Kenton Ghost Hunt

I’m sure that everyone is aware of the multiple spellings of many surnames.  While researching the surname Langston I came across a gentleman named Langton, in the Oregonian newspaper out of Portland, Oregon dated Sunday, January 5, 1913. The title of the article sparked my curiosity and just to verify if this was another spelling of Langston I had to check it out.  I got excited thinking that Langton could be a ghost hunter. Turns out he saw a ghost and decided to change his direction of travel and went the other direction. It might not be the correct surname but it’s still an interesting article for this time of year. 

‘KENTON GHOST’ HUNTED

PHANTOM-LIKE VISITOR DIS-

TURBS PENINSULA.

Mysterious Creation Lurks Along

Patton Road by Night and Van-

ishes by day, Is Report. 

  The “Kenton ghost,” if there is one

in that section of the city, had better

take to the cemetery if he wants to

enjoy life, for last night W. M. Kil-

ingsworth, Percy Conger and Dalles

M. Simonsen inaugurated the first of

a series of “ghost hunts” in hopes that

they may catch it, or lay it.

  William Adams and Jack Langton,

of the Peninsula district, say they saw

a ghost, or a mysterious person.

Wednesday evening as they drove

along Patton Road near Lombard

Street. The “ghost” was seated on a

stump, and Adams, to make sure he

was there, spoke to “the ghost,”

who is a smooth personage, glided

away. Adams and Langton took the

opposite course.

  “The ghost” was seen by Thomas

O’Rourke, of Derby and Kilpatrick

streets, a week ago. Mr. O’Rourke de-

scribes it as six feet high, so thin that

his bones show through his skin, and

pale as whitewash.

  “I came along the other evening,”

said Mr. O’Rourke, “and right before

me, near a tree, was this peculiar ob-

ject. I would have spoken to it, but

didn’t care to get into an argument

so said nothing.

  “Just then he vanished. I didn’t have

a gun with me, but I spoke to Police-

man Dick Stewart, whom I met 13

blocks away, a minute later. Stewart

said that he’d get him, and hurried

off.”

  Mrs. W. A. Willis, wife of Secretary

Willis, of the Portland Cattle Loan

Company, who lives in Kenton, told

her husband that she had seen a tall,

fat man three months ago. His actions

were such that she now knows that he

was a ghost, and thinks perhaps the

Kenton ghost is the same one, starving.

  Neil O’Hare, proprietor of the Ken-

ton salon, when asked for information

said: “Divil a bit do I know about any

ghost. Men came to my place and tell

 me about things they have seen the

 night before and they are such a va-

riety of everything that seeing ghosts

is tame in comparison.”

  J. H. Nolta, a member of the Inter-

state Bridge Commission, is said to

have seen the ghost. Mr. Nolta told

a friend that he had seen a most pe-

culiar being in a shanty some time ago,

and he is not over sorry that he did

not investigate.

  People in Kenton, now keep their

doors tightly locked at night, and or-

ders are said to be issued calling for

the capture of the intruder, dead or

alive. To see a ghost is one thing,

but to capture a ghost is another; per-

haps that is why those who have seen

Kenton’s mysterious visitor have been

unable to bring about his capture.