The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-06-03
Skeletons in a Hidden Chamber.

A foreign newspaper correspondent
who like any other member Of his profes
sion. Is confidant Of the most illustriou
noble families abroad. and chosen repos
itory of all their com promising secrets, re
latcs story of an aristocratic English
house which must make cold the blood o
each very young reader. and induce I'M
aginativc young servant-maids 10 refuse
to 60 up stairs In the dark. The Earl o.
Blanklyne, brilliant British noblemar
and frequent occurrence In weekly jour
nal Of romance. lately married q fall
young bride, with tho approval of hel
parents and took her home to his patri.
monial castle. The lady liked the build
ing generally, and considered the moat
,lonjon, turrcts and things quite satisfac
tory; but she wanted boudoir in the
neighborhood of her oed-chanber, and
until that was supplied, curtain lectures
were the Earls portion In life. 1t wa.
found that the rooms, rs sometimes hap
pencd in castles running TO much to tow.
er, bastion and other freaks Of architect
urc. were so arranged that blank space
had been LEFT for another room. Architects
may understand what that means). So
tho Fart, In great agony of mind sum-
mOned q great builder down from London
20 give an opinion and charge shameless
ly for It. Down came the great builder,
with little gold country houses hanging
rs "clarms" from his watch chain, and
afler pcering up any number ofchimncys,
and staying long time in tho wine cell
lar, gave it rs his opinnn that there must
already bc another room in the immediate
ncighborhood of my lady chamber. This
apparent absur,lity on the part of the
builder provoked the Earl into calling
him "sirIrlh" TO his face, and asking him
IL he took the whole illustrious family of
Blanklyncs to be mentally vacuous in .
profane sense; to which the builder re-
piled. that seeing how his lortlship felt he
would bore him no more on tho subject;
but that, If no might DO permitted to bore
the wall, he thought he could prove the
sOundncss Of his argument. Permission
was given the suspected wall WAS duly
bored, and not only was, another room
found, but It's contents balllcd description
with great slaughter. AS Is always the
case when description Is bailled. descrip-
ton now comes out stronger than ever,
and presents the folloming horrors, with
intense enjoyment OF them
The secret apartment thus brought to
light by persistent boring was furnished
In the most luxurious and useless style of
century and half ago, when chairs
were like small churches and windows
looked like combination of collins. A
quantity Of female apparel lay about the
room, Jewels were strewn upon the dress
ing table, and but for the faded aspect of
everything the chambers might have been
tenanted half an hour previously. Upon
the couch was the skeleton of woman.
and Mt the foot thereon was u masculine
skeleton with rusted sword beneath 1t.
The secret of 70 century and n halfwas thus
brought to light; and although quickly
hushed up again, Is yet talked about with
bated lseath by the third nobility and
gentry of our newspaper correspondents
moro intimate acquaintance. What was
tho dread secret thus Theoretically walled
In for an age? Probably somo ancieut
Earl Blanklyne. about retiring for the
night, discovered that his wife was dead OF
nT1plexy. and In his frenzy OF grief imms-
diately fell upon his own sword. Any
other explanation would be such rs could
not be tolerated in the interests of morali-