Halloween is now only a couple of days. The following newspaper stories evoke images commonly associated with it.

Oct. 10, 1897 – John Howell killed two menacing snakes in his back yard today, both of which were more than five feet long.

Nov. 1, 1903 – For some time a ghost has made nightly visits to a large two-story rental residence in Moulton Heights. The ghost is said to make a most hideous noise and has scratched out two window screens. When looked for the ghost vanishes and nothing whatever can be seen. The last family who lived in the house moved out some time ago, saying they could no longer stand the visitations. Since that time no one will live in the house.

Oct. 2, 1908 – One of the most remarkable pieces of glass in Morgan County features an astonishing picture which was photographed by a flash of lightning. S. W. Gore was standing in the doorway of his home on Ninth Avenue in New Decatur, watching an electrical storm. His wife was standing near his side. A stroke of lightning instantly killed Mr. Gore and seriously shocked his wife but she recovered. There was a large glass in the front door where Mr. Gore was standing when killed, and it was subsequently discovered that there is a perfect picture on the glass which was photographed by the lightning flash. In the picture Mr. Gore is shown with his head slightly upturned and watching the storm cloud. Mrs. Gore is shown with her lips slightly parted as if in the act of speaking. The bolt of lightning which killed Mr. Gore and seriously shocked her is also plainly photographed on the black glass. It is regarded by all who see it as one of the greatest phenomena ever known.

Oct. 19, 1916 – Mysteriously asleep for thirty days and showing no signs of an early awakening, Mabel Mitchell, aged 22 years, is proving a puzzle to local physicians. No similar instance of somnolence has come to the notice of the doctors of this section and the annals of medicine contain but few parallel cases. The woman has lost her sensory nerves, and is immune to pin pricks and other methods of arousing a sense of pain. However, the deeper motor nerves are still sensitive to the application of extreme heat and cold. Physicians believe that the woman will probably live two weeks longer in her present condition, and have no hope of her recovery.

Oct. 22, 1936 – Carl Williams has been declared champion hawk killer by local hunters. Tuesday while hunting with Joe Henderson Carl heard what appeared to be a huge prehistoric bird flying over his head. He states that he had no idea what the gigantic thing was and only brought it down after shooting it twice with his shotgun. It proved to be a common rabbit hawk, but an unusually large one. The bird had a wing spread of four feet, four and one-half inches, and is thought to be the largest rabbit hawk ever killed in this section.

Oct. 1, 1940 – The Alabama Supreme Court got a head start on Halloween today by donning long black robes on opening of the fall term.   Actually they are judicial robes which they will wear during all formal Court proceedings. This is the first time in history that Alabama jurists have worn the proverbial robes. A tailor made them for the seven justices.

Oct. 15, 1942 – The young people of the Hartselle Methodist church are sponsoring a pre-Halloween “hobo party” tonight. Every member of the young people’s department will be wearing work clothes and a sign reading “hobo.”

Here are some suggestions of readings to put one in the mood for Halloween:

Cobwebs from an Empty Skull

    Head-Hunters of Borneo

    Merry Diversions of Halloween

   The Honest Ghost