The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-05-07
RemarIaple Escape from the
GallOWS.

Remarkaple Escape from the
GallOWS.
In Sir John Barrington's "Per-
senal Sketches of His Own Times"
there is an authentic account of
one of the most remarkable occur
rences we ever met with. A Mrs
O'Flaherty and Mr.. Lanegan, pri-
vate tutor to her son, were arrested
for the murder of her husband by
poison. The lady betrayed her ac-
complica and fled, and Lanegan was
tried, convicted, and sentenced to
be hanged and quartered at Dublin.
which sentence was carried into ex-
ecution, and now comes the story
A Templar and friend of mine,
Mr.. David Lander, fat, good hu
mored, superstitious young fellow,
was sitting in his lodgings at Dew
ereaux Court, London, one even
ing. was with him. and we were
agreeably employed in eating straw
berries and drinking Madeira. While
chatting away in a cheerful mood,
and laughing loudly at some re-
mark made by one of us, my back
being toward the door, I perceived
my friends color suddenly change;
his eyes seemed fixed and ready to
start out of his head; his lips quiv-
cred convulsively; his teeth chat
tered; large drops Of Precipitation
flowed down his forehead, and his
hair stood nearly erect.
AS I saw nothing calculated to
excite these emotions, / naturally
conceived my friend was seized
with a fit and rose to assist him.
He did not regard my movement in
the least, but selling knife which
lay on the table, with the gait of
palsied man retreated backward,
his eyes still fixed on a distant part
Of the room, where he stood shiver-
ing and attempting to pray; but
not at the moment recollecting any
prayer, he began to repeat his cat
echism, thinking it the next best
thing he could do, as, "What is
your name? David Lander!. Who
gave you that name? My god
fathers and my godmothers, in my
baptism p etc.
1 instantly concluded the man
was mad, and turning about to go
for some assistance was myself not
a little surprised at the sight of
tall, rough looking parsonage, many
days unshaved, in a very shabby
black dress, and altogether of the
most uncouth appearance. The
stranger and 1 stood for a moment
opposite each other, staring and
motionless. At length he broke
silence, and addressing my friend,
said, in a low, croaking voice -
"Don't be frightened, Mr.. Lander,
sure it's me that's here"
When Davy heard the voice he
fell upon his knees, and subsequent
ly fiat upon his face, in which posi-
ton he lay motionless. The spec
tire, as I now began to imagine it
was, stalked towards the door, and
1 was in hopes he intended to make
his exit thereby instead of which,
however, having deliberately shut
and bolted it, he sat himself down
in the chair I had previously occu-
pied, with a countenance nearly as
full of horror as that of Davy Ian
der himself
I was now totally bewildered, and
scarce knowing what to do, was
about to throw a jug of water over
my friend, to revive him, if posi-
BILE, when the stranger, in his croak-
ing voice, cried:
"For the love of God, give me
some of that, for I am perishing."
I hesitated, but at length / did
so. He took the jug and drank
immoderately.
My friend Davy now ventured to
look up a little, and, perceiving
that I was becoming familiar with
the goblin, his courage somewhat
revived, although his speech was
still confused. stammered, rose
upon. his knees, held up his hands
as if in supplication, and gazed at
the figure for some time; but at
length made up his mind that it
was tangible and mortal. The eff
feet of this decision on the face of
Davy was as ludicrous as the fright
had been. He seemed quite asham-
ed of his former terror, and affect
ed to be stout as q lion, though it
was visible that he was not at ease.
He now roared out in the broad,
cursing, Kerry dialect:
"Why, then, blood and thunder,
is that you,- -Lanegan."
ooh, sir, speak low!" said the
wretched being. -
"How the devil,'' resumed Davy,
did you get your four quarters
stitched together again, after the
hangman cut them off you at Ste
phen's Green ?" ...-
"Ah! gentlemen exclaimed the
poor culprit, "speak low. Have
m orou ,,oon mo Moofor nox1y. ro,