Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1857-03-12
EATON PREBLE COUNTY, 0. MARCH 12 1857

1ney IOllOWeu the iOOIStepS OF MrS.
Green, like demon echo; but paused
upon the threshold of that room, as if
debarrcd by a superior power, from en-
tering there.
1 found Mr.. Hayden much worse and
sinking very fast. He had passed bad
night. Doubtful whether he could sur
vive to see another morning, left him,
promising to call at evening, and spend
the night with him, resolving in my Sc
cret thoughts, to be ''in at the death. y
IF there was to be ghostly warming, I
meant to hear it, and, if possible, to
solve the strange enigma.
:: !: x = :: x
The day had been exceedingly cold
and stormy, and the mig ht had already
set in dark and dismal, with fierce gale
and driving storm of rain and hail, when
[ again stood beside my patient The
moment [ looked at him, L perceived
unmistakeable indications of the near
approach of death upon his features
He was free from pain, his mind perfect
iy clear; but his lite was ebbing away
with every breath; like the,,slow burning
out of an exhausted lamp.
Meanwhile the storm arose to tenn
pest and the gloom grew black as death
to the wild night without. The wind
swept in tremendous gusts through the
adjoining forests, startling the icy bran
ches of the trees, and came wailing and
shrieking through every crack and cram
ny of the building.
| Within there was yet wilder commo-
ton. All that had been said or sung,
written or dreamed of ghostly visitations
was then and there enacted. There was
ringing of bells, moving of furniture,
crash of dishes, whispers, howls, crying,
laughter, whistling, groaning, heavy and
light footsteps, and wild music, as if in
mockcry of the Internal regions. All
these things grew wilder with the rising
gale, until towards midnight they We're
almost insufferablc.
As for us three-the patient, Mrs.
Green and myself-not a word passed
our lips after nine o'clock. As for the
state of our minds, God only knows
Mine, in the wild whirl Of thoughts and
events which followed, forgot all the past
save what | have recalled and penncd,
bit by bit, above. [ remember looking
only for the final catastrophe, which
grew rapidly nearer, with constant en-
dcavor to concentrate all my faculties of
mind and sense upon the phenomenon
which [ at least, had begun to believe,
would herald the loss of my patient.
As it grew closer upon twelve clock
(for upon the striking of that hour had
my thoughts fixed themselves for the
expected demonstration my agitation
became so great that it was with extreme
difficulty l could control myself.
Nearer and nearer grew the fatal mo-
ment-for fatal I perceived it would be,
to the patient ut least; and, at last, the
seconds trembled on the brink of mid
night; the clock began to strike. One
-two-thrce / counted the strokes
of the hammer which seemed as though
they never would have done-ten-elev-
en-twelve! | drew my breath again
The last lingering echo Of the last stroke
had died fairly away; and as yet, there
was no token Of any presence save our
own.
Ali was silent The wind had lullcd
for a moment, and not sound stirred
the air within the house. The ghosts
had ffed
I arose and approached the bedside.
The patient was alive, drawing his breath
very slowly-dying. The interval be-
tween his gasps grew longer; then he
ceased to breathe altogether-he was
dead Mrs Green was sitting in her
place, her elbows resting on her knees,
her face buried in the palms of her hands.
closed the open mouth and pressed
down the eyclids of the dcad-then l
touched her on the shoulder.
1T is over" [ whispered.
Thank God" was the fervent re-
ply: < * :. x x
Then we both started. There was
rustling of the bed clothcsi Mr. Hay
den was sitting erect, his chest hcaving
with a mighty effort for one more inspi-
ration OF the blessed air. Before I could
reach him he sFoke:'-
"-Ny God! sic is coming !"
Atthe same instant, the wind came
back with a sudden appalling gust, as it
swept through the crcviccs of the build
ing. Then there was opening of the out
er door! then Il staggering and uncertain
step in the outer room the latch lifted
the door swung open ! and then, my God
what spectacle !!
wonder, even now, that [ dare de-
scribe it-think of it-remcmber it
[ would / believed it then, or do now;
that L did not go mad, or drop down
dead.
Through the open door there stepped
figure-a figure not Of Mrs. Hayden,
nor Of death, but thousand times more
horrible, thing of corruption and de-
cay, worms and rottenncss!
The features were nearly all gone and
the skull, in places, cleaned through,
white and terrible. Her breast abdo
men and neck had been eaten away, her
limbs were putrid, green and inexprcss-
IDLY loathsomc, the cavities of her shoul-
de:s, chest, abdomen, neck aud thighs,
were Il living mass of great and ugly
grave worms. which as she stepped, drop
ped away to the floor, together with
gouts and clots of putrid flesh Her
trail over the threshold and into the out
er darkness, was marked By these loath-
some tokens, a luminous line of corrup
ton and crawling worms, the efluyia of