The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1868-11-05
A DEN OF PHANTOMS.
BY A DETECTIVE.

were daily putting large sums of spq
rious money in circulation. Sometime
a woman was made the medium c
this fraud; at others boy; alway
those apparently innocent-while til
actual offenders kept out of sigh
One night a young woman came t
the station, and complained that sh
had BEEN brutany ill-treated by ma
whose name she appeared anxious t
ieonceal. She did not wish7him al
rested, but only sought protection fo
herself from his violence. There wa
something in her air and manner tina
interested US. 1 talked to her, ques
i toned her of her home, association
and manner of living! In reply t
my questions. she unthinkingly pro
Il nounced the name of Whiting. Thi
I was the, name of the leader of th,
4 counterfeiters-the man whom we haI
1 searched for anxiously, but coult
never find. T. questioned her now Il
a purpose. / was wild with anxiety
but apparently calm. Before she Wen
awaystgot s,clue that Ith9ughtwoulG
1lserve me. The next nfgfif we set otl'
to put plan we had formed into exc.
cution. Disguised and thoroughly
armed, we soon found ourselves at an
old house in the Third District, neal
the bank of the. river, It had been
long disused, and was falling into de-
cay. In the old colonial days it had
been the mansion of rich proprietor.
but, like most old houses, it had an
evil reputation. 4 murder had adj once &c
been committed there-a fratricide-a
sister had been, done to death bxa a
maniac brother. 5fhe wraiths of both
had haunted the old building. 1t was
avoided by all. To the ignorant i'm
agination it was fearful as a charnel
house. 1t was such place, however.
as men of evil would = select : as
an abode. We believed we should
find the criminals we searched for
there. Stealthilywe erawled through
the w.eedy lawn carefully we as
Gended the rickety stairs. Wide and
spacious halls shot out OH everv side.
and the large rooms yet retained a
grandeur that we'll beftted the spIenA
d9rs of the grand old days when thev
echoed the laugh of beauty, and were
the. abode Of elegant and sur surmiptuoSulss
hospitality. Hallowed the house had
been as the home of virtue and inne-r
cence. Within these walls 4 race -I,a,
lived and died-here had loved and
triumphed the dark Spaniard and his
descendants. Women had lived here
whose beauty was yet, chronicled in
romance---some dark and imperial,
with blood fevered by the tropics
others sunny-eyed and golden-haired.
I'VE reached a room aud osat down.
twas It near midnights The din of the
city had long since died out-the
luietness of death reigned in the vast |
apartments; and darkness, intense and
rayiess, filled the room. We were
listening for some sound to guide rs
N our search Suddenly dull. grew
issh light penetrated the room. 1tE
grew on the instant soft and luminous
md ON the opposite panneling of the h
DOM appeared shadow. 1t grew
on the vision until the out
mes OF young girl were defined on
ne wall. The face was pale and death
ike, and from the exposed breast a
lark stream of blood seemed to well
rom deep wound, 1t looked like a .
and might have been BRO
-uced by artificial means. Neverthe-. |,
ess, my hair stood on end, and a 1
ameless terror I could not subdue ]
alsled Esoufand sense. MY eompan-, b
ep was not less affected but neither 6
usaspokesedSuddenly another figure 4
beside the apparition. 1t was
nat OF a. young man; his face was l
onVulsed with horror, and in the pro l
'uding eyes, was the glare of the ma u
vac. Stunned aud motionless. y we Ii
wv the death struggle commence-a v
nantom n death struggle, rmementJ @
ore, a scream of mortal agony ech- d
ed through, the room, and then a
ugh, distorted and horrible as the =
ee OF a maniac. It made our blood I:
lrdle, and the brain reel in a deliri- -
n OF fright. But just as we were :,
cling the utter horror of our situa- -,
'n' IN the adjoining room we heard h,
heavy fail and a muttered curse. If -
ted like electricity. That sound at f.
lst was mortal. We sprang to our II
1t and dashed open the door of the IN
joining chanber-the next instant ".
light from the dark lantern flashed 50
rough the room. But imagine our 50
rprise2to to see before us the young II
'man we had seen at the station o,
day before, knee1ing by the side to
a man apparently severely bruised ~
an accident1 fall. Fhe ! mystery IL IL
s soon explained BY artificial ~
ans, and by a curious combination as
lights, the scenes we had just-wit-+ If
sed in the other room were pro- ~,
led by Whiting (forit proved to be 70,
counterfeteT and his mistress. To 80;
re away the superstitious visitor2ifHf.
should chance to come, thew had r.,
orted to this deception. We were No
first victims of the,delusion:a In
cendilngg g from the ceiling, Whiting W.;
fallen and broken his leg. We. =,
< them both into, custody. In the =
ldmg were feundall the appliances !.
he counterfeiter and a large sum W. wv.
spurious ~ etls money. But even to-tbis 80 ~.
,, i cannot, without d thidp of1tiir tiirsP !,
ad, think of our first experience :.
h the phantoms. + sofas n,o r,
nERE is deed ON record in Mont the
lCrV cOuutu nh;,- .l.Ef.t!. -. n we