Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1880-02-26
A Strange Dream.StOry.

"A hJOANAbS OANeAAA- ADSVA
There is an inexplicable story-whicl
l believe has never been published -
among the traditions of the fat, fertile
hill country of Western Pennsylvania,
the most unlikely quarter in the world
to serve as breeding place of mystery,
1t was settled almost wholly by well-to-
do farmers from the north of Ireland,
economical, Woodworking folk-God,
fearing too, after the exact manner de-
scribed by John Knox, and having lit
tie patience with any other manner.
Not likely people, assuredly, to give
credence to any fanciful superstitions,
and still less to originate them. The
story indeed has a bold, matter -of-fact
character in every detail which quite
sets it apart from relations of the super
natural. l have never heard it eK-
planned, and it is the best authenticated
mystery in my'knowledge.
Here it is in brief. Among the
Scotch-Irish settlers in Washington
County in 1912 was family named
Plymire, who occupied comfortable
farm and house. Rachel, the daughter,
was engaged to a young farmer of the
neighbOrhood. On a Saturday evening
in July, having finished her weeks work,
she dressed herself tidily and started to
visit her married sister, who lived on a
farm about i've miles distant, intending
to return on Monday morning. She
tied up her Sunday gown and hat in
checkered handkerchief, and carried
her shoes and stockings in the other
hand, meaning to walk in her bare
feet and to put them on when
she came in sight of her destination,
after the canny Scotch fashion. She
left home about seven o'clock in order
to have the cool evening for her walk.
The road to the farm was lonely and
lnfrequented. The girl did not return
home on Monday, but no alarm was
felt, as the family thought her sister
would probably wish to detain her for
few days; and it was not until the lat
ter part of the week that it was found
that she had never been at her sisters.
The country was secured but in vain;
the alarm spread, and excited degree
of terror in the peaceable, domestic
community which would seem inexpli-
cable to city people, to whom the news
paper has brought budget of crime
every morning since their childhood.
To children raised in those lonely ham,
lets and hill-farms murder was far
of, unreal horror.
The girl had left home on Saturday
at seven o'clock. That night long be-
fore ten o'clock Farmers 90 to bed with
the chickens), q woman living in Green
County, about forty miles from the
Plymire farm, awoke her husband in
great terror, declaring that she had
Just seen a murder done, and went on
to describe q place she had never seen
before-a hill country with wagon
road running through it, and a girl
with bundle tied in checkered hand
kerchief, her shoes and white stockings
in the other hand, walking briskly |
down the grassy side of the road.
She was met by young mantle
woman judged from their manner the
meeting was by appointment; they sat
down on log and talked for some
time.
The man at last rose, stepped behind
her, and drawing out hatchet, struck
ler twice on the head. She fell back
ward on the wet, rotten leaves dead.
the man was joined by anOth-
9r, also young, who asked, "Is it doneg"
he nodded, and together they lifted
;he body and carried it away out of her
light. After a while they came back,
ound the bundle of Sunday tinery and
he shoes and stockings, all of which
we're stained with blood. There was q
'uined old mill near the road; they went
nto it, lifted a loose board in the floor
ng, put the bundle, shoes, etc, with
he hatchet, underneath, and replaced
he board. Then they separated and
vent through the woods in different
directions. The farmers wife told her
Iream to her husband that night; the
lext day Sunday, going to a little
country church, sheremained during the
between the morning and
ftafnoon services. The neighbOrs who
lad come from a circuit of twenty
niles to church, gathered, according
0 their homely habit, in the church
ard to eat their lunch and exchange
he news. Our dreamer told her story
gain and again, for she was impressed
Y it as if it had been reality. After
be afternoon service the congregation
eparated, going to their widely-scat-
sred homes. There we're thus many {
ready to certify to the fact
nat the woman had told the dream the '
forming after the murder was commit ]
ID at distance of forty miles, when it /