The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-10-12

they cannot well be uOuUtes, Dut tney
throw no light on the mystery which en-
velopes the cottage.
1t is now about year since the wri-
ter of this article had his attention first
attracted to the haunted cottage.
During this time the family in the house
have given him every facility for inves-
tigation; but with the coolest and most
careful scrutiny he has failed to tatbom
the mystery. His vision is defective
when directed to invisible objects, and
it may be for this reason that he has not
seen the spectral sights Of which Others
speak so confidently. His hearing, how
ever, is good, and he has heard the
ghostly sounds-nearly all that he has
enumerated-and to these he is willing
to give his unqualified testimony. To
the facts that lie is now to recount he
can also bear true witness; but the
"ghostly" disclosures that occurred
during the strange interview he would
have the reader accept or reject, accOr
ding to their intrinsic crcdibility. The
facts were as follows, and that they may
impress the reader as nearly as possible
as they impressed the writer he will re-
late them with every remembered detail
of manner and circumstance:
During the last autumn he was pass
ing an evening with highly gifted lady
residing in his vicinity, when the subject
of the mysterious noise was alluded to.
Though living but few miles away,
the lady had never heard of the "Haunt-
ed House" or ofits original occupants.
She expressed a natural desire to witness
some of the singular manifestations, and
the writer at once got up his horse and
drove her to the infested domicile.
They arrived about an hour after dark,
and were shown by the mistress to the
sitting ronm-the apartment which had
been the COlonefs library. There they
sat down quietly, no one, so far as they
knew, being in the house but they three
and the two young children. 1t was Il
balmy autumnal night. The moon was
up, the stars were ont, and not a breath
of air stirred the great trees in the court
yard; but they had no sooner taken til .ir
seats than the house shook as if rocked
by 4 hurricane. The lady is u devoted
church woman, and no believer in spirits
or "spiritualism:" yet, startled from her
self-control, she threw up her hands and
exclaimed, "what dreadful noise and
the air-hOwit stiles me-" The writer,
more familiar with ghostly ways, had
scarcely time to assure her that there
was no danger when, springing to her
feet, she struck an attitude, and, with
eyes blazing and arms moving like a
windmill, shouted out, "Who are you
that are trying to probe this mystery
Do you hope with two-foot rule to
measure the Almighty"
| aNn+ ax.nfl,- Rnt vnu onf wall. with
little practice yon would rival Ris-
tori"
"Act. 1t is you Who act-you mortals
who crawl between heaven and earth,
your heads down and your hands in yonr
pockets"
at would trouble any one to crawl
with his hands in his pockets: but if
Won are not mortal what are you"
"Your peer-every way your peer; and
when was man | would have scOrned
to creep into strange houses to rob the
dead of their secrets"
"They should have no secrets-when
one dies he is expected to leave his real
and personal estate behind him."
This was too much for the good ma
ture of the ghost. Taking few strides
the dead man, or the living woman,
raised all arm, and pointing to the door,
shouted, $50, Leave this house! Ii
is mine! Coz and then foot came
down on the floor with force that set
the chairs dancing.
The writer had heard that strong
human will can exercise the worst devil
in creation, and rising to his feet, he
said sit is for you to go. 1fyOu are
that bad man, and have possessed this
woman, go this moment"
Instantly, as if struck by some invisi-
BILE power, the lady staggered and fell
into the chair from which she had risen.
Placing her hands quickly to her head,
she said: "How strangely | fell =
What is the matter with mel What
has happened "
The circumstances were briefly ey-
planned, and short conversation fol-
loved. In the midst Of it the lady,
again raising her hands, and lifting her
eyes, which all the while had been fully
open. began to chant a low psalm. 1t
was a sad, weird air, and yet strangely
musical. At its close she sank to her
knees, and uttereda prayer that was
full of mingled penitence, love and ad-
Grafton. When it was over she reSum-
ed her seat, and, turning to the writer,
said: "You will forgive him he knows
not what he does; he has not come to
his right reason"
"Who is be"
"The unhappy man who lived here
who lives here still, bound to this
wretched house by the sins he has com
mitted."
sis that the law-that spirits are
bound to the scene of their earthly
crimes till they have made expiration 7"
"It is-bound by an irresistible force
which keeps them down, doing over and
| over again wicked deeds, till, at last,
the soul grows weary of wrong doing,
looks upward, and the angels come to
it,"
"Then there is forgiveness in eterni-
tyr
"There is forgiveness everywhere
God is all-merciful but there is no re-
mission-no escape from punishment.
Every crime must be expiated, every
sin worked ont; if not in your world,
then in ours"
"And why do you take such interest
in that bad mani"
1--WE sinned together, we must rise
together. 1t is my work to lift him up
and bring him to his right reason"
"And you are"
"Alice."
mot bound here l hope, as he isf,
Not now; long penitence has wrought
my release. can now go mp. far up:
but came back to aid and uplift him"
''He led you into sin, and yet you have
forgiven him." ~.
''He led me into sin, he took my life,
and yet died forgiving him. loved
him then, love him now, the more be-
cause know he is almost utterly lost
and forsaken."1 -
"Ifyou loved him 50, why did he take
your life :" .F-a ucL
because my remorse was torture 70
him-the sight of me 9 constant re-
proach and torment"
~ have great faith in the power OF