Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-02-26
"Thank Godr' was her fervent reply.


Then we both started. There was O
rustling of the bed clothes. Mr.. Hayden
was sitting erect his eyes wide open, his
chest heaving with mighty effort for one
more inspiration of the blessed air. Be.
fore l could reach him, he spoke.
"My Godl she is coming"
At the same instant the wind came back
with sudden aud appalling gust, and q
a wild shrek, as it swept through the crew
ices of the building. Then there was a
sudden crash at the outer door! then q
staggering and uncertain step in the outer
room! the latch lifted! the door swung
open! and then, my God, what specta-
Gle!
wonder, even now, that dare describe
it-think of it-remember IL / wonder
believed it then, or do now; that l did not
90 mad, or drop down dead.
Through the open door there stepped q
figure, not of Mrs. Hayden, nor, of her
corpse, nor of death-but, thousand times
more horrible, thing of corruption and
decay, of worms and rottenness.
The features were nearly all gone, and
the skull, in places, CLEANED throug h,
white and terrible. Her breast, abdomen
and neck, had been eaten away, her limbs
were putrid, and expressibly loathsome the
cavities of her shoulders, chest, abdomen;
neck and thighs, were living mass Of
great and ugly grave worms, which as she
stepped, dropped away to the floor, togeth-
er with gouts and clots of putrid flesh
Her trail, over the threshold and into the
outer darkness, was marked by these loath-
some tokens, luminous line of corruption
and crawling worms, the efiuvia of which
was horrible.
And yet to those putrescent jaws there
was born voice-smothered, indeed, and
strange, but distinct:
"Come! William! they wait for you-I
wait"
dared not turn my eyes from the in
truder-I could not if 1 dared-though !
heard groan behind me and fall.
Then 1.-THE thing before me-sank
down upon the floor in heap, dark and
loathsome heap of putrescence and dismem-
bered fragments.
| l remember that 1 did not faint, that ]
did cry out. How long 1 stood transfxed
facinated, l knew not: but, at last, with an
effort and prayer, / turned to the bed,
Mr.. Hayden had fallen upon the floor, face
downward, stone dead. l raised him and
replaced him; l composed his limbs; l clo-
sed his eyes; bound up his chin; I cross
ed his hands upon his breast, and tied them
there. Then l bore out the body of bis
sister, insensible but not dead, into the
pure air-out of that horror and stencil in
to the storm and darkness-out of death
into life again!
County of Grand Traverse, Michigan, IS
Mrs. Joseph H. Green, being duly sworn
deposes and says that the letter of DR.. John
Moreton, hereto appended, which she has
read, is strictly true, so far as it goes,
though much Of the history of what occur
red at her brothers, the late Mr.. Hayden,
house is omitted and this she deposes Of
her own knowledge.
@ JosEpHA H. GREEN.
Sworn and subscribed before me, No
tary Public, in and for the county of Grand
Traverse, and State of Michigan, on the
goth of December, A. D. 1856.
JAMES TAYLOR, Notary Public.
County of Grand Traverse, Michigan, IS:
James Hueson, being duly sworn, depo-
ses and says, that he, in company with
George Green, Albert J. Bailey and Hen
ry K. Smeed, on the lst day of December,
in the afternoon of said day, did 60 to the
house of William H. Hayden, then deceas-
ed, for the purpose of burying the body Of
said Hayden, deceased, and that they found
upon the floor of the room in which the
body of the deceased lay, and near the
door of the said room, the putrid remains
of a human corpse, a female, as the depo-
nent verify believes and AYERS; and that
they carried away and buried the body of
said Hayden deceased; and found that the
grave of the wife of said Hayden, deceased,
in the month of August last, open at the
head of said grave, and that said grave was
empty of the body of said wife of Hayden,
being gone from said grave; and that they
then returned to said house, wherein said
Hayden died; and after removing the fur
niture from said house; the deponent did, at
the request of Mrs. Green, sister of said
Hayden deceased, set fire to said house,
and that said house was entirely consumed,
with all that remained in said house, and
burned to ashes. This l aver of my own
knowledge.
| JAMES HuEsoN.
We aver and solemnly swear that the
above is strictly and entirely true, of our
own knowledge.
GEORGE GREEN,
ALBERT J. BAILEY,
HENRY K. SMEAD.
Sworn and subscribed before me, Notary
Public, in and for the county of Grand
Traverse, and State of Michigan, on this
Goth day of December, A. d. 1855.
JAMES TAYLoR, Notary Public.
HENS AND Eaas.-For several years
past, l have spent few weeks of the latter
part of August on the Kennebec river, in
Maine. The lady with whom 1 have stop
ed is highly accomplished and intelligent
housewife. She supports "henery," and
from her derived my information in this
matter. She told me that for many years
1 L