The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-01-01
A GaOSTLY CHAPTER.
A Dread Record of Supernatural
Visits.

too general to render necessary an
excuse for an occasional return t
the subject, whenever the occurrenc
of some incident of novel features
or the starting of new theories of ex
planation-give promise OF any prof
table result. The object of this pape
is not to advocate the doctrine tia
the revisitings just alluded to are per
mitted, but simply to Darrate two 0
three additions TO ghostly literature
Very few years have passed sine
the occurrence, IN a busy thorough
fare of busy London, OF an lnc1den
which viii be better to give IN the
words of the narrator:
Lit was on a wild, stormy night IL
the Spring of 1851 that l was sitting
before the fire at my lodgings in -
Street. with an open book on my knee
The fire had burned very low, and
had not replenished 1t; for the Wea-
Their, stormy as it was, was warm, and
one of the windows had remained
since dinner partially Enclosed.
My sitting room was on the third
floor-One of those queer old rooms
that seem expressly adapted to the
occupancy of spirits and bogies.3 The
walls were paneled to the height OF
six feet from TIE floor, and the cor
nices covered with fantastic mould
ings. Heavy articles of furniture, in
Guiding a mighty high backed chair,
disposed of In different parts of the
room, were lighted up occasionally by
the Pickering gaseous flame IN the
crate, which soon abandoned to
deeper darkness as its aliment grew
less.
In the center of the apartment stood
a large round table. Between this and
the FIRE | sat, as | have mentioned,
with a volume on my knee. 1t was
upon the law OF evidence, and, to say
the truth, showed small tokens Of fire.
quent consultation. l had lapsed in
TO meditation, and then into a state of
dreamy Inconsistencies, when my
attention was attracted by a movement
Of the door, Of which, from my posi-
ton, L commanded view. | saw it,
through my half closed eyes, open
slowly and noise essly, and the next
moment a female figure entered the
room.
My mysterious visitor advanced to
the table, without taking the least no
tiee Of me, and removing her bonnet
with an easy, natural manner as of
one coming home from a walk, laid it
on the table. She then took from her
pocket a little book bound in crimson
velvet, and, drawing a chair to the
fire, seemed to become absorbed in its
perusal. In sitting down, she turned
her side TO me; and CLEAN from the
dying fire suddenly revealed to me a
gaping wound in the right temple,
such as might have been caused by a
fall against some sharp and hard sub
stance
1t was now that the conviction
rushed upon me that my silent visitor
was not Of this world; yet [ do not
remember that | experienced any feel
ing akin to CONSERVATION. Curiosity
and interest, at all events, were pre-
dominant; and | watched her every
movement with almost breathless at |
tention.
And l know not what time-proba- |
bly, some ten minutes-passed in this |
manner, the girl seemed to become |
restless and uneasy. She glanced |
from her book to the door-to the |
window = to the mantel shelf las |
though q clock stood there)-trIed to !
resettle to her book. but apparently |
failed; and at length, laying it down,
murmured to herself: What in the
world can detain him? It is long
past his time"
1t was not very alarming appari-
ton, being nothing more than an ex-
tremely pretty woman of about TWEEN
ty-tive, with light brown hair, grace
fully arranged under a bonnet Of the
ordinary fashion Of the day Her
features were perfectly strange to me.
They were regular, and she would
have been altogether very attractive
person but for the circumstances that
her eyes had a strange, unearthly ex-
look as of one who had
gazed on things mmortal-perhaps,
to speak more tamiliarly, look, such I
as medical science has described as
in the eyes Of criminals
who have been, by some strange acci-
dent, torn from the jaws of death after |
the hangman had, to all appearance,
faithfully performed his ghostly office.
/ myself have seen some singular ex-
preston in the faces of men who have |
endured awful peril, and have been,
by some unforeseen circumstances, |
rescued from destruction, when the |
real bitterness of death had passed
So much was | fascinated by that |
peculiar glance that l sat like one |
entraneed, without power of move
ment, my heart alone reminding me,
by Its accelerated heat, that | lived, |
and was cognizant of what was pre- |
scented to my eyes.
She remained as it were, buried in |
thought for a few minutes; then with |
an audible sigh, resumed her reading. |
1t vas manifest she could not control |
some anxious thought; and now, as if |
taking sudden resolution, she replac- |
ed the volume In her pocket, rose, put |
on her bonnet, and moved towards
the door. Suddenly she paused. |
turned, approached the window, and
seeming to raise it, gazed steadfastly
out.
The next moment she gave a vio-
lent start, and appeared to gasp for
breath, her clasped hands and strain
ing ege0alls Indicating that some ter
rible object was presented to her
view. Then with one loud, heart
broken cry. she threw her arms wildly
above her head and cast herself from
the window
That cry seemed to rouse me from
ny trance like condition. [ was on
my feet in a second, and rushed to the
window. Had my senses deceived
me? No doubt; for it was barely
open-as | had left it. | flung up the
sash and leaned forth. In the street
all was as usual. The stream of hu-
man life passed uniterruptedly on. A
collection of policemen glanced stead
ally up at my opening window ard
sauntered by. Two men were calmly
smoking at a window fronting mine.
1t was plsin they had heard or seen
nothing aniss. Much marveling, I
returned to my chair and book; but