Coffin Hollow and Other Ghost Tales (13 page)

The citizens of the community did not sleep well that night. Something kept their nerves on edge. They did not know what they feared.

The next morning the young girl was discovered, still sitting in the statue's lap. She was dead. On her body were found marks as though she had been held in a superhuman clinch. Perhaps the seated lady had gained revenge.

59: The Power of Love

Darkness was setting in early, for winter was just around the corner. The huge oak trees surrounding the old graveyard were starting to lose their leaves and the late autumn wind had a crisp tingle in it. The full moon was bright yellow as old J. W. Collins looked through the hazy mist into the dark sky. He puffed on his short, briar pipe and slowly made his nightly rounds of the cemetery as he had done for several years. Just as he was returning from checking the lock on the north gate he noticed two moving shadows, which gradually formed into a strolling young couple as they approached.

Old J. W. smiled and said, “Sorry, but I just finished locking the north gate. You will have to use the south entrance. You folks startled me there at first. I'm not used to running into people up here. Not too many couples pick this place to go for a walk, you know.”

Neither of the handsome young people replied, but the tall man smiled as they turned toward the south gate. J. W. stood with his eyes following the stranger's white raincoat until he and his companion disappeared into the darkness.

Old J. W. let the mysterious couple fade from his mind as he continued on his rounds, the smoke puffing from the bowl of his pipe. He pulled his worn, brown coat tighter around his body as the wind picked up and the fog began to set in. Finally he completed his nightly task and was about to retire to his small shack in the rear of the cemetery when he heard several loud noises.

An old car rattled to a screeching stop and two men leaped from it, calling to J. W. when they saw the beam from his flashlight. He admitted the breathless pair through the south gate and listened to their excited babbling.

The two men were Dr. Harold Johnson and George Ellis. They were desperately searching for George's brother, Ralph, who had that night escaped from their guardian custody. Ralph's young wife, Gloria, had recently died, and he was insane with grief. The doctor and George thought that there was a good chance Ralph might return to his wife's grave. The two worried men asked J. W. to lead them to the week-old grave of Gloria Ellis. When the trio approached the spot, J. W. suddenly stopped and exclaimed, “Look, the grave has been opened!”

Dr. Johnson spoke quickly as he looked at George, then back to J. W. “The poor, deranged fellow. He must have taken her out of here! J. W., have you noticed anyone in the graveyard tonight? Ralph is tall and he is wearing a white raincoat.”

Old J. W. stood for a long moment and listened to the whistling of the wind before he made an attempt to answer. Finally, he looked solemnly into the doctor's eyes and said, “Sorry, Doc, but I haven't seen anyone tonight. No sir, no one at all.”

60: Death of a Minister's Wife

The room was very dark and quiet. Four tiny candles spread a soft glow over the face of the figure in the bed. If one looked closely, he could see that the features were those of a woman. She was rather heavily built, but she had carried her weight with grace and beauty. Her face was not wrinkled, except for small raylike lines at the outer corners of her mouth and eyes.

This lady was my great-grandmother. She was in terrible pain, and the doctor was expected to arrive at any moment. Her husband, John, was a Methodist minister and had been at her side all that day and all the previous night. The end seemed to be near.

At that moment the family doctor entered the room. He said a few words of comfort to Grandpa John and went over to attend great-grandma.

She was having a difficult time breathing. Her breath came in hard, struggling gasps. She half rose from her pillow, clutched at her throat, and within seconds was dead. The doctor tried everything, but all efforts to revive her failed. Great-grandma was pronounced dead of a heart attack.

Grandpa John knelt by her bed and began praying, while the doctor left the room to gather the four children. Bruce, the oldest, had been his mother's favorite, and grandpa knew that her death would be especially hard on him.

The four children came into the room, their eyes puffy and streaming with tears. All of them became hysterical and had to be taken from the room except Bruce. He stared at his mother in disbelief and anguish. He asked that he be left alone with her for a while and grandpa went out of the room.

Suddenly Bruce fell to his knees beside the bed. He cried and prayed with all his heart. He said only one sentence over and over again, as he hugged her and tried to pull her into a sitting position on the bed. He sobbed, “Mamma, come back — I need you!”

All of a sudden, his mother's eyelids began to flutter slightly. Then her eyes opened and she caught her breath. Before the boy's staring eyes, she spoke. “Bruce, is that you? Don't cry, dear. Mamma's here now.”

Bruce called out frantically to the others who came running into the room. None of the family could believe it; they were numb with fear and disbelief. To think that they could have buried her alive!

When everyone had calmed down a little, great-grand-ma asked them all to be quiet. She had something important to tell them. “Children and family, I know that what I am going to tell you will seem unbelievable, but I must tell you anyway. I saw heaven! I remember gasping for breath and from the pain that seemed to smother my heart.

“In a moment the pain was gone. I seemed to be floating away from my body out into darkness. In the distance, I saw the most beautiful glow I have ever seen anywhere — huge, transparent buildings bathed in a golden light, fountains in the air, soft green grass, and flowers — all in a spacious garden.

“But just as I was about to place my foot upon that grass, something strange happened. I heard a tiny, pitiful, childish voice coming up to me in the darkness. I began to fall — down, down, down. I knew the voice was Bruce's. No mother could go away, even to God's house, when her son cries out to her in that utterly wretched voice, “Mamma, come back — I need you!”

61: Lamented Love

Early in the nineteenth century in Wayne County, West Virginia, there was a young boy, Josh, and a young girl, Holly, who were very much in love. However, their families were bitter enemies. In order to escape the wrath and disapproval of their parents, they met in a wooded area that was parklike in appearance. Beautiful flowers appeared from nowhere in this remote place, and holly grew in abundance. It was as if God had created it especially for these two young lovers.

During their courtship, the young girl became heavy with child. It was not long before her father learned of his daughter's deception. Even though she was to be a mother, he refused to let her marry the young man.

Determined that she should not bear an illegitimate child, Josh and Holly planned to elope and be married. Hearing of their plans, the father followed Holly to the secret meeting place and found the two together. He shot Josh through the heart, killing him instantly. The girl went into a state of shock and wandered about in a daze. Life without Josh was not worth living. The following day she returned to the same spot and committed suicide.

The legend continues that all the holly and beautiful flowers died; the ground cracked, and for a year not a blade of grass grew in this secluded place. The following spring, two weeping willow trees appeared on the very spot where the two had died. Rippling springs emerged beneath the trees, and grass sprang from the scorched earth. On the anniversary of their death, they can be seen searching for each other. Josh can be heard calling for Holly, while she sits beneath the willow tree, weeping for her lost love.

62: The Rosebush

Many, many years ago, on the outskirts of Grafton, there lived a very rich family for those times by the name of Allts. There were only three of them — Mr. and Mrs. Jim Allts and their daughter, Anna. They seemed to be blessed with everything except health for the daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Allts took her to every doctor, far and near, but no cure could be found for her illness.

One cold, wintry night in early December, the girl seemed to make a sudden recovery. She even got up out of bed and walked that night, and this was something she had never been able to do. But now the girl seemed to be a different person — she was in some kind of trance. As she got up from her bed, she walked to the door and went out onto the new-fallen snow. She walked down through the yard and out to a rosebush she had always admired from her window in the spring and summer. Suddenly, she collapsed beside it and died, with her hands resting near the base of the bush. From that time on, the rosebush bloomed the year round. Even in midwinter you could see beautiful red roses peeping through the snow.

Several years later the Allts family moved from the house and decided to take the rosebush with them, because it had been so dear to their daughter. They planted the bush in their new yard, but it failed to bloom that spring or summer. The Allts feared it had died.

That very December, on the anniversary of their daughter's death, there was a light sifting snow that covered the ground. When Mr. and Mrs. Allts awoke the next morning, the rosebush had disappeared, and footprints led away from the spot where it had stood.

The footprints led straight to the cemetery and stopped right in front of their daughter's grave. There on the grave stood the rosebush, its red roses looking more beautiful than ever!

63: The Dead Girl Revived

Jane Reynolds was in her teens when her health began to fail. As time passed she grew worse, and, over a period of years, she weakened until she was completely bedfast. Her family took her to doctors all over the country, but nothing seemed to help. Finally she became so weak that she could not even feed herself.

Through it all, she remained kind and gentle, with a cheerful disposition, even though she realized she had only a short time to live. One day a very close friend came to see her and sat with her a while. Although Jane was too weak to talk, her friend, who was very religious, sat beside her four hours and held her hand.

Sometime later, as other members of the family came into the room, the girl by the bedside suddenly knew that her friend was gone. But she continued to sit and hold her hand.

Two of the family members, realizing the situation, urged her to come away, but she said, “I can't.” On further questioning, she said, “I
cannot
let loose of her hand.”

They were all so shocked and upset by this that considerable time passed before they called in the family physician and other members of the family to verify the fact that Jane was really dead. Still the friend could not free her hand. But she was very calm and peaceful through it all, in spite of the agitated feelings of the family, and continued to sit there hour after hour, with a quiet faith.

Suddenly the girl who had been pronounced dead several hours before came to life. She opened her eyes, and at the instant she did, the friend was able to release her hand.

Jane very quietly told the members of her family that everything was all right — that she had had an unbelievably beautiful experience. She could not tell them about it then, but would in time. She said she felt extremely well, but would like them to leave the room. She asked that they go down and prepare dinner. She wanted to take a bath, which she hadn't been able to do by herself for years, and afterwards she would come down too.

The family were astounded by all this, and it took them some time to come to believe that she had had a full and complete recovery.

Some years later, the girl, having been deeply moved by her experience with death and her very evident glimpse into the afterlife, decided to go into the ministry, and it is said that those who heard her preach were deeply impressed by her sincerity.

64: Twice Twins

Mrs. Adams sat by the fireside dreaming in a lonely way about the wonderful times of the past with her beloved husband, Edwin. She had been so terribly lonely since his death that she spent many sleepless nights before the fireplace hopelessly longing for his return. Her melancholy world was based solely on his memory. She sadly regretted that she had been the only one at his quiet funeral. Even his only brother, his twin, Ronald, had died shortly before Edwin had his unexpected heart attack.

Although it was apparent that Ronald had been inferior and a discredit to the family, she could not understand Edwin's contempt, hatefulness, and overbearing attitude toward his twin. There had even been talk among the neighbors that Ronald's death had been a direct result of Edwin's harsh treatment. After a trivial dispute, Edwin had banished his twin from the household, and having neither money nor a place to stay, Ronald had died of pneumonia in a jail cell of a nearby town.

Mrs. Adams thought little of these accusations, however, and continued to dream on about her darling Edwin. Suddenly she turned in her chair as the smooth pattern of her thought was interrupted by a strange noise behind her. A mysterious electricity surged through her body as her eyes met those of a sleek, black cat.