and a
loop was tied in a long length of rope. The young man climbed into the loop, and
then was slowly lowered down into the blackness, a small lantern providing him a
bit of light.
Down went the young man, twenty feet, then thirty, then forty. He could see
nothing that might explain the haunting, so he hollered up the shaft to be
brought back up. As the men above started to haul him upward, a fragment of blue
cloth snagged on a projecting brick caught his eye.
Once he reached the surface, the piece of fabric was passed
around, and it was agreed that the young man should be sent back down into the
well. So he was, armed with a long stick, and when he reached the bottom, he
began to probe the inky blackness of the water at the very bottom of the
well.
Anxious moments followed, the curious spectators at the top of the well not
knowing what was transpiring below.
“I can feel something soft at the bottom,” came the young man’s voice out of
the gloom, echoing in strange tones up the dank well-shaft.
A long iron hook was quickly tied to an old clothesline, and lowered down to
the lad. After a while, he succeeded in hooking into something under the water,
and shouted to be lifted out. The men set to work again, hauling up the young
man. Once he was out, they hauled up the clothesline, hand over hand.
At the end of the clothesline was the old iron hook, and at the end of the hook
was a waterlogged sack, firmly tied shut with twine. The twine was cut, the
mouth of the sack was opened, and the bag was then upended.
The contents came tumbling out onto the ground, and the assembled crowd drew
back, as the items turned out to be the two legs of a man, hacked off roughly
midway up the thighs.
At this, the searchers were more convinced than ever that the solution to the
mystery could be found at the bottom of the well. The boy, however, got such a
fright at the sight ofthe mutilated legs that he refused to go
back down. A second volunteer, after he was given a drink to bolster his
courage, agreed to make the journey.
Like the boy before him, the man was lowered down into the well with the iron
hook. When he reached the bottom, he set to work, dipping the hook down into the
black water in search of answers. Those who gathered around the edge of the well
could see him probing the depths of the well, but without any success.
At last, just as they were about to give up hope, the man shouted out that he
had found something, but that it was quite heavy. He tried to jerk it up with
the hook, but as he did so, his lantern slipped from his grasp, leaving him in
absolute darkness. Determined not to lose what he had found, the man thrust his
arms down into the cold wetness, grabbed hold of the object, and yelled to be
brought up.
The villagers hauled at the ropes, and before too long, the man appeared,
bearing in his arms a large mass of what looked like wet clothing. Once free of
the well, the man dumped his burden onto the ground and turned it over.
Much to the shock of the crowd, the sodden mass was revealed to be the
decomposing body of a stranger. The man’s head sported a long, dark pigtail, but
the head itself was only attached to the body by a thin strip of skin at the
back of the neck.
The figure’s legs had been removed. What was left of the body was wearing a
wide leather belt with a large brass buckle, and in the belt was thrust a
flintlock pistol. It wasdressed in the torn blue outfit of a
sailor, and in all regards was identical to the spectral form described by the
man who had followed the ghost the night before.
A few weeks later, evidence was found that the sailor had been murdered in a
barn nearby. A large patch of blood was found, and a matching pistol was
discovered hidden in the hay. Three gold pieces were found trampled into the
earth, and it was supposed the sailor had been attacked and murdered for his
money. In order to
loop was tied in a long length of rope. The young man climbed into the loop, and
then was slowly lowered down into the blackness, a small lantern providing him a
bit of light.
Down went the young man, twenty feet, then thirty, then forty. He could see
nothing that might explain the haunting, so he hollered up the shaft to be
brought back up. As the men above started to haul him upward, a fragment of blue
cloth snagged on a projecting brick caught his eye.
Once he reached the surface, the piece of fabric was passed
around, and it was agreed that the young man should be sent back down into the
well. So he was, armed with a long stick, and when he reached the bottom, he
began to probe the inky blackness of the water at the very bottom of the
well.
Anxious moments followed, the curious spectators at the top of the well not
knowing what was transpiring below.
“I can feel something soft at the bottom,” came the young man’s voice out of
the gloom, echoing in strange tones up the dank well-shaft.
A long iron hook was quickly tied to an old clothesline, and lowered down to
the lad. After a while, he succeeded in hooking into something under the water,
and shouted to be lifted out. The men set to work again, hauling up the young
man. Once he was out, they hauled up the clothesline, hand over hand.
At the end of the clothesline was the old iron hook, and at the end of the hook
was a waterlogged sack, firmly tied shut with twine. The twine was cut, the
mouth of the sack was opened, and the bag was then upended.
The contents came tumbling out onto the ground, and the assembled crowd drew
back, as the items turned out to be the two legs of a man, hacked off roughly
midway up the thighs.
At this, the searchers were more convinced than ever that the solution to the
mystery could be found at the bottom of the well. The boy, however, got such a
fright at the sight ofthe mutilated legs that he refused to go
back down. A second volunteer, after he was given a drink to bolster his
courage, agreed to make the journey.
Like the boy before him, the man was lowered down into the well with the iron
hook. When he reached the bottom, he set to work, dipping the hook down into the
black water in search of answers. Those who gathered around the edge of the well
could see him probing the depths of the well, but without any success.
At last, just as they were about to give up hope, the man shouted out that he
had found something, but that it was quite heavy. He tried to jerk it up with
the hook, but as he did so, his lantern slipped from his grasp, leaving him in
absolute darkness. Determined not to lose what he had found, the man thrust his
arms down into the cold wetness, grabbed hold of the object, and yelled to be
brought up.
The villagers hauled at the ropes, and before too long, the man appeared,
bearing in his arms a large mass of what looked like wet clothing. Once free of
the well, the man dumped his burden onto the ground and turned it over.
Much to the shock of the crowd, the sodden mass was revealed to be the
decomposing body of a stranger. The man’s head sported a long, dark pigtail, but
the head itself was only attached to the body by a thin strip of skin at the
back of the neck.
The figure’s legs had been removed. What was left of the body was wearing a
wide leather belt with a large brass buckle, and in the belt was thrust a
flintlock pistol. It wasdressed in the torn blue outfit of a
sailor, and in all regards was identical to the spectral form described by the
man who had followed the ghost the night before.
A few weeks later, evidence was found that the sailor had been murdered in a
barn nearby. A large patch of blood was found, and a matching pistol was
discovered hidden in the hay. Three gold pieces were found trampled into the
earth, and it was supposed the sailor had been attacked and murdered for his
money. In order to
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