The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-12-16

u.s t,ltinr 10 me- Yes" "th!i ''c...
,r,;a no 'trnlion to Dick Coleman; hc ON |
mo- nublic speaker nohow."-"lh """''9
ChuL- Room," IN January GdIH'3.
6 7,,r;,;i,,- skc!cE--ghc Mystic Fhrce.
u,s dmaiflcd on The second floor OF Il
hid, hn,,.r. ono OF those smart, lr'in, mar
r,-l,ov un,irs that are wont 10 "pTlhh
themselves on the retired t~horougl'laicS OF All
,,prricau cities. over the upper iaLl Was Il
,,,fr sky-li"lt opening directly TO the
t,,nyrus. one likes ia l." precise when ocai-
inc with such mattcr-o!-t,ct materials rs SKY
lights and bricks. 1t was not latrftila hild-
ujyht when | assembled the >erol:u f!%ilt Of
stairs on no thoughts intent but jhc soothing
ones OF bc>lowin" myself into the M
yi,iur arms of Morpheus as >l"cdilE
4. possible. II WAS a lr2t"ina,tiF-
ally bright night ont o. doors. me
uncloudcd disk Of Il full moon poured
a food of luminous radiance upon Inc
patch Of interpreted floor underlying. the
skv-licht. llunImin- Il tmli"l"hi ar J
PASSED from the hail into my rom anu
drew a lucifer against the wall /" l%li!le .i''
gls with. just is | applied Tie if'i'lhS
match To the JET. q Wlii!i OF WIND or VI
solnctlin" else, blew il out, ana my alicii-
ton was instantly arrested ny ttr1" UNI
uIiyoral rIr$. slicl, rs culy 4 iard-hn,lckicd,
| iInportu,rltc individual would lc guilty ol
Observation-Disclosures, apparently, 10
The door Of an adjoining apartment. Wonder
inc how he or she could have coino up
stairs wil!ror, bcin" heard, | stepped into
the hall. From the Suiidity of TIE rai>. | cN-
pcctrd tn sec a large. masculine person, but
TO nv infinite surprise there was 10 Ni>iDlc
presence i'll the hail.
The door of the next room opened, ana
the lady. vino. with her husband. occupied
ii. thrust ont her hand, and, seeing me, IN
CURED:
Ibid yorl rap"
Il did not" | replied. u heard rps,
t. ought. upon your door. and not having
heard any enc come into lie hail, | stepped
from my room to ascertain whence the >otnlds
Glllc.'
1T is very strange" She said, CHANGING
u~cryously about. Tile same knocking has
occurred once before tonight, and on open
ing my door no enc WAS to be seen. iEsl
can il be-"
"Nothin@,"l loosely said, "or next tono'
thing. | am sure ii is nothing but can b,
easily traced and accounted for, should il
again occur. Probably it WAS the wind. il
is tossing Itself about wonderfully Outside.
She shook her head in timt negative way
tiut women will wien not convinced.
II do moi believe tn" wind could tilltml' /;
door like that. Tmc RAYS Were too Ic@ti:i
and meliioCical for the Wind. II was altn"c-
thcr different from the dCs'll!ory rattle uSti-
ally produced by Il gust. BESIDES, the doors
arc all shut. ami there is no passage above ol
below for Il current of air. | icar 1t l. al
omen of evil. Ny liI>iand j. absent much
l,.,,,l II, ,,-,,,l I,,tt. .rl nm ll,fT.iu.;i-
>ivc something dreadful lEt- hcllilo!i itiul.
Here she washed tier bands neryou>tE III
ilnpcrcrptiblc water. and dc>lririi%iy wiring
them olit.
"NonscuSc." This WAS the most comfort
inn assurance that | could think vi III the mo-
lu,nt.
Another negative shake of The head.
Il don't know whether it j. non>cn>c oi
GOOD sense. Men are 80 lmrt-!icartcd and
$Ncptical that they always liu@:, faith III pre-
monitiunS TO scoln. remember poor grand
father had Just such Il mysterious Warnlu"
shortly before he died. he WAS splitting
wool in the shed Ole morning, and heard
three ripS on the roof above his head. III,
looked up ut the first RPS, and paid them nC
further attctilion. They came twice mos"
very distinct and uncIuivoc:d. lie went II
aud told grandmother hc WAS goinr to die
She kept on darnin@ Il pair of stockings, and
said, aS vuil have s~liI-lulsrn>"! Hit il
did die. He never wore tic Stockings >h,
wa> dmniny. How do you accolnt iVr >tici
things: -
"Supcr>liiion. pure and sinr'c-vcry sim
pie. Should we have another cali J lave 1t
doubt we Slrii he able 10 trace cllcct 10 cause,
3nd that. | an confident, will prove t. bc
SIM " 10 alrsurtlity.'
She reluctantly withdrew into her room
and closed the door. rcCnicrcd mine, and
was fumblinw for a~nntlicr match 10 reno"
the experiment of lighting til @aS, when the
ralS were repeated with such deliberate md
startling di,tiuctuc>s that | actually jumped
into the hall, determined to be there so"l
enough 10 ascertain I'LL about it.. AT the SAM
Instant her door opened. "Look.' she
ca.ued, pointing to the patch Of moonlight
under the skylight. ] did look. and Il thrill
of commingled W and curiosity shot
through me and held me spcll-boumd. In tho
centre Of the p!a' f moonlight, stretching
from the Skylight to the floor, was somctllln.
intensely black. or so dense Il hlackncss was
this gigantic shadow the middle Of Il large
trunk lilat stood against the wall behind il
Was completely hidden from view. Only tic
projecting ends were d~iScelniblc.
| was and still am a practical man, with no
glamour OF the occult about Inc. There had
been nothing i'll my experience upon which
| could hang The ghost of Il belief in dc.
monology. For an instant | stood appalled,.
( Curiosity to analyZc this marvel soon got the
better Of less agreeable emotions. | approach.
ed and deliberately thrust my hand into and
+ through it. The sensation started me more
} than the appearance had. The effect was the
>alle as it would have been had my hand
been thrust into 4 current of Arctic air or Il
; bucket of icc-watcr. 1t was terribly cold.
and sent III involuntary silircr all over me. |
: withdrew the hand. III vas hcnlmnbcd-Et-
ralyzcd. Slowly the hlackncsS drifted up
| ward, waving 10 and fro. H. though blown
upon by 4 gentle wind. / locllcd down. and
with the Shrek Of the terrified woman ring.
! ing i'll my ears, | turned and fed into
my room. The lifting of that chon drapc-
{ ~ disclosed three CHASTITY, misShappen.
! naked feet, from which cNiilcd Il Sicklv. pale
| White phosphorcSccnt light. Ii was half an
= hour-and seemed am ctcrnity-hcforc |
t could uunmon sufficient courage to look into
: the hall. When did the Whitc-tooted terror
| was gone. | looked for the lady. She was
: lying in her doorway. She had tainted and
| fallen forward upon her face. 1t took some
time TO restore her To Consciousness. and
longer still 10 tranquility. She bcsccchcd
and implorcd to he instantly taken from the
house. TO acccde to her frantic appeals at =
o'clock at night was hardly convenient or ad,
yisahle. | remained with her until her hus.
band returned. Alarmed ut her condition,
ne naturally inquired the cai>e. lie was
told that she had had a lii OF the Mysteries.
The information relieved him Of anxiety al
once. An opium pill soon relieved her.