The end of my previous post:

Cash called after her, "I doubt your ghost is here." This woman doesn't have an ounce of common sense. He started to follow, but paused as a movement at the far end of the cemetery caught his attention. Why would a couple wearing mid 1850's clothing be standing arm-in-arm facing a grave? Cash stepped closer. The woman appears to be crying. They must be actors for the tourists. He watched the man take the woman into his arms. They are acting. Cash started to walk toward them. As the couple faded away, Cash wiped his eyes. Now, I'm seeing things.

"Boo!" Paige sneaked up behind him.

Cash jumped.

"Are you all right?" She studied his face.

*****

Today's post:

Evan counted. "I see thirteen people have returned. I wonder if it's the original thirteen." He raised his eyebrows. "Our next stop is the Green-Meldrim House. Mr. Green hoped to protect his home and cotton from destruction as General William T. Sherman's Union Army drew closer in December of 1864. Green rode out to meet Sherman and invited him to use his home. Shortly after Sherman arrived at Green's home, he sent a telegram to President Lincoln. The telegram said Sherman was giving Savannah to Lincoln as a Christmas present along with one hundred and fifty heavy guns, plenty of ammunition, and twenty-five thousand bales of cotton."

"I don't know much about Sherman. I remember hearing he was a great general, but that's about it," Paige said.

Cash stopped. "Sherman decided he would 'make Georgia howl.' He used his fingers to accent the words. "His army marched through Atlanta, burned it to the ground, and continued the destruction as he marched onto Savannah."

"He must have had a good reason." Paige glanced ahead. "We'd better catch up."

"Yeah, he had a reason, he was evil."

As they stood in front of the Green-Meldrim House, Paige stared at it. "It's the same Gothic Revival style as my house." She turned toward Cash. "I heard a rumor it's being remodeled by the best."

His cheeks turned a slight red shade. "Listen to the tour guide."

"Sherman thought Savannah was so beautiful he spared her and remained here for about a year." Evan paused. "Here are a few random facts you might find interesting about our charming city. Many citizens hid in the tunnels from Sherman's Army. During the war some of the tunnels were used as an underground railroad for slaves to escape. Let's walk a few blocks to Madison Square."

"Excuse me, sir." Paige stood beside Evan and asked, "How many tunnels are there in Savannah?"

"No one knows for sure. There are at least two at the Pirates' House. The old Chandler Hospital has two or more. We don't know how many houses have tunnels under them or how many underground railroads there were." He shook his head. "No idea."

The thirteen person group stood in front of a huge house. "The Sorrel-Weed House is the largest house in Savannah. It's sixteen thousand square feet and was completed in 1841. There's plenty of history attached to it. Since this is a haunted tour, I'll get right to the ghosts. If you're interested in the history, talk with me later." Evan turned toward the house. "It's the most documented haunted house in Savannah."

Cash glanced at Paige. "You can't wait for him to start, can you?" After she nodded, he sighed.

"Francis Sorrel owned the house. Mr. Sorrel was originally from the island of Hispaniola and fled during the slave revolt of 1793. He was born Francois but changed his name to the English pronunciation when he came to the US. Since he was only one quarter black, he had no problem passing himself off as white. He married a Virginia blue blood, Lucinda. After she died, he married Matilda."

The older of the teenage boys said, "You said you weren't going to give any history, just ghost facts."

"Oh so right, but you need to know some of the background." Evan paused for a moment. "One slight history fact our Civil War buffs might like to know, Francis' son, Gilbert Moxley Sorrel was one of the youngest generals in the Confederate Army. He started out as a lieutenant under Lee and was wounded three times by the age of twenty-six. He was the youngest soldier to hold the rank of brigadier general."

He bowed toward the teenager. "Now for the ghosts, it seems Francis and Matilda had eight children. Two died at birth and a daughter died when she was six. The hauntings started around that time. Francis had an affair with one of the servants, Molly. His wife, Matilda found out and jumped from the second floor porch onto the courtyard." He pointed to the courtyard. "Two weeks later Molly was found hanged. It seems even after the rope was taken down, it would mysteriously return hanging from the same carriage house rafter."

The boy laughed. "Now, that's some story."

"I'm not finished," said the tour guide. "People have claimed to see figures in the windows and heard disembodied voices coming from the house. There's a lower section of the house that was used as a slave kitchen. There have been reports that voodoo is somehow practiced in that area."

The teenager grabbed his mom's arm. "Tomorrow we need to take a tour inside the house."

The rest of the group laughed.

"Now that's settled," continued Evan, "we have quite a jaunt to Monterey Square."

After walking about seven blocks, Evan stopped in front of a two-story house. "The Hampton Lillibridge House was built in 1796 but didn't have any strange phenomena until the 1960s. A wealthy antique dealer, Jim Williams, bought the house in 1963. Remember his name, it will come up later. He wanted the house moved. It collapsed and two workers were killed. The men found a crypt made from lime and oyster shells. Inside were eight skeletons. This house used to be in the poor section of town. During the yellow fever epidemic not everybody could be buried in consecrated ground and were buried at home."

Evan adjusted his gray slouch hat. "Tools went missing, noises were heard upstairs. Williams felt the foot of his bed being lifted. He called in ghost experts and was told there were six different ghosts and did what anybody would do with a house full of ghosts, he had an exorcism performed. Two years later more ghosts appeared. Some say this house is more haunted than the Sorrel-Weed House." His eyes widened. "There are still many things that go bump in the night. We have a short distance to walk to Forsyth Park."

"Cash, what's on your mind?" Paige's eyes met his.

"Nothing, why?"

"Since we left the Colonial Park Cemetery you've been quiet."