A SENIOR citizen recently asked me if I had every heard of Eli, the Slaughter man, the ghost of Lovely Lane. The answer is yes, but he was better known as Greedy Eli Morgan, who lived in Froghall Lane. He also had a small slaughter yard off Lovely Lane, which later became a recreation ground at the rear of what is now Memory Lane Cakes.
I later learned from Warrington Mercury readers that Eli also lived in Park Place, opposite Warrington Infirmary on Kendrick Street.
When I first wrote this story, the response from the public was amazing. It ultimately threw new light on the actual details of events leading up the ghost of Greedy Eli Morgan being seen regularly since he glutted himself to death at the early age of 45 years in 1911.
Eli Morgan had an enormous appetite. It was said that he could go into the old Railway Inn in Priestly Street and down 10 pork pies and 10 pints every dinnertime. He was 22 stone and was wider than he was tall -standing only five foot six inches. He also had tremendous strength and would fight any man. But Eli had one great weakness, he could not resist apple pies, the bigger the better. He was brought to court on two occasions for stealing apple pies from the local cake shop on Sankey Green.
What happened was that during the celebrations of King George V Coronation, Eli Morgan was challenged to an eating contest outside the Green Man Inn by a Wiganer by the name of Joe Starkey. Starkey claimed to be the world's champion eater.
The stake was £1   which Eli readily accepted.
The competition was to see who could eat the most pork pies and down a pint for each pork pie. It must also be remembered that pork pies those days were massive.
Joe Starkey started the competition and ate sixteen pork pies and drank sixteen pints. Then came Eli Morgan's turn. He went for a world record which would never be beaten and packed up at twenty- six pork pies and twenty six pints.
Shortly afterwards Eli collapsed in the gents and died .
The populace of Whitecross were sadden loss of this great character. But wait for it. A few weeks after Eli died, the apple pies vanished at the local walking day St. Barnibas. Huge bite marks appeared on the apple tarts in the local cake shop
People claimed to have seen his ghost on scores of occasions after this, and whenever apple pies went missing Eli was always blamed.
Eli's ghost was also seen regularly in the Railway Inn and customers were afraid to sit in Eli’s seat Mrs. Lonmore who later became the manager said she saw Eli regularly and on one occasion the cheese and pickles vanished when there was no one in the pub.
And so it was, Eli Morgan became legend.

Our apple pies are missing
All the ladies howl
But ladies you have all been warned    
Eli's on the prowl