The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1878-08-17
Visited by a Ghost.
baltimore Americana

Il can't say that ever did," the re-
porter replied.
Whereupon the gentleman said that
in the person of one of the officers of the
City Government could be seen one who
had once had veritable interview with
a spirit from the other world. The re-
porter visited the gentleman.
Yes, SIR" he said to the reporter,
it is the truth. | did once see ghost,
or have an interview with a spirit. AT
least, think l did. may have been
dreaming; | don't know. But it was a
most remarkable, most inexplicable
dream-what you might call prophetic
dream, that was fulfilled in every de-
tail in most extraordinary manner.
And don't think it was dream.
1t was at the time of the war. /
was on the Confederate side in the war,
a soldier in the First Maryland Cavalry.
In the same company with me was a
gentleman from California, whom you
may call Capleston. I'd rather YOU
wouldn't publish his real name. He
was splendid fellow, and before long
we became very intimate, and gradually
grew to be most devoted friends. He
time unusually warm-hearted and affec-
tionate, and our affection for each
other was something unusual among
men.
Zone day we were together in a
pretty hot fight near Greenland Gap,
Hardy County, Va, during Gen. VIM.
E. Jones's raid, and, as we had no
artillery with us, our re liment was dis
mounted and detailed to storm church
in which body of the enemy had in.
trenched themselves. 1t was nasty
piece of work, and the prospects were
slim of getting back alive. As we went
at it Copleston turned to me and said,
Look here, old fellow, let's promise
each other that if one of us is killed
without chance to say goodbye, he
will come back again to see the other, if
such thing is possible / understood
him and promised. We got off this time
without much damage, but it was
understood between us that the agree
ment was lasting.
Not long after this we were separ-
ated. He was sent off with detail for
scouting work upon the Mississippi, and
before he got back | was captured by
Averill at Moorfeld, after the Chambers
burg raid. They sent me to Camp
Chase, near Columbus, Ohio, and here |
lay for long time, with some fifteen or
twenty thousand other prisoners, hear
ing little or nothing of our men on the
other side of the Potomac, and then
only from the new prisoners when they
were brought into camp. OF Copleston
we heard nothing at all.
ain Camp Chase we lived in big bar
racks, about three hundred men in
barrack. In the one in which was
most of the men were Marylanders of
our old command. We slept in hunks
around the room, and the room was
heated by three big stoves. One night
l was sitting by the stove nearest the
door, thinking. 1t was late and all the
others were in their hunks asleep. sat
there alone for some time, locking at
the fire and lost in thought. Suddenly
/ felt impelled to look up, and there just
in front of me, on the other side of the
stove and between it and the door, stood
Copleston."
"Were you alarmed at allf'
"No, was not alarmed, only greatly
surprised. There was nothing to alarm.
1t was only Copleston dressed in the
same gray suit and black felt hat. /
thought, of course. at the instant, that
somehow he had been captured and
brought prisoner to the camp, and
had only Just learned where l was. /
exclaimed, Why, Coplestvn, when were
you brought in?' and tried to rise up
and shake hands with him. / could not
move.
"Copleston looked at me sadly for
moment and then said, No, l was not
brought here; don't you remember our
agreement
90 Great heavensp exclaimed were
you?
WYes,' he said, l was killed to-day
He then went on and told me all about
it. One day he and one other of our
men we're surrounded in a house near
Lurgy, in Page County, Virginia, by a
squad of Federals, and after little
fight, in which Copleston was wounded
in the leg, the two were captured and
taken into the enemy's camp. They
were held for few days, and were then
sentenced to be shot as an act of retail
iation for some sins laid at Mosby's door.
A sergeant's guard took them into the
woods, and with some touch of pity Of
fered to let them run the gauntlet, IN
dian fashion. The other man accepted
this slight chance of escape, but was
shot as he ran. Copleston refused to
move, and was killed where he sat on the
ground.
" All this, sir, i assure you, was told
me by this strange visitor. AS he fin
ished he said: Should there ever be
any other occasion for me to see you
will come and then disA ppeared, not
by the door, but simply fading away. l
was, of course, strongly. moved, but
shortly after that retired to my bunk.
The next morning / told the men in
mess of the circumstance, and was of
course laughed at.
"Three weeks afterward fresh prison
ers were brought in from the Army of
Virginia, who, with other news, told OF
Copleston's death, just as | had already
heard of it from himself. The men
of the mess no longer laughed at my
story.
az do not intend to explain this at
all. / think it can't be explained.
am not superstitious, think, and, as
said before, may have dreamed it; but
even then it would be a very strange
dream"
WHEN an English paper captures an
American joke it chops off the head
chisels out the point, sets it up back
ward, and gives it's readers dish Of
wisdom that tastes like fresh meat after