GHOST DID NOT APPEAR

Submitted by Martha J. Kounse

SOURCE: Ironton Register, August 23, 1907

Rev. Kier and His Followers Hold Services Despite the Heavy Rain, but the Sprit from the Unknown World Failed to put in its Appearance. Many Well-known Persons are Reported to have Already seen the Mysterious White Something, which it is said, Visits the Home of Mrs. Martha Price on Quincy Street.

The ghost which haunts the old log house on Quincy street near Seventh, did not put in its appearance Wednesday night, or at least it failed to do so up until 10:00, when the members of the Rescue Mission next to the Hill crossed their meeting, and took their departure for their various homes.

It is not thought that the heavy rain, which fell most of the evening, prevented the ghost from making its presence known, for ghosts are said to the partial to wet, dark, nights, but the reason assigned by Rev. Kier and his followers for the nonappearance of the spirit messenger from the unknown world, was the noise made by the hundred and more skeptical who crowded into the house to get a look at the mysterious something which has haunted the dilapidated house for sometime, and which permitted itself to be seen on several occasions this week, according to the statements of several who claim they have seen it's snowy white unnatural form.

Five hundred people, some in automobiles, some in buggies, but the majority of them on foot, were in the neighborhood of the haunted house shortly before 8:00, the hour set for the meeting of the Rescue Mission workers to begin. The crowd began to assemble shortly after supper and by the time the rain set in, which drove the majority of them to seek shelter and for the time being, give up hopes of seeing the ghost, the street was blocked with people and it required the combined efforts of Officers Higgins and Tate to keep the more venturesome and unbelieving from forcing open the doors of the house and seeing for themselves what there was in the stories current concerning the strange sights to be seen therein.

Despite the rain, more that one hundred people waited the closing of the meeting of Rev. Keier's flock, which was held in the early part of the evening at their church at the foot of the hill, and for them to put in their appearance at the haunted residence of Mrs. Martha Price and her aged mother, Mrs. Ames.

Shortly before 9:00, the veteran colored leader of the spirit seeing band, Rev. Kier accompanied by Revs. Kelly and Sanders, both white, Mrs. Ames, Mrs. Price, also white and several colored women, came over to the house, which was filled to suffocation within a few moments after the door was opened with men, women, boys and girls, both colored and white.

Mrs. Price suggested all the Christians in the house form a circle from the smaller of the two rooms, and that "land, that happy, happy land." Some eight or ten men and women of both races went into the smaller room, where the ghost is in the habit of putting in his appearance, while the unbelieving remained in the other room, pushing, shoving, straining, to get a glimpse of the select and to see the ghost, should it become visible to the ordinary human eyes.

The meeting was opened by the members of the circle singing "In that land, that happy, happy land", "In the Sweet Bye and Bye," and several other familiar hymns. Rev. Kelly then uttered a prayer which lasted for more than fifteen minutes, after which, "When the Roll is Called up Yonder," and several other old time favorites were sung, the words being read from a muchly used and badly soiled book by Rev. Sanders with the aid of the light from the one small lamp, which was left burning in the house, the light in the other room, having gone out because of a lack of oil, and through no fault of the ghost as some were to believe. The crowd in the front room and those standing in the rain on the outside looking into the windows, kept up such a racket that no ghost with a grain of self respect would ever think of showing itself, and after an hour's session, the Rescue Mission members brought their meeting to a close upon the woman of the house, announcing that she was getting sick from the heat and must get out into the air. Before closing the doors of the house, Rev. Kier expressed himself in strong terms concerning the manner in which the unbelieving had conducted themselves and Mrs. Price said that if they did not behave themselves better hereafter she would have the "law on them." Which under the circumstances, she would have a perfect right to do so, as the conduct of several who attended the meeting was certainly not conducive to giving the ghost a very high opinion of the brains of the inhabitants of the flesh, and which would no doubt make it feel thankful that is was not necessary to associated with them unless it so elected of its own free will and accord.

Most people question the existence of ghosts, but to those who claim to have seen the one which is said to visit the Price home, there seems to be not the shadow of a doubt of its being.

Among those who claim they have seen the mysterious white object, are Rev. Keir, his brother-in-law, C. O. Venerable, Miss Anna Howard, Mrs. Martha Price, Mrs. Ames, Mrs. Anna West, Mr. & Mrs. Lunsford and others. Their ideas of what the ghost looks like do not all exactly agree, yet they are unanimous in saying that they have seen the strange something.

Rev. Kier, the leader of the flock is very positive that he has seen the spirit messenger. He is an ex-slave and about seventy-five years of ago, and of strong religious belief's, with many interpretations peculiar to himself upon the meaning of certain portions of the Gospel.

When seen by an Irontonian reporter Wednesday afternoon, the aged pastor readily consented to talk about the ghost. He said that he had undoubtedly seen it, and felt its presence as had also several others whom he named. He says that the spirit came right out of the floor Tuesday night, in the center of the room where there was not even a hole or crack. At first it could scarcely be seen, but it gradually assumed the shape of a human form without visible hands or feet. He said that just before the head could be formed on the neck of the spirit being, someone made a noise and the form vanished as suddenly as it came. He said that just before the ghost disappeared, someone behind him gave him a push and he put his hand before him to prevent his falling too suddenly against the strange visitor, but lo and behold, his hand short past the white form as nothing there. Rev. Kier said that he believes that it is the spirit is some well, meaning person for as he expressed it, it was the "most quietest and bestest behave" ghost he had ever seen. He says that this is not the first ghost he has seen, for he was born with a veil over his face, which insured him certain privilege not accorded to most men. Rev. Kier says that he can always tell when a ghost is in the room for he first becomes very hot, then a cold chill runs over his body, while his hairs raises upon its ends after which the ghost suddenly appears.

He says that is everything is quiet, and the question is asked with, "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holly Ghost," the ghost will answer any question we may ask them. He claims that he asked the ghost Tuesday night a question in due form and that it began to twist itself back and forth, as though it was going to reply when someone in the crowd made the noise which caused it to disappear.

When asked how the ghost looked, it came through the floor, he likened its manner of coming up out of nothing, to the effervescence of soda upon which vinegar had been poured without the sixon.

Rev Kier is well posted upon the ghost lore, and he told the reporter many strange and interesting stories and these mysterious visitors from the unknown world.