The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-08-14
vAMPIRISM I'M SERvIA.
A Horrible Story Of Young Girl Killed by a
Vampire.

WHICH tle vampire Is known are Ine
preservation OF the body for a long time
after it should have decayed, the fluidity
OF the blood and the suppleness of the
limbs. Prosper Merimee. in the course
Of his travels, was the witness of a case
OF alleged vampirlsim, which he de-
scribes as follows.
In 1915 l was travelling on foot in Var
garaZ aud chancedi to stop at the little
village of Varboska. My host was one
Vuck PoglonOVch, wellto-do for the
region, a good fellow and sufficiently
drunken. His wife was yet young and
fair, ana his daughter, a girl otsixteen,
charming. l would tain nave remained
with him several days, in order to study
the RUNS in the nelghborhoou, but he
would not rent me room, insisting
that l should be his guest, and as this
involved holding my own with him at
the wine after dinner, the relation was
not particularly pleasant.
One evening the woman had left us
about an hour aud, to avoid being CON-
pelled to drink, l WAS singing to my
most, when We were starCled by the
most fearful cries from the sleeping
apartment, Whicn, as is the custom OF
Ihe country, was occupied by the whole
household IN common. Aiming our
selves, we hurried tnlther, and beheld
fri 5nLful sight-the mother, pale and
Haggard, holding her still more pallld
daughter, VINO was stretc Ied on her
straw bed as If dead. The woman was
shrieking, without pause, ga vampire |!
vampire my poor cnlu is dead"
WITH great difficulty we restored
Khava to consciousness; she had, she
said, seen the window opened and
man, pale as ashes, and wrapped in a
winding sheet, had flung himself upon
her, bitten her ana strIVen to sLrangle.
She was only able to shrek aloud When
the spectre fed, ana she swooneu away,
Dut she taucIed that she had recognized
in is teaIul es tnose of Il yillager named
Wiecznany, dead about a fortnight.
There was small red spot on her
throat, but did not know whether it
might not be natural mark or the
result oil the bite oil an insect during the
girPs nightmare. Wnen, however, |
haZarded this conjecture the father re-
jecled it sulenly; the girl wept plteous-
~, and wrlngIng her hands and rocking
tU-anG-tro, Kept repeating: "Alasl To
die 50 young and b siore ones wedding
uay p while the mother loaded me with
reproaehes, declaring that she had her.
sell seen the vampire and known il to
De WIeczaany. l considered it, there
ore, the part OF prudence TO be, silent.
All the amulets i'll the village were soon
nung around the sufferers neck and her
fa ner took an oath that next day he
would disinter the corpse OF Wieeznany
and burn it. Thus the night passed
in an excitement that nothing could
allay.
At day break next morning the whole
village WAS out, The men armed with
muskets or hangers, the women bearing
heated irons, and The children sticks ana
stones. With cries OF rage against The
dead man Jney all thrOnged to the grave
yard; it was, with great difficulty Lhat l
could obtain and retain position
Wuence l could witness the ceremony of
eXhumatlon. 1t was slow, for as all
strUve To take part in it each interfered
with the other, and not lew serious
wounds would have been inflicted by
pick or shovel had not the Elders
ordered two men only to complete The
work. AT the moment that the shroud
was unrOlled horrible cry lairly alsed
my hair on end. 1t proceeded from a
woman by my side. ''Lt is yumpIre!n
eaten itw ana her words were taken up
by a hundred mouths. Twenty lmuSkeE-
shots shattered the head OF the Corpse
TO fragments, Whne the father and rela.
lives OF knaVa hacked the body savage
ly with Lhelr long knives, and tne|
women dipped linen cloths la the red
liquid thai OoZed from the wounds to
apply to the sufferers throat. The body
was dragged from the grave and firmly
tied to The trunk OF a small tree tnaJ
mad been cut down and prepared, then
drawn to the house OF Poglonoyich.
where pile Of taggots and straw had
been erected. Fire was set to it, ana
the body tossed into the flames, while
Tie people yelling madly danced around
the pyre. The a60mInabie stench from
the burning flesh soon compelled me to
take refuge in the house.
The house was crowded with visitors,
The men all putting at their pipes, the
women all speakIHY at once and over
with Questions. the sick girl, |
whu sat pale ana stupefed, the blood
soaked bnadages round her neck form |
In$ a ghastly contrast with her white. |
lali-naked shoulders. Little by little
The crowd diminished till we we're lett |
alone. KhaVa grew more and more |
uneasy as night came on, and insisted |
that some one should watch by her bed |
SIDE Constantly. AS her parents were |
worn out with fatigue and excitement | |
onered my services as nurse, and thew
we're accepted gratefully.
shall never lorgeL the nights spent |
by the bedside OF this unfortunate girl.
fne creaklng of board, the very mur.
nur OF the wind made her start and
'hudder. She could not fall into doze
without seeing visions OF horror, and
rom time to time would waken with a
earIul start and cry OF anguish. She
lad had one horrible dream, and the
'illage gOssfps had succeeded in com.
)letiDg ths ruin Of her mind by narrau.
ng TO ner all The lrighblul stories about
'amplres that they could remember or
invent. OItenas she felt her eyes closing
he would say to me, For Gods sake
10 not sleepl Take my rosary In one
land and your sabre in the other and
watch over meP Nor would she sleep
ave with her Two hands locked about
ny arm, locked so tightly that the con-
'ulsiye grip OF her tlngers would leave
IVid marks in my flesh. Nothing could
IIstraet her mind; she was abjectly
Ifrald of death, and believed that she
must certainly perish. In a few days
ne became shocklngly thin; her lips
we're eoloriess anu ilYid; her great black
yes seemed even larger and more brill
ant; she was a pItlaDle thing to see.
tried to impress her Imagination by
TO believe as she did, but, un-
apply, as L had at first derided her
redullty, l could not easily gain her