Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-12-31
A MYSTERIOUS PERSE-
CVTT0R
\ Missouri Young Lady TOrmented
by a Mysterious and Deadly Corr
respondent.

From the St. Joseph Gazette.
In the central part OF the city lives
young lady who has been Tor some time
past the subject Of the most singular per-
seoutiOn She Is pretty, and, like every
handsome girl, knows thai fact; although
no heart-smitten swain has rs vet been
bold enough TO proclaim it 10 her face. II
seems, however, that she has in some way
become the object of the wrath of an un-
known but vindictiye youth Who he is,
or why he should thus annoy her, is more
than she can possibly tell.
Some three months ago the young lady
commenced receiving through the Post
office letters warning her of danger, and
also threatening her with sundry dire ca
lamities in case she did not Immediately
leave the city. These letters were written
in a fine hand, and, to betterimpress upon
her mind the nature of the writer's inten-
ton, were in red ink. They were signed
simply ''H. B., and this, signature was
in an entirely different handwriting from
the body of the epistle. The first two or
three letters were rather vague and indef-
mite as TO the nature of the threats, as
though the writer had not fully made up
his mind as to what he would do in case
she remained in the city.
Now, il is not pleasant thing for even
man to be appraised of the fact that he
has a secret enemy but when il comes
to a young girl, sensitive, nervous, and,
above all, curious, such thing is really
distressing. And so it was with our hero
inc. She thought and pondered over the
matter, and the more she thought, the
more she was worried and perplexed.
She counted over carefully her entire
list of acquaintance, but could remem-
Der no one to whom she could have given
cause for offense. From this she took to
comparing handwriting, availing herself
of every possibility to gain glimpses of
the chirography of letters and notes. In
fact, she seemed to her acquaintance to
be perfect monomaniaC on the subject
of handwriting. All her efforts, how
ever, were in vain. No clue could be OBJ
tanned in any way to the mysterious cor
respondent
And still the notes kept coming, each
one more threatening in its terms than its
predecessor. The poor girl was in a per
feet maze of bewilderment and fear, and
every moment of her life was one of
wretchedness. At length, on Saturday
afternoon last another note came, in
which the writer advised her to prepare
for death, as nothing would satisfy him
but her hearts blood. This was positive
ly frightful. 1t was evident that her Sc
cret foe was now fully bent upon her de-
struction. And yet, what was most singu-
lar, she could not for one moment con-
ceivc why any human being on The face
of the earth should entertain the least
unkind feeling toward her.
On Monday the crisis came. The
family were all absent from the house,
and she was sitting alone in the front
parlOr, cndeavOring to take her mind off
the terrible mystery which enshrOuded
her, by perusing the pages of a novel. A
passage in the story attracted her attention
particularly, and she was so deeply in
tCrested in it that she failed to notice the
opening of the room door. A moment
more, and light football on the carpet
caused her to look up. Before her stood
a man masked, and armed with a TGyOl-
yer.
1t was evidently her unknown persecu-
tor. He spoke but few words, and
those in a low tone, demanding the imme-
date surrender to him of the letters he
had written to her, saying at the same
time that he would shoot her did he not
fear that the report of the pistol would
arouse the ncighbOrhood. At this juno
ture, the young lady, overcome by fear,
tainted, falling back in the chair appa-
rcntly lifeless. How long she remained
in this condition she does not know, but
when she recovered the man had disap-
peared.
Many articles of furniture in the room
were thrown around in considerable dis
order, but nothing in the house was car
ried away. The only object of the SIN
gular visitor seemed to have beCnto search
for the letters, and failing in finding
them, he departed in the same way in
which he had entered the house. The
girl had recovered from her fright by the
time some Of the members of the family
arrived OF course they were perfectly
astonished as well as considerably fright
cned by what has transpired in their
absence.
On Tuesday morning another note came
through the postofflcc, directed to the
young lady, which was opened in eager
haste Unlike the others it was written
in a coarse, scrawling, almost illegible
hand, with black ink, and contained these
words
81 am sorry frightened you yesterday.
! leave the city to-day
The whole story is a most singular one,
and we can account for it in no other way
than by suppOsing that some one &C
quainted with the family desired to play
a joke upon them. If this was the inten-
ton, the party certainly deserves the
scycrcst punishment for thus inficting so
much misery and wretchedncss on
young and sensitive girl.