The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1867-04-25

in quick succession, while we were
kindly holding up the fence. All Of the
party protested to see it; but, whether
a supernatural ken had been denied me,
or whether it may not have been an
optical illusion with the others, j could
not, all my efforts to the contrary
Notwithstanding, see any thing for
which | could not also easily account.
The suggestion, that we should inves-
tigate this midnight mystery, was
unanimously decided upon, and over
the fence we gotand proceeded to "hunt
up the authorities" 1t was not more
than hundred yards, from the spot
where we sat, into the monuments, and
we quickly passed over this space. Ar
rived there, we could discover nothing
which might, by any means, have pro-
duced the shadows that the majority of
the party still insisted they had seen,
unless it was the waving branches of a
tall maple which stood hard by. All
at once I was nearly knocked down by
Prof., who struck me broadside in a
side-long leap to avoid falling into an
excavation, which looked like a partial
~ filled grave. All this While, we were
uments. rs we essayed to pass around
figure of a man, stretched motioness
upon the ground. with arms extended at
right angles, as if fastened in that po-
sition. One look suffieed these startled
lockers into the mysterious; for, yield
ing to a nameless terror, of which they
were afterward all ashamed, away they
sped down the carriage way, as if
persued by all the invisible shadows
of Hades itself. I staid long enough to
assure myself that the object OF our ter
ror was nothing but harmless pile of
sa,adsto7es, accidentally arranged in
that form, and then followed my flying
comrades. When rejoined my alright
ed companions at the gate, whether they
had arrived considerably in advance
believing that the mysterious shadows,
keeping watch and ward over those
slabs and mounds, meditated no good
to him who should have the temerity to
invade their lawful realm, it was deci-
ded to suspend further investigation,
and to retire with decency and decorum,
from the scene OF our late exploit. Ac-
cordingly, we retVaeed our steps by the
same route we came out an hour before.
On arriving at that favorite resort Of
collegiates the post Office, we found
some ten or a dozen more members Of
the Star, VINO had extended their walk
that far. Our story, though they pre-
tended to disbeIieve it entirely, set them
wild for an adventure. If there were
any ghosts to be seen, they wanted to
go to the show. 1t was proposed, there
fore, that we should repair immediate
ly to the cemetery and investigate the
matter thoroughly. Not one Of them
but felt himself fully competent TO ex-
plore, alone, any graveyard in christen-
dom! It was liz vain, combatted this
proposition as being exceedingly fool
hardy, il not positively sinful. In vain
the possible consequences, should we be
caught in such questionable pursuits,
and that it was little less than a viola
ton Of the sanctity OF the grave, to be
found proving around there at such an
unseemly hour. Their resolution was
made up; go they would. | had all the
time felt a great desire to unraVel the
mystery that seemed TO envelope that
quiet graveyard, 50 finding my objec-
tons over-ruled and not wishing to be
left alone, yielded my consent, and
fell into lire.
1t was determined that we should
assuD G the aggressive, and it was mat
ter Of curiosity to me, to know Oh what
system, and with what weapons, they
proposed to wage their goblin warfare,
since they had ridiculed and negatived
suggestion from me that we should
arm ourselves with the sandstones,
were scattered all over the common we
were then crossing, TO be used in case
of emergency. | am inclined TO the
opinion that they were all superstitious,
inasmuch as this summary rejection of
the sandstone proposition, (which ev-
cry body must admit, was, under the
circumstances. eminently judicious,)
was based on the plea, thai .'spirits of
the air" entertained q profound con-
tempt for, and We're wholly imperyious
to, the attack Of carnal weapons; and
woe to the luckless wight who should
have the temerity to use them. We
approached the cemetery on the east
side, just about the point where we had
first observed those unaccountable shad-
ows, and some Of the more reckless, i'm
mediately climbed over the fence, and
proceeded several yardA.into the inclos-
ure; but sudden, startling whisper
from Brown-who excelled, in this re-
gard, any man I have ever known, it
being impossible to convey any just idea
of the terrible distinctness, and thrill
ing force of his whisper, set the whole
party on the alert, and quickly recalled
those o6uonturNuc bnrOns who u,nvo