low

"Listening with a Heart Full of Pride." road,” Uncle Peter took a drink, Jack Merton took the same, Stub took an oath and I took a walk. Never in my life. Bunch, have I heard a song so roughly handled. And all the while Bud's wife sat there with the glad and winning smile of a catfish on her face, listening with a heart full of pride while her crimeladen husband chased that helpless song all over the parlor, and finally left it unconscious under .Ifie sofa. Bud was just about to pulLthe cork from another ballad when dinner was announced and our lives were saved. I’m so unstrung over the narrow escape, Bunch, that I’ll wait until later to tell you about the eats —which were what we come for. With respex, J. H. (Copyright, 1908, by G. W. Dillingham Cos.) WALK THROUGH FIRE. Ceremony of Sect of Brahmins In Honor of Gods of Fire and Water. Six thousand Hindus and a select few English officials have recently witnessed in the neighborhbod of Madras a remarkable religious ceremony, the principal actors being Soivrastas, % sect of Brahmins. The festival was called "the march throughhflre,’-’ and it is appropriately enough named. The proceedings were in honor of Brahma and Vishnu, the gods of water and fire. Preparations for the ceremony had been going on for a month. A trench 23 feet long and 19 feet deep was dug, and in- it a fire was kindled. At sunrise 40 fanatics, who were to demonstrate their asbestos nature, slowly marched around the furnace bearing the curious idols. The Soivrastas were clothed in yellow tunics, and without hesitation entered the fire trench singing a hymn, the refrain of which was “Govinda! Govinda!” After walking around this artificial Gehenna three times they emerged apparently none the worse for their experience, and have established an unassailable claim for sancitity among their people. MINISTER A BUSY MAN. ' i Virginia Pastor Caters Not Alone to Souls of His Parishioners. Mr. R. J. McKay, assistant general passenger agent Toledo,. St. Louis & Western and Chicago & Alton roads, in his travels through the east recently noticed in a certain Virginia newspaper the following advertisement: s REV. GEORGE W. WHARTON ’ Carries a Full Line of STAPLE AND FANCY GROCERIES. OH, OYSTERS’, He receives almost daily, fresh, first-class "Oysters, at moderate prices. FRESH FISH! Various kinds of Fresh Fish in season, the very best, to tempt the epicurean taste. MATRIMONIAL MATTER. Rev, Mr, Wharton’s residence is a mecca for marrying couples. So just gain the consent- of your- best girl, secure -the -incense, and together with a fat fee. give him a call, and he wifi perform the ceremony in the most approved style. s, : Who Wields Most Power. In the smoking room of a populai West End club the other afternoon a group of men suddenly raised the . query as to which six men wield the most power In the world" and very considerable diversity qf opinion was expressed. By general consent King Edward was placed at the head of the list, but It seemed' Impossible to arrive at any agreement as to the remaining five. After some considerable argument it was decided to., canvass the whole of the members then In the. building and ask them to write down the names of the six they considered the most powerful. The. following was the result, with „the order of voting: First, the king; second, the pope; third, the czar; fourth, the sultan of Turkey; fifth, the president of the United States; sixth, the emperor of China. Among others who were voted for very generally were the emperor of Japan, the French president and the kaiser.—London Bketch.

VILLKGE IS BUIIEO FOREBT FIRES IN ADIRONDACKS BEYOND CONTROL. WOODS ARE. LIKE TINDER V ' !"■ Drought in the East Unbroken and Disease Epidemic is Feared Rain in the North and West Utica, N. Y. —Forest fires in the Adirondacks are now reported beyond control of the hundreds of men fighting them. Long Lake West, a village of about 100 Inhabitants, la reported burned and communication cut off. Thirty-six days have now passed without rain, except for two sprinkling showers, and the forests are like tinder, catching fire from the smallest spark. There are probably 60 fires now burning. Prayers are being offered In all the churches. A fire was reported at Saranac Lake Sunday night It Is said a blaze started there lh the middle of the village, but was quickly got under control. ~ Pittsburg, Pa—The drought of 1908, which has held western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and West Virginia in its grasp for more than two months, remains unbroken, each day gradually increasing the seriousness of the unprecedented situation. Aside from the millions of feet of timber destroyed and the daily loss to manufacturers and farmers, probably the most serious phase of thtf situation is the threatened disease epidemic. It is feared that when rain does come it will wash great amounts of filth into the already stagnant streams, with the result that disease, especially typhoid fever, will become epidemic. Milwaukee.—Dispatches to the Sentinel report that forest fires which have been raging In northern Michigan and Wisconsin for some time past, were quenched by the heavy rains of Saturday night and Sunday, and that all danger for the present Is removed. St Louis. —Rain began falling here at six o’clock Sunday morning and continued all day. The rain has been general throughout Missouri and extends down the Mississippi valley as far as Vicksburg. BRITISH SHIP IS WRECKED. Loch Finlas Lost and Twenty of Har Crew Drowned. Launceon, Tasmania.—The British ship Loch Finlas, from Port Pirie, South Australia, for Callao, was wrecked off Foster island at daylight Sunday and 20 of the crew of 24 were drowned. The other four men were picked up by a passing steamer. Foster island lies a short distance off the northeast coast of Tasmania and it is surrounded by dangerous shoals. Early Sunday the residents of the island observed a large ship in distress. A gale, accompanied by a high sea, was blowing and the vessel soon struck the reef. The erew could be seen trying to lower the boats, when suddenly the boat sank. ARMY TRAGEDY AT MANILA. Private Kills Lieut. E. J. Bloom and Commits Suicide. Manila. —A tragedy occurred at Camp Jessman Saturday night which resulted in the death of Lieut. Edward J. Bloom of the Fourth Infantry and Private Suttles, Company Nos the same regiment. Suttles for some unknown reason shot Bloom and then cut his own throat Suttles died immediately but Bloom lingered until Sunday night. An investigation of the affair is being made by the military authorities. DR. CROSSLAND ARRESTED. Former Minister to Liberia Accused of Grand ___ St. Joseph, Mo. —Dr. J. A. S. G rosaland, formerly United States minister to Liberia and a negro political leader of national prominence, was placed ' under arrest here Sunday on a charge of grand larceny. Dr. Crossland is accused of the wholesale theft of drugs, " cigars, etc., from a drug store of this city. Philippines Hear from Fleet. Manila,—The wireless station at Malabanga, in the southern part of .the Island of Mindanao, reported Monday morning that it was in communication with the Atlantic battleship fleet, but did not* ascertain the exact location of the fleet. The Zamboanga wireless station on the Island of Mindanao, also reported communication with the fleet. Bucharest, Roumania. —Alarming reports are current regarding the health of King Charles of Roumania, who recently was said to have been suffering from an abdominal affection. A Berlin specialist has been sent for. Steamer Sunk in Collision. New York. —The steamer Commonwealth, newest of the Fall River line’s sound steamers, arrived at this port after colliding with and sinking the Norwegian freight steamer Volund In a depse fog off Race Rock, at the eastern* entrance of Long Island sound Saturday. The Volund’s officers, the ' captain's wife and crew were rescued and brought here on the Commonwealth. The bow of the Fall River liner was smashed above the water line in the collision, but the damagea were not considered serious.

AWFUL GRAVEL ATTACKS. Cured by Doan’s Kidney Pills After Years of Suffering. F. A. Rlppy, Depot Ave., Gallatin, Tenn.. says: “Fifteen years ago kid-

ney disease attacked me. The pain in my back was so agonising I finally had to give up work. Then came terrible attacks of gravel with acute pain and passages of blood. In all I passed 25 stones, some as large as a bean.

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Nine years of this ran me down to ft state of continual weakness and I thought I never would be better until I began using Doan’s Kidney Pills. The improvement was rapid, and sine# using four boxes I am cured and havft never had any return of the trouble.” Sold by all dealers. 50 cents a box. Foster-Milburn Cos., Buffalo, N. Y. lIfT IT TO MRS. BROWN. Roverend Gentleman Very Willing t* Evade Responsibility. The trust and dependence which characterized Rev. Mr. Brown’s attitude toward his wife’s judgment in all practical affairs were sometimes touching, but occasionally they werft amusing. "I’m sorry you’ve been troubled with the toothache,” said the family dentist, when Mr. Brown appeared in his office one day. “I gave you the first minute I had free after receiving your wife’s telephone message. Let’s see, which tooth is it that’s troubling you?” “M-m, it’s not aching Just at present," said Mr. Brown, after a moment’s hesitation, during which he made a cautious Investigation with his tongue. “Didn’t Mrs. Brown mention to you which tooth it was? I always rely on her in such matters.” —Youth's Companion. REASON FOR EXERCISING.

( ' ’ 1 UudUu*. \ V' i/jggg

“Are you trainin’ for a race, Jimmie ?” “Naw, we’re goin’ to have meat for dinner to-day an’ I’m gettln’ up an appetite.” Hla Mind Was Made Up. . It was during a trial in an Alabama city more than 20 years ago that one of the jurors suddenly rose from his seat and precipitately fled from the courtroom. He was arrested in hie flight before he had left the building, and brought back. “What do you mean by running off in that way?” asked the judge, who knew the man to be a simple, honest farmer. "It’s like this, your honor,” said the man, earnestly. "When Mi. Hobbs finished talking my mind was M clear, but when Mr. Clayton began I was all confused again, and I said to myself: ‘l’d better leave at oaee, and stay away till he's done,’ for to tell the truth, I didn’t like the way the alignment was going, your honor.’’— ifouth’s Companion. Record of Good Work. The American board of missions maintains 38 hospitals and twice that number of dispensaries in the foreign field, and its medical missionaries last year treated over 370,000 cases.

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This woman says Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound saved her life. Bead her letter. Mrs. T. C. Willadsen, of Manning, lowa, writes to Mrs. Pmkham: “ I can truly say that Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound saved my life, and 1 cannot express my gratitude to you in words. For years I suffered with the worst forma of female complaints, continually doctoring and spending lots of money for medicine without help. I wrote you for advice, followed it as directed, and took Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound and it has restored me to perfect health. Had it not been for you I should have been in my grave to-day. I wish every suffering woman would try.it.” FACTS FOR SICK WOMEN. For thirty years Lydia E. Finkham’s Vegetable Compound, mad® from roots and herbs, has been th® standard remedy for female ills, and has positively cured thousands of women who have been troubled with displacements, inflammation, ulceration, fibroid tumors* irregularities, periodic pains, backache, that hear-ing-down feeling, flatulency, indigestion, dizziness,or nervous prostration. Why don’t yon try it ? Mrs. Ptnkham invites all sick women to write her for advice. She has guided thousands to health. Address, Lynn, Mass.