The Morning herald., 1878-09-20
! MYSTERIOUS QFFAIRE
an usAocourNfABLS sroRYFRoN AN Iso-
LATED JERSEY vHLAaE. aL

The Jersey City Journal tells this queer
story, which IT says Is youched for: sQE
In an isolated spot st the foot OF the
mountains, between Summit and New Prov
idence, are situated three houses. Two OF
these houses are near to each other. whils
the third II about $50 yards away. The
two former are occupied by John Pheasant
and Charles Kilkenny respectively, and the
,attsr is . hostlery kept by Bill Gannsn, and
fsmiliery known as the "Dog's Nest" The
subject of our story is, John, better known
as WJsck" Pheasant. He was married
about three years ago to Sarah Stapleton,
a domestic employed IN Summit. They
kept house in the same place where fnea-
saDt now lives. TIL ,,.,
About q year and half ago . little girl
as born. In May last the dying mother
called her husband to her bedside, and ex-
tracted from him o promise that he would
never again marry. Jack promised, but
scarcely had the body been consigned to the
grave before he courted Mary Finn,
| youpp eirl living in Huntley, an adjoining
Village. and the wife had been In her grave
but three months when Jack and Mary were
welded. He brought wife No. to his
home and installed her as mistress, giving
to her the care oflthe child. She ministered
tn Il like a good foster mother. One night
last week Jack and his wife, who are both
Young, attended q picnic. Before going
they carefully put the babe to rest, ss 1t
was in the habit of sleeping through the
night without waking.
They had been gone but short time
when Mr.. Kilkenny heard the child scream,
| ing as If in pain. He listened for some
time and then walked to the front door
He noticed an unusually brilliant light II
Pheassnt's house, but supposed the parents
| were up attending to the child, who WA
probable suffering from an attack OF Ill.
ness. He watched for some minutes, aLt
was bewildered by the strange power Of tht
\ IiSht. which streamed through the cracks
and crsyices and illumined the road. The
Fbaby's sufferings we're intense. While
watching, two young men on their way te
the picnic came down the road, and as they
were passing Kilkenny's house, he called
| their attention to the light.
They concluded that the child had .upse,
i a light and the house was on fire. Acting
on the thought, the three men ran to the
door of Pheasant's house. To their aston
ishment. when they stepped on the stoop,
the light went out, and with 1t were hushed
the bsby's cries. Z, Thinking that It was the
parents who had exttnguished bright
| burning lamp, and auieted the child, tht
three men went on their way. On reachinl
| the pleasure gathering they we're surprised
to see Pheasant and his wife present. They
promptly told him Of what they had seen
and Pheasant and his wife and Bumber o
others in the party started to investigate
the phenomenal light. When Pheasant
reached his house he found the doors al
Hooked, as be had left them. ..
4 His first impulse was to visit the babe'I
bed. To his amazement the child was gon'
After search the absent one was fount
} living under bed up stairs. When Phea
| SAINTS wife died he locked NY in q trunk
{ number Of things she had left Amonl
: them were shawl, pillow which she ha
made for the babe, and some trinket
!, which she bad bought shortly before he
death. These he intended saving until tn
child reached maturity. These he hs
locked securely in trunk and always car
ried the key about him. When the chill
3 was found, over 1t was the shawl, under 1t
}. head the pillow, and about it were scat
= tered the trinkets. .Jt... ftl