The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1866-02-23
A Chamber Of Horrors.

From an account in an English maya
zine of a trip to Swiss village called st.
Gingo, weextract the following description
of ga Chamber of Horrors" "Not long
after took the chateau, an old servant
who had lived many years with its for
mer tenant, German Count, directed my
attention to wall of great thickness ex-
tending from the end Of small bedroom,
about forty feet from the ground. Ac-
cording to him, the German nobleman
had always slept in that chamber, which
he allowed no ono to enter, save in his
presence. On himself, it appeared to
produce strange effect, since, according
to the servants, he always shuddered on
passing the doorway, while his counten-
ance assumed sadder expression than
ordinary. Whether, had the opportuni.
ty been offered him, lie would, before his
death, have lifted the veil from the cham
ber's mystery, the old domestic could not
say, for he died suddenly of apoplexy,
without leaving behind him, in writing,
any clue to what had SO long perplexed
his dependents.
Whom viewed from tho court below, the
ancient wall in level with the chamber
seemed to be built of large, loose stones,
between the iuterstices of which swallows
passed in and out. My curiosity being
strongly excited, I went for couple Of
wOrkmen, and ordered them to make a
perforation in the wall from the bed-cham-
Der but On taking down the painted
canvass with which it was covered, this
proved to be altogether unnecessary, since
behind it there was small door which,
on being pushed swung back on its hin.
ges. Before proceeding any further I
dismissed the workmen, and ordering a
candle to be brought, for the chamber
was pitch dark, entered alone. The
air, close and heavy, was impregnated, as
l thought, with the odor of decay
cd animal substances, which immediate.
ly proved to be the case. Before me, on
an antiquated bed, lay the body Of wo-
man, shriveled to a mummy, dressed in
the forgotten fashion of a former age,
with rings on its fingers, a necklace about
the neck, and long pins of gold thrust
through the hair. All around the body
the bed clothes exhibited stains of blood
On one side of the bed I observed a dark
Golfer, worm-eaten, covered with dust on
lifting the lid I saw the body of man,
with poiguard which had probably pass.
ed through the heart, still sticking in it.
The clenched hands lay ono by the silc,
the other across the breast. A slouohing
hat with feather covered part Of the
face /; the dress was gorgeous, and the
boots, apparently not at all decayed, init.
mated that the corpse was that of mill
tary man.
called in the butler, showed him the
contents of the chamber, and inquired
the age of the German Count. He must
the man replied, 'have been something
over 3d. is there no tradition among
the PEASANTS I asked, about the doings
of the inmates of this chateau before your
time p 1T is only said be replied,
that for some years there was a great
feasiipg and merriment, with perpetual
succession of guests, who hunted in the
neig hSorhood, sailed in pleasure barges
on the lake, made excursions among the
Alps, and kept all the adjacent towns
alive with their mirth and extravaganza.
On sudden this ceased the Count dis
missed nearly all his domestics, retaining
only my father and two other men, while
thenceforward, no woman was ever per.
mltted to enter the chateau. There were
no children, and the lady was reported
to have returned to her relatives in Ger
many TO these facts I observed,
I'VE have the key now before us. There
lies the Counts lady and hero the par
amour for whose sake she was slain ~