Mower County transcript., 1869-12-02
A Romantic Ghost Story

We have to record the decease, at the adj
vanced age of eighty y-seven, of Mrs. Charles
Mathews, the mother of our distinguished
comedian, and widow of that eminent actor,
his father, whom she survived thirty -four
years. Mrs. Mathews was the daughter of
q much respected gentleman named jack
son, who had directed his attention to the
stage, and had studied as pupil of Samuel
Foote. The first wife of Mr.. Charles Math-
ews, Sen, was NJ SO Stroni., the daughter
of physician at Exeter. In 1901 she ex-
hibited symptoms OF decline. One even
ing towards the close of her brief life Mrs.
Mathews sent her husband to request that
Miss jackson, for whom she had some time
before conceived warm regard, would visit
her on the following day. When the young
actress arrived Mrs. Mathews, propped up
in bed, maintained a lively convsrsation
till her husband came in, who was delight
ed to find her thus able to sit up
and talk to her friend. She told him
her present cheerfulnsss was the re-
suit of considerations which had in.
duced her to arrange the interview. Avow-
ing her conviction that no human skill
could prolong her life, she reverted to her
affection for Miss jackson, and to that
young lady's unprotected state; and then,
taking her hand and that of MIR. Mathews,
and pressing both to her own feverish lips
in solemn manner. conjured them to take
compassion on her anxiety and pledge
her death. Their agitation was extreme. MIR.
Mathews reproved his wife with some i'm
petuosity tor placing. him in such q dilem-
mo, and Miss jackson, throwing herself
upon her, knees, besought the pardon of
the dying woman for her refusal to comply,
representing the impossibility Of her affir
ancing herself to man for whom she en-
tertained no warmer, feeling than that of
friendship. She then: quilted the; cham
ber, followed by Mr.. Mathews, who.
imp1ored her not to harbor suspicion that
he had been aware of his wife's intention,
which he attributed to something like q
delirium produced by her feverish state.
In the May following, Mrs. Mathews i'll
ness terminated in death. For some time
after that event natural degree Of distance
was observed between the widower and Miss
Jackson By degrees, however, the mutual
coldness wore of, and feeling ofGregard
was growing up between them, when cir
cumstanoe occurred still more remarkable
than the dying womanis appeal. MIR. Mat.
hews' account of his impression was as fol-
lows: ''He had gone to rest after very
late nights pei lformance ut the theatre, find
ing himself too fatigued to sit up till his
usual hour to read; but after he was in bed
he ediscovered- will happen when persons
attempt to sleep. before their accustomed
time-that to close his eyes was imppossi-
BILE. He had no light, nor the means of get
ting one, all the family being in bed, but the
night was not absolutely dark, it was only
too dark for the purpose OF reading: IN
deed, every object was visible. Still he
endeavored to 60 to sleep, but his eyes re-
fused to close, and in this state of restless
ness he remained when suddenly q slight
rustling, as if of hasty approach OF some
thing induced him to turn his headto that
side Of the bed whence the noise seemed to
PROCEED; and there he clearly .beheld the:
figure of his late wife, in the habit as she
lived, who, smiling sweetly upon him put
forward. This was all he could relate, for
in shrinking from the contact with the fig
ure he behold, he threw himsslf out Of bed
upon the floor, where, the falling hav-
ing alarmed the house, his landlord found
him in a ct. On his recovery he related
the cause of the accident, and the whole of
the following day he remained extremely
i'll, and was unable to leave his room"
The remarkable fact is that at the exact
hour at which Mr.. Mathews was thus affect
ed vision of the same kind occurred to
Miss jackson. ''The same sleepless effect,
she says, ''the same cause of terror, had
occasioned me to seize the bell-rope in
order to summon the people Of the house,
which, giving way at tho moment, I fell
with it in my hand upon the ground. My
impressions of this visitation, as persisted
it was were exactly similar to those
O. Mr.. Mathews. The parties with
whom We resided at the time were perfect
strangers to each other, and living widely
arart, and they recountsd seyerally to all
about them the extraordinary dream, for
such it will, be called, although my entire
belief will never be shaken off that I Was
rs perfectly awake as at this moment
These persons repeated the story to many
before they were requested to meet
and compare accounts There could,
consequently, be no doubt of the
facts, and the circumstance became
matter of much general interest
among all those who know u.s." After such
q sympathy between the widow and the
friend Of the departed wife, it is not sur.
prising that the dying request should be
fulfilled. On Dec 28th, Miss jackson be.
came the wife of Mr.. Mathews. Mrs. M.
died at he residence, Chelsea Villa, Bromp-
ton, Tuesday, in full possession Of her fac
ultics.