The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-01-23
AN EXTRAORDINARY DREAM.
HOW A s5URDER WAS DISCOVERED BY
A STRANGE VISION.

HOW A NURDER WAS DISCOVERED By {
A STRANGE VISION.
This story, condensed from Lippin-
colt s MdgdziRc has, says the writer, a
bold, matter-of-fact character in every
detail which quite sets it apart from
relations of the supernatural. | have
never heard it explained, and is the best
authenticated mystery in my knowledge.
Here it is in brief
Among the Scotch Irish settlers in Wash
ingtOn county in 1872 was family named
Plymire who occupied comfortable farm
and house. Rachel, the daughter, was en-
gagged to a young farmer OF the neighDor-
hood. On Saturday evening in July, nav
ing finished her weeks work, she dressed
herself tidiy and started to visit her married
sister who lived on a farm about five miles
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 put
them on when she came in sight of her des-
tination, after the canny Scotch fashion She
left home about o'clock in order TO have
the cool evening for her walk the road to
the farm was lonely and unfrequented The
Girl did not return home on Monday, but no
alarm was felt, as the family thought her
sister would probably detain her Tor rev
days and it was not until the latter part OF
the week that it was found she had never
II : j
ed. but in vain The alarm spread and eX-
cited degree of terror in the peaceable, do
mestic community, which would seem mex
plicable TO city people, to whom the neWspa-
pers have brought a budget of crime every
morning since their childhood. To children
raised in those lonely hametS the hiil-farms
murder was far-Otf, unreal horror usually
all they knew of it was from the dOlngS OF
Cain and Jael set of with hldeouS WOod-cuIS
in the family Bible.
The Girl had left home on Saturday at
o'clock That night. long before 10 O'Clock
/ Farmers 90 to bed with the chickenS), wo-
man living in Greene county, about forty
miles from the Plymire farm, ,awoke her huS-
band in great terror declaring that she mad
lust seen a murder DONE and went on TO dc-
scribe place she had never seen betore-a
billy country with wagon road running
through it, and girl with bundle tied in
checkered handkerchief, her shoes and wnte
stockings in the other hand, walking briskly
down the grassy side of the road. She was
met by a young man-the woman Judged
from their manner the meeting was by APP
Dointment; they sat down on q log and talk
ed for some time. The man at last rose and
stepped behind her, and drawing out Il
hatchet, struck her twice on the head. She
fell backward on the wet, rotten leaves dead.
Presently the man was Joined by another,
also Young, who asked, is it DONE lie
nodded and together they lifted the body and
carried it away out Of 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
ruined old mill near the road they went
into it, lifted a loose board in the flooring,
put the bundle, shoes, stockings, etc, WITH
the hatchet underneath, and replaced the
board. Then they separated and went thrO'
the woods in different directions. The farm
er'S wife told her dream to her husband that
night the next day Sunday going to a lit
tie country church, she remained during the
intermisSion between the morning and after
noon services The neighbors who had come
from a circuit of twenty miles to church,
gathered, according to their hOmely habit, ia
the chuTchyard TO eat their lunch and cX-
change the news. Our dreamer told her
story again and again, for she was impressed
by it as if it had been reality. After the at
ternOOn service the congregation separated,
going to their widely scattered homes. There
were thus many witnesses ready to certify to
the fact that the woman had told the dream
the morning after the murder was committed
at Il distance OF forty miles, when II was ab-
solutcly impossible that the news should have
reached her. There were no telegraphS, we
must remember, and 10 railways, IN those
days-not even mail-carriers III those seclu-
ded spots.
When the story Of the girls disappearance
was told over the country at the end of the
next week, the people TO whom the dream
had been repeated recalled it. Nowadays
the matter would only serve as good material
for the reporters, but lie men of those daVs
stll believed that God took an oversight even
of their dreams Might this not be d hint for
Him? The Rev. Charles Wheeler, a Baptist
clergyman Of Washington, well known in
Western Pennsylvania and Virginia a gener-
alton ago, and EphTaim Blaine, Esq, Il mag
istrate-father OF the present Senator from
Maine, and as popular man in his narrow
Circie-drOVe over to see the woman who had
told the dream. Without stating their pur-
pose they took her and her husband on pre-
tence ot business, to the Plymire farm 1t
was the first time in her life that she had left
her own county, ana she was greatly inter
L.,
whole of the road down which Rachel Ply
mire had gone.
''IIave you ever seen this ncighborhood ?''
one Of them asked.
Never she replied
That ended the matter and they turned
back, taking little used cTOss-road to save
TINE. Presently the woman started up in
great agitation, crying, This is the place /
dreamed Of They assured her that Rachel
Plymire had not been upon that road at all
q know nothing about her" she said, but
the girl | saw in my dream came along here
there Is the path through which the man
came, and beyond that turning you will find
the log on which he killed her They did
flnd the log, and on the ground the stains ut
blood. The woman, walking swiftly, led
them to the old mill and to the board under
which lay the stained clothes ana the hatchet
The girl BODY was found afterward, buried
by creek near at hand. Rachers lover had
already been arrested on suspicion 1t was
limited that lie had grown tired of the girl
and Tor many reasons found her hard tC
shake on. The woman recognized him in a
crowd Of other men and startled her com.
paniOns still more by pointing out another
young fellow from the West as his compan
ion i'll her dream. The young man was tried
IN the town of Washington fOrmurder. The
dreamer was brought into Court and an ef
fort was made to put her on the witness
stand but even then men could not he hung
on the evidence of a dream. Without il
there was not enough proof for conviction
and the jury, unwillngly enough we may bt
sure, allowed the prisoner to escape. 1t was
held as positive proof of his guilt that he i'm
medlately married the sister of the other ac