Notebook of Ghosts

A “specter that rivals the Headless Horseman of Ichabod Crane” was terrifying the people of Madison County, Indiana in the 1890s. This headless ghost did not ride a horse, but it would put most jugglers to shame. Below is a brief history of this amusing apparition.

The Ghost in a Nutshell

• Beautiful woman with black hair
• Walks country roads
• Can remove head and tuck it under her arm
• Can throw her head around by the hair (like a sling)
• Sings German lullabies

The newspaper articles place the ghost in a few locations, which I mapped below. Linwood and Anderson are less than seven miles apart. All the locations are within Madison County, Indiana (highlighted on the state graphic) and more specifically in Lafayette Township.

The Sightings

The following story was published in March of 1897 in Richmond, Indiana’s Daily Sun and describes a few nights of memorable paranormal activity.

McClellan Beagle, a gas inspector from Indianapolis, was the first witness of the ghost when riding along a deserted road with this horse.

He looked before him, and his blood froze in his veins. There in the center of the roadway was a white figure strolling along in front of the horse in an unconcerned manner. The form was that of a woman. She did not seem to have any concern for the chilly atmosphere. Beagle whipped up his horse and made a dash at her, but the faster his horse went the swifter the apparition moved on in front. She took down her hair leisurely, and left it fall down over her white robes. At last she turned into a barn belonging to Andrew Scott, and disappeared.

The next night, Beagle requested that John Haggarty join him on his spooky ride home.

As they neared the strip of wood the white figure appeared again, singing this time a German lullaby. She strolled along ahead of them and again took down her hair. They tried to run her down. She suddenly stopped, and the next second the buggy passed over the spot but she was not there. A few seconds later they saw a white form appear in the center of the roadway. The lullaby was again heard. She glided on ahead of them and, coming to the end of the strip of wood, turned in and went up to the barn again and disappeared.

The story spread and people wanted to catch a glimpse of the ghost. The very next night, 60 people headed to the location.

They encountered the apparition at the end of the wood, and she glided on before them, carefully taking down her hair. When it was done she proceeded to give them a few pointers on what a real, up-to-date, twentieth-century ghost could do. Calmly she took her head from her shoulders and tossed it into the air. It sailed along overhead and at length quietly returned to her shoulders. She then took her head by the hair and as though throwing a sling-shot she sent it sailing along in front of her. It came to no harm, and finally returned to her and she adjusted it on her shoulders.

The show wasn’t over yet.

Finally she took her head off and tucked it under her arm. She seemed in a very pleasant mood as she strolled along headless, and when she reached the end of the woods she again set it on her shoulders, carefully did up the long black tresses and, as happy as a lark, began signing one of her German songs, strolled up to the barn and disappeared.

This long-haired, slingshot ghost was not the only haunt of that area.

A few miles form this spot a great deal of excitement was occasioned a few months ago by a nightly tragedy near an old gas well. A giant would come out, and, strolling down the road, would meet a beautiful young spirit, and taking her in his arm would draw a long knife and plunge it into her heart.

If this slingshot ghost is still around, I think she should try out for America’s Got Talent. I would also like her hair routine, b/c that’s some strong hair.