Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 June 1891 — MET A HEADLESS GHOST. [ARTICLE]

MET A HEADLESS GHOST.

It Hypnotized, Knocked Down and Robbed Two Sober Georgians. Atlanta Constitution. Stories of “headless horsemen” are outdone by an apparition encountered a few nights ago by two young men of Albany, Ga. The story is that several nights since, as two well-known young men of this city were walking in the neighborhood of the Baptist Church, their attention was attracted to a tall figure that stood under the shadow of an oak. Moved by some subtle influence, they stopped and peered through the gloom at the tall figure, and then, with some misgivings, they advanced toward it. As they neared the tall figure they sought to elicit some expression from it by bandinage, but the tall figure remained as motionless and as silent as a statue until the young men were within two feet of it. Then with dismay they discovered that the figure was the headless trunk of a man, but before Jjgey could put their inclination to fly into execution the long arms of the figure smote each of them with terrible blows, causing them to fall like sticks at its feet. When they recovered, an hour afterward, the ghostly visitor was gone, but there was no indication that violence had been done etthef of them, and they were not long in leaving the spot where they enoountered such a strange adventure. One of these young men, who pre-

fers that his name shstll not be given, for the present, at least, was tne informant of the story as above. - He said that when struck by th€ headlesA figure he experienced no pain, but a sensation like the tingling of a slight electric shock passed through his frame, and then he became completely paralyzed. He did not lose consciousness, but could not movd a muscle nor could he utter the slightest sound. While in this condition the tall figure bent over his prostrate form and that of his companion, also, and made a hurried search of their pockets. While doing this the headless neck was brought close to his eyes and forever photographed upon his memory. When the figure had completed the search of his own and his companion’s pockets a sigh of disappointment came forth from the orifice oi its neck, and then laying a hand on himself and companion, each of them became totally unconscious, and, as -before stated, when they recovered the ghostly figure was gone. From another source it was learned that for some time past some pf. the residents in that portion of the city where these young men had their strange adventure have been troubled at night by strange and unnatural noises around their homes, tho mystery of which they have not been able to solve, but which are probably accounted for in the meeting which the young men had with the headless figure. And the question now is, is that figure the body of some unfortunate who has lost his head in an accident of some kind and is now wandering in search of it? or is it some practical joker armed with an electric machine? To solve the mystery forms a fine field for detective talent, but in the meantime those young men are steering cleSr of that portion of the city on dark nights, and one colored man who has a sublime respect for ghosts of any kind has become alarmed and moved to another portion of the city.