The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-03-06
A Strange Dream Story.

There is an inexplicable story-which
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 bold, matter of-fact
character in every detail which quite
sets it apart from relations of the super
natural. l have never heard it ex-
planned, and it is the best authenticated
mystery in my knowledge.
Here it is in brief. Among the
Scotch-1rish settlers in Washington
County in 1912 was a family named
Plymire, who occupied comfortable
farm and house. Rachel, the daughter,
was engaged to young farmer of the
neighborhood. On Saturday evening
in July, having finished her week work,
she dressed herself tidily and started to
visit her married sister, who lived on q
farm about five miles distant, intending
to return on Monday morning. She
tied up her Sunday gown and hat in a
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
dnfrequented. 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 a budget of crime
every morning since their childhood.
To children raised in those lonely ham,
lets and hill-farms murder was a far
off, unreal horror.
The girl had left home on Saturday
st seven o'clock. That night long be-
fore ten o'clock Farmers 20 to bed with
the chickens), 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 place she had never seen
before-a hill country with wagon
road running through it, and girl
with a bundle tied in Il 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 Ratchet, struck
her twice on the head. She fell back
ward on the wet, rotten leaves dead.
Presently the man was Joined by anoth-
er, also young, who asked, 'Is it doneP"
He nodded, and together they lifted
the body and carried it away out of her
sight. After while they came back,
found the bundle of Sunday finery and
the shoes and stockings, all of which
were stained with blood. There was a
ruined old mill near the road; they went
into it, lifted loose board in the floor
ing, put the bundle, shoes, etc., with
the Ratchet, underneath, and replaced
the board. Then they separated and
went through the woods in different
directions. The farmer wife told her
dream to her husband that night; the
next day Sunday, going to little
country church, sheremained during the
intermission between the morning and
afternoon services. The neighbors who
had come from a circuit of twenty
miles to church, gathered, according
to their homely habit, in the church
yard to eat their lunch and exchange
the news. Our dreamer told her story
again and again, for she was impressed
by it as if it had been reality. After
the afternoon service the congregation
separated, going to their widely-scat-
tered homes. There we're thus many
witnesses ready to certify to the fact
that the woman had told the dream the
morning after the murder was commit
ted Mt a distance of forty miles when il