The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-09-23
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

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WONDERFUL ApPARITIoy IN LITTLE WATER SrREET.-
sTEANGE MiDsIGuF VisiroRs--THE HAUNTED Houses
fhe numerous respectable inhabitants of Little Water
and Commerce streets, for sonic weeks past hase been
nightly aroused from their slumJers, at the hour of mid
night-alen graye-yards yawn and ~dlsembodied spirits
rave the earth, to disturb the nerves OF weak and restless
mo, tals-by strange apparition which suddenly appears,
mounted on a fiery steed, lion whose mouth bursts forth
thick black smoke, and lire and ilamc. The steed is
white as the driven snow, but the spectre seated thereon
i clothed IN the saLle liabilanents OF hight, and those VIC
htse glazed beneath the monkish eowl that partially
eanceals the face, say that it has the pale aspect OF death.
Few that have looked upon it live to describe the
t.ifors ot its horrible Sisage, for its frown is deadly, and
ono glance from its piercing eyes turns the victim
into stane-ts ii those eyes We're ba.iiiaLs. Its noetaln,
bu!at,"ns are preceded lay the asunding Of IA shriil
trnlspet. whose notes--so long, SO loud, so clear--hll the
lislle.s cars OF night with then loud clungor AMI follow
fng close upon this lleIaidie announcement, the grim
rider is seen 10 advance, fleet as the wand, and terrible as
| a storm clothed in thunder. The strange phantom is tc-
c9inraniel by AN ottonsi i've odour that pervades the entire
,cighboriiood, sunocating and r~aralysing all living
creatures that come within the ci,clo Of its baneiul in
nntIce. Surrounding and following the spectre are
myli,ds Of insects. loatiisolne veiInin, poisonous reptiles,
| aiiu H'tiA tlttlhItG mn Nv hi hhc 'hHh H'hhhE
.and deadly. Oh! tits terrible, most terrible-lhis phan
tom ui Little Water street.
For an instant it rcins in its stecl of wrath. from
as from the mouth OF gloomy Iartarus, and waving on
iish,, threatening wand, with whicl, thrice 1t beats tn.
pestilptous air, exeiaims, in solemn, sepulchrai tones
whose echoes atarte the air: 81 am the demon of Sloth
and Neglect. of Disease and Want, and my hubitatioh IL
III the hauntsof Vice, Of Idleness, Of Drunkenness, of Sin
ranl of Sluggish Indifference. l am the King of Tcrrors
aud warden OF the castle wherein Disease, pestilence,
Famine and Death lie bound. These fell spirits l control.
They do my bidding; are my willing slaves--I temper
their rage, and repress their Iayages, when mortals
against whom they war are mindful Of my warnings, and
4 ,peuse my names Icy frequent sacrifices and burnt offer
ings laid upon my affairs of the foul and filthy, and
deadly exlalatiors that Tester and secth in the by-ways
of cities, wherein they have taken up their abodes but
woe to that people which neglects these rites and duties,
for they shall become the victims of my just vengeance
From the confines ofthe streets called Commerce and Little
Water-from the docks even to the great tliorouglfare
named via Aqua Magnus will they rush forth, and the
inhabitants OF Norfolk shall be sorely oppressed thereof.
They will cry aloud: but the phantom OF death will mock
their wailings. They shall not be needed, for they
needed not my warming, and the powers OF destruction
shall revrl in their high places, feast at their banIucts,
| uht i"hi away 'hNh o'h'hoh" boNH' AhNit va NV
weeping and wailing-but none shall pity; for they
scofed at my connsels and despised my warnings.
Thrice have l warned ye, oh, people of the doomed
city, that from these their ftetid abodes will be
Iaoscd upon your city the fell dcstroyers that yc have nur
turod and warmed into strength and full lite-disease'
pestilence and death, the offspring of noisoine fltn-wlich
are born in the c~tsspools of corruption, where the loath-
some yermii and creeping rcptiies-yice and crime, neg
Ie9t poverty, want, diseasc--lie fostering in their letters
but ye have been deaf to my warnings. Yet, alittle while
1 stay the hands of my destroying agents still, another
Respite will l grant ye-but take heed that ye be mindful
Of my words. The hour will come when my hand shall be
no longer stayed-and in the name of justice l will
strike And thus saying, the spectre turned quickly
the head of his phantom steed, and dashing his rowels
into its TANKS, the horse sprung forward. and with the
speed of an arrow shot from a bow, vanished from sight
the earth trembling as the steed and its strange rider flew
over the rough pavement, which resounded with the
elasbing OF its iron hoofs. At this moment, Juno, our
eyer-uatchiul Cerberus, barked, as only Juno can bark,
aud, turning to gaze upon the wonderful pet of the sane
tum, we found it trembling in every joint, its tail fixed az
an iron poker, and its ears erect As the Egyptian pyramids
and it duiycreI as IA frightened dog, its every hair stand
ing erect, like quilts upon the fretful poreupine, its ce.
rulean eyes all the while fixed with an appealing look
upon the planet Jupiter, as if pleading for readmission
to Olympus to escape the threatened dangers of earth.
A. the phantom left, the morning cock in JGnes's stable
erowel, and in the %twinkling of an eye the insects, an
yeruin, an Il reptiles, were changed into little niggers and
beings in the haman fofin-little less loathsome and d 8
casting in appearance than the noisome creepers and
srawIeFs that had formed The retinue of the phantom
h RS IMAM, the King of Terrors. This was very marvellous,
and we stood as one in a dream, and wondered if ill.,
tItel the vision we had seen were a tofefunner of coming
calamity, Of the pestlence, ando Of suffering, for which our
authorities would be answerable, because they have ne
elected their duties, and allowed their city to become a
settling pool of filth, corruption and vice.
Again we watched for the coming Of the phantom, and
fecI night, true to the hour and the minute, may be
heard the strange sound of the horn, aud the sudden ap-
through the street, surrounded by his hideous compan-
ions. filling the air with piercing shrieks and Internal
Wells. and then vanishing into thin air. 1t is a warning
that we would do well to heed. This fell spirit inhabits
re made, which may be inspected at any time; but our
,ity authorities are afraid Of spectres, especially such
grim ghosts M want, vice, filth, crime, poverty, disease
and starvation. Thus are many dwellings and many
streets haunted, aud unless the spirits be exercised, they
will incl ease in holiness till they spread themselves over
the entire city, aud haunt every household. The ghost
story of Little Water Street hath II moral il the city
authorities and plilantiiropists generally can only dis
cover its meaning.
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