The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1858-07-06

nevertheless my practice increased.
On the morning Of March Doth, | called
earlier than usual During this visit til,
manifestations of supernatural presence
were more frequent, wild and violent; thar
ever before. was informed that they had
been exceedingly violent during the prece
ding night Their character, too, had great
iy changed Beside the moving of all moy-
able articles the tinkling of glasses, aud the
rattle of tin-ware, there were frequent, and
startling sounds, as of whispered converse.
ton, singing and subdued laughter per
feet limitations of the human voice, but too
low to enable me to detect the words used,
il words there were. Still, however, none
Of these unusual sounds lad entered the sick
room. They followed tie footsteps of Mrs.
| Green like u demon echo: but paused On the
Threshold oil thai room AS il debarrcd by u
superior power, from entering there.
| found Mr.. Hayden mach worse and sink
ing very fast. lie had passed bad night
| Doubtful whether he would survive to see
another morning, left him, promising to
call at evening, and spend the night with
| him, resolved, in my secret thoughts, to "be
in at the death. If there was to be ghost
y warning, | meant to hear it. and If posi-
BILE, to solve the strange enigma.
The day had been exceedingly cold and
stormy, and the night had already set in,
dark and dismal, with a fierce gale and a
driving storm of rain and hail. when again
stood beside my patient The moment
looked at him perceived unmistakablo ndi
cations Of the near approach Of death upon
his features He was free from pain, his
hn{b III e., S1biA
away, with every feeble BREATH like the slow
burning out Off exhausted lamp.
Meanwhile, the storm rose to q tempest,
and the gloom grew black as death in the
wild night without. The wind swept in ire
mendous gusts through the adjoining forest,
rafting the icy branches Of the trees, and
came wailing and shriel,ng through every
crack and Granny of the building
Within, there was YET wilder commo-
ton All that had been said or sung, writ
ten or dreamed, Of ghostiy visitations was
then and there enacted There was the
ringing of bells, moving Of furniture
crash of dishes, whispers, howls, crying
laughter, wlistling, groaning, heavy and
light footsteps, and wild music, as if in very
mockery of the internal regions All these
sounds grew wider with the rising gale, and
towards midnight they were almost insulier-
able
As for us three-the patient, Mrs Green
and myselE-were as silent as death it
self Not a word passed our lips after nine
clock. As for the state of our minds, God
only knows In the wide whrl of
thought and event which followed, | forgot
all the past, save what have recalled and
penned, bit by bit, above | remember only
looking for the final catastrophe, which
grew rapidly nearer, with a constant endeav
or to concentrate all my faculties OF mind
and sense upon the phenomenon which !, at
last, had began to believe would herald the
loss OF my patient
As it grew closer upon twelve o clock, for
upon the striking Of that hour had my
thoughts fixed themselves for the expected
demonstratlon,) my agitation became so
great that it was with extreme difficulty |
could control myself.
Nearer and nearer grew the fatal moment
| for fatal perceived it would be, to the pa.
tient, at least and at last, the seconds trem-
bled on the brink OF midni sht the clock be
gan to strke-One-two-th counted
the strokes OF the hammer, which seemed as
though they would never have done--ten-
eleven twelve drew my breath again.
The last lingering echo OF the final stroke
had died fairly away, and as yet there was
no token OF any presence save our own.
All was silent The wind had luliel for
a moment, AMI not a sound stirred The air
within the house The ghost had He'd
arose and approached the bedside. The
patient was aliye--drawine his breath very
slowly--dying. The intervals between his
gasps grew longer--then he ceased to
breathe altoeether-hc was dead
Mrs. Green was sitting in her place, her
elbows resting on her knees. her face bar
led in the palms of her hands
closed the open mouth and pressed down
the eylids Of the dead. Then touched her
on the shoulder.
at is over, whispered.
THANK God" was her fcrvent reply.
4
Then we both started There was a rust
ling of the bed clothes Mr.. Hayden was
sitting erect, his eyes wide open, his chest
heaying in a mighty effort for one more in
spiration oil the blessed air Before | could
reach the bed he spoke;
'Niy God she is coming
At the same instant the wind came back
with sudde@an appalling gust, and q wild
shrek, as it swept through the creyccs Of
the building. Then there was crash OF
the outer door-then a staggering and I'M
certain step in the outer room II APP
preached the room the latch lifted the
door swung open and then, my God what
horrid spectacle!
wonder, even now, that | dare describe
it-think of t-remember il. | wonder
| believed it then, or do now--that did not
go mad or drop dead.
Through the open door there stepped a
figure--not OF Mrs. Hayden, not Of her
corpse, not death-but a thousand times
more horrible, thing of corruption and de
cay, Of worms and rottenness
The features were nearly all gone and
the skull, in places cleaned through, white
and terrible Her breast, abdomen and
neck, were eaten away, her limbs.were pu-
trid, green aud inexpressibly loath some
And yet to those putrescent jaws there
was born yoice-smothe red, indeed, and
strange, but distinct
Come, Wilhdm' they rat for you--I
WATT"
dared not turn my eyes from the intru-
DER could not If dared though heard
a groan behind me, and fall
Then it-the.thing before me--sank down
upon the floor in heap, dark and loath-
some-a heap of putrescence and dismem-
bered fragments!
remember that did not faint that I.did
not cry out. How long | stood transfxed,
fascinated, know not; but, at last, with an
effort and prayer, ! turned to the bed -
Mr. Hayden had fallen upon the floor face
downward, etone dead ! raised and re-
placed him; composed his limbs closed
his eyes; bound up his chin; ! crossed his
hands upon his breast, and tied them there |
Then bore out tho body of his sister, in
sensible but not dead, into the pure air
out OF that horror and stencil into the storm |
and darkness-out Of death into life again /
Countycf Grand 7rarerse, Michigan, SIS:
Mrs Josepha H. Green, being duly sworn.
deposes and says, that the letter of Dr.. John
Morton, herennto appended, which she has
read, is STRICTLY true so far rs it goes, though
mach Of the history ofwhat occurred It her
brothss's (ths Ats NJ. Haydsal house l.