The Ghost in the Church Window
A young man encounters a spectral presence behind a local church, sparking a mystery that has the town of Kalama whispering.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The latest sensation in Kalama is the ghost which is reported haunting a local church. Dick Sorters, a young man, is the one to whom it condescended to make its first appearance. In the rear of the church referred to is a small room in which there is a bed and bedding. This room, not in use, is left unmade, with a sheet thrown over the footboard. The young Sorters' home-coming path leads him close by the window, and there being no blinds, he can easily see the interior. One evening this week as he passed the window he noticed something resembling a human form lying on the floor beside the bed. Wrapped in white, it looked very ghastly in the moonlight. Sorters raised his lantern and peered inside. The thing began to rise, but not in the usual human way; it rose straight up. Dick did not stay to investigate, and if he had not been on the home stretch he probably would be running yet. The same thing occurred Saturday night, December 12, and an investigating committee is now endeavoring to determine whether it was an optical illusion on Sorters' part, or whether someone is attempting a practical joke. At any rate, Dick now takes another route home.
“The thing began to rise, but not in the usual human way. It rose straight up.”
Ghost stories in the early 20th century were often attempts to make sense of the unexplained in tightly knit, rapidly changing pioneer towns. Today, this reads like a classic 'haunted landmark' mystery, reflecting the enduring human desire to find wonder in the everyday landscape of our small towns.
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