The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-08-25

This madam Is the history and I'll. /. ~
why the house was at first neglected ,,ntil ,n, -
you see, : only it for farmh house. and we have
lived very comfortably in it, much more barn;,-,
than ever Sir William did, am sure AappA!
Now this account at the time heard 4, h.a -
fainy shocked me as lar as respected the awful
death OF SIR W,iliam; but the latter part of r. T
thought absurd 10 me extreme for, my good friends
was not then either nervous superstitions. INT
at the moment speak Of alone in church. fei,
that my mind was weakened and | determined n1s
to look at the tomb, or think of the story. cem.
posed myself as well as could, and fell into sort
of doze, which imagined lasted some time. for.
when awoke, the moon had risen, and was now
high ia the heavens, pouring flood of softened
radiance through the Gothic windows ON part Of
the church, while the other was left in dark shadow.
rose from my reclining position, to make some
change In the arrangement of my cushions, and
perceived that the light was thrown most strongly
on the tomb on which had previously resolved not
TO look; but as dare say you may some of you
have experienced at times, we feel ourselves IRE
sishbly impelled to look ar, or think Of those
Things, from which we would most wish to with
draw our attention, so | felt, ] know not how, a
strange impulse to fix my eyes upon this tomb, on
which reclined the sculptured figure of Sir William
nearly as large as life.
w Whlls my eyes remained, as itwere fastened on
TINS object, could be deceived by the shadows OF
the moonlight or did in reality perceive a NOV
ing Iorm apparently rising from that tomb All
no II was no vision of the imagination Idistinctly
H"', ioiiS iedu arm ralseQ above the SepulChre,
anu, moment afterwards, the ghastly apparition
OF human face, pale, wild and unearthly glared
on me with eyes expressive of misery and despair
STOOD unable move limb; every faculty of body
ana mind seemed frozen up in horror the spectre
advanced step from the monument and in that
moment my senses were almost paralysed bv the
most heart-rending sound that ever appelled NOR.
tai cart was the yell of despair-it was the cry
OF human suffering, with a strange and horrible
mixture of the agony of dying animal. sank
oil hat haJ
required to my mind which became chaos of
terror and superstitious alarms and lost all con
sciousness of The horrors that surrounded me in a
temporary insensibility.
| know not how long | remained in this state
almost approaching death, but when in some
degree recovered myself, found thatI had fallen
on the floor OF the pew, and as my mind was graGu-
ally restored to recollection, endeavored to per.
suade myself that | had been deluded by phan-
tom OF the Imagination. | thought how often we
are victims to our over-excited fancies NY senses
might have been bewildered; might after all only
have dreamed In this idea, slowly rose from my
recumbent posture, determined to examine the
tomb myself and to be convinced, that my mind
had been under temporary arrangement. | stood
up looked to the door of the pew when, oh dread
tul sight the same ghasty and horrid face met my
view, the spectre leaned it, with its glarin
eyes fixed on mine. My sensations have hardly
words to describe: by no power could withdraw
my eyes from this object: Tor huurs did remain
thus spell-bound felt if the blood had CONCEALED
in my VEINS my temples ached with intense agony,
aud every hair on my head felt as if it endued
with living power, and was moved by some invi-
slble mechanism felt that my senses were desert
ing meA but was not mad; for through that long
and dreadful night did distinctly hear the hours
told by the church clock, which returned in dismal
echoes to my ear. Horror at last became despair;
rose in frantic wildness to rush from my prison,
when again did the spectre utter that soul appalling
sound Every object, the church, the monuments
seemed to rock and reel around me- my eyes emitted
sparks OF fire, and from that moment lost all re-
collection of many weeks of my existence.
My story appears terrific and it was indeed truly
SO to me, and yet the events were in reality very
common, and such as had my mind, instead of be-
ing in state OF excitement and terror, been capa-
Bile OF calm would not to me have been
the cause OF such prOtraccted suffering. The next
morning, the woman who had the care of sweeping
the church came to it early to prepare for the ap
preaching service, and she found me raving in a
paroxylsm of derium, and the poor innocent cause
OF my fear himself terrified and alarmed He wa:
a pauper belonging to village miles distant
bewas born deaf and dumb, and had as he grew up
been found to be also idiot. His parents mad sup
ported him decently while they lived; but on their
death, the care of him had devolved on the parish
he had grown old in poverty, sickness, and depen
dence; but he was perfectly harmless, and the
nelghborlng farmers never rutused him meal
Frequently in the summer season he wandered
around for days together, taking his scanty food
from the hand OF charity, and his nightly rest in
Jain oi outnouees. IL was suppCseu uldI ne Had
wandered into the church, where he had fallen
asleep; and when he awoke, he was the uncon
cious cause to me of terror never to be forgotten
by his meagre and ghastly appearance, and his hor
rid and uncouth attempts at articulation.
| remained long on bed of suffering: frenzy
fever left me reduced to almost iniantine weakness
OF lis effects me corporeally and mentally, yol
may judge, when tell you, that when entered tina
church my hair brown and glossy as the ches
nut, and that when rose from nay bed it was grey
Nv xrybie CTR
ana agile, have ever since trembled with paralysis
and my mind, which was once cheerful energetic
and courageous, is now desponding, weak, ant
thnid.-Fomily Magazine