The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-09-07
A Den OF phanfar.,s.

"A Den of phanfGrma.
Many times the reporter had heard Mr..
F., in conversation with his friend
j., make sllusion TO ghostly reminis-
cence, which always called to their counte-
fnances an expression Of doubt and indie
cision strangely ct variance with the bold
| and fearless characters they bore. He had
always desired to hear the story, and now
solicited Mr.. r to tell il.
Certainly: but you must promise to
believe what say l've seen, for there is no
deception about it.
"We were all counterfeiters. A number
of them were in the city, and were daily
putting large sums of spurious money in
circulation. Sometimes woman was made
| the medium of this fraud at others O boy :;
always those apparently innocent, while
the actual offenders kept under cover. One
night young woman came to the station
and complained that she had been brutally
ill-treated by man whose name she ap-
peared anxious to conceal. She did not
wish him, arrested, but only sought protec-
ton for herself from violence.
"There was something in her air and
manner that interested US. talked to her,
questioned her of her home, associates, and
means of living. In reply to my QUESTION:
she unthoughtfully pronounced the name Of
Whiting. This was the name Of the leader
of the counterfeiters, the man whom we had
searched for anxiously, but could never
find. 1 questioned her now to purpose. /
VAS wild with anxiety, but apparently
calm. Before she went away got clue
that thought would serve me. The next
night we set out to put plan we had formed
into execution. Disguised and thoroughly
armed, we soon found ourselves at an old
house in the Third district near the bank
of the river. 1t had been long disused,
and was rapidly falling to decay. In the
old colonial days, when New Orleans was
yet an infant city, it had been the mansion
of rich proprietor. But like most old
houses, it had an evil reputation. A
murder had once been committed there-a
fratricide-a sister had been done to death
bv maniac brother. The wraiths Of both
had haunted the old building. 1t was
avoided by all. To the Ignorant magma
ton, it was fearful as q charnel house. 1t
was such q place, however, as men of evil
would select as an abode.
.s"We believe we should find the crimi-
nails we searched for there. Stealthily we
crawled through the weedy lawn-careful-
" assembled the rickety stairs. Wide and
spacious halls shot out on every side, and
the large rooms yet retained grandeur
that well beftted the splendors of the grand
old days when they echoed the laugh OF
beauty, and were the abode of elegant and
sumptuous hospitality. Hallowed the house
had been, as the house Of virtue and limo
cence. Within rhese walls q race had
lived and died here had loved and tri-
umphed the dark Spaniard and his de-
scendants. Women have lived here whose
beauty was yet chronicled in romance !;
some dark and imperial, with blood fe-
vered by the tropics others sunny-eyed
and golden-haired. We reached room
md sat down. 1t was near midnight.
The din of the city had long died out.
The ouietness of death reigned in the vast
apartments, and darkness intense and ray
less filled the room. We were listening
for some sound to guide Us in our search.
Suddenly dull, greyish light penetrated
the room. 1t grew on the instant soft and
luminous, and on the opposite paneling OF
he room appeared a shadow. 1t grew grad
ually on the vision until the outlines of
Young girl were defined on the wall. The
face was pale and death-like, and from the
exposed breast dark stream OF blood
seemed to we'll from deep wound. 1t
looked like shadow, and might have been
produced by artificial means nevertheless
my hair stood on ends, and nameless
terror could not subdue palsied soul and
sense. l was not less affected but neither
of us spoke. Suddenly another figure ap-
peared beside the apparitlon. 1t was that
of a young man. This face was convulsed
with horror, and in the portruding eyes
was the glare Of the maniac. Stunned and
motionless we saw q death-struggle COM
mence-a phantom deathstruggle-a mo-
ment more q scream of mortal agony echoed
| through the room, and then o laugh, dis
! torted and horrible as the glee of maniac.
1t made our blood curdle and the brain reel
in q delirium of fright.
! "But Just as we were feeling the utter
horror of our situation, in the adjoining
room we heard heavy fall and a muttered
curse. 1t acted like electricity That
sound at least was mortal. We sprung to
our feet and dashed open the door OF the
| adjoining chamber. The next instant the
light from the dark lanterns flashed through
the room. But imagine our surprise to
see before us the young woman we had seen
at the station the day before, kneeling by
the side of q man apparently severely
bruised by an accidental fall. The mystery
was soon explained. BY artificial means,
and Il curious combination Of lights, the
scenes we had just witnessed in the other
room were produced by Whiting flor it
proved to be the counterteiter) and his mis-
tress. To scare away the superstitious
visitor, if any should chance to come, they
had resorted to this deception. We were
the first victims to the delusion. In de-
scending from the ceiling, Whiting had
fallen and broken his leg. We took them
both into custody. In the building were
found all the appliances of the counter
feiter and a large sum of spurious money
But even to this day cannot, without a
thrill of dread, think of our first expert
ence with the phantoms.' '-NeD Orleans
Picayune. e..
The VELoClPEDE IN CHICAGO We
learn from the Chicago Tribune that the
French velocipede has been introduced into
that city, and is likely to become common.
One was recently imported by Mr.. Augustus
Wheeler, of No. 932 Indiana avenue, and
has not only been on exhibition, but can
| l. o1r,nc4 ayorry dow On III ava-