What is the Avilla Missouri ghost story?

Answer 1

Legend of the Avilla Death Tree and Rotten Johnny Reb, Avilla Missouri

The old village streets, abandoned buildings and fields surrounding Avilla, Missouri are said to be known haunts of the Shadow People, who are dark shadowy types of ghosts or shadow-beings. But sightings of the Avilla Shadow Folk should not be confused with the "Avilla Phantom Bushwhacker" of the "Death Tree Legend", also known as "Rotten Johnny Reb". This is the famous Halloween ghost story for the old town. Rotten Johnny is described as a similar shadowy figure but is not a true shadow person. He is a fearfully different type of troubled night apparition and is most likely a revenant or rare type of semi-visible poltergeist that roams around Avilla and haunts the Death Tree itself. It is an enduring Avilla ghost story describing various hauntings involving the ghost of a dead Confederate Bushwhacker whose remains were never properly buried, and an old tree charged with dark or evil energy after his skull was hung on it.

According to one version of the legend, the phantom is not only searching for his head, but vengeance on the town citizens as well. Rotten Johnny lurks in the shadows of the night, a now headless specter wearing a long duster and carrying an antique firearm. The Civil War never ended for him, as he is cursed to fulfill his mission even in death. The rebel relentlessly searches for unsuspecting dead or living "Yankee scum" around Avilla to bushwhack. It is said that the phantom can be seen nearly any night of the year, but seems most active in Autumn. It is thought that his head had been removed on All Hallow's Eve, accounting for his deadly power in the afterlife. Some unexplained deaths are attributed to the phantom, and he is rumored to be the reason why many have moved far away from Avilla over the last century and a half. The old village folk believed that the only way to break the curse was to find the Death Tree and remove the skull, and then properly bury it in a cemetery with other resting Confederate soldiers, or otherwise destroy it in a fire on holy ground. It is also said that the skull itself radiates dark, evil energy and can only be seen on the tree while illuminated under moonlight. You must carry a sharp knife or saber during this dangerous task. Once you see the hanging skull, it must be cut down quickly from the tree before "Rotten Johnny Reb" can cut you down first.

A handful of residents have tried to break the curse over the years, but all have failed, and the knowledge of the tree's location has died with them. One of the clues to finding the tree is that during the day it attracts black crows as a perch. Another clue is that it bears shriveled or rotten fruit, or none at all. It was once near an apple orchard but all the trees around it soon died, and it probably stands alone. The tree was located beside a trail leading to town, but the modern roads do not follow the old Civil War era trails at all, so it is more likely in a field today. The Death Tree is believed to be a very old Osage-orange tree near the outskirts of Avilla, but which side of town is unclear, and the exact location of of it is unknown.