Autobiography Volume 1 circa 1842-1865
On the , we rowed our canoe 50 miles and spent the
night at a place called Caldron. There were a number of
good houses built; but all were deserted, the place, it was
said being haunted. There was not a human being
but ourselves within miles of the place. Entering a
house that must have cost from three to four thousand dollars
supposed to be the worst haunted of the lot we built a good
fire, & rosted a piece of pork to eat with some corn doger
given us by a poor woman in the moring. We asked
a blessing eat our supper and then climbed into one
of the chambers as the stairs were broken down. It was
a cold night but we laid upon the floor with nothing to
cover us. I soon fell asleep without any regard to the ghosts
and dreamt that I called at my father's house and that
my stepmother made me up a good feather bed at my
father's house in Farmington. I thought that I laid down
upon it, had a good sleep and rested well. I did not awake
until sunrise when instead of finding myself upon a feather
bed in my parent home I was quite cold and chilly lying
on my back against a bare desolate haunted chamber wall
on the bank of the Arkansas River. Awaking brother Brown
we arose not having been disturbed either by ghosts or evil
spirits. We then prayed built a fire warmed ourselves,
eat what little we had left and then started down the
river after first going to the top of the high bluff and
taking a survay. We travelled 40 miles this day and spent
the night with Mr Samuel Blackburn Palaski County.
