The Ghosts Haunting the New Mill at the Innerste River

The new mill[1] at the Innerste river within the Upper Harz region is said to be haunted. It is believed that the cause for this are the old possessions of the papacy which were destroyed when the mill was built. For there used to be a monastery where the mill stands now. And when the mill was built during Protestant times, the ghosts of the old monks grabbed the workers by their feet and pranked them constantly. Furthermore, at one particular location a small flame was burning, and a fat monk - a ghost - was visible the entire day. This ghost pointed towards the spot where the flame burned throughout the day. Finally, the workers - who did not know where else to turn, and furthermore suspected that treasures were buried here - fetched a Catholic priest[2] and asked what ought to be done here. After the priest had observed the activities of the ghost for a while, he said: “Yes, a lot of things are here, and for this reason the ghosts cannot rest.” He now had the workers dig at the spot where the flame burned according to his instructions, and there they found a thrice-locked chest which was surely filled with money. But the priest said that he would have to take the chest home and speak many prayers over it before the money could be taken out. Thus, they transported the chest to his home on a wagon pulled by four horses, and the four horses were barely able to move the chest from the spot. When the priest did not bring the money within the chest back to the new mill at the appointed time, the workers went to the priest’s home. There, they found out that the priest had gone away, but the chest had been left behind. When they finally opened it, there was nothing inside except for a single red pfennig coin.[3] The priest had quietly taken out the rest and sent it ahead to a destination where he himself had planned to go.