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Page 5
The creek had changed its course at some time leaving a deep rut washed
out in the bank. At the very bottom of the bank was a hole in which
the boys made the discovery of an old seep well. They found glass
buttons from a child’s sweater as well as from a woman’s clothing.
They also found a ring made from a dime that was worn by the Papworth
child. All other remains have long since washed out never to be found.
Near sundown one evening around 1902, Will Petty, a local farmer,
and his wife, were gathering water in large barrels in their wagon
at the McDow Hole. The woman was standing in the wagon while the man
was filling buckets from the creek handing them up to her. As he went
to hand her a bucket he noticed her staring over his head toward the
opposite bank. He turned to see The Ghost of Jenny Papworth floating
just over the water, moving slowly toward them.
The specter spooked the horses, which bolted immediately. Will quickly
dropped the bucket as he and his wife jumped aboard the wagon to control
the horses. They departed post haste from the creek spilling most
of the water they had worked so hard to collect. The couple never
returned to that part of the creek.
The
story of the McDow ghost became very popular by the end of the 19th
century in that many people would come to the water hole hoping to
get a glimpse of the specter. Unfortunately, as it seems, the ghost
only appeared to those who were not expecting her. Many small farms
dotted the area at the time and most all reported the ghost of a young
woman on different occasions. Many other strange events took place
on and around the McDow Hole during these days before the land was
sold off into larger portions resulting in a less population of people.
The Hickey family experienced the ghost over a course of thirty years.
Many times the spirit would walk near the cabin only to disappear
like a dissipating flame. She was seen one night in the Hickey family
home looking into a bedroom mirror in front of a dresser. According
to Dieletta Hickey, her father was once kissed on the cheek by the
disembodied spirit as he walked through a dark room in their home.
Joe Hickey, Dieletta’s father, died in 1937. He purchased the property
on Green’s Creek in 1909 after his father advised him against it.
Dieletta’s mother remained on the old home place until 1940 when the
family home mysteriously burned to the ground. It was the last of
several structures on the old Hickey farm to burn over a course of
a couple of years. One by one over a short period of time, each structure
had burned. All set at the hand of a mysterious arsonist. The family
never did understand why anyone would want to burn their home as they
were well known and respected in the community. As far as they knew,
they had no enemies.
While Joe Hickey lay on his deathbed in 1937, a mysterious tapping
noise was heard in his room every night, emanating from the wall just
above his bed. The family never was able to determine the origin of
the strange noise.
In the 1971, Dieletta Hickey returned to the old home place with her
husband and family. They stayed into the evening reliving memories
of a cherished childhood when a bright light sprang up from the ground
in the place where their old home once stood.
She reported the light to be about five feet high and twice as wide.
Irregular beams of light radiated from the glow. Then it disappeared
suddenly as if shut off by a switch. This event was not unusual as
far as Dieletta was concerned given the history of the place.
Dieletta Hickey remembered how people would come to the McDow for
all kinds of reasons, mostly, to get a glimpse of the ghost. Since
those days many of the small farms have been sold and now are incorporated
into large dairies and ranches.
The McDow Hole is located in a picturesque area of rolling hills and
partially wooded spots in the heart of the cross timbers. It is strange
how such a pleasant and seemingly calm place can boast of such a violent
past.
There is no known number of how many people have lost their lives
at the McDow during the old days of Texas
justice but many people in the area reported finding men hanging in
the trees at the McDow after receiving neck-tie parties.
One
questions does remain. Does Jenny Papworth still roam the haunted
hollow of Green’s Creek? Many think she does. One such person, Michael
Jones, a resident of Dallas,
was visiting with friends in Stephenville
back in the summer of 1980. His teenage companions decided to take
Michael to visit the McDow on a warm summers’ eve of that year. Michael
recalled the night as one, which he found intriguing as well as “filled
with horror”. ... next page
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© Bob
Hopkins
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