The Indiana Ghost Which Broke Up Two Families. Here is Mrs. Alice P. Gerrard, who impersonated a ghost so that she could meet alone the husband of her neighbor. Chasing the ghost became so pleasant a pastime for Harvey A. Spurlin that others joined in the pursuit and captured the "spook." The sketch shows the "ghost" in court, where she is defendant in a suit for alienating the affections of another's husband. The smaller sketch represents Mr. Spurlin after having chased and captured the ghost.

      Shelbyville, Ind., March 21. — Many weird and ghostly elements which are novel even in divorce suits will be laid bare when the case of Sarah M. Spurlin against Alice P. Gerrard for damages for the alienation of a husband's affections is tried in the Circuit Court here.

      It will make an interesting narrative of how a bulldog laid a ghost and of how, when divested of its clothing, the ghost proved to be a young woman, handsome and captivating.

      Now the young woman ghost is the defendant in Mrs. Spurlin's suit, and no end of local notoriety attaches to her.

Charged With Hypnotic Influence.

      The plaintiff is the wife of Harvey A. Spurlin, middle-aged and well liked. She places the value of her husband's affection and support fit $2,000. She is also suing her husband for divorce. The defendant Is the wife of David Gerrard. All the persons involved in the suit live at Flat Rock and are of the leading families there.

      Mrs. Spurlin and Harvey A. Spurlin were married in 1875, and live together until August, 1897, when, she alleges, her husband abandoned her on account of Mrs. Gerrard, a woman of exquisite beauty and rare accomplishments who possesses irresistible powers of fascinations, amounting almost to hypnotic influence, over Spurlin.

Played Ghostly Tricks.

      It is alleged in the complaint that five years ago she began plying her bewitching arts to ensnare and beguile Harvey. To accomplish this purpose, it is alleged, Mrs. Gerrard resorted to various cunning devices.

      In August, 1894, the complaint alleges, a few evenings after the death of Eliza Spurlin, the nineteen-year-old daughter of the plaintiff strange, weird and unusual noises were heard near the room in which the girl died. Mrs. Spurlin, who was then sorely distressed over the loss of her daughter, became alarmed on account of the frequent apparitions of the supposed spirit from the other world.

Husband Chases the Ghost.

      Mr. Spurlin, who was a bold man, determined to lay the supposed ghost of his daughter. At every recurrence of the weird noises he would rush out into the darkness, and on his return to his wife would say that he had pursued a black form, huge and clumsy, far into the woods but that when he was near to it it rose from the ground and gradually drifted away, shadowy and thin, into space.

      This was repeated so often that it finally developed into a scandal. For miles around it was talked about.

      Finally, at midnight on a dark nasty night the sounds of the ghost clinking the chains on the front gate were heard.

      Spurlin seized his gun and his brother George went with him to chase away the ghost. They saw the spectral form standing by the gate, but as they approached it receded, and when they increased their pace, the ghost ran down the hill with the speed of a deer. The two men would have lost it had it not been for Spurlin's bulldog which joined in the chase.

Bulldog Exposes Indiana Ghost.       Mrs. Alice P. Gerrard. the wife of a well-to-do Indiana citizen, played the part of ghost and "haunted" the house of Harvey A. Spurlin, a neighbor. Spurlin regularly chased the ghost, and for several hours on stated evenings would pursue the spectre. One night his dog joined in the chase, and, with the unsolicited help of the neighbors, captured the "spook." The ghost proved to be Mrs. Gerrard, who had adopted this method to meet Mr. Spurlin. A damage suit and two divorce cases were the result.

Bulldog Exposes the Plot.

      Before Harvey could collect his wits or intercept the dog Towser had the ghost, which proved to be the fair Mrs. Gerrard prostrate and was proceeding to disrobe her of her ghostly apparel.

      Mrs. Spurlin alleges that it had been arranged that Harvey was to get a divorce from his wife, draw money due him on a life insurance policy, marry Alice, move to Greenfield, Ind., and enter business.

      In the meantime, Mrs. Spurlin says, she was to be left to rear her three children and be forever deprived of the companionship of one with whom she has lived happily for nearly twenty-two years.