The corpse of an old dead Marshall, Texas man that kept popping up in and around Marshall and as far as San Antonio, Houston, Frisco, the shores of Galveston and the busy city streets Dallas. And so this is the stuff that real haunting walking dead stories, and the many tall tales of the Lone Star State's urban legends are made of.
The haunted corpse of an old dead and buried man is often a told as strange supernatural tall tale in these parts. His corpse that was said to turn up around the great state at public functions, weddings, funerals and rodeos. And his many haunting tales are often told in extremely hushed tones. True or not the sorted stories tell of Old Jasper a dead man that would not stay buried.
It never mattered how deep his grave was dug. Or in what secret spot his coffin was placed. It seems old Jasper always returned to rule the day. Whether Jasper was a real person or just a fabrication is still as mysterious as the Texan urban myth itself.
Many thought that someone or group were always digging him up just to scare the people of the town. Then one day a person from Jefferson Texas arrived with the body of old Jasper in the back of his wagon. His arms folded tightly over his chest and one shoe gone. He went on to explain that they found his corpse propped up at the back of the courthouse grinning his deathly white toothed smile.
The only reason he knew he was from Marshall was that on inspection of the rotting corpse they found his identifications papers and the deed to his grave in his coat pocket.
His rotting smelly corpse is said to have turned up in many strange places and often when people tell the tale. Even today his story lives on and people will often relate a family members or close friends who have said to have had a real run in with the dead man himself.
Jasper they say never wanted to be buried or embalmed. He told everyone that when he was alive that if he was buried in the ground and pumped up with embalming juice just to be worm bait, that he would return to seek his vengeance on those that did it.
His corpse is said to have been found from everywhere in town, and at any or all special occasions. He is most often as it is told over the years found on the grounds of Wiley College. Personally I have never seen him. Many students think that it is just a prank to scare the freshman. But those who tell the story often swear it's not a joke... it's 100% truth. These many scared students often they have seen him grinning with his bright white teeth and always one shoe missing.
He is described as being dressed in his finest dark suit and his wiry hair is always waxed tight to his head to perfection. He is always found wearing one shoe and in his inner coat pocket is a paper with his identifications in it. If you find his corpse they say it is a sign your next for the grave only because he is looking for someone to take his place.
To stop the spell of this walking corpse the story goes that once he was found naked in Longview, Texas. Some might tell it as being Denton, Texas or Lodi. But anyway the story tells of a person recognizing him right off as old Jasper From Marshall.
The towns people are said to have bought him a fine new suit and had a grand funeral for him because they knew the townsfolk of Marshall did not want to deal with burying him again. Three days later he turned up at the Mayors house leaning against on the front door. When the Mayors wife opened the door in fell old Jasper dressed in his new suit again with one shoe missing.
That's when the frightened forlorn Mayor had him crated up and sent to the Mayor of Marshall C.O.D..
Lisa Lee Harp Waugh The American Texan Necromancer once told me a story her dad told her of old Jasper. And I am glad to tell it to you all here now.
As Lisa told me it's just a story she heard many times over. True or not it is a good story to tell.
If you know all the stories of Old Jasper the strangest is the story of him popping up at weddings and funerals.
He has even been said to pop up at graduations and his own grand kids children's birthday parties. Stories in the city often will start out that the local morticians know him well for many many times he shows up on there slabs as as a unidentified body.
Often he is found just on the side of the road from here to Longview. I will will tell you I know old Jasper has seen more Texas Roads and eaten so much dirt in his travels that that's why he is grinning.
Well the tale Lisa tells is that it seems he had a high society daughter who moved away to California and married a rich man. Her youngest daughter was getting married to an important man. so the daughter she sent back invitations to everyone here in Marshall that she knew that could possibly attend the wedding or send expensive gifts.
On the day of the wedding it seems they were more then surprised to find leaning against their front door the corpse of her father old dead Jasper himself.
How he got there no one really knows but the daughter collapsed when she saw what was once her father standing there with his pearly whites grinning at her. So in thinking it was some horrible sick practical joke by the towns folks of Marshall, his distraught daughter was enraged and went back to Marshall with the corpse in tow.
In arriving in Marshall by train she went to the car in which his coffin was placed. But when the door opened and the conductor told her it seems that someone had broken in and left the coffin open and had stolen her father rotting shriveled body.
In shock once more his daughter was in tears when she spoke to the local sheriff. "Who could have done such terrible things to her and her family." But the sheriff who had had multiple run ins with Old Jasper's corpse over recent years was afraid to tell her his stories but he told her just the same.
Aghast over the whole matter his daughter got on the next train and left town as fast as she could. Many say she thought it was some big practical joke until she got home and found old Jasper laying grinning all laid out comfy in her fine silk and white laced dressed made up bed!
But the strange tale of Old Jasper's haunted corpse doesn't' end here.
They say six weeks later he was found at the Alamo. The parties who found his corpse made note in the letter they sent to Marshall's Sheriff. The person that found him and sent him back said they found his papers on him but one shoe was missing so they are now sending him back to Marshall for a proper burial.
But he never got there! So when the local authorities or the mortician open the crate he was packed in. Jasper was not in it.
My favorite ghost stories of Old Jasper over the years are those told about him turning up in strange places. From the locker rooms at schools, to private parties, socials, and even on the city streets propped up against the a building watching the Fire Ant Parade go by.
Jaspers stories often tell of him staying in the finest hotels from here to Jefferson. Riding in motorcades with public officials and often just being seen from here to there and everywhere during Stage Coach Days.
About Tamilla Easter Jackson
A graduate of Wiley College has lived in Marshall, Texas all her life. As the founding member of Marshall, Texas Ghost Finders she and her group of 35 other students have hunted for ghost and paranormal activity through out the City of Marshall, TX. " Growing up haunted inn Marshall is a common thing." says Jackson. Since she was a child she has had over 30 or more encounters with the White Lady of Marshall, Texas.
Each year during the STAGE COACH DAYS Jackson holds several private ghost tours. Plan to join MTGF for a real ghost hunt of the cities downtown area during the 39th Annual May 2011. Come enjoy the Haunted ghost filled fun!
Marshall, Texas Ghost Finders 9th Paranormal Workshop
Mark your calendar to join us! 2nd Weekend in October. Paranormal, Forteana, Cryptozoology, Supernatural, Ghosts, Psychics, Remote viewing, Clairvoyance, Extra-sensory perception, Near-death experience, Precognition · Psychokinesis, Psychometry, Telepathy, Apparitional experience, Parapsychology, Haunted locations UFOs, UFO sightings, Paranormal UFO explanations, Paranormal fiction, Ghost hunting , Folklore, urban legends.
