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Buried Treasure at Sixteenth and Hartford from Lafayette's Early Days?

Intense Excitement in the East End of the City Over an Alleged Apparition Supposed to be the Disembodied Spirit of Jacob Archibald
 


 From the Journal and Courier (Lafayette, Indiana) - Monday June 7, 1886  


There is no little excitement in the vicinity of Sixteenth and Hartford Street crossing, and large crowds congregate there nightly to gaze at the "Haunted House," from 9 o'clock until midnight, which is the time his Ghostship is supposed to walk and to listen with blanched faces and hair standing on end to the blood curdling stories told by those who claim the honor of seeing the ghost and whose veracity is undoubted by the terrified listeners.

     The reporter joined the throng last night to get the share of the horror and took his place among the awed bystanders. After several preliminary alarms occasioned by the small boy's circus son, "Here he Comes," a light was seen in one of the windows. At first it was dim and rather uncertain but gradually grew brighter until what seemed to be the shadowy outline of a man with a deck of cards in his hand was visible. One peculiarity the reporter noticed was that the spectre could only be seen in one certain position. While the crowd were giving vent to their terror and running wildly around the street, the reporter slipped quietly into the yard and up to the window, his hair gradually raising his hat until it required a good deal of coaxing to induce it to remain on his head. Nothing could be seen by looking through the window, and all at once the light went out and was accompanied by the closing of the sitting-room door of a house directly across the street where a few minutes before a light had been shining. Unable to investigate further the reporter mixed among the crowd and finally ran across a number of men and women living on that street, who claimed to have seen the ghost first. From what could be learned a neighbor, the same in whose house the light had been, saw the apparition first on last Thursday night. On Friday night she alarmed the people living near, and every light in the neighborhood was put out and also the street lamps. The spectre was seen about half-past ten, showing with greater brilliancy than before, and about a dozen claimed he assumed the shape and features of one Jacob Archibald, who died a sudden death in the house a few weeks before, and that at first he was seen shuffling a deck of cards, for which, when alive, he had a decided craze. He was afterwards seen sitting on the bed, and one woman claimed that "the thing" got up and took a candle and motioned for her several times, after which the lady fainted. The widow of the deceased also claimed to have been the recipient of visits from her departed spouse, and suddenly left with a brother and has not been heard of since.

    Another version of the story was obtained, and the substance of it was that on the lot on which the house now stands there stood many years ago an old, dilapidated house occupied by an old couple, who murdered a man one dark night and burned the dead body and the money obtained on the lot. This is the same money claimed to have been discovered by the great Madame Mitchell, who formerly lived here and is supposed that the ghost racket now being worked has its origin among some of her followers who live not a thousand miles from there and who are anxious to buy the property and dig for gold. The proprietor, a Hollander by the name of Ardapple refuses to sell the ground for less than he paid for it and the parties are taking this means to get possession of the property. The neighbors have organized a searching party for tonight and when the clock strikes nine, armed with a bottle of whiskey and a gun apiece, they will make a determined effort to lay the ghost. The matter is creating great excitement in the north part of the city and people are visiting the house every evening from all parts. It seems improbable that so many of the intelligent people of our city should place such unswerving belief in the stories afloat but a visit to the place after dark will show quite a number of the better class of people there who take in all that is told them with surprising credulity. The parties who are perpetrating the joke should be found out and invited to leave the community in peace before someone discovers them and perforates their skin with apiece of land. 

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