The Indianapolis Leader

A Ghost Story.
About four years ago a respectable and well-known colored man who lived on Athon street died, after a lingering illness, with consumption. He left a wife and two children and these, as he thought, in very good circumstances. He owned good property, consisting of several lots, and held a life insurance policy of $2,000. There was a $600 mortgage on his property, but he was contented to think that, at his death, the insurance policy would be sufficient to lift the mortgage, and still leave a sum of money large enough to provide for the comfort of his family.
Soon after his death his wife presented the policy for payment, but from some cause or other she has not received one cent up to this date. Being unable to keep up the interest on the mortgage, it was foreclosed about three months ago, and she was forced to give up her home. Since that time it has been rented to a widow lady who is a seamstress.
About a month ago the lady who rents the property stated to several well known parties that a strange man had been seen on the premises, and that he had even entered the house and departed without speaking or being spoken to. This all occurred after night. The description she gave of the personal appearance and actions of the strange visitor exactly corresponded to that of the deceased former owner of the property.
This story was told to the widow of the deceased, but, as she does not believe in the return of departed spirits, the story was discredited and no attention paid to it.
Finally, she had occasion to visit her former home on Athon street, and soon after she had entered, the lady of the house asked her if her husband had settled up all of his business, satisfactorily to himself, previous to his death; and, after being informed that he had, and that he died in the belief that his family would be well provided for, she related to the widow all that she had seen and heard about the premises. The story being told so straightforward, and the personal description and peculiar actions of the strange visitor corresponding so precisely with the deceased, that it naturally awakened an interest in the mind of the widow.
The lady tenant stated that he had repeatedly come into the house, walked up stairs to a closet, and, finding lady's wearing apparel in a closet used by him for other purposes, he would throw the clothes upon the floor and then walk out. The widow of the deceased says that this was one of her husband's peculiarities; things found out of their place were always displaced by him and thrown in any direction. Many other transactions of the supposed apparition were told by the lady of the house, and the impression made upon the widow was decidedly in favor of the ghost theory.
Two ladies stopping at the house corroborate the statements of the landlady, and several persons have been invited to visit the house and keep watch on the nights usually selected by this nocturnal visitor for his uninvited calls; but, from a lack of courage or some other cause, none have accepted the invitation.
It should be stated here that the ladies who claim to have been witnesses to the transactions of this colored ghost are white, and it is not altogether a "Darky Ghost Story." It is given to the public for what it is worth, and for further particulars the family can easily be found on the short street of Athon.