Windham Chased by a Goblin, Judge Adams Tested Spirits

Ghost stories vied with fish tales for local gossip in the old days -- encouraged by Adrian P. Jordan, publisher-editor of the Punta Gorda Herald, who was noted statewide for his tongue-in-cheek articles when news was slow.

Readers of this series will remember serious accounts by early residents of supernatural events. There is the Sandlin house in Punta Gorda haunted by the ghost of young Mary Sandlin. She was burned to death by a malfunctioning, gasoline-fueled clothes iron, and now is said on occasion to flit about during the night strewing laundry through the house.

The Hermitage house at Englewood was said by various owners to be visited at times of serious illness by the spirit of Grandma Johansen slamming her bedroom window and tipping over her old chair. Supposedly she is searching for her "sacred lead" which she burned in life to cure sickness.

Then there is the Charlotte Harbor Town restaurant built over an old Afro-American cemetery. Workers say the place is plagued by mischievous fires, napkins that fly through the air, and dishes that crash to the floor when no one is looking.

To these stories can be added two more.

The first involves Dick Windham, a shady Punta Gorda character at the turn of the century. He was accused, but absolved, of complicity in the assassination of Marshal John H. Bowman in 1903. He also was said to the be the lover of Mrs. George "Ma" McGraw, proprietor of the notorious "Bloody Bucket" road house, whose husband was shot to death under mysterious circumstances in 1931.

Here is Editor Jordan's report of Sept. 12, 1902, before Windham had come to be feared by local folks. The judge mentioned apparently was a travelling salesman who hired a buggy to take him to Fort Myers and back.

As fish stories are getting rather scarce, here is an "o'er true tale" of a genuine bogie having been encountered about 9 o'clock Monday night by Richard S. Windham, a livery-man of this city, and Judge S.A. Murden, a commercial tourist those home is at Leesburg.

Both these gentlemen are well known for veracity. Indeed, who ever did know a drummer or a horse swapper to tell anything but the truth. If, however, there had been any doubt of the truth of the story, the pallid countenances of the two gentlemen next day would have dispelled any want of faith in their narrative.

But, here is the story as they tell it.

At the hour mentioned, they were returning from Fort Myers in a top buggy drawn by two staunch mules. They had reached a point in the road about ten miles south of Punta Gorda and far from any habitation.

Windham was driving. The judge was dozing. Suddenly the former observed a very white something the size of a tall man lying full length close beside the road. The mules were moving pretty briskly. As they approached the object, it rose up under the noses of the animals. This caused them to dash aside in terror.

In swerving, the buggy gave a lurch, and one wheel grazed a pine tree. The jolt aroused the judge. He opened his eyes to see a tall, white apparition standing straight up beside the buggy and as high as the buggy top.

The judge yelled, "Who are you?"

By this time, the mules, frantic with terror, were running away. Windham had all he could do to keep them in the road. The judge kept his eyes fixed on the bogie and was horrified to observe it glide into the road behind the buggy and follow along with the greatest ease -- although the vehicle was going at the utmost speed of the mules.

In a moment or so the thing glided up to the back of the buggy and seemed to peer earnestly within. Then it uttered an unearthly, blood- curdling shriek, stood still in the road for a second or so and suddenly vanished.

After the mules had run a mile or more, Windham succeeded in checking them up. Then he proposed to drive back and try to ascertain what the thing was. However, the judge had seen enough and insisted on coming to town, which they did.

Both gentlemen say the apparition had the appearance of a very tall man wrapped in a sheet; but they cannot imagine what could prompt any man to wrap up that way and go out all alone ten miles into the wilderness and lie down beside the road.

In fact, they do not believe it was a man. They scout the idea of its having been a cow or a white bear. The judge says he is coming back here shortly to see if he can solve the mystery.

The Kissimmee Gazette, which is an expert on Florida ghosts and ghost stories, might throw some light on the subject.

The second example of "other world spirits," reported by the New York Times in December 1908, describes a proposal by Punta Gorda Judge Francis Kemper Adams to test clairvoyance.

The story was headlined: "SPOOK CONTEST SPIRITS TRICKY." The Metropolitan Psychical Society of New York City announced that it had received "literally thousands of applications" to claim an offer of $10,000 to any medium who could describe the nature and number of oranges "carelessly spilled" behind their back.

Society President James L. Kellog said,

"It soon become evident that the spirit fakers and guessers had to be separated from those who sincerely claimed supernatural power of connection with the spirits of the departed.

"Only one has made a correct answer, and she in one particular only," said Kellog. "However, Judge Adams has written an uncommonly interesting letter proposing a test which will be undertaken by wire.

"Judge Adams tells of two women of his acquaintance who have done remarkable things. He says: "Five years ago, while I was a judge at Punta Gorda, my deputy sheriff was shot in the dark by unknown parties. The following year, the women declared who did it, and it was correct.

"'Another attempted killing was also told, and it also was correct. Deaths have been foretold, and very many unforeseen events here have been correctly told which none who knew ever supposed would occur.

"'Now, I am not a believer of these things, but I must acknowledge that many things occurred that could not in any possibility have been known to the persons foretelling them.

"'Could not this experiment be performed? Have five of your society meet some evening in New York, bringing your oranges. Write me the date. It takes three days usually for mail. I will have the two ladies meet and get their spirits to inform them of what you do -- number of oranges, style of bag or receptacle, and so on.'"

Kellog sent the following reply to Judge Adams: "Your experiences are interesting. Later we will arrange some experiments to be tried and recorded at each end of the wire."

"Spiritualism" was widely discussed and believed at that time. The deputy sheriff mentioned by Judge Adams was Marshall John H. Bowman who was assassinated Jan 29, 1903, by a shotgun blast through an open window. A deed that at first implicated Dick Windham. The lady "seers" later singled out Isiah E. Cooper.

Cooper stoutly denied guilt but was arrested, tried, and convicted to be hanged. After several appeals, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Ten years later he escaped from a work gang and was never seen again.

The "attempted killing" mentioned by Judge Adams was that against Capt. Albert F. Dewey, a prominent marine towing and dredging engineer.

His assailant fired a rifle through an open door, but the bullet was deflected by brace on the screen and shattered Dewey's left leg.

It is interesting to speculate that one of the clairvoyants might have been Mrs. Marian McAdow, a wealthy and socially prominent matron of Punta Gorda. She was an ardent believer in spiritualism and took up the hobby of photography -- including darkroom processes -- in an attempt to capture materialized spirits on film.

Mrs. McAdow also was an accomplished painter. She and her husband, Perry, made a pact that the first one to "pass to the other side" would return and tilt a painting she had made of Col. lsaac Trabue's original waterfront cabin.

After Perry McAdow died, the painting hung undisturbed in a hallway for many years. Marion finally gave it to a friend. A few years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Marlon and Terry Runkle rescued the painting from discarded articles in a garage. Today it hangs in the Runkle's living room -- happily straight and true.

Author: Lindsey Williams

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["The apparition glided up to the buggy and seemed to peer earnestly

within, then it uttered an unearthly blood-curdling shriek and suddenly vanished!"]

williams --- goblin

for sunday -- may 2

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Windham chased by a goblin, Judge Adams tested spirits

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