Deerfield, Wis., Dec. 19. – A ghost story told by Widow Olson of Stump lake is more difficult of solution than any yet published. Mrs. Olson and her 14-year-old son were living on the south shore of Stump lake, which, before the mill dam at the lower end was washed out, was about three miles long by one mile wide except at about midway from end to end where it narrowed down to a neck only about a half mile across. It was on the south side of this neck that Widow Olson lived. One day a boy came up and asked the way to a farmer living on the opposite shore of the lake. The widow directed him the way by land, but as this was about three miles, suggested that her son might take him across in his boat and save him a long walk. The stranger accepted and the two started for the landing. Young Olson took his position at the oars and invited the stranger to a seat at the stern. The strange boy took the seat as indicated but instead of facing the oarsman turned his back to him and sat motionless without uttering a word all the way across. Young Olson made some commonplace remarks but his passenger took no notice of them. His strange behavior made Olson observe him more closely and the more he looked at him the more did he appear unlike a human. His attention was first attracted by the stranger’s ears, which were abnormally large, reaching almost to the top of his head, where they came to nearly a point or sharp angle and were covered with a fine downy hair. His head was small and angular, something like that of a dog and covered with short, black curly hair that hugged the skin tightly. The hands were small, shriveled and covered with hair similar to that on his ears. Young Olson was now becoming almost frightened out of his wits at being alone in the boat with such an unearthly looking being and rowed with all his might. On arriving at the opposite landing he got out of the boat hastily to let out his uncongenial passenger. The stranger arose to leave the boat, but instead of facing about to walk out, he backed out and carefully kept his face from view. Olson, who was now thoroughly frightened, rowed back quickly and ran for the house to tell his mother of his strange passenger. As he was telling his mother, she turned around to look at her boy to see if he were joking or was in earnest. As she looked around she saw the very same lad her son had rowed across running up a little hill close to the house quick as a flash chasing her sheep ahead of him. Mother and son both made after him, but on arriving at the crest of the hill no body was to be seen while the sheep stood down the slope a little way huddled together looking frightened as if recently chased by a wolf or dog. There was nothing within eighty rods that the stranger could have hid behind. Why they did not notice his strange appearance before starting in the boat, how he got back so quickly and where he disappeared to was more than the frightened widow and son have been able to account for and they firmly believe there are still a few left of the old-time elf family.
Local News
Ghost Smells Like the Grave
The Daily Chronicle invites the Psychical Research Society to investigate the highly unpleasant manifestations of a unique ghost which haunts an old-time country cottage within twenty miles of London.
Several persons while sleeping in a certain bed room of the house have felt a cold, flabby, ghostlike hand placed on their mouths. But the most extraordinary feature of the spook is that the ghostly presence is always accompanied by the indescribable, suffocating smell of the charnel house.
Sometimes the ghost can be heard descending the stairs at noonday. He makes a noise like that of a huge, corpulent man whose slippers flap on each stair. The ghost goes into a room and seats himself at the luncheon table, driving everybody away by his malodorous presence.
There is a local story of an imbecile man of huge proportions who died in the garret of the cottage many years ago. The body being so large, there was unusual delay in getting it out of the house, and decomposition was far advanced before the burial.
Monster’s Abominable Practices, 1788
A MONSTER, hideous and disgusting in form has lately arrived from France. Its manners are brutal although its species is human. In this horrid being is exhibited a junction of both sexes, but its apparel is female. A girl of some beauty and address lives with it for purposes the most vile, and it has been visited by the first men in the country. Decency will not allow a more minute description, either of the MONSTER or its abominable practices.
Sermon
First Church of Christ, Scientist, 850 West Broadway, corner Excelsior avenue; first reader Mrs. Anna C. E. Crowley, No. 850 West Broadway residence–morning service at 10:45 o’clock; subject of sermon, “Ancient and Modern Necromancy, or Mesmerism and Hypnotism”
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