According to www.missourihauntedhouses.com and www.hauntedplaces.org, apparitions of a banker-type fellow, an elderly man wearing a trench coat, a young girl in a white dress and a “somber woman wearing period clothing, who has been seen staring down the street with a sad look on her face,” have all been observed by witnesses in Edina and Baring, Missouri.

There might be a good reason for discontented spirits to be in residence in the Knox County area as there have been some dreadful murders and accidental deaths take place in the vicinity over the years.

In late April of 1896, “Mrs. Joseph Cookson and Miss Daisy Miller, her niece,” were murdered with an iron bar near Edina, states the April 25, 1896 edition of The Quincy Daily Whig.

In June of 1949, the 06 June 1949 edition of the Moberly Monitor-Index tells the story of Mrs. Harriet Elvis Lane, 72, and her granddaughter, Miss Flossie Lane, 20. They had been attacked on their farm near Baring, Missouri in October 1943. Harriet had been shot in the back with a shotgun and died. Flossie, who had been beaten with a hammer, recovered. The perpetrator was Harriet’s son, Teddy Alva Lane. He was committed to the state hospital in Fulton for killing his mother in 1943.

In the 15 Aug 1930 edition of the Washington Citizen, a tragic tale at Baring Lake is told. “Miss Catherine Mudd, the capable and efficient bookkeeper of the Kahoka Motor Co., lost her life by drowning while learning to swim Sunday afternoon.” Catherine lived in Edina. Her companions, Miss Mildred Gutting and Mr. Asa Johnson, were teaching her to swim. “The lake was rough from the high wind and it is thought that Miss Mudd had filled her lungs with water.” Gutting and Johnson attempted to rescue her but she “sank to the bottom of the lake and it was one hour and twenty minutes before her body was recovered. Miss Gutting and Mr. Johnson were rescued in an unconscious condition and at a late hour Sunday night.”

In late December of 1894, reports the December 17 1894 edition of The Quincy Daily Herald, Clem Bone, 39, wandered away from his home in Edina. He was found dead by a tree in the woods three days after his disappearance.

Of course, many freight train related deaths were reported in the area including the death of Robert S. Clair, 21, in the 25 Apr 1930 edition of the New Cambria Leader. “He was attempting to board a fast-moving train but slipped and was thrown under the wheels and instantly killed.” He was 21 years old.

Could the spirit of the young girl in a white dress be that of Miss Daisy Miller or Miss Catherine Mudd? Could Mrs. Joseph Cookson or Mrs. Harriet Elvis Lane be the somber woman with the sad look on her face?