Arkansas true Democrat. [volume] (Little Rock, Ark.) 1857-1862, 1858-08-25

/ ", "au SfeatsF chaiiged. Besides
the moving OF all movable articles, the tink
ING OF glasses and the rattle of tin ware there
were frequent and startling sounds. as of a whis.
perez conversation, singing and snbduel laugh.
ter--ail perfect limitations of the human vnica
but too low to enable me to detect the words
used, If words they were. StilI. however mono
OF these unusual sounds entered the sick room,
They followed the footsteps of Mrs Green
like demon echo but paused on thar room as
II deoarred by superior power from entering
thnrs
found Mr.. HAYDEN was worse. and sinking
very last, He had passed bad night. Doubt.
III whether he would survive to see another
morning LETT him, promising 10 call at evening.
and spend the night with him. resolved. in nv
secret thoughts To be in at the DEATH If
there was to be a costly warning | meant TO
near 1t, and, if possible, solve the strange enig
ma.
The day had been exceedingly cola and stor-
nv, and the night had already set in. dark and
dismal. and fierce gale and driving storm of
ram and hail, when again stood BESIDE nv ~
tlent. The moment | looked at him per.
ceivei unmistakaole indications of the near an.
proach of death upon his features. He was free
from pain. his mind perfectly clear: but his
life was ebbing away with every feeble breath
ike the slow burning out of an exhausted
lamp.
Meanwhile the storm rose to tempest. and
the gloom grew black as death in the wild night
without. The wind swept in tremendous gusts
through the adjoining forests, rafting and
shrieking through every crack and granny of
the huildng
Within there was vet wilder commotion.-
All that had heen said or sung, written or dream
ed, of ghostlv visitAtionS, was then and there
enacted. There was the ringing of bells, mov-
ing IF furniture, crash Of dishes, whispers, bowls,
CRYING laughter whistliog, groaning, heavy and
light footsteps. ard wild music as if in very
moclery ofthe Internal regions. All these grew
wilder with the rising gale, and toward mid
night they were almost inSufferahe
As for us three-the patient. Mrs. Green and
mvself-were as silent as death itself. Not a
word passed our lips after 8 o'clock. As for
the state of onr minds, God only knows Nine
in the wild whirl Of thought ami event which
| followed, forgot all the past, save what have
recalled and penned bit by bit above. | re-
member only looking for the final catastrophe,
which grew RAPIDLY nearer, with constant en-
denvor to concentrate all my faculties of mind
and sense upon the phenomenon wlich | at
/ least. had begun to believe would herald the
/ loss Of my patient.
As it grew close upon II o'clock, for upon
/ the striking Of that honr had nv Thoughts fixed
/ themselves for the expected demonstration,) my
agitation became 50 great that it was with ex-
treme difficulty | could control myself.
! Nearer and nearer grew the fital moment
/ for fatal expected it would be to my patient
/ at lpast-and at last the seconds trembled on
I no If Jpir ~ Il
one-two--three, counted the strokes of the
hammer. which seemed as though they never
would have -ten-nlevep--twelvei
drew nv breath again. The last lingering echo
of the final stroke had died fairly away. and as
vet here was no token Of any presence save our
own
All was silent The wind he'd lulled for a
! moment, and not sonrd stirred the air within
the house. The ghosts had fed.
| arose and approached the bedside The
patient was alive--drawiny his breath very
slnw v-dving The interval between his GAPS
grew longpr-then he ceased to breath alto
gether-he was dead,
Mrs Green was sitting in her place. her el
bows resting on her knees, her face buried in
her hands
7 closed TIE open mouth and pressed down
the rvelii' Of the dead. Then touched her
on the Shonlder
" l. Is all over" 7 whispered.
Thank Cod was her ferveot reply.
Then we both started There was rust'ing
Of the clothes. NJ. HAYDEN was sitting erect
his ewes vide open, his chest hesving in mighty
| effort for one more Inspiration Of the blessed
air Before 7 could reach the bed he spoke:
NV Col! she is coming"
Al the same instant the wind came hacl, with
a sud len ard appalling gust and wild shrek
as it sweep through the crevces Of the building.
4 There was crash Of the outer door--then a
staggering and uncertain step in the outer room.
/ L approached the sick room the latch lifted
the door swung open-and ther-mv God,
what a spectacle!
7 wonder even now that dare describe it
think Of it--rememherit wonder believed
it then, or do now--that did not 90 mad or
dron dead
Through the omen door there stepred flo.
ure--not Of Mrs. Hayden, not Of her corpse. not
of death-bnt Thousand times more horrible
ah'ng of corruption decay of worms and rot
tenness
The features were nearly al cone. and the
skull in places cleaned through white and
terrible. Her breast. abdomen and neck were
eaten away. her limbs were putrid, green and
inexpressiblv loathsome
And vet 10 those pntrescent Jaws there was
born a voice -smothered, indeed, and strange but
distinct:
. corae. William, they aoait far yout IwAITh'
dT9d not turn my ewes from the intruder:
could not, if dared, though | heard groan
behind me and fail.
Then n-tle thing before me-sank down
upen the foor in heap dark and loathsome.
heap of putrescence and dsmemberel frag
ments!
| remember that l did not faint. that did
not cry ont. How long stood transfxed fas-
cinated, | knew not; but at last. with an ef.
fort and prayer. | turned to the bed Mr..
HAYDEN had fallen upon the floor, face down.
ward. stone dead.
| raised and replaced him-I composed his
limbs; closed his eyes and tied up his chin:
crossed his hands upon his breast and tied them
there. Then bore out the body of his sister,
insensible but not dead into the pure air--out
Of the horror and stencil into the storm and
darkness--out of death into life again.
County Of Grand Travers, Michigan, S.
Mrs. Josepha H. Green, being Only swon, de-
poses and saws that the letter of Dr.. John Nor
ton, hereunto appended, which she has re ID is
strictly true, so far as it goes, though much of
the ihSJ " VI Wu2i VI urea NJ 0eT HBtnSrS
(the late Mr. Havden) house is omitted and
thus she deposes Of her own knowleise
J0SEPHA A. GREEN
Sworn and subscribed before me, notary
public, in and for the county of Grand Traverse
ard State of Michigan, on the 18th day of May,
A. D. 1853
JAMES TAYLOR, Notary Public.
County of Grand Traverse, Michigan, So
James Tucson, being duly sworn. deposes and
states that he, in company with George Green,
a bert }. Bailey and Henry K Smead, on the
Is day of April last past, in the afternoon of
sad day, did 90 to the house OF VIM. II. Hay
den, then deceased, and that they found upon
the floor of the room. in which the body Of the
said deceased lay, and near the door of the said
room, the putrid remains of human corpse--a
female, as the depouent verify believes and
avers--and that they carried away and buried