07/23/2023
SOURCE: Ironton Register, August 23, 1907
(THE PICTURE POSTED IS THE VICINITY IN WHICH THE SAID LOG HOUSE WOULD HAVE STOOD, POSSIBLY NEAR HURLEY INSURANCE AGENCY)
Ironton, Ohio – Rev. Kier and His Followers Hold Services Despite the Heavy Rain, the Spirit from the Unknown World Failed to put in its Appearance. Many well-known Persons are Reported to have already seen the Mysterious White Something, which it is said, Visits the Home of Mrs. Martha Price on Quincy Street.
The ghost which haunts the old log house on Quincy street near Seventh did not put in its appearance Wednesday night, or at least it failed to do so up until 10:00, when the members of the Rescue Mission next to the Hill crossed their meeting, and took their departure for their various homes.
It is not thought that the heavy rain, which fell most of the evening, prevented the ghost from making its presence known, for ghosts are said to the partial to wet, dark nights. Still, the reason assigned by Rev. Kier and his followers for the nonappearance of the spirit messenger from the unknown world was the noise made by the hundred and more skeptical who crowded into the house to get a look at the mysterious something which has haunted the dilapidated house for some time, and which permitted itself to be seen on several occasions this week, according to the statements of several who claim they have seen it’s snowy white unnatural form.
Five hundred people, some in automobiles, some in buggies, but the majority of them on foot, was in the neighborhood of the haunted house shortly before 8:00, the hour set for the meeting of the Rescue Mission workers to begin. The crowd began to assemble shortly after supper,. By the time the rain set in, which drove the majority of them to seek shelter and, for the time being, give up hopes of seeing the ghost, the street was blocked with people,. It required the combined efforts of Officers Higgins and Tate to keep the more venturesome and unbelieving from forcing open the doors of the house and seeing for themselves what there was in the stories current concerning the strange sights to be seen therein.
Despite the rain, more than one hundred people waited for the closing of the meeting of Rev. Keier’s flock, which was held in the early part of the evening at their church at the foot of the hill, and for them to put in their appearance at the haunted residence of Mrs. Martha Price and her aged mother, Mrs. Ames.
Shortly before 9:00, the veteran colored leader of the spirit-seeing band, Rev. Kier, accompanied by Revs. Kelly and Sanders, both white, Mrs. Ames, Mrs. Price, also white, and several colored women, came over to the house, which was filled to suffocation within a few moments after the door was opened with men, women, boys, and girls, both colored and white.
Mrs. Price suggested all the Christians in the house form a circle from the smaller two rooms and that “land, that happy, happy land.” Some eight or ten men and women of both races went into the smaller room, where the ghost was in the habit of putting in his appearance. At the same time, the unbelieving remained in the other room, pushing, shoving, straining to get a glimpse of the select and to see the ghost, should it become visible to the ordinary human eyes.
The members of the circle opened the meeting by singing “In that land, that happy, happy land,” “In the Sweet Bye and Bye,” and several other familiar hymns. Rev. Kelly then uttered a prayer which lasted for more than fifteen minutes, after which “When the Roll is Called up Yonder” and several other old-time favorites were sung, the words being read from a muchly used and badly soiled book by Rev. Sanders with the aid of the light from the one small lamp, which was left burning in the house, the light in the other room, having gone out because of a lack of oil, and through no fault of the ghost as some were to believe.
The crowd in the front room and those standing in the rain on the outside looking into the windows kept up such a racket that no ghost with a grain of self-respect would ever think of showing itself. After an hour’s session, the Rescue Mission members brought their meeting to a close upon the woman of the house, announcing that she was getting sick from the heat and must get out into the air.
Before closing the doors of the house, Rev. Kier expressed himself hilltrong terms concerning how the unbelieving had conducted themselves, and Mrs. Price said that if they did not behave themselves better hereafter, she would have the “law on them.”
Under the circumstances, she would have a perfect right to do so, as the conduct of several who attended the meeting was certainly not conducive to giving the ghost a very high opinion of the brains of the inhabitants of the flesh and which would no doubt make it feel thankful that is was not necessary to associate with them unless it so elected of its own free will and accord.
Most people question the existence of ghosts, but to those who claim to have seen the one who is said to visit the Price home, there seems to be no shadow of a doubt of its being.
Those who claim they have seen the mysterious white object are Rev. Keir, his brother-in-law, C. O. Venerable, Miss Anna Howard, Mrs. Martha Price, Mrs. Ames, Mrs. Anna West, Mr. & Mrs. Lunsford, and others. Their ideas of what the ghost looks like do not all agree, yet they are unanimous in saying that they have seen the strange thing.
Rev. Kier, the leader of the flock, is very positive that he has seen the spirit messenger. He is an ex-slave eabout seventy-five years, and of strong religious belbeliefsith many interpretations peculiar to himself upon the meaning of certain portions of the Gospel.
When seen by an Irontonian reporter Wednesday afternoon, the aged pastor readily consented to talk about the ghost. He said that he had undoubtedly seen it and felt its presence, as also had several others whom he named. He says the spirit came right out of the floor Tuesdahillght, in the center of the room where there was not even a hole or crack.
At first, it could scarcely be seen, but it gradually assumed the shape of a human form without visible hands or feet. He said that just before the head could be formed on the neck of the spirit being, someone made a noise, and the form vanished as suddenly as it came. He said that just before the ghost disappeared, someone behind him gave him a push, and he put his hand before him to prevent his falling too suddenly against the strange visitor, but lo and behold, his hand shot past the white form as nothing there.
Rev. Kier said that he believes that the spirit is some well, meaning person for, as he expressed it, it was the “quietest and best behaved” ghost he had ever seen. He says that this is not the first ghost he has seen, for he was born with a veil over his face, which ensured him certain privileges not accorded to most men.
Rev. Kier says that he can always tell when a ghost is in the room, for the first becomes very hot, then a cold chill runs over his body, while his hair rises upon its ends, after which the ghost suddenly appears.
He says that everything is quiet, and the question is asked with, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,” the ghost will answer any question we may ask them. He claims that he asked the ghost Tuesday night a question in due form and that it began to twist itself back and forth, as though it was going to reply when someone in the crowd made the noise which caused it to disappear.
When asked how the ghost looked, it came through the floor. He likened its manner of coming up out of nothing to the effervescence of soda upon which vinegar had been poured without the sixon.
Rev Kier is well posted upon the ghost lore, and he told the reporter many strange and interesting stories and these mysterious visitors from the unknown world.
He says that he will continue his meetings in the old log house until he can see the ghost again and talk with it and find out, if possible, what its reason is for coming back to earth.
