The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-03-18

viaticum. Directly I entered her hut
she beckoned me to the bedside, and said
in . low, hurried voice:
"Father, I wish to confess to you a
once, for ! know ] sm 3 going to die"
"Psroeiving that, fer the present Of
least, shs was perfectly sane I willingly
complied with her requsat, and heard her
slowly and painfully unburdsn her
miserable soul
monsieur. if the story with which
Vivginie Giraud intrusted me had been
told only in her sscrsmental confession
| I should not have been able to repeat 1t
to you. But when the final words OF
peace had been spoken she took packet
at papers from beneath her pillow AND
placed in my hands. Here Father, she
said, is the substance OF my history.
When am deal you are free to make
what use of it you please. 1t may warn
some, perhaps, from yielding to the
great temptation which overcame me-
'"The temptation of a bribet said l,
inoulringly. She turned her failing
sight toward my face and shook her head
feebly.
""No brIbe, father she answered.
DO you believe would have done what
l did for mere coinT
II gave no reply, for her words were
enigms.ical to me, and / was 10th to
harass with my curiosity soul so near
its departure as hers. So l leaned back
in my chair and sat silent, in the hope
that being wearied with her religious ek
ercises, she might be able to sleep 1T
tie. But, no doubt, my last question,
working in her disordered mind, awoke
| again the madness that had only slum.
bered for time. Suddenly she raised
herself on her pillow, pressed her wither-
ed hands to her head and cried out Wild
ly:-
"Moneyl-money to me, who would
have sold my own soul for one day OF
his Lowell Ahl 1 could have flung 1t
back in their facesl-fools that they
were to believe that l cared for gold!
Phillipl Phillip! you were mad to think
of en- beiress as wife; 1t had been bet
ter for you had you cared to look on me
ON me who loved you so! Then l
.hculd never have ruined vou-never be-
trayed you to Lady Sarah! But l could
not forgive the hard words you gave nc;
could not forgive your love
TO Julial shall | ever G"
to .paradise-to paradise where the
saints are7 Will they let me 20 there?
VIII they suffer my soul among them?
| Or shall l never leave purgatory, but
burn and burn and burn there always
uncleansed? For, OIL if all the past
should come back to me 1000 years
| hence l should do the same thing again,
| Phil Brian, for love of your
"She started from inc bed in her de-
| lirium; there came rafting sound In
| her throat-a sudden choking cry-and
in moment her breast and pillow and
Quilt were deluged with crimson
s;reaml In her paroxysm she had burst
blood vessel. / sprang forward to
catch her AS she fell prone upon the
| brick floor, raised her in my arms aud
gazed ut her distorted features. There
was no breath from the Redeemed lips.
| Virglnie Giraud was a corpse.
Thus in her madness was told the So
cret OF her life and her crime-a secret
she would not confess even To me IN her
sane moments. 1t was no greed OF gold,
but despsed and vindictive love that lay
behind sill the horrors she had related,
From my soul l pitied the poor dead
wretch. for l dimiy comprehended what
| a he'll her existence on earth had been.
Tho written account of the Steepside
tragedy with which she had intrusted me
furnished, in somewhat briefer language
the story which | have just read to You,
and many OF its more important detail:
have subsequently been verified BY me
| on application to ott er sourses. go that ia
that paper you have the testimony OF an
eve witness TO the facts, as well as the
support Of legal evidence,
Some forty years after Virginie's
death. Monsieur, family reasons Obliged
me to seek temporary release from duty
and come to England; and, finding that
circumstances would keep me IN the
country for some time, | came here and
went to see that mousse But the tenant
at the lodge could only tell me that
Steepside was empty then, and had been
empty for years past; and | have dis
covered that. since that horrible 22nd OF
December, it never had an occupant.
Sir julian, to whom it belonged by pur-
chase, left NO immediate heirs, and his
relatives squabbIed between themselves
over the property, till one by one the
di,putine parties died off, and now there
!, no ono enterprising enough to resus-
ctate the lawsuit
Rising to take my leave OF the genial
! old man, 1t occurred 10 me an extremely
probable that he might have been led TO
form some opinion worth hearing with
! regard TO the strange appearances atSteep-
! side. and / ventured accordingly to make
III nv views on the subject have any
! valu" or interest for you, said he, you
| are very welcome to know them. As y
! priest Of the CalhOlic Church cannot cntr-
| atoms. such experiences AS yours
| ia that Ill fated mansion are
| explicable only to me on the To-
| lowing hypothesis. There apowcr great L
! or than the power Of evil;a WI! 10 Whlch
! even the demons must submit. IL i NOT
| inconsistent with Christian doctrine 70
! suppose that In cases OF such terrih!'
| crimes rs that we have been discussing
! the evil spirits who prompted these crimes
NAV for a period more or less Lengthy, u"
! forced to'haunt the scene Of their macIiE-
! atoms and re-enact there, in phantom
| show, the horrors they once caused III re-
/ atty Naturally or perhaps he SAID
! breaking of with little smile, Il ought
rather 10 say OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES de-
mons. in der 10 manifest themSe YES
won d be forced 10 resume some shape
! that would Identify them with the crime
! they had suggested, and in such cas-,
| what more likely than that they should
/ adopt the spectral forms Of their human
| viCiims-muTdcred and nur.cTer, or oth-
erwisc. according 10 the nature o. the
/ wic.icdncS> pcrpetrated? This is but al
| amatu.r opinion, monsieur; offer II as
! an individual, not rs a priest speaking on
! the part Of the Church But II may serve
| 10 account for n real difficulty, and may
! be held without impicty. OF one thing
| at least We M V rest assured as Christian
men. that the souls OF the dead, whether
| of saints or sinners. are in God s safe keep
! luz, and walk the earth no more
Then | shook hands with VI. Pierre, and
we parted. And after that. reader, went
| 10 nv friends mouse and spent my Christ
mas week right inerTi, iy.-L1ndor Soeisiy
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