Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1859-04-07
WHOLE NO ia


ed itself directly on the pillow, and on the
bed itself. The crosd who witnessed
this gave sort of low, universal cry, snd
rushed from he room. Hammond and |
were left alors with our Mystery.
We remained silent for some time, listen
ing to the low. irregular breathing of the
creature on the bed, and watching the rus
tie of the bed Clothes as 1t impotently
struggled to free itself from conGne nent.
Then Hammond spoke.
Harry, this is awful
'Ay, awful
But not uuaccountable.'
'NCt unaccountable What do you
mean? Such thing has never occurred
since the birth of the world. know not
what to think Hammond. God grant that
l an not mad, and that this is not an in.
sane phantasy!
L Us reason q ligle. Harry. Here is
solid body which We touch, but which
we can not see The fact is so unusual that
! i strikes us with terror. Is there no par
allel, though, for such plenomenon?--
Take piece of pure glass. 1t is tangi-
bic and transparent. A certain chemical
coarseness is all that prevents it frora be-
lny so entirely transparent as to be totally
invisible. 1t is not theoretically impossi-
bic, mind you, TO fabricate a glsss which
shall not reflect single ray of light--a
glass so pure and homogeneous in its at
oms that the rays from the sun shall pass
through it as they do through the air, re-
fracted but not reflected We do not see
the air. and yet we feel it.
That's all very well, Hammond, but
these are iranimate substances. Glass
docs not breathe, air does not Breathe
This thing has Leart that palpitates. A
will that moves it. Lungs thar play and
inspire and respire.'
You forget the strange phenomens Of
which we have SO often hard of late,' an
swere9 the Doctor gravely. AT the meet.
ings called spiritual circles.' invisible
hands have been thrust into the hands Of
+, those persons round the table-warm flesh
ly hands that seemed to opulsate with NOR
tai Iife.'
What? Do you think, then. that th;s
thing is
Il don't what il is was the solemn re-
repIp; "but please the gods / will, with
your assistance, thoroughly investigate it,
We watched together, smoking manv
pipes, all night long by the beside of the
unearthly being that tossed and painted
until it was apparently wearied out. Then
E We learned by the low, regular breathing
that it slept.
The next morning the house was all
l astir. The boarders congregated on the
landing outside my room. and Hammond
D and myself were lions. We had to an
swer a thousand questions as to the state
of our extraordinary prisoner. for as yet
not one person in the house except our
selves could be indaced to set foot fl The
apartment.
The creature was awake. This was ev-
idenced by the convulsive manner in which
e the bed clothes we're moved in It's efforts
5 to escape. There was something truly
terrible. in beholding. as it were. those Sec
ond-hand indications of the terrible writh-
: ings ard agonized struggles for liberty.
which themselves were invisible
81 mmond and myself had racked our
brains during The long night to discover
some means by which we might realize
the shape and appearance of The enigma.
As well as We could make out. by passing
our hands over the creatures face, its out
lines and lineaments were human. There
was mouth; round, smoothe head Of
hair; nose, which. however, was little ell
evated aboyo the cheek and its hands aud
feet felt like those of boy. At FIRST we
thought of placing the being on a smoothe
surface. and tracing lis outlines with chalk
As shoemakers trace the outlines Of the
loot. ms plan was gwen up as being OF
no value. Such an outline would not give
the slightest idea of its conformation.
A happy thought struck me. We would
take cast Of it in plaster of Paris. This
would give the solid figure. and satis-
fy all our wishes. But how to do IT, The
mosements of the creature would prevent
the setting of the plastic covering. and dis
tort the mould. Another thoagbt: Why
not give it chloroform? 1t had respirato-
ry organs-that was evident by its breath,
ing. Once reduced to state of insensi.
bility. We could do with it what we would.
DIR. X " was sent for; and after the
worthy physician had recovered from the
first shock of amazement, he proceeded to
administer the chloroform. In three min.
utes after we were enabled to remove the