Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1873-05-02

glance toward my couch.
Was it the CLEAN of a human eye, ob
serving me through the board partition, OF
was it but my fancy There was crock
there, but only black darkness beyond I yet
I could have sworn that something sparkled
balefully at me,
took out my watch. It was 1o'clock
1t was scarcely worth while for me to IN
dress for three hours sleep; would lie
down in my clothes and snatch what slum
Der I could. So, placing myealise close te
the head of my bed, and bsrrricading the
1ockless doors with two chairs, | extingulsh
ed the light and lay down
At first was very w9keful, but gradual
ly soft drowsiness seemed to steal over me
like misty mantle, until all Of q sudden, q
startling electric thrill coursed through my
veins, and [ sat uy, excited and trembling
f. A luminous softness seemed to glow
through the room-no light Of the moon or
stars was ever so penetrating-aud by the
] little window I say Alice. my wife, dressed
in flowing garments Of white, with her long
golden hair knotted back by blue ribbon
Apparently she was reckoning to me with
outstre,ched hands, eyes full of wild, anx
Gus tenderness.
I sprang to my feet and rushed toward
her, but as I reached the window,
the fair apparition seemed to vanish into
the stormy darkness, and I was left alone.
In the same instant the sharp report Of a
pistol sounded, I could see the jagged stream
of fire above the pillow, straight through
the very spot whore, ten seconds before, my
head had lain.
With an instantaneous realization Of my
danger, I swung myself over the edge OF
the window, jumped some eight or ten feet
into the tangled bushes below, and, as |
crouched there, recovering my breath, I
heard the tramp of footsteps into my room.
'Is he dead ?" cried voice up the ladder
the smooth, deceitful voice of the woman.
"Of course he is, growlei voice back
again, that charge would have killed ten
men. A light there quick, and tell Tom
to be ready"
A cold, agonizing shudder ran .hrough
mer. What den of midi ight murderers had
[ fallen into And how fearfully narrow
had been my escape.
With the speed that only mortal terror
and deadly peril can give, rushed through
the woods, now illuminated by faint glim-
mer Of starlight. I know not what impulse
guided my footsteps-I shall never know
how many times crossed my own track,
! or how close | stood to the brink Of the dead
" ravine, but merciful Providence encom-
passed me with guiding and protecting
care, for when the morning dawned, with
I amt red bars oflightag against the eastern sky
was close to the high road, 7 miles from b.
Once at the town, told my story to the
police, and detachment was sent with me
to the spot.
After searching, and many false alarms,
we succeeded in finding the ruinous old
house but it was empty, our bride had
flown nor did recover my valise and
chain, which latter I had left under my pill.
| low
| "Ips Drew's gang" said the leader Of
the police, land they've troubled US two
years. I don't think, though, that they
come back here at present
Nor did they.
But the strangest part of my story is to
come yet. Some three weeks subsequently,,
l received letter from my sister who was
with Alice in her English home-a letter
whose intelligence filled me with surprise.
81 must tell you something very strange"
wrote my sister, ''that happened to US on
the night Of the 18th of October. Alice
had not been we'll for some time in fact,
she had been confined to her bed nearly a
week, and [ was sitting beside her reading
1t was late, the clock had just struck one,
when all of a sudden, she seemed to faint
away, growing white and rigid as corpse.
fastened to call assistance, but all our eff
forts to restore her to life and animation,
seemed vain [ was just about to send for
the doctor, when her senses returned as sud
denly as they had left her, and she sat up
in the bed, pushing back her hair and look
ing wildly around her.
ssAlice!" l exclaimed. chow you terri
fed US all. Are you ill.,"
"Not ILL.," she answered, "but | feel SO
strange. Oracle, have been with my hus-
band p
All our reasoning failed to convince her
of the impossibility of her assertions. She
persists to this moment that she saw you and
was with you on. the 18th of October, or
rather on the morning of the 1Sth-where
and how we cannot tell--but we think il
must have been dream. She is better
now, and I wish you could see how fast she
is improving"
This is my plain, unvarnished tale.
do not pretend to explain Or account for its
mysteries. I simply relate facts. Let psY
biologists unravel the labarynthal sken.-
I am not superstitious, neither do l believe
in ghosts, wraiths OR apparitions but thi;
thing I do know-that although my wife
was in England, in body, on the morning
Of October 18th, her spirit surely stood be
fore me in New York at the moment of thu
deadly peril that menaced me. 1t may b'
that, to the subtle instinct and strength o
a woman's holy love, all things are possible
but Alice surely saved my life.
AN OLD FASHIONED BR1GAND -Brigand
of the old fashioned type are fast dying ou'
but some very fine specimens Of the roman
tic sort are still to be found in Corsica. 4
correspondent of the Paris "Temps" men
tons, that, besides some thirty-four yer.
doubtful characters, who systematical
elude the police of the islands. there ar
three individuals, named German, Suzzo
nj and Albert, about whom very sensations
legends are told. The exploits Of the bri
gands are, however, mere child's play CON
pared to those Of Suzzon's predecessors, thu
| famous Santaluccia He was perhaps tb
: last of the old race, and was a power i
Corsica some thirty years ago. He took
[ the woods in consequence of what happene'
! to one of his brothers, who was convlcte