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A Haunted Plantation.
Montgomery M. Folsom A Weird Southern Story.
in Globe-Democrat. •
During a recent visit to the piney
woods section oi Southern Georgia my
attention was directed to the strange
and uncanny conduct of the “ha’nts”
that infest the old Shanks plantation,
so that it has remainded untenanted for
many years. The old mansion has fallen
into decay, the fields have grown up in
saplings and weeds, and briars have so
choked up the roadway loading to the
place that a guide is necessary to direct
She visitor to an abode given over en
tirely to its supernatural occupants.
Leaving the main road we picked our
way along what was once a stately ave
nueof oaks, whose sweeping boughs
form a natural arch, the gloom of which
is intensified by the long streamers of
sombre gray moss that wave and toss in
the breez >s from the distant seas. The
avenue is flanked on either side by
thrown-out fields covered by the sallow
sedge, with an occasional clump of bear
grass, with its ghostly flower stalk peer
ing above the level of the. grass and
briars. A rotting palisade of slabs hewn
from pine trees with broad axes in the
hands of negro slaves surrounds the old
house, and across the fragments of the
fallen gate we entered the premises.
The house wasa single story structure,
built of hewn pine logs of massive pro
portions, with a roof of heart pine clap
boards, and was divided into several
apartments by board partitions, but
time has been busy with the old home
stead, the roof has fallen, the gutters are
gone and the ancient chimneys of rough
bricks molded by hand by the plantation
slaves are tottering and ready to tum
ble down wiih the slightest shock.
Everything about the place indicates
desertion, desolation and decay, and
no wonder that the negroes, naturally
superstitutious, should have been driven
away from the plantation by the
‘ ‘ha’nts” with which it is reported to be
infested. The memories with which the
place is associated are sufficiently grew
some to have driven off more courageous
people than the simple negroes.
In the early ’sos there came to that re
gion a French Canadian, one Schenk,
who had been a Rocky Mountain trap
per, when the gold discoveries in Cali
fornia attracted him to that region and
a streak of luck soon made him a rich
man Unfortunately, he became in
volved in a difficulty which ended in his
shooting a man, and he had to flee the
country. He had plenty of money, and
was not very closely questioned by the
people of that wild region.
The name “Schenk” soon became, in
the vernacular of the Georgia cracker
“Shanks,” the reason for the change
being the inability of the cracker to pro
nounce the name correctly, and by the
.act that the bearer of the name was a.
tall, gaunt personage, whose appearance
the name suited exactly. He was taci
turn and uncommunicative, and showed
from the beginning that he wanted as
little to do with his neighbors as possi
ble. He purchased about 1,000 acres of
land, bounded on one side by the Ocko
lacoochee River, and extending from
the river into the open pine barren.
He invested heavily in negroes, at
tending every sale of slaves that occurred
in the country, to the horror and regret
of the unfortunate creatures that were
likely to become his property, for he
soon acquired the reputation of being
one of the hardest and crudest masters
in all that, country. The laws were very
Ixisely administered at best in that out
of the-way locality, and for the negro
there was small protection from the ca
price of his master.
Orville Shanks, as he became known
in that region, cleared a plantation of
several hundred acres ot rich hammock
lands along the river, and he was so
niggardly .that he decided he would not
permit the cattle of others to forage on
his lands, and to that end he proceeded
to build a high fence all around his do
main. This brought him in conflict with
the road overseer, as a public road pass
ed through a corner of his possessions,
and he was warned to remove his fence.
He refused to comply, and the overseer
ordered out his men and tore down that
portion of the fence that obstructed the
thoroughfare.
Shanks retaliated by ordeiing his ne-
Bottled Up!
Whether in the form of pill powdei
or liquid, the doctor’s prescription for
blood diseases is always the same—
mercury or potash. These drugs bottle
up and poison and dry it up in the
system, but they also dry up the marrow
in the bones at the same time.
The suppleness and elasticity of the
joints give way to a stiffness, the rack
ing pains of rheumatism. The form
gradually bends, the bones ache, while
decrepitude and helplessness prema
turely take possession of the body, and
it is but a short step to a pair ol
crutches. Then comes falling ol
the hair and decay of the bones, —a con
dition truly horrible.
j
_ > ~JMi IH —
I m
|!' .7"F j I
II
fi j ' i ffl'l
table, and one thousand dollars reward it
offered for proof to the contrary. It
never fails to cure Contagious Bloog
Poison, Scrofula, Eczema, Rheumatism,
Cancer, or any other disease of the
blood. If you have a blood disease,
take a remedy which will not injure you
Beware of mercury; don’t do violence
to your system. Don’t get bottled up !
Our books sent free to any address
Swift Specific Co., Atlanta, Ga.
Contagious Blood
Poison—the curse
of mankind—is the
most horrible of all
diseases, and has al
ways b affled the
doctors. Their pot
ash and mercury
bottle up the poison,
but it always breaks
forth again attack
ing some delicate
oryua, frequently
the mouth and
throat, filling them
with eating sores.
S.S.S., is the on!'
known cure for thi.-
disease. It is guar
anteed purely vege
groes to build a fence that it would take
a good deal of trouble and expense to
tear down. They cut down large trees
and piled them in heaps across the road,
and extended wings of a similar struc
ture for a considerable distance on either
side, so that it had the appearance of a
barricade, built for defense against some
dangerous eaemy lather than a fence to
keep out a few roving sheep or scrub cat
tle. The "Road Commissioners held a
meeting and decided to change the
course of the road, but presented Shanks
to the grand jury just the same for ob
structing a public road.
He was tried, found guilty and fined,
but paid no attention to the mandates
of the court. A deputy sheriff went to
arrest him, but was frightened out of
his wits bv Shanks, who had been in
formed of his proposed visit, in advance,
and, meeting him at the fence, threat
ened to make his negroes ride him on a
rail if he set foot on h ! s premises. This
increased the unpopularity of the new
comer, who was dreaded and shunned
by his neighbors until he became a veri
table recluse.
He was a woman-hater by nature, and
no female ever crossed his threshold ex
cept the unfortunate creatures who be
came hischattelsby purchase, and many
tales were whispered around about the
dark deeds of which the helpful slaves
were the victims. There was a law for
the protection of slaves, but in such a
case as that it was of little avail. Every
man felt he was infringing on his neigh
bors if he interfered with him in the
control of his own affairs, so long as In
actions fell short of disturbing the peace
of the community or of the commission
of murder.
In the case of Shanks the victims of
his cruelties held him in such mortal
terror that they were afraid to make
public the terrible nature of his doings,
for they knew the terrible penalty that
awaited the informer after. When
Shanks had occasion to go abroad he
rode in aclose carriage drawn by a gaunt
animal that had the appearande of be
ing half-starved, a negro sat astride the
horse and kept him going at his best
speed. If the gait slackened Shanks car
ried a long reed with a sharp spike in
the end of it, with which he prodded
the negro until the speed was increased
to suit him.
His favorite method of administering
punishment to his slave for mino. - of
senses was by stripping them naked,
poking their heads through a crack in
the fence and leaving them in that po
sition for half a day at a time. After
this ordeal the fence was lifted, the cul
prit released, given twenty or thirty
lashes and sent to work again. He work
ed his slaves by the task, and woe to the
wretch that came up short with his
work. The master was merciless, and
the prayers of the slave fell upon an ear
that was deaf to every sentiment of pity.
In the rear of the molderiug ruin I
was shown a pit that has been half filled
with rubbish, but it was with a shudder
that I gazed into its depths and thought
of its old-time horrors. Shanks called it
his ‘ ‘nigger hell. ’ ’ and it came very near
filling the measure of an earthly hades.
It was about 20 feet deep, and sharp
stakes were driven into the clay floor,
the points protruding about an inch
above the surface, and trimmed to a
keen point. When a negro grew re
fractory and could not be subdue! by
the ordinary application of the whip, he
was consigned to “hell.” Bound hand
and foot the poor helpless creature was
thrown into the pit. After enduring
the torture for an hour or two, if the ,
culprit did not show sufficient signs of
repentance, small pine poles were laid
across the mouth of the pit and pine
needles scattered over them and set on
fire, the fine coals trickling through in
a red-hot shower upon the naked flesh
of the hapless victim of the human mon
ster.
One such experience was sufficient to
break the most obdurate spirit, and few
there were who ever make a second trip
to ‘‘hell” on the Shanks plantation.
Occasionally some poor creature to es
cape from the clutches of his cruel mas
ter, and to sich, when captured, the
most condign punishment was meted
out.
An old resident who lived in that
pars of the country during the infamous
career of Shanks that he had heard a
negro plead with his captors in the most
heartrending manner to kill him out
right rather than turn him over to his
master, to be subjected to his fiendish
tortures. Another method of dealing
with such as complained of being sick
was found to be exceeding efficacious.
It was bleeding. Phlebotomy was never
a very safe and agreeable mode of treat
ing the ailing and the Shanks method
was was worse than the usual manner
performing the operation The patient
was held fast, while a cleft hickory peg,
with tbe ends pointed, was jabbed into
his nostrils till the blood flowed copi
ously.
Thia treatment was tried once too
often, and the victim, a delicate negro
girl, died from loss of blood. The report
of the crime became noised around, in
spite of the threats of Shanks, and an in
vestigation was instituted that resulted
in the arrest of Shanks on the charge
of having murdered the girl. He was
tried and convicted of homicide, and it
cost him several thousand dollars to get
out of the scrape.
This resulted indirectly in his death.
He never got over the shagriu attending
the loss of so much money, and took to
his bed. Lying there, revolving in his
mind the memory of his past deeds, he
wai so tormented that he had no peace
uay or night. His body servant, wanted
to call in a physician, but was threaten
ed with a trip to‘‘hell” if he repeated
the suggtstiou. Shanks had boasted
that no doctor should ever come nosing
around encouraging his negroes in their
b ziness, and even with the menace of
approaching death he refused to have
one on his premises.
At last the end drew near one stormy
night in November, and he felt that the
iytud of death was upon him. Calling
his body servant he ordered him to have
two mules saddled, and to mount men
on them and have them ride around the
bouse at the top of their speed, whoop
ing and yelling as loudly as they could,
so as to divert his mind from the excru
mating mental and physical tortures to
which he was subjected. Around and
THE ROME TRIBUNE, S‘ NDAY, NOVEMBER 8 1896.
around they rode, until both the animals
and their ricers were exhausted, when
others took their places. All night long
the terrible din was kept up, and just at
dawn he died. His death was reported,
and a few of his neighbors, who had
never before crossed that inhospitable
threshold, gathered in and as-is ted in
burying the body.
He had left instructions that his body
should be buried ou a little knoll oyer
looking the house, and adjacent fields,
and his instructions were carried out.
“I want to be where I can see after
things,” he had remarked to the negroes,
“and if you do not attend to your busi
ness I’ll come back aud give you h—II.”
The ignorant slaves held him in such
mortal terror that they never doubted
for a moment that he was fully capable
of carrying out the threat. From that
day till this no negro has ever willingly
spent a night on that unhallowed ground
Shanks left no will and his property all
went to a nephew in the West, who was
a Methodist minister of very pronounced
anti-slavery opinions. But his cupidity
got the better of his humanitarian senti
ments, and he compromised with his
conscience which would not permit him
to retain the slaves by instructing h s
attorney to sell the property on the plea
of winding up the estate, pocketed tbe
money and left tbe negroes to their fate.
However, any change was for the better
for them.
The new owner of the plantation
placed a hired overseer in charge of it,
but it proved to be a most unprofitable
investment. The old negroes were re
moved and fresh ones Sent there, but
the scheme was of little ave il. The slaves
would run away if given the slightest
opportunity and, the war coming on, the
plantation was abandoned.
Since the war a few desultory at
tempts have been made .to reclaim the
land and to put it in cultivation, but
they have proved unsuccessful, and
there appears to be a fatality attached
to it that makes it a very undesirable
possession. Only last year it was sold
for the state and county taxes that had
accumulated for several years and
brought hardly enough to satisfy the
costs of sale.
The negroes avoid the premises as if
a curse hung over it. They claim that
on stormy nights old Shanks can be seen
gliding about through the shadowy pine
thickets with a long whip in his hand,
and that often they have heard horses
galloping around the house and back
and forth along the avenue that leads
to the deserted mansion. Cries and
groans are often heard by belated trav
elers, according to the current gossip
among the negroes, coming from the di
rection of the “hell” pit, and one ’pos
sum hunter who Iqgt his bearings and
wandered into the forbidden ground
reached his cabin overcome with fear.
He said that he walked right up to
the pit before he was aware of its prox
imity, and as he pushed aside the drap
ery of moss that hangs from the branches
of the surrounding trees a eight met his
gaze that froze his blood with horror.
The place was illuminated with a ghast
ly glow and what appeared to be the
form of a man lay writhing in the hot
tom of the pit, while near the mouth of
it stood a horrid-looking object, half
man, half bea-t, with horns on its head
and eyeballs of fire, and that it held a
long staff in its claw-like grasp with
which it kept stirring the fire. The
frightened negro did not wait to
look, but fled in terror down the avenue
to the big road and stumbled into the
door of his cabin, two miles away, in a
state of collapse.
Such are the weird tales that the dar
kies tell, but, however much of the evil
reputation of the place is attributed to
their superstitious fears, one fact re
mains. and that is that since the day
that D’Orville Schenk was laid beneath
the sod nobody has ever found the
property profitable, or a residence on
i lie premises agreeable.
BUCKLEN’S ARNICA SALVE
The best salve in the world for cuts it
bruises, sores, ulcers, salt rheum, fever
sores, tetter, chapped hands, chilblain
corns and all skin eruptions and posi
tvely cures piles, or no pay required. It
is guaranteed to give perfect satis, action,
or money refunded. Price 25 cents per
box. For sale by D. W. Curry, drug
gist, Rome. Ga
Try a Sweet Havana Rose cigar-
Newest thing out.
Hume Seekera.
The Iron Mountain and Texas Pa
cific will sell round trip tickets to all
Points in Arkansas, Texas and the
ndian Territory November 17th to
December Ist and 15th, at one fare for
the round trip plus s2,good 21 days to
return. 'For further information,
write to oi- call on
A. A. Gallagher,
Southern Passenger Agent. 103
Read House, Chattanooga, Tt-nn.
11-4-12-15. _
Blankets . the biggest bn
and lowest prices at Thos
Fahy’s.
Send In Your Bids.
Sealed proposals will be received by
the Board of Trustees of the Rome
Public Schools until Monday, Novem
ber 9th, 12 o’clock noon for the re
building of the colored school house.
Plans and specifications can be seen
at tbe office of N. H. Bass, 225 Broad
street. The board reserves the right
to reject any and all bids. Address
Bids marked “For Rome Colored
School Building” to
W. H. Strelr, Sec’y.
Board of Trustees.
nov4-5t
WHERE TO PAY
Panics indebted tothe
electric light company
will find tbeir accounts
at the Merchants Nation
ai Bank. Please call and
pay same G £. W ood
ruff, Receiver.
If you wart a good bicycle cheap call
and see them. I have them to offer from
$lO up. E. E. Forbes.
$2 90 *ome to Atlanta and re
urn via W & A R R Novem
ber 11 limited November 12 C K
Ayer Ticket Agent.
F —H ROME I— w
I INDUSTRIES AND INSTITUTIONS. I
If Rome would become more prosperous its home institutions must be patronized
by Rome people Its wonderful resources and advantages for manufacturing will avail
nothing unless our factories and wholesale merchants are encouraged and sustained by
that local pride and patronage, which are the secret of the growth and prosperity of
many less favored cities.
The Tribune is earnestly enlisted in the work of keeping Rome money in circula
tion at home. With this purpose the following list of Rome merchants, industries and
institutions has been compiled. We recommend every institution and article mentioned
in this column as worthy of the support and patronage of all citizens :
Carlock Packing Co.
ROME, GEORGIA.
Elastic and
Sectional WSPB
JBgk RING
IBRO PACKING
For stationery and portable engines.
Satisfaction guaranteed.
toe Stove Works,
TOCCOA STOVES (Eight Sizes)
KENNESAW GRATES,
Frames fit standard size mantles with tile
filling—three sizes, 19, 20 and 23 inches
TERHUNE NIXON CO.
229 Broad Street, Rome, Ga.
W. T. JONES,
Manufacturer and Dealer in
Marble and Granite
Monuments, Headstones, Statues,
Coppings, Etc.
Cemetery and building work of all de
scriptions made to order. All orders
promptly attended to and executed in
the neatest manner possible.
414 Broad Street, Rome. Ga.
Geo. F. Chidsey & Son,
WHOLESALE
Brokers & Commission Merchants
No. 5 Broad Street,
ROME, GA.
H. E. KELLEY. M. B. McWILLIAMS.
kelley i- McWilliams,
No. 13 Broad St., Rome, Ga.
WHOLESALE
Grocers I Commission Merchants
o
We make a specialty of the handling
of Corn, Oats, Bran and Hay. The
trade of the merchants solicited.
SMITH & LOWE,
Wholesale Brokers and Jobbers,
No. 7 Broad Street, Rome, Ga.
No, 47 E. Alabaqia Street, Atlanta, Ga.
Our Specialties: Heavy Croceiies, Bagging Ties, Hay and Crain
Call on or write ns for prices on Potatoes aud Apples in car lots or
less. C'rrespondence solicited ot all jobbers in our line.
~ ESTABLISHED IN 1881.
Patton Sash, Onor and Building Co..
J. B. PATTON, President.
Zecrcie, : : Geoig'ia.
Manufacturers * and « General * Contractors
IN ALL KINDS OF
Kiln Dried Flooring and Ceiling, Modding, Brackets, Etc.. Sash
Doors and B'inds. Porch Work and Stair Work sjspscialty. Give us a
all. Write for prices or Telephone 48. 10 2lm
'R. G. CLARK, Pres’t. J. N. KING, M’g’r.
C. W. KING, Sec. & Treas.
HOWEL
Cotton Company
OF GEORGIA,
COTTON COMMISSION,
ROME, GEORGIA.
THOMPSON HILES,
President. Sec. & Treas.
Tliwpii Biles Co.
WHOLESALE
1 Dry Goods, Boots, Shoes
HATS, NOTIONS, Etc.
250 & 252 Broad St., Rome, Ga.
Rome Fruit & Produce Co.
Wholesale Commission Merchants,
MANUFACTURERS OF
Superior Stock Feed
, and Water Ground Meal
No. 7 Third Avenue, Rome, Ga.
Consignments solicited of apples, pota
toes, onions, cabbage, butter, eggs, poultry,
game, dried fruit, hides, beeswax, tallow,
and all kinds of small fruit in season.
References: First National Bank.
A. W. HART,
231 BROAD ST., ROME, GA.
(Hoyt’s Old Stand.)
Practical Boot and Shoemaker
Leather and Shoemakers’ supplies.
' Fully prepared to furnish anything
in my line of business fiomabrogan
to a ladies’ fine shoe. A good stock
always on hand. Give me a call and
: save money. Repairing done in the
! best style at reasonable prices. Only
house in Rome that sells shoe lasts.
I
J. L. BRANNON. R. S. BRANNON.
J. L. BRANNON & CO.,
Wholesale Grocers
AND DEALERS IN
farmers’ supplies,
23 Rome, Ga.
WASTERS’
Extra Good
BEST 5c CIGAR.
14 and 16 Broad Street.
Everything in the Hardware line
at hard-pan prices. Tennessee and
Old Hickory Wagons, Chattanooga
Chilled Plows, Disk Harrows, Bug
gies, Phaetons, Buggy Harness,
Wagon Harness, etc. Exclusive
agents for Rome Stove Works
W. W. WATTERS.
“Toe Greenest Plumber
in Rome.”
Water and Gas Fitting.
AU sorts of Plumbing work.
Pumps, Hydraulic Rams and other
machinery for raising water.
No. 9 Third Avenue, - Rome, Ga.
W. H. STEELE,
IMPORTER AND JOBBER OF
China, Glassware,
TINWARE, LAMPS,
Stoves and Housefurnishinz Goods,
ROME, GA.
J. F. Greene & Co.,
Livery, Feed end Trade Stable.
(Colclough’s old stand.)
324 Broad St , - Rome, Ga.
First-class teams and vehicles at rea
' sonable rates. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Patronage solicited.
Special accommodations for wagoners
and stock dealers. nov 1.
liPihi Ufa Cigar Factory,
LLORENS, PACETTI & CO-, Props-
Manufacturers of the following
CELEBRATED BRANDS:
LaPaloms Unbans,
Three Friends,
El Farven Ir,
Our l,itile Havana,
Star ot America,
Flor de Key W«bi,
El Machete.
We guarantee that ail our C gars
are Cuban hand made, and are of
the very best quality.
W« solicit a trial.
OFFICE AND FACTORY
8i W. ALABAMA ST n
ATLANTA, CA.