Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1858-07-10
VAMPIRISM.

The curious anloI,g our readers will he in.
tei estrd in the peru>al Of the following notice
"t this superstition, as it now exists. An old
Spanish paper, from which we translate them,
Introduces them with the tlitc remark, that
the love Of the MAJ vellous has invented ma.
ny cxtrnvagancics." To which may b. add,
with equal Observation-Disclosures is the
maddrst extravaganza Of them ALL" F,ar,
the ciucl,S st Of the passions, has not a more
haggard minister than this rcvoiting supclsti.
ton. We translate:
In lllyIin, in Poland. in Hungary, in Tur.
key. and even in sOMc parts OF Germany, who
ever would pub icly deny the existence oi
Vampires, would be taken for v,ry immoral
and irrrisiouS person. Vampire (or rudkad-
t"h, III the lllylic dialcct,) Is the name given
To the dead who leave tier graves bv night,
to suck tnc blood Of the living Those who
tic by the hands Of II vampir are likewise
cOnvcl ted into vampires, aS soon as they cease
u exist; and these are dcSpOil,d Of all gene
r"u> cling, for they prefer to torment their
kindred aud friends rather tlIan Strangers.
Some believe that the vaml ic is u Divine
Judgment, and Others that il is II fatality. The
most accr, ditd opinion is thnt schi$malirS
and hcrcticS being able to find no rest in III, IT.
glavy>, revenge the pangs they suiEtr upon
TN living.
The signs Of vampi ism arc--Thc prcScrva.
tion Of tnc corpse from decay, the iiuidity OF
the blood and the elasticity OF the mcmbcpS.-
1t is said that vam Tres have their eyes open.
cd inside OF their tnnbS, and that their hair
and naiS grow as il they were Il i've. Some
are known hy the noiSt they make in their
graves, gnuwing everything about th,nl, and
som, liu,s even their own b0di,s.
The appuiitiUn Of these phantasms cease
when the Indy, having been cxhumcd, is di-
vidcd from the head and burned. The best
means of freeing oneself from vampire, is to
anoint the body, and particularly the part
which it has attacked. with blood from its
veins, mixed with earth from the t"mb of the
vaml ire. The wounds are known by small
rOSctte, blue or rcd, like a Scar left by the
lccch.
The following arc stories of vampires:
In the beginning of the month Oi Scptcm-
Der, Of the year - there did in the village
of kiSiavia, three leagues from GradiSch, an
old man Of sixty two years. Three days after
his burial he presented himself before his son,
and asked him for foo'l. On the following
day the case was related tn the ntiShh0rS.-
That night the dead man did not appear, but
the next hc came as on the first II is not
known whether the son gave him to tHt OI
not, but it is c. rtain he was found in his bed
corpse, Tho same day five or six persons
fell sick very suddenly, and died in = few
hours.
The bai'if having learned what had oc-
CURED, gave Information to the tribunal Of
Belgrade, who sent two civil officers with the
pubic h,adSman, to investigate the affair."
The imperial officer went to Gradisch, to bc
witness OF deed, Of which he had 80 frequent
ly heard. The tonnbs Of all persons who had
dird duling the month past, were opened
When they came to that Of the old man, he
was found with his eyes open and his face
flushed, and breathing naturally, but nev, r.
thelCSS innnovablc aS a corpse. The cxecu4
tion,r pierced the heart with his sword. A
pyre was imm. .diatcly formed, and the body
having been quartcd, was cast upon it. After
this, no signs Of vampirism were found on thu
bM!ils Of the son or the Rvighbors.
Several years since, an inhabitant Of Mcdri
ga named Paul AraOd was crushed to death
brnO ,lh the wheels Of wagon. Thirty days
after his death, four persons died, who it wa.