Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-07-28
.womAx IN wHlrE.n
A mother and her BABE ON she High
way sat midnisnt's Lonely Hour.
A Moving ana Mysterious Train.
..Appear Like shadows, SO Depars"

A Moving ana Mysterious Train.
ssAppear Like shadows, So Departs
II Is not alone the occurrences of the
day that are noticed by those whose pow
ers of observation are ever on the quS 0S0e.
NIGHT hss its miseries and mysteries, and If
all men were to follow the advice given by
some philosopher of old, to lie down with |
the sun, and rise with that luminary, then
much of the gossip, the scandal, the viz
tues and charitable acts peculiar to life,
and brought to light from under
the cover Of darkness, would remain
untold. We do not admit the gen.
| eral principle laid down for the
government Of sleep, as given to rs by
| those versed in such matters II is well
| enough for old Sol to rise and set on time,
| and take his maps regularly, but newspa-
! per men in particular, don't exactly appre-
cciate his regularihes, for they move in diff
| ferent spheres. We will admit, however,
| that il might be as well for society and
morality If the world at large knew less;
| but it is fashionable to learn all you can,
and the wise and ignorant alike are max
ing efforts in that direction all the while.
But preface enough, let US to the story:
RAW AND GLOOMY NIGHT.
It was on Wednesday night last, when
| the scene in real life of which we
propose to enter into detail, took place.
| The City Hail bell had struck the hour of
| twelve before the labors of our day had
been concluded. Shortly after that time
| we bent our weary steps homeward. The
night was dark. As we crossed the Square,
it seemed to us the city was more quiet
than usual We noticed at some distance
off solitary policeman making his rounds,
| and not another stirring piece of humanity
was to be seen. We crossed the bridge,
and Woodland street, the leading thorough
fare of Edgefeld, was more dismal in ap-
psarance than we had found it on many
occasions at the same hour. Not sound
was to be heard, save the rustling Of the
leaves when famed by the cool night wind
that now and then swept through
the trees. We raised our eyes,
and the sky looked as black as that
in Poussin's picture of the Deluge. Ii
any of our readers have been out IN
Eigefield during raw and cloudy night,
they viii readily appreciate the Situation.
But onward We proceeded until within
short distance of Tulip, when we saw, or
imagined we saw, something ahead.
few steps further, and we felt satisfied that
our copjs were right. There GER
tainly was an object in view, and with all
| the recollections of ghost stories that
| came up about that moment, We could not
revive one that had so much of the real
| as that which confronted Us. But recover
| ing from the shock, We fastened on snd
| came upon
THE WOMAN IN WHITE.
| Thanks to Dodd's never failing lamp, we
now obtained q glance sufficient to com
| prehend the situation She was In tact
woman in white, aud her very strange
attire at once led us to believe that she
was indeed o personage Of mysterious
ways. A night-gowp, or something IKE
an undergarment, alone enyeloped her
slender form. Beauty might be traced in
| her features, although despair at this time
expressed itself in them. Her cheeks we're
| pale as a corpse, her lips blanched, her
eyes dimmed. 1. was SURPRISING strange
to see such creature upon the lone high
way ct such an hour, but there is more yet
| to tell. Just in front of the woman was
baby carriage that contained an infant,
which she ives pushing before her. We
| had a Thousand ideas about that time, and
the speculations that ran through our mind
were too many to keep up with. Before
we fully appreciated the make up" Of the
train, we thought Of spectres and hob gOb-
Inns, but these ideas vanished when We
| discovered that real life was present. The
next that suggested itself was, that one OF
| Bowens wives was on the tramp IN search
| of the virtuous Congressman, and then
sgain We supposed the caravan to be the
| advance guard of another Taiding party
upon weakley's store. Finally we became
| more charitable, and felt it to be duty
"To speak patience
To those that wiring under the losd OF SORROW"
And to have an interview, was deter
mined upon.
WE INTERVIEW HER.
Good lady, we remarked, whittier goest
| thou at this lone hour of hight? up
yonder," she replied, and she continued
| her tramp. Whose baby have you there,
we asked again. ''My baby" she replied.
Where do you live, we Intercepted again.
HOn the other side, she said, and she halted
not. We have had in our time some ex-
perience in interviews, but were always
more successful Up to this good hour we
| fiattered ourself that we were brilliant in
| tete q tete, exquisite in a discussion on the
comparation merit of Brussels lace, pro-
found in a disertative on fans, as familiar
as the editor of the Courier. journal with
| the catalogue of materials necessary for
small-talkist. and could treat such subjects
as arm, beauty, eyes, poetry, novels, heart,
| ancients, chivalry, Lord Byron, pathos,
passion, sentiment, enchanting, lovely,
Don Juan, Goethe, languages, Italy,
scenes of antiquity, Cicero, Sunny Flor
| ence, etc ETC., with the ease peculiar to
| the gentleman who has engaged to 1egu-
| late IN double loaded manner the editorials
of Alex. 81. Stephens; but for once we
were not equal to the occasion. We who
have msandered through the dingy courts
and mystic alleys with all the precision and
sang froid of the profession, were complete
| ly non-plussed, and we left the sceDe
without another word to say, leaving the
mysterious woman on her wauderings.
EABLY YESTERDAY MORNING SHE Is SEEN
| AGAIN.
| About z O'Clock yesterday morning, this
| same woman and the carriage and the babe
passed through North Edgefeld towards
| the Dickerson pike, and from appearances
had been perambulating the streets OF
| Edeefield from the time We left her, and
throughout the night. There was ID i'm
provement in her Dress. and she looked
weary and fatigued.
RETURNED TO HER HOME.
City Marshal Hutchinson, hearing OF the
aWoman in White, started on her trail.
and captured her about three miles out on
the Dickinson pike. Upon inquiries he
learned that she lived in Nashville, and al
| forwards restored her to an anxious hus-
band on the corner of Line and Vine
| streets. What induced her to leave home
1 We cannot answer. and here we close the