History
During the American Civil War, a war chest full of gold was collected in New Orleans to be shipped to Jefferson Davis for use in the conflict against the Yankees. The gold was trusted to Mr. Allardice, who was sworn to secrecy about the cargo he was shipping. The gold was shipped aboard the steamboat called the Ghost Witch, and the one man that Allardice confided the contents of his cargo to was the ship's captain. However, the captain was a crooked man who convinced card shark Rindingo Jones to help steal the gold. They stormed Allardice's room and fatally shot him. With his dying breath, Allardice cursed Rindingo and the captain:
"With my dying breath, I curse you! May your rotten soul haunt the river forever, never finding rest - never finding the gold you love!"
Rindingo scoffed at this, and he and his accomplices left the Ghost Witch with the gold aboard a life boat. At that moment, lighting struck the Ghost Witch, killing all aboard and partially sinking the ship. Rindingo and his crew were lost in the river and were never heard from again. Unknown to all, their boat had sunk, and they all drowned. The gold was lost as well, and the story of the Ghost Witch became a local legend, and most steered clear from its wreck.
By the fall of 1942, Rindingo Jones' grandson -- named after his grandfather -- sought to find the long lost gold for his own personal gain. In order to keep the locals away, he secretly repaired the Ghost Witch and hired a crew. Using his uncanny resemblance to his grandfather to his advantage, he would make all those who dared board the ship believe it was haunted. One night, local man Bill Howard made a bet with a local plantation owner that the ship was not haunted. Discovering Rindingo and his men, he was shot dead and tossed overboard the fleeing Ghost Witch.
This murder was witnessed by the Sub-Mariner who brought the body ashore and soon learned the local legend. When investigating the Ghost Witch, Jones attacked the hero, catching his foot in a bear trap. However, Namor turned the tables by putting the trap around Rindingo's neck. The villain convinced Namor to take it off so that he could "talk" but used the opportunity to set off an alarm that sent his crew coming to knock Namor out. Unaware of Namor's amphibious nature, they tied him to a boat anchor and tossed him overboard and then stashed the Ghost Witch in a nearby tobacco warehouse.
Namor eventually freed himself and attacked Rindingo at the warehouse. During the fight, Rindingo ordered his men back aboard the ship and after tying a rope to one of the buildings supports pulled the ship out at full speed, tearing down the warehouse. Namor once more survived and chased after the Ghost Witch. Seeking to outrace the Sub-Mariner, Rindingo ordered his men to lighten the ship as much as possible. Then went downstairs and ordered full steam but also had his men block the pressure gauge to prevent a release of steam as it would force the ship to slow. Despite the warnings that the boiler could explode, Rindingo's men followed his orders, and this proved to be their undoing. As expected, the pressure built up in the boiler enough to cause it to explode, destroying the the Ghost Witch and killing all aboard.[1]