The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-04-29

Miseellauy.
tFrom the New York News.l
SLEEPING OR WAKING.
a Travelling Agents Ghost story.
BY e. H. KELLOGG.

SLEEPING OR WAKING.
r A Travelling Agents Ghost story.
BY e. H. KELLOGG.
Foul deeds will rise, utf
sThough all-the earth o'erwheiIm them
mems seyes-[Shakspeare
3 $50 you don't believe one word o
the ghost story you have just beel
, reading?' -frr---..tcl
"No, 1 do not, the idea is simply alb
surd, that man should be haunted by
the putrefying, corpse of suicide; th'
details, to be sure, are ably worked up
and horrible enough to satisfy the mos
l morbid appetite for the supernatural
The sensation writers, nowadays
have nice time of it, catering to the
public taste, and getting up such sto
ries for the press"
That may be all true enough.
use to think just so myself, but piece
of experience occurred to me some few
yeas since while travelling in the West
that upset all my calculations, left me
at sea, and made me almost willing to
agree with Hamlet in his belief that,
there are more things in heaven and
earth than are dreamt of in your phi
losophy.' Just read this little article
which / cut out of Western newspa-
Ser day or two since, and see what
you think of it."
The speaker, tall man of about
thirty-five years of age, handed slip
of newspaper which he had taken from
his pocket-book, to his companion, who
was q man somewhat younger than
himself. tE
The above conversation occurred be-
tween two friends who were travelling
together in one of those gorgeously
furnished palace sleeping coaches,
which run on the Grand Trunk rail-
road, between Chicago and New York.
| The time was evening, and it being
Sunday, there were but few occupants
| of the car except themselves. The lat
ter took the piece of paper, and throw
ing aside the magazine which he had
previously been persuing, read it care
| fully, as follows:
"A MYSTERY UNEARTHED!
SINGULAR DISCOVERY OF HUMAN RE-
MAINS IN W.
In tearing down the old red tavern
which formerly stood on the State road,
two miles from this place, discovery
was made in eXcavating to make q
deeper celler, that has caused great ex-
element in our quiet town and consid-
erable speculation among our citizens
as to whence the mystery originated.
The laborers employed in excavating
the cellar discovered the mouldering
skeletons of ten persons in different
stages of decomposition DR.. W.,
our talented young physician and fell
low-townsman, on examining the re-
mains in connection with others of the
profession, found them to consist of six
males and four females; they were,
however, unable to determine exactly
how long they had been ihhumed. 1t
must certainly have been long time,
as the landlord and his family, who
Were making the repairs, are people of
excellent standing and beyond suspi-
cion, and have been in possession Of
the premises and land adjoining some
ten years. H
Old neighbors speak of singular cir
cumstances connected with the former
tenapts, who were an old couple of un-
prepossessing appearance of the name
of R. They had lived in the old
tdN Cl cOlnC y Colc PlSNAOuo w eAAS
present owners taking possession. |
They were supposed to be Irish; but |
being peculiarly reticent in disposition,
and seeking or entertaining little If any !
company, it was impossible for the |
busy-bodies of the neighborhood to dis
cover their previous place of residence,
or their nationality; which doubtless
caused them considerable incOnven-I
fence and great distress of mind. They |
were both quarrelsom, and hOth hard
drinkers, but never communicative
while under influence. The one was
man of some forty-five years of age, !
and tie woman was, perchance, some
what younger, although appearing !
quite as old as her companion. They |
were supposed to be brother and sister,
but as to the certainty of this SUPPOSE !
ton, nothing definite can be ascer- |
tanned. They did not appear to live
very happily together, high words Of
ten passed beth cen them, and some
went so far as to say these sometimes
ended i'm blows. After eight years had
passed, the old woman was found dead |
in her bed one cold winter morning,
and the coroner's jury found a verdict !
of death from apoplexy, caused by ex-
cessive drinking. About year or two
afterwards, the old nan was discover
ed suspended by halter, in the barn,
stone dead. Some six hundred dollars
We're found in the house; but there be-
ing no heirs to claim the property and
no one knowing whence the old couple
had come, the money and the estate
passed into the possession of the State,
and the latter was rerted by the pres
ent tenants.
George B., the architect and one of
our old citizens, REMINDERS mysteri-
Gus disappearance which occurred
about the year 1S-. A man from
PENNSYLVANIA camelere on horseback
and stopped at RS tavern he came
to buy land and vas understood to
have money. Abolt dusk one even
ing he came into bwn; he had been
drinking freely witt R., and told some
one he was going T. a house of ill-fame
kept by an old coored woman, near
the foot of the bill, ON the old State
road. This was tie last seen of him
His horse, saddle-ags and some cloth
ing remained at The tavern, but the
man never turnedup. II was intimat-
ed that he had ben killed by noto-
rious bully, whomade his headquar-
tiers at the bagniein question, but there
was no Investigation. 1t is rumored
that other dis3pearances have oc-
Cured. 1t is no improbable that the
skeletons found in excavating yester-
day, may furnisl clue to their fate
In some of tn skulls the brain and
part of the scab are well preserved.
The thigh bone and part of the ribs
are in good site of preservation, and
are of dark brwn color, owing doubt
less to the actin of the sulphur water
from an adjoiIng swamp. We hope
the remains Wi be carefully preserved
and an investigation ordered. AT the
present writin no further particulars
can be obtainl, but should anything
be Forthcoming, our readers may rest
assured of bfng Immediately notified.
Until then, bwever, this singular oc-
currence mvt remain sealed myste-
ry.
"Quitc a'omantic incident" he re-
marked, lmding the paragraph back
TO his fried, "but what has it to do
with CHOSE" II don't know,n was
The respose; "but l will tell YOU the
incident hat occurred TO me and leave
YOU to peculate and form your own
opinion. Have a cigarn
The Jtter accepted fine Concha,
and aftt the necessary preliminaries
i'm the cape of a light had been COM
plied With the former resumed his sto-
Twtyears ago, while travelling i'm /
the vest as agent for our house i'm
No,,Arorl, I had OCCASION to On fro,, |