With Halloween on the horizon, let's hear your best Bluffton Halloween story.

While this isn't my most frightening, it's still a good one. Before you say, "Well, that's just an urban legend," remember that this story took place before the term urban existed. Concerning a time line, we're talking 1870s. So, it makes this one the oldest known Bluffton Halloween-type stories. I have no doubt that this really happened.

It was told to me by "Link" Hauenstein (I never knew him by any other name) circa 1978.

Link's grandfather worked at Sidall's saw mill. Today that would be on the northeast side of North Main just as you cross the bridge over Riley Creek.

The saw mill, so I am told, was fairly large. It probably cut the wood that is today in many of the older homes in Bluffton. Link told me that one afternoon his grandfather he lost three fingers in the saw. The Sidall employees took the injured man to the doctor and the doctor "fixed him up."

Nearly three weeks later, Link's grandfather kept saying that it felt like there was a splinter in his finger.

The strange part is that the "splinter" was one of the fingers that was missing.

Perhaps now you know where this story is headed.

In Link's words: "Then, someone finally got in there and cleaned up the saw and in the sawdust found my grandfather's three fingers and there was a splinter in one. He threw the figures into the creek and the pain went away. You see, the splinter got out of the finger once it was in the creek."

Tell this one on a dark and stormy night.