The Swamp Road Chronicles®
"Llewelyn"
Sir, I
want to tell you about my Uncle Llewelyn. Born Llewelyn Plummer, he passed away
at a very old age. He was my mother's brother, the eldest of 12 children. We would
usually gather at Uncle Llewelyn's house for holiday get-togethers such as
Christmas, Easter, and Uncle L's birthdays.
Uncle
Llewelyn had been a widower for many years. He lived in an old, old two-story
house on Beaver Creek Road, just about 2 miles north of Swamp Road's northern
end. I have many wonderful memories of fun-filled days of play with my cousins
on Uncle Llewelyn's farm.
Whenever
the family assembled, at some point in the evening, Uncle L. would bring out
the family's most treasured heirloom, his grandfather Daniel's Union Army Kepi.
A kepi is a kind of hat worn by both the North and the South during the War
Between the States. Great-great Uncle Daniel had been in the Ohio Volunteers
and saw action in several battles and had been seriously injured at the Battle
of Old Washington against Morgan's Raiders. The only part of his Union uniform
that survived to the 21st century was his cap. Believe me, it was a
revered piece of history to we descendants, or, at least most of us.
You see,
Uncle L. never had children of his own and never prepared a will, so when he
passed away the probate court decided how his meager estate would be divided.
His home and land went to his nearest surviving relative- his deceased wife's
nephew, Denver; a thoroughly disreputable person who had never associated with
the rest of the family. He too, is deceased now, so I feel no compunction in
speaking truth about him.
One night
as I slept soundly, I was awakened by something, I don't know what, but I had a
strong sense of not being alone in my bedroom. I sat up and over in the corner
I perceived the figure of a man standing in the darkness. He had a
ramrod-straight stance and a noble bearing. As I looked he stepped forward into
a shaft of light coming in the window from the full moon. He was clothed in a
Civil War infantry uniform. He spoke not a word, but looked at me in a very
solemn manner and then faded away.
When I
awoke I remembered the visitation but I decided it must have been a dream. My
sister Debra called later that day and I told her about my "dream".
She thought it sounded like I had seen our Great-great Uncle Daniel, based on
his dress, and she wondered if he was trying to tell me something. I could
think of no reason he would visit me, so, Debra wondered if Denver had any
ideas, since he then possessed Uncle Daniel's kepi. She had tried to have a
cousinly relationship with Denver and she thought she would speak to him about
my dream and see if he had any thoughts about it.
The next
day Debra called Denver and before she could get to the topic of the ghost he
nervously told her about a ghostly visitation he had experienced the night
before. He described to her the same spirit I had seen and the fact that it
terrified him. Debra told him she thought it might be our Uncle Daniel and she
asked about the kepi. "That's it!" he exclaimed. "That must be
it," he said. "I found that cap under the chifferobe
he kept in his 'sittin' room' as he called it, it was
in an old round wooden hatbox. I knew it was a valuable antique, so I started
to look for a buyer. That old thing is worth about $3000, I'm told, and I need
the money so I'm going to sell it."
Debra
offered him $3,500 on the spot and he accepted. Thank God, the kepi is still in
the family and it receives the protection and honor it deserves. I'm grateful
that Great-great Uncle Daniel let us know his kepi was in danger of being lost
to us. It was worth $3000 to Denver, but to Debra and myself, it is truly
priceless.
As
submitted by Asher Willem, 5-30-2023
