PAMUNKEY DAVENPORTS & OTHERS INTERESTED: My daughter-in-law, Dr. Esther Lee Davenport, recently was bitten by the genealogy bug and took on Ancestor.com to research both her ancestors and my son's, meaning that she was interested in what was on the Internet concerning her families of Bennett and Davenport. Being a retired switch design engineer of AT&T's Distinguished Technical Staff, she possesses uncommonly sharp skills relative to surfing the Internet, and checked out various ancestors, both hers and my son Douglas's with Google searches. As a member of the English faculty at Seton Hall University, she has an acumen for recognizing uncommon family history items. So in her Google searches, she found something that I had totally missed in my more than 30 years of genealogy and family research--an item right under my nose! She found a Pamunkey Ghost! With the permission of Troy Taylor, author and copyright holder of "Haunted Decatur, Tales from the Midwest's Most Haunted Small City" (Whitechapel Press, 1993), we share the following excerpt: QUOTE: In October 1935, one of the most sensational unsolved murders in our history took place just north of Wabash Station. On a chilly evening of that year, former Decatur police chief Omer Davenport was brutally slain by unknown assailants. At the time of his death, Davenport was on duty as a special patrolman for the Wabash railroad. At the time of his death, Davenport was probably one of the most well-liked men in the city. He had distinguished himself in the military and had become the commanding officer of the 130th Infantry of the Illinois National Guard. After serving in World War I, he returned to Decatur and became the chief of police for three years. He was the youngest chief to ever serve, taking over the position at the age of 26. Davenport left the police department in 1927 and became a special patrolman for the railroad--a job that eventually got him killed. On the morning of October 8, the Wabash Passenger Train No. 17 arrived in Decatur from Chicago and Davenport was nearby as it pulled to a stop just west of Morgan Street. In the dim light, he saw two black men jump from the train and dodge behind a flagman's shack. Davenport started in their direction to investigate, but before he could get very far, both of them pulled out revolvers and began firing in his direction. One bullet struck him in the leg and the other in the neck. He fell beside the tracks, bleeding badly, while the two men climbed onto the nearest passing freight train and disappeared. Other patrol officers began searching the area and after a phone call, the Decatur police forces also joined in the hunt. Unfortunately, the description of the two men was sketchy but the police had other clues to work with. The gun that killed Davenport had been stolen the night before from the home of Isaiah Taylor, who had also reported that a number of other items had been taken. Some of these items were later found near the scene of Davenport's shooting. Police detectives searched the area and officers from all over the city and county worked overtime on the case. The night shift worked all of the way through the next day as they scoured the city for leads. The local highways, railroad yards and freight cars were searched and one group of officers walked along the line from Wabash Yards to Elwin in hopes that some lead might be found. Trains were stopped and cars searched. Trucks were stopped on the highways and deputies went to nearby towns to search the railroad depots. The state police aided in the search and broadcast the description of the suspects all over Illinois. Meanwhile, Omer Davenport had been rushed to the nearby Wabash Employees Hospital, which was located on East Grand Avenue, a short distance, a short distance from the station. He was still alive when he arrived there but began to fail a short time later. The doctors, who initially felt that he might recover, now began to offer a poor prognosis. The bullet that had struck his throat had worked itself into one of his lungs. It was causing serious complication and if they tried to operate, they were convinced that it would kill him. He died later on that night. A few days later, the manhunt began to slow down. Detectives traveled as far as St. Louis and Chicago in pursuit of some sort of lead but they found nothing. A reward was offered by the railroad in exchange for information about the killers, but it was never paid. Whoever the two men were, they vanished into history, leaving no clues as to their identities. Omer Davenport was buried with full military honors but there are many who believe that he has never rested in peace. For years after his death, there were those who believed that his ghost haunted to the Wabash Employees Hospital where he died. There were many reports of a man fitting his description who was seen walking the hallways and vanishing without explanation. The hospital closed down in 1972 and was used for a time as a community health improvement center before being abandoned. During its final years of operations, staff members spoke of the ghost of a man who wandered the building as if lost and then faded from sight. Could this have been the lingering spirit of Omer Davenport? The old hospital was demolished in 1996, leaving the question unanswered. But what about the other haunting connected to this railroad detective? This brings us back to the mysterious lights that appears behind the Old Wabash station, almost exactly where Davenport was shot in 1935 . In this explanation of the light, it is the ghost of Omer Davenport, not some mythical brakeman, who roams the tracks. Thanks to his untimely death--and the fact that his killers were never brought to justice--it is believed that the light is actually the flashlight of the slain patrolman as he wanders the line, hoping to find some clue to the identities of the men who took his life. UNQUOTE: In his e-mail response to my request for permission to quote extensively, Mr. Taylor said: QUOTE: ...frankly, [it is] an honor to write about your father, who I consider to have been a very heroic man. My great-grandfather had the privilege of knowing your father and spoke of him very highly. My great-grandfather was Art Hawkins, who was a police office in Decatur during the time that your father worked for the railroad. This is where I first learned of your father's murder. You are more than welcome to quote as extensively as you like from my book and pass it along to as many family members as you would like. Troy Taylor UNQUOTE. Yep, that's right. Wabash Special Agent Omer Davenport was my father. It is his ghost or the illusion of his ghost of whom Mr. Taylor writes. I was ten-years-old when Dad was murdered. I, my eldest brother Bob, and Dog Trixie were driven to Long Beach, California, to live by an Aunt and Uncle an hour after my father's funeral was concluded. My mother, two other brothers and sister followed Bob & I six weeks later. I have not visited Decatur except for very short visits since, had never heard of the ghost stories prior to Esther Lee's calling Mr. Taylor's writings to my attention. Not your customary Christmas present, but one that I appreciate. It adds a whole new dimension to Pamunkey Family History. John Scott Davenport Holmdel, NJ