Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-11-21
The Very Strangest Of Strange
Stories

Some time about the year 1850, Mrs.
Emma HaTdinge received q number or
most unRccountaDle epistles, dated from
Boston, and signed John c." the
name being given In full. The writer
addressed Mrs. Hsrdinge in terms Of en-
thusiastic admiration, and referred 70
numerous interviews which he purpoTted
to have had with her. SO full OF detail
were these statements that Mrs. Har-
dinge at first believed some designing
woman must have assumed her name,
while the letter had, by mistake, been
forwarded to herself. But illusions to
her lectures, dresses, and even scenes OF
private lie, known only to her imme-
diate home circle, at length eonnectei
these mysterious documents exclusively
with herself. Greatly perplexed, Mr..
Hardinge began to scrutiniZe the Sc com
munications more closely, and soon
found, to her Amusement, thst they be-
tTayed an intimate knowledge OF her
veTy Thought, no less than incidents
aud words Of the most private nature.
These letters not only followed her from
place 10 place 10 her itinerant career,
but seemed 10 emanate from one as well
acquainted with her movements as her.
self. The darkest part OF the mystery
was that though the language Of these
epistles was refined, and occasionally
eloquent, the constant illusions to inter-
views and conversations which
were assumed to have transpired
between the parties, by seeming
TO place them on terms OF the
most endearing intimacy, sug-
gested the horrible suspicion that the
whole was a plot concOcted by unprin-
cipled enemies to destroy the character
of young girl, whose reputation and
usefulness would alike have been blight
ed were these infamous letters to fall in
to other hands than her own. In the
deepest distress Of mind, occasioned by
this inscrutsble mystery, Mrs. Hardinge
consulted several of her friends, among
them the late venerable and respected
magistrate, Mr.. Fletcher, Of DelancO,
New jersey, who, though unable to as
sist Der in his judicial capacity, advised
her 10 collect and Keep the letters as she
received them, promising her, whenever
an opportunity occurred, to render her
all the legal assistance in his power to
discover and punish her prosecutor. The
came answer aud advice was also ten
dered by Mr. Newan A. Foster, late
mayor of Portland, in whose house, as
guest, Mrs. Hardinge was re siding when
she received several OF these offensive
missives. Besides consulting with these
and several other friends in this man
neF, Mrs. Hardinge pursued course Of
observation on her own part which led
TO very extraordinary conclusions. Hab-
itually accustomed to see and converse
with spirits, Mrs. Hardinge did not re-
gard their visitations with either sur
prise or fasr. One exception TO this
complacent feeling, however, occurred
in the approach OF 8 dark, underlined
shape, who began frequently to mani
fest his presence OF night and always
inspire the most unmitigated feeling of
lOathing and terror. Neither the form
nor features of this mysterious
visitant could be distinctly observed; in
fact, the whole manifestation appealed
rather TO perception than sight, and was
a presence rather than an appsrition.
VINO or what it might be was prot und
mystery. Mrs. HaIdinge earnestly
questioned her spirit friends and guides
on the nature Of this dreadful haunting,
but could obtain from them no other ex-
plSnation than thst it was ian evil or
SndevelOped spirit,n over whom they
had no power. AT length the terrors
accompanying this obsessiOn became in
sppOrtsble ard injurious alike to health
ard mental balance. Their unfortunate
subject could always recognize the APP
Ir0ach Of the phantom, from her intense
feeling Of horror and the cold shiverings
which pervSded her whole frame. Some
times a sensation of faintness accom-
panied this presence, which nothing but
the insupportsble dread of becoming I'M
conscious could overcome. At last an
other feature Il, this mystery doomed up
amid the darkness. The midnight visi-
tations were the unmistakable precursors
of the not less abhorred letters above al
luded to. They came so closely and in
variably in succession, and the feelings
experienced in the presence Of the one
and the receipt of the other were so ex-
actly similar, that Mrs. Hardinge began
at last to reslizs that they were as init
mstely connected as the shadow and
substance Of one dire system of persecU-
ton. Whether impelled by desperation
or inspired by her watchfuI spirit |
guardians, the affrighted medk
UNI could not determines; but |
this is the method which she took to |
solve at least one portion of the mys- |
terry, namely, the connection of the |
phantom and her hated correspondent. |
One night after returning from a lee |
Jure, when Mrs. Hsrdinge felt the near |
approach of the invisible tormemtor, /
and Notwithstanding the fact that her |
terror almost deprived her of the power /
OF motion, she hastily snatched up the /
blue silk dress which she had Just taken |
of, arranging the skirt around her head |
in the manner of veil. Mrs, Har-
dinge at that time was lecturing at Gin
Ohio. Three days later she re-
ceived one OF the usual odious missives
dated from Boston, containing these re-
words:
GLOW beautiful my angel looked array
ed in that blue veil which she SO kindly
threw over her head last Friday night,
as il in token of welcome when l en-
tered her chamber
Still another experiment was attempt-
ed, urged by q new horror at the shock
ing possibilities disclosed in this SEN
tence. Mrs. Hardinge was returning
from lecture at distance from town,
and was travelling in large covered
with three friends, late at
night, when the party halted at a
lonely inn by the Wayside to water
and refresh The horses. Being ex-
ceediugly fatigued, Mrs. Hsrdinge sat
still in the csrTisge while the rest Of the
party alighted. Suddenly she became
aware that a man was seated by her
side, and actually in contact with her.
She was on the back seat, and com.
manded full view of all that was going
on in front. She was confident that no
one had entered the carriage, nor would
il have been possible for any one to have
done SO without observation. Yet in an
instant she knew that some one was
there, and the consciousness Of this
companions proximity was
80 startling and alarming that Mrs.
was on the point of shriekinR
aloud, when the deathly chilliness which
her phantom tOrmentor
informed her Of his presence. Almost
paTalyzed as she wss, she remembered
enough Of her desperate resolution to
avail herself Of another opportunity for
and snatching the hood
rom her head, she tore a flower from
he bouquet she held in her hand, and
.Ossed il hastily into her hair. The
lower was a cape-jssmiue, and was
ieiZed as the first that presented ITSELF |
Before she could recall her scat
cred senses the figure was gone. and
her friends resumed their places in the
vehicle. So rapidly had the whole scene
lsssed that ere she arrived home Mrs.
dsrdiDge had persuaded herself it must
Ave been a dream, a mere fancy, a Wis.,
on conjured up by ilt-health and disor-
lered imagination. On reaching her !
lace Of destination several letters were
'ut into her hands, one of which in ]
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