The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1862-01-15

hRc " ATnth8s
The belief in signs and dreames, omens,
and warnings, which has, in our day, al
most entirely disappeared, was once so pre-.
valent, that it was rare thing for death to
take place in a family without some men,
ber oft being warned Of it in some super
natural way. My reverend Grandmother
was no exception to this belief; on the con-
trary, she could relate unnatural vsitations,
and strange appearance es, which had occur
red in her own family. But her particular
forte lay in warnings None Of her kith or
kin were ever called to pass through
the dark valley of shadows without her re-
ceiving some supernatural intimation, or as
she called it, "being warned of their de-
cease.
will here state that my grandmother
had been widow for many years, and resi-
ded with my mother, as did her two youn-
gest children, Ralph and Alice. Ralph, q
spirited lad of seventeen, assisted my faith
er in his business, ana Alice, dear aunt Ali
ce's time was mostly engrossed by Gus chill
dren."
For several months, she had been troub-
led with hacking cough, which was in it.
se'fwarning enough that the time was soon
coming when we should be Obliged to part
with our kind and careful nurse.
After while, she became unable to sit up
all day and then my mother moved aunt
Alice's bed from her chamber into the pas-
lor, as she was no longer able to go up and
down the stairs, and it was more convenient
to take care of her there. Ny grandmother
slept in chamber directly over this, the
stoyepipe from the parlor passing up through
the floor into the ~chimuey-thus making
her room warm and comfortable.
The night after Aunt Alice was moved in
to the parlor, grandmother received very
decided warning of her death. She said,
that after she had been in bed short time
she was aroused by light shining upon her
face, and opening her eyes, she beheld the
form of new moon arise from one corner
end slowly sail across the room, and finally
disappear behind her bed She was so sure
that she had seen this, and became so ner-
yous and excited about it, my mother
tn ught best to have some one sleep with
her the following night, SO my sister Mary,
girl of fourteen, Shared grandmother's
bed. But strange to ssy they had hardly
retired to rest, before we were star
tied by loud scream fISp Mary. She, too
had seen the mysterious appearance, just as
it came the evening befof--a half moon,
rising in one corner, passing diagonally
across the room and disappear behind the
bed. The room was left vasaut, everybody
in the house believed it to bs haunted.
When this came to the earA of my Uncle
Ralph, he expressed his decided contemp.
for the whole affair. 1t vas second nature
he said, for grandmother to see Nights, and
Mary had no doubt, been so scared at the
thought Of passing the night in the room
where grandmother had seen something,
that she had fancied she saw it, too. He
would sleep in the room himself, and was
not at all afraid of being troubled with new
moons, or old ones, either; so he took up
his quarters in the haunted chamber. He
made no alarm during the night; but at the
breakfast table, he declined answering any
| questions. The truth was, he had seen ex-
actly the same thing which had so alarmed
| grandmother and Mary but he was bold,
| determined fellow, and had made up his
mind to find out the cause Of this singular
appearance, and, besides, he did not Ike to
confess that he had witnessed tho same
thing he had scoffed st as dclusion in 9TH
ers. Six nights in succession he had slept
in the haunted room, and every night the
| same thing occurred. On the seventli night
| he was lying awake, about midnight. thin.
] king of this strange circumstance, and try.
ing in vain to arrive at the solution Of the
mystery, when he heard Alice begin te
cough in the room beloy. immediately, hs
heard my mothers footsteps coming int
| Alice's room as was her custom whenever
i she had a paroxysm Of coughing. At thu
same time, the supernatural light appeared
in the corner, floating slowly across the room
and went down behind the bed. A though
struck him.
Sarah he called. shave you got !,
/ Lightly"
"Yes," she answered..
"Aie YOU standing by Aliee's beds'
! "Yes," again.