The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1876-12-08

At the AGE of Is, she Was beautiful
enough 10 attract the attention of all
the neighboring gentry. But with all
her loveliAess she possessed certain
traits of character which neither edu-
cation nor association could eradicate
or modify. Accomplished and rehned,
she still evinced curious love OF free
dom and strange passion for the
water. No one in the county could as
cend the Malvern hills as she, and often
her father and his companion found
her, when still mere child, worn out
with fatigue, in the almost inaccessible
ruins Of the Beacon"
At the ace of 20, formal suit was
made 10 her by Lieut.. Craddock Hamp-
den, the son of one of the wealthiest
gentlemen in st. Adams. The match
was a prosperous one, and without inn
pediment the young people were pas
sionately attached 10 each other, and
the parents favored the alliance. Arch
ibald Hampden spent much OF his time
AT Sir William Richardson's honse. lie
appears 10 have been rather austere
| Puritan, and no doubt connected with
the Hampden stock of Warwickshire,
for he figured extensively in what were
I known rs the shop troubles" OF that
year, taking sides vigorously against
the common people of the county and
himself leading troop of gentry
against riOtous gathering OF the hop
pickers. Although these troubles were
\ speedily repressed, a great deal OF an
noyance was inflicted upon the land
owners for a long time after IN revenge,
and no one ever suffered more than the
Hampdens. At this time, arose the
\ first stories of the "White Woman OF
Watford.' They we're regard
Cd rs the supcrS;itious leGions
I of the common people gener-
ally, and no special significance was
attached 10 them, until Sir William 5
barn was one night burned, and sever
al of the hop-picKers insisted that II
was set on fire by the "White Woman
of Watford,n and then il was insisted
upon by the elder Hampden that II was
a convenient myth upon which these
people foisted their own mischief.
Others, however, with a love of mystery
made patient inquiries long after con-
corning the white woman, and the re-
suits may be found in Sheldrake's " Le-
gend Of St. Adams" Here we come
across the ghostly tradition of beau
tiful spirit that walked the banks of the
Wye al night. She was seen by belat-
ed travellers returning through the
wood that bordered the Richardson do
main, but she always vanished into thin
air on being discovered.
One summer night, the older Hamp-
den, while sitting in his library with
his son, who had just ridden over from
Sir Williams, where he had spent the
evening with his intended bride, was
informed by his keeper that be had seen
the ssWhite Woman OF WatfOrd," AID
that two of the ricks were burning
With his usual promptitude the old mar
mounted his horse and, accompanied 10y
his son and the keeper, all armed, SCI
out 20 punish the outlaws. They Were
reinforced by Sir William on the way
There was full moon, but II was 90
scured al intervals with clouds. The
pursued the course of the WE, which
i thickly wooded where it passes TIT
Hampden and Richardson Parks. On
reaching the valley At the foot OF the
hills the keeper, while in a lOnesom'
place, swOre that he saw the Whit
Woman, and warned them 10 90 NJ
. further. The irascible old trOope
r rated him soundly for being q super
| stitious poltroon, but no threats coul'
/ induce him 20 continue the hunt. Hi
J words, as preserved by tradition, were
I" You're fightin' agin heaven, and tn
3 blood will be on yourselves"
: The warning only served 20 sti
j Il =. -, L. y.rl.rs no Ia
: lieved neither in wraiths nor fairies
e and he swore 70 put bullet into tn
White Woman that would test her spii
: itual nature il he came across hel
| They had not proceeded far when the
' heard the sound Of distant singing
:, Dismounting, they crept through IN
4 cOpse TO the stream, and then pickle
A their way as noiselessly as possible alon
5 it, margin. All at once one Of the part
A uttered an exclamation and pOinte
j. through the trees:
e ave are bewitched," he said; "loo
e youi" The moon poured It's silver
d light through the vista, and they say,
/. thought they saw, the figure OF a won
q an intermingling with the light ;
J. though il had been born of il. Ol
o Hampden lifted his gun and fired. IT
n apparition vanished, nor could they di
n cover any traces of it. Satisfied that
:, was 10 part an illusion, they set out
D. return. They had not proceeded ia
" before the figure reappeared. Tn
ie time il was at a greater distance, ar
was leaning apparently against tire
ir They stood moment dazed with
4. lustrous beauty; one only of the par
al was snable to perceive any thing, al
Sc he boldly denied its existence, and wh'
Nv the other described It's position m