Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1872-09-26
THE GHOST OF LAWF0KD HALL.

EVERY wore OF inc lO'lOWlHg story
taken down by me five years ago, from
the lips Of lady in Wsrwjckshire, may
be relied upon as entirely true without
any addition from my pen,-W, T.
1t is now about thirty years ago that |
and my husband, not long after our mar.
riagc, went on visit 70 LawfOrd Hall an
old mouse near Rugby, which had long
desired to see. ! remember posted alone
from Coventry, near which town we had
been staying, rs my husband had gone on
two days before to attend to some Coun
try races, whore the Lawfords were run.
. ming favOrltc horse, and to go hunting
the next day with the old baronet AT
the last Watwckshrc house in which we
had been staying, picked up one wet
day, in the library, an old book Of trials,
which contained illusions to Lawford
Hall For three hours in coy nook of
that old Elizgbethan rOom--whcre Van
dykes cavaliers seemed longing to come
out of their frames 10 talk to you'll sat
absorbed over a strange and terrible
poisoning case which had made all War
wickshirc shudder sixty years before.
There are days when the brain seems IN
usually sensitive to impressions; and all
the details of this crime, from some rea-
son or another, became printed, or, ! may
rather say, photographed on my rctina,
with sharpness and ViVidneSs that was
almost painful. saw the great plumcd
bed where the rich man lay; again the
thin, llogarthian figure Of the younger
stcp-brOthCr, in the old costume, stole
with silent foot through the shadow Of
the broad oak staircase, and past the cur
tanned bed 30 the mantel piece where the
low row Of bottles stood. | saw the thin
ing, trembling, white hand with the lace
ruttIe all but covering it, remove half
the contents of one phiaI and sub
stitute the laurel water that he had
distilled, with cruel and calculating
care, in his own locllcdup room, |
heard the dreadful cry OF the dying man
as his stepbro'her bent over him.
could hear the ringing hoois Of the doc
tors horse as it came down the Rugby
road could see the grave face of the
man in black AZ he stood by the bedside,
and, raising the cold, waXen head let it
fall agnin, uttcring only these few solemn
words, " II is too late, he is dead Then
| followed the surgeon down to the vain.
scolted parlor, where the murderer, with
hypocrtical grief, told his planned story
of the cause Of lis brothers. fit, and with
subtle craft Cvaded any examination of
the body | tracked the poisonrr TO the
quiet summer garden, where he eyed me
with bitter smile, as ne passed the laurel
from whence he had pmcked the fatal
leaves heard him stop and tell, with
cNultatiou, the old gardener, who was
resting on his spade "that it would be
easy days with the old servants now, not
as in Sir Edwards time, and that he had
long worked to be master of Lawford
Hall, and was so at last watched
him trcmblc when the letter came from
his brothers friend, stcrnly and coldly
desiring that the body should be exam.
med step by step, indeed, | followed
that soft spoken, dCC0rOus Catlike, cruel /
villain till left him with irons round his
small wrists, while the morning coach
was preparing which was to take him to
the Warwick gihbct, still lying, still un
repentant, still denying, in spite of the
countless proofs of guilt that from earth, !
water and air had been drawn to cover
him with shame | saw him also in the |
dead Of the night previous, when the grim |
keepers were asleep, steal from his pill /
low, throw himself on his knees SO sol /.
omn bent to God, and unite his thin, fet- /.
tered hands tn passionate prayer to the .
Judge of ali, and ! hoped that even at /
that last moment he had found mercy.
These scenes again arose in my mind /.
rs, after hours Of heavy rain, the sun I
shone out just as the post.Chasc swept /
round turn in the road, past Newhold, /
into Little Lawtord The light glttcred f.
on the following leaves of the limc.trces /
and tlickcred upon the wet gables of the .
old house 1t was stately, melancholy /
building, half Tudor, half classic The
huge ElIAahctutn porch Contrastcd un
pleasantly with the ugly square windows
OF the Georgian era, that were rendered
more hidcous by the picturesque orics
that were here and there left There was
q solid comfort about. the stone muIHuns
that the old house had been soawkWardly
patched Just to the right Of the porch
there was an old Tudor window that cs.
pcciolly struck my eye. 1t was ovcrhuug
with Il Nrginian Crrcper whasu leaves
were already turning scarlet The mo.
mcnt glanced at that window, a scene
of the old trial came again into my
thoughts 1t was below that room that
the prisoner stood that April morning
and called, in his gay, thUughtlesS way. to
his sister, TO ask her il she was ready for
q ride before breakfast She had lust
the fatal medicine, and had left him as
she thought, asleep This window opened
on passage between her room and that
Of the murdered man, and she heard her
brother call to her as she passed buck
from one room 10 the other 81 shall be
ready i'll quarter of An hour shcCalIod
from the window, upon which he wcntIo
the stable, mounted his bay mare, which
was always ready sadiled, and rode un
to the Wells. Five minutes after. the
sister returned to the brothers room. ana
found him in the agouics of death
As the postchaisc swept round the
drive 70 the trout entrance, | observed ON
the right the dial court, Of witch had
read, with the great iron gates leading In
30 the garden 1t was there the prisoner
hud stood the night ne distilled the laurel
water talking to two tenants who had
come TO see his sick brother. Stately as
the house Was, guarded by It's avenue ",
lines, and gin with its broad gardens,
could not help fanCying that curse still
rested upon 1t There was malign, I'M
happy look about it that weighed on my
too active Imagination, so that n curious
prcsenttment Of some impending evil
cane over me as the great bell dragged
from its socket, gave forth clamorOus,
iangling clang that seemed to echo
through endless passages with a queru-
i0us 2lamor that | thought would never
cease.
The dinner was dull Lady Law ford,
whom | had found so delightful, 50
charming, 80 yivaCious at Paris, seemed