OLD SWEITZER'S GHOST

by Jacob G. Shively

 My grandfather, Jacob S. Shively (1827-1912) was, in my estimation, a very serious conscientious Christian man, and was so regarded by the entire neighborhood in which he lived. He often remarked that he preferred to do business with a drunkard rather than a liar, because the former could often be depended upon when sober, but the latter, never. The point I wish to make is that he, and many of the other good folks, told their stories about witches, ghosts, and tokens in all seriousness, even though we, in the light of present knowledge, must conclude that they were drawing heavily upon their imaginations, possibly sparked by some natural phenomenon.

I shall never forget the effect that grandfather's stories had on me as a small boy. After one of our evening sessions, I would run to bed, draw the covers over my head, and not hazard a glance into the darkened room until morning.

Among the stories that affected me most were the ones about the hairy man who appeared from behind a forked pine tree along the old red ridge east of White Springs; the headless dog that ran ahead of a party consisting of himself and two other men returning from a camp meeting in the same vicinity; and the ghost of Old Sweitzer.  He usually ended our sessions with that one. The last time I heard him tell it was in 1908. It was about as follows:

"My grandfather, John Steese, bought the old LeRoy tract, at the big spring about a mile and a half southeast of the present town of Mifflinburg, from Andrew Pontius, and moved there when my mother was about ten years old (about 1800). "LeRoy, to whom Mother always referred as Old Sweitzer, was murdered there by Indians at the time of the Penn's Creek massacre, when all the settlers in the valley were either killed or driven out. It was believed that he had some warning of the impending raid and had buried considerable money and other valuables in the ground near his cabin.

"Mother said that it was a common thing, on moonlit nights, to see what appeared to be a man emerge from the shadows at a certain spot, walk in a straight course for a considerable distance, and then suddenly disappear.

"About midway on his course, he would produce flint and steel and light his pipe. This appearance of Old Sweitzer became so common that the people of the neighborhood took it for granted and thought little of it.

"One night, when Mother was almost grown up, the young folks of the neighborhood held a party at their place. During the evening, one of the guests remarked that it was about time for Old Sweitzer to walk his beat. One of the young men, probably to impress the others with his bravery, announced that he was going out to ask Old Sweitzer where his money was buried.

"Taking his stand precisely where he knew Sweitzer would pass, he waited for him. He appeared on schedule, lit his pipe, and by the time he approached the young man, those watching from the house could see the smoke rolling from his pipe like a small cloud. He continued at his regular gait until he was within a hand's breadth of the young man, then walked around him and continued to the usual spot, where he disappeared.

"Even after the apparition had gone, the young man remained standing like a statue. Finally, several of the boys mustered up enough courage to carry him into the house. Mother said that he was as stiff as a board and unable to talk. He seemed stunned and queer for several days but finally recovered. When he regained his speech, the first thing he said was, ‘I'll never ask Old Sweitzer for his money again.'

“Oftentimes in the morning, Mother said they would find holes dug in their fields, where treasure hunters had busied themselves during the night. One morning, an unusually large hole was seen, and after that, there was no more digging; nor did the ghost of Old Sweitzer ever appear again. They concluded that the treasure had been found, and that Old Sweitzer's spirit had found peace.”

Keystone Folklore Quarterly was a journal of Pennsylvania folklore, published by the Pennsylvania Folklore Society beginning in 1956. Quarterly was dropped from its name in 1973. A new series began in 1982, before ceasing publication in 1992.  No issue or contribution copyright updates were found for the magazine.