The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-11-12


A Thrilling Incident-A Man in
Trance is Supposed TO be Bead and
is DepOsiGeG in a Vauit-He Bursts
His Coma, Escapes, and is Shet as
rs q Pretended Ghost. III
We have before us private letter,
detailing events that recently occur
red in Southwestern Ohio town, that
gives peculiar force to the old adage
that truth is stranger than fiction"
We can give the main particulars of
the letter with out violating confidence
or giving disagreeable prominence to
the chief actor IN the strange incident,
or his friends.
Mr.. Deloss w. is wealthy and in
fuential man, residing near the viii
lage OF p. On the Thursday preced-
ing the prize fight between Gallagher
and Davis, the old gentleman was
thrown into a high state Of excite
ment at learning that his only son
John had gone to Cleveland with the
avowed purpose Of attending the fight,
and his excitement was intensified at
still further discovering that John
had helped himself to his (the fathers
pocket book, containing $780, Mr.
W. fumed and fretted over the con-
duct of his son, and went TO bed on
Thursday night with a raging head
ache, and marked symptoms Of fever.
He vas about the place in a more
composed state of mind, on Friday,
but the interview with John, on Mon
day afternoon, Immediately after the
son s return, threw the old gentleman
into a paroxysm of rage and grief.
which was rendered d0ubiy severe by
Johns insolence and his acknowledge
ment that he had lost $50 of the
money in q bet on Gallagher. Mr.
| w. s frenzied feelings finally got the
better of him and he felled his son to
1 the floor with a blow of his fist, and
Immediately thereafter fell down
himself in a senseless condition.
! Great excitement In the fam " en-
sued. The mother ran screaming Tor
assistance, which was soon forth-cOm-
/ ing Ia the persons of several of the
neighbors. Mr. W. was found in an
apparently lfeless condition, with
blood flowing from his mouth and
nose. a subsequent examination by
a physician led to the announcement
by him that Mr.. W had died from
the bursting OF blood vessel. So
evidently had the vital spark fed that
no efforts at resuscitation were made,
and the remains " were prepared for
burial as promptly as possible.
The funeral Of the deceased" took
place the following Wednesday. Mr.
w body had only been cofined the
previous day-up to which time it
had laid draped in its shroud, in the
parlor Notwithstanding the Won
derful lifelike look Of the skin, and
the color IN he face, it occurred to
no one to suggest a postp0nement of
the burial till death was absolutely
certain. The funeral was very large
ly attended, and everybody remarked
| the lifeiike appearance Of the de
/ ceased. 1880 I'd"
The remains" were temporarily
/ placed in oneC of the vaults of the
/ cemetery, owing TO the fact that a
brick tomb, commenced for their re-
! ception, had not been completed.
/ At ten o'clock on Thursday night,
the village was thrown into great ex-
element by the report that a ghost
had been seen in the cemetery q short
/ time before, and that the old lady who
/ had first seen it had been frightened
/ into a fit, from which it was doubtful
! whether she would recover. Think
ing that probably the ghost was per-
sonated by some sc0undrel, " no had
played the same trick several times
before, number of persons armed
themselves with shot guns, proceeded
to the cemetery and commenced a
cautious inspection - their hearts
keeping up an anxious humping in
their bosoms, in spite of their -assum-
! ed brayado They had not long to
wait, for there, fitting among the
toombs,. was a white object, plainly
| to- be seen With trembling hands
| their guns were raised and fred,
when--a. strange fact for a ghost
they saw the white creature fall be-
tween a couple of graves, Plucking
up courage, they cautiously approach
ed the object, and turned dark Ian