Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-05-06
YAMPIRISN.

introduces them with the trite remark that
the love OF the marvellous has invented MANY
extrayagsnces. To which it may be added
with equal shrewdness that Z" Vampirism'' is
the maddest extravaganza of them all. Fear,
the eruelIst OF the passions, has not q more
hagsard minister than this revolving SUPER
stitiOn. We translate:
In lllyria, in Poland, in Hungary, in Tur-
key, and even in some parts of Germany, who
ever would publicly deny the existence of
vampires would be taken for very immoral
and lrreligiOus person. Vampire Tor s,udk1d-
lax, IN the lllyric dialect) is the name GIVEN
TO the dead who leave their graves by night. to
suck the blood Of the living Those who die
by the hands of Vampire are likewise con-
'erted into empires as soon as they cease 10
exist and these are despoiled Of all generous
feeling Tor they prefer to torment their kindred
and friends rather than strangers. Some be-
heve that tie Vampire is a Divine judgment
and others that ii is a fatality. The most ac-
credited opinion is that schismatics and her
etIcs being able to- find rest in their graves
revenge the Pangs they suffer upon the living
The signs of Nampirism are: The preservation
OF the corpse from decay. The fluidity of the
blood. and the elasticity of the members 1t
said that vampires have their eyes opened in
Side of their tOmbS and that their hair and nail.
grow ss If they were alive. Some are known
by the noise they make in their graves, gnaw-
ing everything about them and sometimes even
their own bodies.
The apparitions Of these phantasms cease
when the body having been exhumed is d.
Vlded from tho head and burned. The lest
means OF freeing oneself from a vampire is to
anoint the body. and particularly the part
which 1t has attacked, with the blood from its
veins, mixed with earth from the tomb of the
vampire The wounds are known by q small
rosette, blue or red, like the SCAR left by the
leech.
The following are stories of vampires:
In the beginning of the month of September
In the year -, there died in the village of
hiSIlayla, three leagues from Grldisch, an old
man OF siNty-two years. Three days after his
burial, be presented himself before his son, and
asked him tor food. On the following day, the
case was related to the neighbOrs That night
the dead man did not appear, but on the next
he came as on the fTst. Tits not known whether
the son gave him to eat or not but it is certain
he was found in his bod a corpse. The same
day, i've or six person. III sick very suddenly
and died in few hours
The bailif having learned what had occurred.
gave information To the tribunal of Belgrade
who sent two civil officers with the public heads
man, to investigate the affair. The imperial
Otheer went to Gradlsch, TO be witness of deed
OF which he had SO frequently heard. The
tOmbs of all persons who had died during the
month past, were opened. When they came to
that OF the old man, he was found with his ewes
open and his face flushed and breathing nat
urally, but nevertheless immOvabe as cOrpse
The executiOner pierced the heart with his
sword. pyre was Immediately formed and
the body having been quartered, was cast upon
IL. Alter this, no signs Of vampirsm were
found on the bodies Of the son or of the neigh
bOrs.
Several years since, an inhabitant of Mod
riga, named Paul Arnold, was crushed to death
beneath the wheels of wagon. Thirty days
after has death, four persons died, who it was
A h.-N h..
vampires. RumOT went tEat Arnold had been
torInented by Turkish vampire in the viciD-
lty OF CaS0wa, on the frontier Of Servia. and
that he had tried to cure himself by amounting
his body with earth taken from toe vampires
grave, Il pTecautiOu that avaiIed him nothing
being himself converted into a vampire at his
death. Ii Is believed that those who in life
have been passive vampires, beoOme active
Sampires when dead.
lie was disinterred forty days after his death
and all the Indications of an arch vampire were
discovered in him. His body was as sound as
III life; MS hair his nails aud beard had grown
In the tomb, and his veins contained a SAN
culinary tuid that circulated throughout his
body.
The baiif or haduaji, before whom the ex
humatIUn took place-a man learned in yam-
prism, ordered the heart of the defunct Arnold
To be pierced. A loud cry followed the stab as
If from n living man This done the BODY was
was performed upon the other victims of VAN
prism, that they might not be able to torment
Others.
Nevertheless this did not suffice to extinguisb
them. In the short space Of three months sew
enteen persons OF various ages died, some sud
denly, sOme after two or three days Of suffering
1t Il related that among these. one Stan1ska
daughter Of the Hungarian, Jotiietgo. having
retired IN perfect health awOke in terror at
midnight, shrieking frightfully, and crying out
that the son Of the Hungarian Milo, had tried
10 strangle her while sue slept. From that in
slant she sickeEed, and finally died at the end
OF three days. The body OF the son of Milo
being examined IL was found that ho had real
iy been converted into vampire The prin-
eipal citizens, the physicians and the surgeons
applied themselves to the business of ascertain
ing the reason why vampirism had reappearcd
after 50 many years. After some days, and
considerable investigation, IL was discovered
that the defunct Paul Arnold had killed not
only four persons but many animals which had
served "a food for the new vampires among
XbOm VIE the son Of Milo. In CONSEQUENCE
4 gas determined to burn all the bUlies al the
end Gi a certain time. Among some forty sew
snteeE we're found with all the signs OF vain-
prism These suffered the same fate az their
predecessors.
All these Investigations and executions were
nLGe judielally, and attended by various civil
oIhceTS. surgeons OF the regiments and iahabit-
ants Of the country. Tie verbal proceeding
was sent 10 the Juperial Council Of War, con-
sututed in NieIGa, where 4 commission had
been established 10 ascertain the truth.
We conclude with the rslakjcE o. the follow
ing occurrence, witnessed by German traV-
eler.
In lol6. says the traveller, :. undertook
journey To NOrgOraz, and lodged i'll the town
Of NarvOska. The Patron was "A rich gentle
man named Eack Plognnevich, man jovial
and sufficiently fond Of drink His wife was
'et young and lovely, and his daughter, II child
of ten years, WAS a marvel of beauty de-
slred to remain some time longer In his house
in order 10 contemplate the ruined ediicos, sad
relics Of ancient times. Bat in spite of having
offered money enough, l could not procure a
habitation. This obliged me 10 separate my
self from the good PiOyonevich, with whom
however. l hal the pleasure to eat
One night, when the two women had let the
table NJ the accustomed hour, my host began
singing certain songs Of his country, when We
were startled by horrible cries, prOceedi ng from