Ghost Story: The Tragic Story of Laughing Jack

Background: In 2023 I was the storyteller for the waiting room for a Halloween haunted house attraction that operated at a large estate house at River Hills Retreat. I wrote this story to bring in the elements of the haunted house experience: creepy children, a scary clown doll, a gruesome patio setting at the exit. The story started much longer but I shrunk it down to the essential elements. Several people told me they were scared just hearing the story. Music to a storyteller’s ears.

We are happy to welcome you to our open house. This big house has a very interesting history. This house sits on the site of an old tavern that served hungry and weary travelers taking the stagecoach route that went from the resort at Blount Springs, came through the old Hayden crossroads, going to the train station at Oneonta.

One night a violent criminal, Laughing Jack, wanted for 15 murders, was chased by a mob and trapped in the tavern. Laughing Jack killed a couple of the men who tried to seize him, so the mob set fire to the tavern. From within the flames, they could hear Laughing Jack scream, “You haven’t seen the last of Laughing Jack.” The tavern was abandoned and all that remained was the brick walls of the foundation.

Many years later, a man built this big house on the old foundation. He and his wife had a daughter, Sarah, about 13, and a younger son, Caleb, who was about eight. The family moved in and settled into their rooms and their country life. Several months later they noticed Caleb playing with a large clown doll. Caleb said he just found it in the house and, since Caleb really loved the doll, the parents let him keep it.

The clown doll, whom the boy named Jack, was the boy’s constant friend. When he played in the sandbox, Jack was with him. When he would play with his toys, it was with him. Jack even sat with Caleb at the dinner table. His sister Sarah always felt very uneasy around the doll as if it were glaring at her with cold red eyes.

Eventually, Caleb would only talk to the clown, barely to his sister, or his parents. The parents took him to a doctor to see if they could help, but nobody could help Caleb. When they tried to take the clown doll away, Caleb became very hostile and clung tightly to Jack. One night Sarah yelled out in frustration that she hated that ugly horrible doll, Caleb suddenly became dark and hateful towards her.

Sarah would sometimes find beloved stuffed animals in Caleb’s room, often slashed into pieces. One night, her parents found Caleb standing outside Sarah’s room holding a knife and staring blankly. That was enough. The next night, the parents mixed crushed sleeping pills in Caleb’s dinner and barricaded him in his room leaving a small place to give him food. This is not what anyone wanted, but it was the only thing those poor parents could think to do to protect Sarah.

At all hours Caleb would pound the door loudly. One night Caleb found a way out of his room and killed his parents. Rumor has it that he dragged their bodies out into the patio and cooked their insides on the grill.

He went into Sarah’s room with his clown doll under one arm and a butcher knife in the other. Sarah was in her bed crying, looking away from the door. She thought it was her mom and whimpered, “I’m sorry I didn’t obey you earlier. I’ll be good. I promise I’ll be good.” The clown doll turned his head, locked his glowing glaring red eyes with Caleb and said, “You know what you have to do.” Caleb stabbed Sarah in her bed and went back into his room.

It’s a sad story for such a nice house. But houses, like people’s hearts, have shadowy places. Unlike a person, a house cannot hide its secrets. This house is ready to share its dark story with you. Are you ready to journey into the shadows of its heart?