Stanly News-Herald
Many old relics and articles are being disturbed in the Stanly County court house this week since work has been started on the building. A lumber room on the second floor where the auditorium is has been cleaned out and the countless junk moved away for safekeeping.
But about the most interesting article that has been unearthed is the skeleton of a man. The skeleton is in the attic of the building. The writer saw the old skeleton Wednesday morning. It is in a little box where it has been for many years, judging from the dust thereon.
Where the skeleton came from, who, or what an in days long passed used the skeleton while living, the News-Herald has been unable to learn, but it is a fine skeleton!
The News-Herald reporter made a survey of the town Wednesday attempting to learn something about the history of the skeleton but all in vain. No one seems to know anything about it. Many files and records at the court house were searched, but none of these showed any light upon the matter.
Mr. Noah Pennington, one of the oldest citizens of Albemarle, stated his memory was not clear upon the skeleton, but believe that Dr. Anderson, father of Dr. J. N. Anderson, had a skeleton here many years ago. He was not positive about this, however, but thought he had heard a rumor to that effect.
A.P. Moose, another old timer of Albemarle, was interviewed upon the matter. He too failed to remember anything about the skeleton. He stated, however, that it was his opinion that one of the secret orders of the town had a skeleton in a coffin here that they used in their work about 20 or 25 years ago. He failed to know what went with the skeleton, but thought probably this might be the one. He stated that the skeleton owned by thee lodge was kept in a nice coffin, and the court house skeleton is packed in a little box. He remarked that he was ignorant as to what purpose the lodge used their skeleton in those days, but he was positive they used one. He was of the opinion that the coffin as sold to a local undertaker.
Anyone desiring to see the courthouse skeleton may do so by climbing into the attic of said courthouse and looking about 15 inches to the west from the window where the attic is entered.
The attic is dark and has a spooky atmosphere. In order to see the skeleton well, it is necessary for one to carry the box containing it to a window where light may be had. The writer did this Wednesday, but never again. While the skeleton is a nice one and very beautiful to look upon, still it has a funny way of treating guests. For some unexplained reason, while the writer was carrying said skeleton to the window, it succeeded in making a might peculiar noise. A sort of scraping, grinding, creaking, blood curdling noise it made. Doubtless its ghost was angry because the skeleton as being moved, or probably it just naturally shook around a little from being carried to the window.
It has a nice resting place, however, for the attic is dark and full of age. The writer noticed a lone bat fluttering about there in the attic, at least that is what he took the thing to be. But come to think of it, it was a mighty strange animal for a bat. The bat’s head nor wings were not seen, for it just kept flapping about. It looked for all the world like a ghost, and I made several efforts to dive into the box where the skeleton was, at least it seemed that way.
An old colored man in Albemarle explained the whole business. He declared that the animal was not a bat at all, but the ghost of the skeleton. He stated that when the bones moved, it disturbed the ghost of the skeleton and that said ghost was only trying to make the writer leave it alone. He remarked that it appeared black, because the skeleton belonged to some negro in days gone by. “A negro has a black ghost while a white man has a white ghost,” declared this old colored man.
From the editorial page of the Concord Daily Tribune, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 1926
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1926-08-25/ed-1/seq-4/
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