Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-06-20
Revival Of Nm Old 9ap0esaos1o0<.
A1Oun9 Maa Waited BY . vasn.

n Young Mas vks1tcd by . Van.
pircs s
The Wheeling West Va) Register Of
Of May 81 has tn, following strange aud
doub tfnl sorry:
There 10 an old superstition, dating back
to the Greeks aud Romans, that bodies OF
pers )ns who die under sentence OF excom.
'nunication do not decay, but devour their
ov, q n, apd during the night leftc Their
graves ana suck tine lood q iisng persons.
! "a old superstition has been revived 10
tins cty under extraordinary circums lances
4 young man who board at one Of our
most resp -ctablc bosrd Dg houses has for
sone VT ~ past been gr wing weak and
alt from the loss 81 blood during the night
For some tine he could not insgins the
auso ~ the lassiiude he let every morning,
l'lt about week ago. ne discovered small
niicturs eu his ieit avn, IRON hch II was
wheat hat blood had been drawn, AMI ev-
cry morning thereafter he discovered rev
,uueture upon sone fle,by portion Of his
BODY. Ito was my stiiied AS 10 how these
punctnres were made, and what made them.
For several nigats he remained awake late
in the night for ssic purpose Of solving the
mystery, but auch was his weak condition
he invariably became exhausted and fell
asleep before morning, and always found .
fresh puncture. lie got A. acquaintance to
sleep With him, but becomiug tised Of watch
ing, he, too, fell asleep. aud IN the morning
there was fresh puncturs upon both OF
them, which 10 alarmed his acquaintance
that he refused 10 sleep in that room again.
Between the loss e blood and his anxiety
to know tks cause Of il, the young man was
nearly cralsd, presenting . haggsrd and
careworn appearance, ana he WAS an object
If soctude to his friends, who sympathized
with him in his distress, and adyised q
change Of scene; bu, such WAS the fascina>
ton With which he had become mbusd that
nothing they could cav could induce him to
forcgo his determination TO remain end clear
up the mystery. Ills body by this time was
strange sight, being almost completely
covered with small swellings from the punc>
lures. which were source Of irritation
A few nights ago he awvke by singing
sensation in his arm between the elbow and
the shoulder, aud instantly reached his
hard to the spot, but could feel nothing and
although light was burning IN the room
could see nothing. The old superstition Of
vampires At once became fixed upon his
mind. and he resolved to leave the house,
which he did the eext morning, repairing TO
another part Of the city. Strange to say,
since lis change Of quarters he has no,
been visited 10y the midnight blood sucker,
and is fast regaining his health. Since his
story has become known, We have heard Of
several other persons, who occupied the
same room. that they were visited in the
same way. but they never stayed more than
few nights before they left the house, and
said nothing about it for fear Of injurins the
reputation Of the house. We have given
the facts 10 they were related 10 VI, and hare
no reason to doubt the veracity Of the par
ties; but We have no faith whatever in the
superstition regarding vampires, and ere in.
clined to think that the blood loving visit.
ant was more Of . material than supernatu.
ral creature. We have suppressed the
nHnes Of che parties concerned in THE
strange affair at their own sequest.