April Slaughter Read Free Page B

was wearing anything remotely aromatic, and certainly did not use or have access to anything that would have produced the scent, so Lance took note of it and continued on with the investigation.
    “The building smelled dank and musty—the sort of wet stone smell you would expect in a building this old and unoccupied for a long period of time,” Lance explained. “The rosewater smell would unexpectedly come and go, especially when we moved from one floor to the next. It was my impression that something was trying to lead us away from the upper floor because as soon as we detected the scent in the jail cell area, we would follow it to the lower floor where it would suddenly dissipate.”
    In discussing the occurrence with the town historian following his visit, Lance was surprised to learn an interesting fact. A man who had been convicted of a crime and locked up just after the jail opened had reportedly used a type of balmy, rosewater-scented substance to lubricate the cell bars, allowing him to slip through them and escape. The scent was sometimes strongly pronounced, yet subtle and barely detectible at others.
    Pleasant scents are not the only thing the members of TSS experienced during their time in the old frontier structure. Members Chris Travis and James Leslie were troubleshooting an issue with a piece of equipment when they noticed something in one of the cells. For a brief moment, they both witnessed what looked like a person leaning out from the bunk and stretching out an arm in their direction. Just as quickly as the apparition appeared to them, it vanished. A short while later, while the group was descending the stairs, the figure of a woman appeared near the bottom step and stood looking at them. She too disappeared out of sight within a matter of seconds.
    “I unfortunately did not see the woman’s apparition,” said Lance, “but Chris and James had seen her twice that evening, and both times on the staircase. The rosewater scent was also
very prevalent at the time she appeared, so we’re not sure if it is associated with her, Mr. Fulcher, or has some other explanation entirely.”
    Teresa, another of the group’s co-founders, reported that upon entering the gallows area on the upper floor, she began to feel dizzy and sick to her stomach, ultimately forcing her to exit the building in order to recover. No definitive cause for her sudden illness was discovered.
    “I hadn’t been near the gallows for more than five minutes when I began to feel really sick, and I just felt the need to get out of the building for awhile to get some fresh air. I knew from past experiences that this feeling meant I needed to leave, so I paid attention. After spending some time sitting outside, I returned but decided to spend the rest of the investigation on the lower level of the jail rather than returning to the second floor.”
    Lance and the TSS team continue to think of the building as an “unexpected hotbed of paranormal activity.” Standing as a reminder of all that once was in the rich stories of Texas’ past, the Motley County Jail may indeed be home to the restless spirits of those once physically held there.

CHAPTER 3
    Fort Phantom Hill ABILENE / HOLLY

    Fort Phantom Hill guardhouse (April Slaughter)
    FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE, I have possessed a desire to step out of the present and into the past; to see and experience history and the world around me as it once was. I grew up fascinated with old and forgotten things. I had much more fun roaming around abandoned houses and exploring hidden cemeteries in the hills than I ever did playing at the local public park. Perhaps this is why Fort Phantom Hill first caught my attention. I was pleased to learn that for decades, people have reportedly encountered the unexplained all throughout the sprawling twenty-two-acre property.
    Established in 1851, Fort Phantom Hill—along with three additional sister forts in Texas—provided assistance to westbound settlers by ensuring