Kenosha tribune and telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1855-1855, 1855-05-31
NUMBER so.

ces Till | cried out with pain Then threas
enlng again to return and blow outmy brains
If they heard my voice, they went out down
the aisle, leaving the vesiry room door open.
All thishsppened inttle more than an hour;
for the clock rbimed the two quarters after
midnight At this moment.
| sat there two hours alone; but il SEEM
ed to me SO long that if had not heard ev-
ry quarter chime, should have expected
to see the day dawn through the stained
glass window. 1t was the drearie.t two
hours that ever passed IN my lifc 1t was
bitter cold, and sitting here helplessly in
one position, my limbs grew frozen, and tho
cords seemed to get tighter and tighter. and
atop the movement of my blood. 1t is nc
wonder | felt nervous after such scene.
Where Sat, with my back to the wall. /
looked right into the church. and the door
wa. left opsn. could feel cold wind
rushing from it into the room; and, as sat
staring into the darkness, strange fancies
troubled me. ! saw dark shapes floating
about, as thought and peeping at ME from
the sides of the doorway; and now and then
| noticed something like little flakes of light
moving in the gloomy space beyond l
would have given any thing for the power
to close the door. l fapeied strange noises.
and began to think Of thspeople had known
who lay in the vaults just below me or in
the graves about the church; and several
times a heavy hand seemed to be laid up
on my arm again. just in the spot where the
nam had first seized me- Once could not
persuade ysef bu: that could hear deep
tone from the organ; and again the suppos-
ed jsng!ing Of tho bells annoyed me. SO
sat listening inten,ly. when the whistlinr Of
the wind passed out of the doors, and hear.
ing and seeing all sorts of strange things,
till the chimes went to the quarter after two.
Soon after that saw lutte shining light
moving about at the bottom Of the church.
II came nearer to me, and heard footsteps.
had fancIed SO many things that was not
sure yet whether was deceived again, but
now l heard some one cal!-"Abraham
S.sdman! Abraham Stedman!' three times.
II was the Rec.or's voice. and answered
hin; but be did not know where was till
called to him to come to the vestry room.
lie held up his lamp. and was much sur
prised TO find me Ms was | related to
him what had happened to me and he un-
bound me. He..tod me he had laid awake
since midnight, wondering 10 hear no bells
! ringing, and had grown uneasy, forhe tho't
could not have failed to keep my word,
and he knew my word, and he knew that
was in the church alone. So at last he de-
termined to come and search for me.
This affair made great stir at Chorley,
but we could get no clue to the parties, nor
to their object in muilating the register
They had taken out So many leaves that.
was impossible to tell what particular entry
they wished to destroy; butt wasa curious
thing, that on examining the skeleton index
we found that although there were as MANY
as thirty entries in those six leaves every
one OF them began with three letters. This
was very small clue, and the marriages
at that part were many years back, so that
no one could ever tell what the names were,
1t was no wonder that we could get no trace
of the two men. Before the next year came
round the Chorley people had got something
else TO tax about; rs no one came for copy
Of the missing entries in the register they
began to forget about my adventure.
Eighteen month"; after the night which
WAS bound in the yes!ry room, Old Mr.. God
by sent for me one night, and told me he
thought he might yet be able TO trace the
two strangers. He had got copy OF
London newspaper. in which there was an
advertisement, addressed to parish clerks.
inqulrlag Tor the marriage register of a Mr..
Maclean, which took place thirty years be-
fore. The initials of that name W as one of tho
three letters; but rs the advertise ment men
! no NIL hot
small matter to so upon. But HAD always
thought that the entry which the two stran-
gers had searched for was on the first Of the
leaves which they tore out, and that it was
the other leaves underneath which were torn
with 1t to put us OF the scent. Now on the
first page we found that there were two en-.
tries, both beginning with NJ; which was
something more. Besides, Mr.. Godby rea-
sonsd that d register about which TIE par
ties interested were SO uncertain, was the
very one which, any person knowing Of its
existence and havin. AN interest in prevent
ing l:s appearance, might endeavor 10 de-
stroy. These three reason. seemed to him
so good that ho went up to London about
il, and a day or SO after he wrote me TO Join
him We we're soon upon the scent now
for Mr. Godby had ascertained who were
the persons likely to DO guilty. supposing
that We were right in our conjecture, tina,
the missing register concerned this family.
Whsa | saw one OF them recognized him
immediately. although he had worn mask
IN the church. knew him by his appear
snce, but when he spoke could swear that
he was the man. and the officer according
~ arrested him. We got such evidence
against him afterwards as clearly to prove
him guilty. People were hung for such crime
then, and it was with great difficulty that
he escaped with transportation. He confess
sed all about il afterwards, and said his COM
psnion had gone abroad since, he did not
know whittier; and believe they never
caught him. His motive-as you may sup
poss-was to defraud children of q large
property, BY destroying the proofs Of their
legitimacy; by which be was benefited as
the mex. kinof the deceased person; but the
lawyers set all to rights again, in spite Of
the missing register.