The Telltale Lilac Bush and Other West Virginia Ghost Tales

8. Hidden Money

~"'-.~ -.--~. 8 Hidden Money CONSIDERING ALL the ghosts that return, or at least make themselves visible, for the sole purpose of pointing out hidden wealth, it seems that ghosts should be less feared and more appreciated. These money-minded ghosts go to a lot of trouble to help some living human being to a fortune, and they get very little for their pains. Perhaps it is as if they had the money in trust and cannot rest until they have fulfilled the trust by passing it along to someone who can use it. The return of a spirit to reveal hidden treasure is one of the more popular themes in American ghost tales. John Harden, Louis C. Jones, Vance Randolph, and George Korson all include examples of it in their collections. 62 43. Footsteps on the Walk My GREAT-GRANDMOTHER was a very religious person. She did not believe in ghosts-at least so she claimed-but she did believe in the existence of spirits, which to her was quite a different thing. This story is about one of Greatgrandmother 's spirits. In the small Pennsylvania town of Coburn, where she lived by herself in a small house, my great-grandmother's nearest neighbors were the Gibsons, people who were considered odd by the rest of the town. For although they were the owners of a rich coal mine, they lived in comparative poverty. Everyone said it was because old Lanham Gibson, the father, was a miser. My great-grandmother wasn't one to gossip, and she probably was not exaggerating when she said the family quarreled a lot over money. She got all her information firsthand. After old Lanham lost his eyesight in an accident at the mine, he'd come to visit quite often, just to get out of his house. His family resented his miserliness and constantly hounded him about money. My great-grandmother could tell he was coming by the sound of his footsteps and the tapping of the cane on the walk. She didn't mind his intrusion on her privacy, as he was usually complacent enough, as though seeking refuge from the rest of the world. In the evenings they would sit together on the big porch and enjoy the dusk. Grandma usually had her knitting with her, and old Lanham had his dingy old pipe. One day, while out walking, Lanham missed a step and fell over an embankment, killing himself. He had left a large fortune behind, but it could not be located. The family searched and searched, but nothing ever came of it. About a year later my great-grandmother was sitting on the porch with her knitting, enjoying the cool evening breeze, when she heard the familiar footsteps and the 63 tapping of a cane on the walk. She looked up expectantly, but saw no one. The sound grew closer, and then stopped in front of her. Suddenly she heard a weird laugh; then all was quiet again. This happened night after night, and finally, in despair, she went to the minister with her story. He told her that if it happened again, she was to repeat a certain verse from the Bible that was supposed to appease wandering spirits. The very next night, when she heard the footsteps and the tapping of the cane, she read aloud the verse her minister had given her. Now, instead of the laughter, she heard a voice say, "The money's in the well." The following day she went to the Gibson family and told them the story. An exploration of the well led to the discovery of one hundred and twelve thousand dollars in currency and gold. This the family proceeded to spend lavishly on themselves, and although they would never have found the money without my great-grandmother's help, they never offered her anything. After their first fling, the Gibsons put the remaining money in a safety deposit box in the bank. A few weeks later, on returning to the box for more money, they discovered it was empty. This brought about a thorough check of the other deposit boxes and of the bank's funds. It was finally determined that nothing else was missing and that apparently the box had not been opened. The family never recovered from the blow, and lived out their lives in poverty. 44. The Haunted House IN BERKELEY COUNTY, twenty-two rifle shots...