The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-09-26
rh..,r.-rn. VAMPIRE. Bride.

towitness the representation OF the Vampires
Bride. which had been spoken Of within our
hearing as a drama of great interest. We
found it had not been misrepresen ted, having
| seldom Witnessed performance more calcu-
lated To make deep impression on the audi
ence. Mr. HOWE played the principal male
part-that of the vampyre-with great effect,
aud the acting of Mrs. PHILLIPS, as the
doomed Bride of the monster, was perfect
The subordinate parts were all In perfect
keeping with the principal, and the piece, Only
two acts long, went on with complete sue
cess.
The vampire superstition IS prevalent
in the I,eyant. and the countries around the
Caucasus, and on the borders Of thu Danube.
/, seems to be of very ancient origin. The
la ne of vampire lis given to a large bat, which
is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons,
making an incision at the big toe, and drain
ing the tream Of lie through the oriice. This
bat is common in South America and IN every
part OF the East. 1t is probable that the idea
of the Harpies was first taken FROM it; but
how superstition first came 10 confound itand
Its office with the spectres, or rather the anil
mated corpses of dead persons, it is NOT so easy
to discover. BE it as it may, however, Anti-
quarians pretend to discover traces of it in the
Lares and Nemures of the Romans. The
modern belief seems to be, that persons who
have died under accommodation for sorcery,
witchcraft, aud other crimes of the like char
acter. have the power of rising from their
graves and sucking the blood Of their neigh
bors until they expire. These spectres are
called vampires. They lie under curse
which compels them to perform the odious
inc
Nay, they are forced TO make the first attacks
upon those whom they most loved in life, as
their own wives and children, their sisters, and
dearest friends. In 1882, in one of the pro-
vnces of Hungary, there was a plague which
/ swept elf great numbers OF the inhabitants
The people of certain villages became suspi-
clous that the deaf tbs were occasioned by YAM
pyres They rifled the graves in their rage
aud found numbers of supposed corpses in
which animation had merely been suspended
and which had been buried under the belief
that they were actually dead. The ignorant
and supers titious peasants concluded at once
that they were vampires, and by way of fin
ishing them, proceeded to cut off their heads,
as fast as they found them. Unless the stroke
WAS sure The poor wretch subjected TO this
species of treatment, aroused by the blow,
gave forth horrible yells, thereby only the more
strongly confirming the suspicious of their
neighbors. The connection excited by these
transactions became so fearful that the gov
eminent was compelled TO interfere, and the
in YES legations of the physicians convinced
them that it was a charac teristic OF the disease
that at a certain stage the patient should sWoon
away and appear to be dead, and that many
were buried in this condition.
Wecannot forbear inserting in this place.
the lines of Lord BYRON on this subject, which
are doubtless familiar TO most of our readers
Tuey are to be found in the Gid0ur, and con-
stitute portion of the terrific curse pro-
nounced by the followers of HAssAN on the
Giaour who had slain their master. They
had Just described the bliss which HAssAE
was enjoying in Paradise, and by way of con-
trast denounce all sorts of woes against his
murderer
But thou, false nfdel. shalt wrhe
Beneath avenglng MoNXIR's scythe,
And from its torn snts scape alone,
To wander round lost EHLIs throne,
And fre urquenched uuquenchab e,
Around, wl,hln thy heart shall dwell;
Nor shall hear, nor tongue shall tell
The torture of that inward hell;
But first. on earth as Vampire sent,
Thy cprse shall from It's tomb be rent,
Then shostly haunt th! native ace,
And suck the blood of ell thy race.
There, from thy sister, dau shter. wife,
At mignight. rain the stream of life;
Must feed thy livId, living corpse.
Thy victims ere they vet expire,
Shall know the demon for their sire,
and curs.ng thee. thou cursLg them,
Thy flowers are wIthered on the stem.
The Youngest, best beloved Of ali.
Shall bless thee with fathers name,
That word shall wrap thy he art in flame;
Ye; must thou end thy task. and mark
Her cheeks last tinge. her eFe's last spark,
And the last gha silly glance must view,
That freezes ocr Its life iess tlue.
Then. with unhalioHed hand shalt tear
The treSsss of her golden hair,
OF which. in HE. a lock when shorn
Affection S fondest pledge was worn;
But now IS horne away by thee,
Memorial Of thine agony
Wet with thy hearts best blood shall drip,
Thy gnash! ns tooth and hagg8rd lip;
Then stalking to Thy sutten grave,
90, and with fouls and Afrlts rave,
Till these IN horror shrink away
From spectre more accused than they"
The reader. no doubt, admires, with US, the
immense power of these lines, which were
never excelled by SoPHoCLEs in his most su-
blime mood of horror.
1t is upon this superstition, thus powerful.
ly described, that the drama in uestion, mod
flied to suit the circums tances and localities
of the plot is constructed. The scene lies in
Wales, sometimes in Ruby Castle and some
times on the top of Snowden.