The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1876-12-15


This warning only served to still fu
ther incense Hampden. who Beliey,
neither in wraitbs nor fairies, and
s"ore 70 put bullet into the viii
woman that would test her spiritual n
Vufe IT he came across her. They hs
not proceeded far when they heard Il
sound Of distant singing. Dismountin
they crePt through the copse to II
stream, and then picked their way ;
nolselessly as possible along its margin
All at once one of the party uttered a
exclamation and pointed through tn
trees:
1--WE are bewitohed, - he said 'Ioo
you y The moon poured its silver
light through the vista and they saw o
thought they saw, the figure Ola woman
intermingling with The light as though /
had been borne of it. Old Hampden wa
not the man TO suffer this coil-he Iiftec
his gun and fired The apparition van
ished, nor could they discover any. trace.
it. Satisfied that it was in part Al
,iia.'ailasi- ''ssy ST essf <s astn1-n.E .E'l,sss
had not proee-size. q, fe.rryrT, me ffrrIfa
reappeared This time it was at a greater
distance, and was leaning apparently
against a tree. They stood a moment
dazed with its lustrous beauty one only
of the party was unable to preceive any
thing, and he boldly denied its existence
and when the others described its posi-
ton and whereabouts he suddenly and
defantly discharged his heavy weapon
at it. As he did so the moon disappeared
and they were in darkness. They were.
however, reinforced almost immediate
ly by a number of the peasantry at
tracted by the noise OF their guns. All
the gentlemen were now in favor Of
abandoning what they believed a wild
goose chase. Not so the Hampden lie
alone insisted upon clearing up what he
declared had been too long mystery and
4 nuisance to the country. Forming the
men into two parties, which were to
converge from opposite sides of the
stream a half mile lower down, they set
out once more. Another incident how
ever, modified the leaders plan and
added to the disinclination Of the men to
go on. When they returned to their
horses it was found that the animal
which had been ridden by the elder
Hampden had broken loose and disap-
peared, in consequence Of which the
gentleman was forced to continue the
hunt on foot, which lie did ar the head
of the villagers
About half mile down the stream
was ford the place was known as .'St.
Adams Well" Young Hampden, who
had preceded his party some distance.
reached the well alone, just as the moon
emerged from the clouds and lit up the
scene brilliantly. No sooner had his
horse crossed the little river and ap-
the blasted oak that over
hangs the well than he was stuck dumb
With amazement and horror, for lying
here a. if dead, with the blood oozing
rom her white breast and her long hair
-----1 ls-.-A I.----. r shield her, vys,s.
he daughter of Sir William and the
woman he was to make his wife. For a
he believed himself to be the
rictim of some cruel incantation, but the
-oices Of the approaching villagers
warned him In a few rnoments they
would be upon him. With the alacrity
md courage of a true gallant, his instinct
vas at once to save her from exposure
md danger. He lifted her upon his
lorse, stripped himself Of what clothing
would answer the purpose, and thus
iraped .and guarded he led his precious
1ut unconscious burden noiselessly
away from the pursuers.
Twice the pursuing party came so
near them that it was only by the most
.droit maneuvering that he escaped. He
leard them shouting his name through
.he woods, but he passed on and sue
;eeded in getting his charge safely home
md in preserving the secret from the
world.
Shortly afterwards they were married
md the stories of the "white LADY, grew,
.ud spreading, attracted the attention of
he chroniclers.
This in substance is Forse's narrative
And it has pleased the world to accept
t as a pretty story of somnambulism.
Petite adopted the current legend, and |
from an old miniature the
portrait of the lady Hampden. For the
purposes of art and poetry the story
night properly enough be left where
hese workers have brought it. But
here is another and curious physio-
ogical side to it.
Lady Hampden died in 1923, and it
appears that one of her daughters in
lerited her peculiarities.
There is in the Warwick Register OF
year a curious account of an
accident which befell lady living
lpon the borders of Warwickshire. Her
nude body was found in a neighboring
grove one morning and the post-aortena
examination decided that she died of
fright This was the daughter OF Lady
In preparing the papers
which were subseq published un-
Ter the title of ''The Night Side of Ma
5ure," Mrs. Grove, for some reason, re
ected one which, in attempting to throw
1 new light upon "The White Lady of
Watford," brought to the surface a
number of extraordinary facts.
This paper, prepared by physician
who has since become eminent in psyco- |
ogic science, was afterward read before
he British pneumatoIogical society, and
S at present a part of their archives. 1t
ourports to show that the origin OF the |
tories of the "White Lady of Wattord'
md the cause of the death of Lady !
daughter are to be found,
lot in an apparition, nor yet in SOM
lanbulism, but in what he calls cut
mania. and he proceeds to give a num-
Der of cases similar TO that already mar
.ated. in which an irresistible desire
amounting often to disease) to free the
,odv from its conventional covering, ha,
,iven rise to the NEST ridiculous and
stories.
aI =.