The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-06-18
A STRANGE DREAM STORY.

place Of mystery Ii was settled almost
wholly by well-to-do farmers from the north
Of Ireland, economical hard-workinC FOLKS
-God-fearing, too, after the exact manner
described by John Knox, ard having ustle
patience with any other manner. Not a
likely people, assuredly, to give cTedence to
any fanciful superstitlOns, and still less to
originate them. The story indeed has
bold, matter Of fact character i'm every detail
which quite sets it apart from relations Of
the supernatural have never heard it ex-
planned and il is the best authenticated mss
tery in my knowledge.
Here it is ia brief. Among the Scctch-Irish
settlers in Washington county in 1872 was
family named Plymire, who occupied a cO1.-
Portable fam ndhouse. Rachel, the daugG-
ter, was engaged to a young farmer Of the
neighborhood. On saturday evening in
July having finished her weeks work, she
dressed herself tidily and started 20 visit E,r
married sister, who lived ona farm ab0utfive
miles distant, intending to return on Mondey
morning. She tied up her SUNDAY gown and
hat in a checkered handkerchief ard 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 des-
She left home about Z O'Clock i'm order to
have the cool evening for her walk. The
road to the farm was lonely and unfrequent-
ed. The girl did not return home on Mon
day, but no alarm was felt, rs they thought
he- sister would probably wish to detain her
for a few days and it was not until the lat
ter part Of the week that it vas found that
she had never been at her sisters. The
country was secured, but in vain; the alarm
spread and excited q degree Of terror iu the
peascable, domestic community which w0uId
seem ineZPiicable to city people TO whom
the newspaper las brought a budget Of crime
every morning since their childhood To
children raised IN those lonely hamlets and
hill-farms murder was a flr or, unreal hor-
Tor.
The girl had left home on saturday 81
O'Clock Farmers 60 to bed withtle ciickens).
a woman living ia Green county, about forts
miles from PIvmire form, swOke her Luz-
band in great terror, declaring that she d. "a
just seen a murder done, and went on to &c
scribe a place she had never seen before
hill country with a wagon road running
through it, and q girl with a bundle tied ina
checkered handkerchief, her shoes and white
stockings in the otEer, walking brisl-ly down
the grassy side Of the read. She was met b.
a young mantle woman judged from the.
manner the meeting was by appointment.
they sat down on log and talked for som
time
The man at last rose, stepped behind her
and drawing oyt a hatchet, struck her twica
on the head. She fell backwards on the we.
rotten leaves, dead. Presently the man w.-
joined hy another, also young who aslzet
''Is it done 2'' He nodded, and together the.
lifted the body and carried it away out oi
her sight. After a while they came back,
found the bundle OF Sunday Gaery and the
shoes ana stockings. all OF which were stain
ed with blood. There was q ruined old mill
near the raad they went into sc, lifted a
loose board in the flooring. put the 5uEdle,
shoes. etc, with the hatche- underneath,
and replaced the board. Then they separa-
ted and went through the woods i'm different
directions. The farmers wife told her dream
to her husband that night; the next day
Sunday, going to a little country church,
she remained during the intermissi1n be
tween the morning and afternoon services
The neighbors who had come from a ciIeuit
of twenty miles to church, gathered, accord
ing to their homely habit, ia tire church yard
to eat their lunch and exchange the news.
Our dreamer told her story again and
again, for she was impressed by itas If it had
been reality. After the afternoon service
the congregation separated, going % their
+ widely-scattered homes. There were thus
many witnesses ready TO certify 20 the fact
that the woman had told tile dream the
morning after the murder was committed at
a distance of forty miles, when it was absO-
lutely impossible that the news should have
reached her. There were DO telegraDhs, we
must remember, and no railways i'm those
. days-uOt even mail carriers IN those secIu-
ded districts
When the story of the girls disappearance
was told over the country a. the end of the
next week, the people to whom tie dream
had been repeated recalled it. Nowadays
the matter would only serve as good material
for the reporters, but the men ut those Gag~
stil believed that Oh took au oversight even
of their dreams. Might not .his DE q hint
from him The Rev. Charles Wheeler, q
Baptist clergyman of Washington well
known in western Pennsylvania and Eir-
giuia generation ago. and EphUim Blaine,
Esq, magistrate, flasher of the present sem
ator from Maine, and as popular q man i'm
his narrow circle, drove over 90 see the no-
man who had told the dream. Without -la-
ting their purpose. they sock EeT and her
husband, ON UrctgIIse OF business, lH Ile LalV-
m.UG farm. 10 was the first @ ~ -'-l - F..
that she lad left her oS,.r eo1u-.. s-sl 81.
was greatly amused. 1ld Interested. The,
drove over lh- 7yiipie ot tiIe road down yylIi-i
Rachel q iyIuire had gone.
Ilaye you ever seen this Ecsgl1crho1a s'
one of them asked.
"Never," she replied
, That ended the matter ara they turned
back, taking q little used cro----ulI % save
J time Presently tine Woman started uD iu
great agitation crying, ''Ehis IS the place
2 dreamed OF ~ They ass uTej ha- ila. Rachel
FlyIHirc had not been uu1u that ..ll at an
Il know uUtillng about her. she said. --luI
that erl : saw iu my dream came 4. l- here
! there Is the path through which the man
came, and beyond shat p87l guG viii find lht
loL Oh which he killed her" They dd find
2 the Jog and on the ground the stains 1f blood
The woman, walking swiftly, lei them u
B the Old mill and % Che beard under whiel
lay the stained clothes and tip hItcHet Iht
2 giriS body was found JIt-rwaTd. buried at q
5 creek near az hand. ltleieI'- lover had nj
{ ready been arrested on suspicion IL Wa,
limited that Doe had grown tired of tae g,rI
and for many reasons found her hard lushakH
. of. The woman recognized him i'm n crowd
Z still more by pointing ont another Young faI
low from the West rs his companion in De.
2 dream. TIE young Ian was tried lu "a.
town OF Washington fur murder. The
dreamer was brought iute court uua au et-
fort was actually made 20 put her ON the Wit
, ness stand but even then men could att ba
hung on the evidence OF q dream. Without
1t there was not enough proof fur conviction
and the jury UDWiilnEiy egOCrl. we may h1
fHE4 o.. r.s rr-