Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1862-03-27

lege again. Frederick's letters came
so regularly, and were so proper, de-
failing from week to week how be spent
bis time, how he spent his money, whs
progress be was making and scquaint-
ances he had formed; they were all the
sons Of grave lawyers or clergymen
steady students, and exemplary char.
acters. Haroldson showed the letters
with great pride to his friends, who al
agreed that they had been mistaken in
thinking i'll Of the boy, and be was cor
rect in the estimate of his son.
That winter was a particularly dark
and depressing one in Hamburg. Hea-
Wy fogs hung over the city night and
day, the ice on the Elbe and Alster was
no. safe for country traffic, while, as us
uaI, it blocked up the shipping; provi-
sions were in consequence dear, bust
ness was dull, and there was little news,
except what began to be whispered
about the Danish bank. As the nights
grew long and dresry report got up
among the bank clerks and servants re-
garding tall figure in white-positive-
Iy winding sheet-wbich came out Of
dark corners and surprised them in the
loneliest parts of the building. The
porter had seen it first in one OF his
nightly rounds; then it appeared more
or less distinctly to several Of the clerks,
but always when they were alone; and
the whole establishment believed it TO
be the ghost Of Edward Grundler.--
They had a notion that he had been un-
justly condemned, and that therefore
his restless spirit haunted the scene Of
his accusation. The terror this idea
inspired was so great that some of the
Oldest clerks gave up their places; the
porter, whose courage had never been
known to fail before, would not go on
his round alone; and general conster-
nation reigned in the establishment
Haroldson himself did not appear
frightened, though it was generally al
lowed he had the best right. It was
long before any one dared tell him Of
the specter. When one Of the clerks
mentioned it as the cause of his resig-
nation, he tried to laugh him out of the
notion, insisted that good spirits had no
wish to return to this wicked world,
and that evil ones were not permitted to
molest honest people; but when the
man would not stay, and others went,
and when the head cashier confessed to
having seen it, he took to going about
the place after dark, and must have
caught some glimpse of it too; for Ha-
roldson all at once acknowledged that
there was something in the business he
did not understand, though nothing
would bring him to admit that it was a
ghost. A fact which seemed to corrob-
crate his opinions came to light about
mid-winter, when the nights were long
est and the fear at its height. 1t was
discovered that cash to an unknown
amount had been abstracted from the
Golfers in the strong room, to which, by
fixed rule of the establishment, no one
had access unless accompanied by the
banker or his chief clerk. There was
no mode of entrance or egress except
by the bound door, of which Ha-
roldson kept the key. On examination
the place appeared secure as ever, no.
thing out of order, the papers, jewels
and plate deposited there for many a
Danish family were all safe in their
chests, yet keys had been found for
the old fashioned Golfers which contain
ed the specie-the bank had good
deal in store just tben-and crowns and
dollars could not go without hands.
"It's no ghost" said the banker, as
he and his chief clerk talked over the
the matter in private. "There is some
wicked trick playing on US. You re-
member what Delapres said. when l
would not do as he wished. These
French are fearfully clever in mischief.
know it is he that has first frightened
the house, and then robbed it. No
body HIS ever heard noises in the strong
room; but don't you observe that the
thing in white has always been seen in
that direction. l can't imagine how he
gets in, but will match him, if you will
stand by me. Tomorrow is Friday,
the day on which Grundler was con-
demned, and the clerks say the figure is
always seen that night. Well make
believe 10 go home at the usual hour o.
closing, but 1 will have nay pistols here,
and come back il you will come with
me. 1t NAV be cowardly but confes:
1 do not care trying it alone; there
might be more than himself We viii
take no light with us; know every steE
of the house; we will station ourselves
behind the great pillar in the corner o
the strong room, and the first sounC
we hear I'll FIRE in that direction. Mind
you bring your pistols and not wore
to the clerks"
The chief clerk promised to stand BY
his principal, and keep the secret. Th'
bank was closed at the accustomed hou
next evening; and when all the clerk
were fairly out of sight, Haroldson anC
his confidential clerk met at the door a
appointed, re-eutered and locked it
found the pistols which they had pri
vately loaded deposited in the manager
Office, groped their way to the strong
room door, which Haroldsen locked
and took their station behind the pillar
pistol in hand. It was the only eles
night the city had seen for months; anC