Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1857-05-01

Ycieped the night-rnarcf Did Il ever 80
happen IN cotfse Of domestic events, TINT
you were obliged to stny nlone Of q night
~ mn on fashioned country house, pobi.
lous with octogcnarinh rats and obscure corn
ers while the rest Of your family had.co
away for n day or two visiting, leaving you
to keep bachelors hall and shirkihp for ycur-
self as best you could 9NAnd didn't you
during such absence call in friend or two
and have regular old timo Of it, and after
degIutinating an indefinite number Of raw1
oysters and unknown quantities. the
mighty lager, didn't you SEQ round your bed
that night score or two Of founderine, ffe-s
breathing, saurnn monsters passing yoBl
compliments in very familiar way.-a kind
Of spiritous vision2 Invent through with ALL
these arrangements few nights ago. As
the evening waucd the guests departed and
left me alone. II Is great thing to boz
alone in big, old-fashioned country house
in the night time. The clock ticks louder
than IL ever did before, noises never before
noticed continually occur, dementcd rats GO
whaling and thrashing around in the cell
ngs making you start and fancy an ap--
proaehing onslaugh of banditti, or midnight
garroters, the solitary candle gives feeble
light the cats attuno themselves in felino
sercnadc, the dogs travel uneasily from place
to place often crossing the piazza with cau-s
tious step. Everything was lonely AsIs
was about to retire, heard heavy crash,
in distant chamber; then all was silent
again. Somewhat frightened, / took light
and an old pistol and proceeded towards tho
room from whence the tumult had proceed
ed; the doors creaked dsmally behind me,
and, although | tried TO step lightly, my
footballs echoed through the dcsolate apart
ments with an appalling sound. rcaGled
the door of the haunted chamber and paus-
ed moment before opening it. What was
in therel Ghosts and hobgoblns held in
no very marked respect, but what the deuce
made that noise--that was the question:
Something moved in tho room. Wild with
nervous excitement, and withal little-not
very SOBER dashed into the room. The
Sudden movement nearly put out the light,
and while it was resuscitating, could hear
the windows rattle fearfully. A bullet start
cd for the window in most summary man
ner; it only tore out cross-bar and gave
means of exit to huge cat that had been
sky-larkiug around the room. returned
from my bloodless encounter verv nervous
my own shadow, rs it swept along the an
giles of tho rooms, startled me. went 10
bed but not to sleep. At length another
crash occurred; the door was broken down,
men were in the room, bounded to the
floor; the pistol in my vain attempt to feel
courageous, | had neglected to load
seized long knife and stepped noisclcssly
forth, amazed at my own coolness. The
robbers were not aware of there being any
one in the house; the knife sped through
ones skull, he fell the others rushed on,
l floarished the knife, the hot blood whis-
tied through the air. balls cut through nv
muscles almost painless; man after man fell;
four of them; the other jumped through the
window; as ho cleared the easement the
knife glanced along his vertebrae, causing
frightful cash. The red field was wor.--
An appalling sight-corpses, blood, murder
ous weapons were piled on the floor. I
I was alone, the blood was pouring from my
Town vitals. Igave hideous shrek, and
'Doke Up.
A change came over the spirit of my
drcam-my room was an unbounded will
derness; full of ravines, and sink holes, and
black crags, and dismal voids and over all
was settled hideous gloom; yet amid all
| could see the door, but all faculty of loca--
tion was gone, and doors and windows whirl-
ed on in endless circuit amid the wild con-
fusion. I could feel the bed, Che holsters,
yet could not persuade myself that was
not tossed in chaos, buffeted about through
the gloomy scenes, stumbling mid abysses
on the perilous footholds in danger of a
fate worse than death. At last found N.Y.
self on low crag of finky blackness, all pow
er OF locomotion gone. was sliding, little
by little, faster and faster, till l gained tho
verge of an awful chasm, lost all hold, and
fell, when from the dread abyss arose sea-
ly monster to receive me in his fiery en-
brace. felt his scorching breath, and just
as the demon caught me, / woke.
Fearing recurrence of my attending in.
cubus, | determined to keep awake. Pres
emily I heard clatter, slght-it came
nearer-I could hear tho footstep-tho
rattle of dry-bones--itlcft the road could
hear the gate swing-the unearthly foot
step fell upon the piazza heavy hand
clasped the door hasp-ha! it's locked, tho't
| |, but lock and latch gave noiselessly away
the footstep fell in the front room-I could
hear the bones rattle against each other as
the step advanced-it reached the door of
my room-it was gigantic skeleton,
scarlet scarf floating at his back 1t entered
the room, sat in chair at my bedside
How the hardened ligaments snapped as it
sat down! Iwould have sold out then, read
er, pretty cheap. Clasping its bony hands,,
it turned its rayless eyes upon me and re-
manned motionless and silent.
My agony was intense. tried 10 speak,
to move, to beseech it TO turn those burning
eyeless sockets from me. tried to motion
him to depart but l could not stir, and
there it sat, hour after hour, that sightless
gaze consuming me with fire. Harki an
other cloud of bones; another step, the door
opened-another aeshless form; he took
seat and fixed his hellish front before me
| could not speak or move. Another step
another form, more of them--they camc
by twos and triplets till throng of hideous
skeletons were gathered around my bedside.
The first one arose-the confines Of my rooms
Ienlargcd--he flung tho scarf above me IN
the ART fell with the weight Of tons up-
on me. Again tried to speak, to move,