Middletown transcript., 1870-12-03

were man and wife
well, they got lodgin's here.
" The next morning neither of them
made their appearance, and after a while,
the mans wife that kept here, went up
stairs, and called them, but didn't get any
answer, and she came down
" At noon, as neither the man nor the
woman had come down, Bates, the man
who kept here, and his wife, and his hired
man, went up, and as they didn't hear
nothin' they bust the door open, and there
lay the young woman without one breath
of life in her. Oh it was awful. And
she was as pretty and beautiful as could
be, with her long black hair and dark
eyes. / saw her before she was buried
Well, this woman as was murdered haunts
that room, People who have slept there
since I've come here, told me they saw
| her,"
What became of the man ?" inquired.
Nobody knows. He murdered her,
for no one ever saw him after that night,
when he come here. Are you afraid to
sleep there p asked the burr y host of the
Washington.
" Afraid !" | scornfully explained 81
never have yet been afraid of beautiful
woman, dead or alive. Get your candle,
and I'll retire at once."
The candle was soon brought, and |
was shown the room where | was to pass
the night.
i" You see it's very snug and comfort
able, Barkley. A good, clean bed to sleep
in and all nice. My old woman couldn t
live if everything wasn't just SO. How
DO you like it?"
Il like its appearance well enough"
TIM glad to hear it. Now I'll leave
you Good night"
Good night p | replied, and was alone
alone in the haunted chamber.
" The room has preposscssing appear
ance, at least, and if nothing trauspires to
disturb my slumber, | will doubtless sleep
sonnd. Ghosts Ha ha ha! Super
stition will live as long as the world
stands. A man and moman apparently
disguised come to country hotel and Sc
cure sleeping apartment for the night ;
are unknown; the next morning the wo-
mans found murdered mysterious disap-
pearance of the man, and the room in
which the horrible deed was committed, is
troubled by her spirit. BY Jove. what a
capital plot it would make for sensation
novel, or a melo-drama Ha ha p | jok-
ingly soliloquised, as prepared to retire.
blew out the candle, put my revolver
under my pillows precaution which |
never failed to preform when travelling
and jumped into bed, where | was soon
fast asleep.
I had slept, knew not how long, when
| awoke with start from a fitfui and dis
tracted dream, in which imagined that |
had witnessed the fearful tragedy enacted
in that room, and so wildly had seen it
all in my dream that / was all of a ner-
vous tremor, while my mind was seized
with sort of mystic terror that was hor-
ribly expressing.
I lay in this disagreeab'e state of mind
for few minutes with my face turned to
the wall, when the room was suddenly
transformed from utter darkness into ra-
diant light My heart gave quick bound,
and for few seconds seemed to stand
perfectly still, but with the light lost a
sense of fear, and feeling of danger crept
over me, put my hand under my pill
low and grasped my pistol, determined to
learn the cause of this mysterious illumi-
nation turned over and saw what for
an instant sent cold chill to my heart
a beautiful woman. exactly answering the
description given by the landlord. She
was standing by the table, on which sat a
candle-not mine She took key and
began to unlock small box, which sal
upon the table--the box l had noticed
before going to bed-this | thought ex-
tremely strange.
1.-The dead have no power to do injury
and live woman have no fear off,
mentally calculated, as arose and crossed
over to where she stood, and gave her a
scrutinizing look in the face.
then went to the door. passed out
and, shutting it after me, / held it fast
and exclaimed, at the top of my voice:
"Hallo! landlord! landlord, l say
come here I'v captured your ghost. Halo
landlord" +"
AS the last word escaped my lips,
faint hey wha-a-a-t d'you say Z" as of I
person, half awake, came from the othe
extreme of the house.
Come here I've got your ghost fast
encd up in the room," | called.
The landlord, followed by his wife an,
the other dodgers that had awakened b,
my calls, came running towards me, all Q
t them anxious to behold the ghost
I entered the room, followed by th
rest. and there stood the ghost.
d" My daFter p? exclaimed the astonishe
landlord.
3" Your daughter p l echoed, amazed a
! the contrast between them.
Z" Yes, my darter. Now, see here, gal
what'er you doin' here p said her father
in tone of anger.
t "I--me-I don't know. I beg of yo
don't detain ME, but let me go to my ow
/ room," entreated the bewildered girl.
"Pll be darned if you don't know"
t Your daughter is a somnambulist,
. attemned to exnlain