Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1881-01-20

It was a cold, bloodless hand, and
4 recognized in all its outlines the hand
of a corpse. Though [ say it myself, /
had the reputation in those days of be
ing young man of great personal
courage, and I Immediately regained
my wonted equanimity, but before |
could fully recover from my astonish-
ment, the hand was gone.
"All the superstitious tales of a life
time crowded into my brain, and [ lay
there wondering from what on earth
that queer circumstance could have
originated With desperation-for [
was growing q little nervOus-I reached
down and felt about the floor for the
hand, but it could not be found, and [
was still more mystefed. Again and
again I reached under the bed as far as
possible from my reclining position, but
each time without success.
This constant failure to renew my eX-
perience with the bloodless hand nerv-
ed me to my usual compOsure. Then
+ | arose and proceeded to make an in
vestigation, and | was not at all sur
prised to find underneath the bed the
Gfeless body of man. Though the
room was quite dark, ! could almost
distinguish its features, and [ knew
that it must be a man about forty years
of age. The body was partially dress
ed, but from the waist up there was no
clothing.
MY familiarity with dead bodies
was Of long duration, and l was no
longer bothered with superstitious
doubts or fears, except as to the one
fact that the lifeless hand had certainly
reached out and closed upon mine; but
that fact I dismissed from my mind
upon some physiological reasonings
satisfactory to myself, and thought |
could not be frightened again.
Glow the body came into my room
and underneath my bed was the next
inquiry. That question, however, could
be easily solved, for the hospital stu
dents were more mischievOus and
more daring than now, and / resolved
that they had done this work to fright
en- me. [ laughed quietly at the fruit
lessness of their adventure, and be-
gan making arrangements to remove
the body.
'It taxed all my strength to drag the
corpse from underneath the bed. Then
| thought [ had better have some as
sistance from the porter, and to call
him stepped to the door.
''To my surprise, the door was bolt
ed from the outside, and / knew in
moment that was doomed to an all
nights companionship Of a dead body.
[ could have secured assistance from
the outside by alarming the neighbor-
hood, but then I would have confessed
myself the frightened victim of prac-
teal joke, and from such an admission
[ revolted.
Il was rapidly growing nervous now,
for the dark, shadowy outlines of the
corpse seemed to rise up from the floor
and follow me about the room. The
more I pinched myself to wake my
fast receding courage, the more I real
lied that an undefinable terror was
creeping over me-a terror that would
not be shaken off.
"At this juncture | determined to
light a lamp and keep my vigils at
least by the aid of q lamp. With this
idea in view, felt all over the table
and upon every conceivable shelf, but
no lamp could be discovered, and |
saw again the thoroughness of the trick
played upon me. The lamps had been
removed by the students.
| God knows what night that was! [
sat down and tried to compose myself
but the shadowy forms that grouped
/ themselves about my room kept my
| eyes staring into the darkness. There
was a cold dampness pervading the at
mosphere, and very soon my teeth
were chattering with mingled cold and
fright.
"Most of all, the body lay between
me and the bed, and | could not find
1 courage to cross it. Not that [ feared
the dead body itself-for | argued that
the body was really dead-but the
startling fact of the hand having reach
ed me from under the bed and clasped
mine came to me in all its force Was
it alive? Was it dead? These were the
absurd inquiries that began to find
earnest argument with me. Every
motion of my own person terrorized
me every change Of position filled NE
wife new horror.
at would be impossible to describe
the intensity of my suffering. l could
not see the dead body, but could see
where [ knew it lay, and my distorted
imagination saw that lifeless hand ever
and anon clutching the air. Once I
thought heard a groan, and then |
fancied the body had moved a little.
After awhile the room seemed filled
with dark figures, that fitted back and
forth between me and the body.
"Hours must have passed, when l
noticed the room growing lighter and
lighter, AID finally mOonbeam cast a
bright shadow through one of the
front windows. For a moment I was
| encouraged, until I saw the light creep
ing toward the CHASTITY corpse. I knew
what the full light would unfold to me,
and I watched the crawling moon
beams with the intensest agony.
Suddenly, after half an hour of
waiting, a flood of light filed the room.
1t must have been five inmates before
| could look in the direction of the
corpse There it lay, with its bare
arms folded solemnlv across its breast,
It's lage, hollow eyes staring directly
upon me, its teeth firm set in the
agonies of death, and It's bloodless
hands grasping each other tightly.
The moon fell full upon the CHASTITY
! face and piteously reflected every
mark of death. The shadows seemed
returning to my room, but now they
were ministers of light. They were
hollow skeletons, wrapped in a flap
ping shroud, and they danced in hide
Gus glee about me. L had taken the
precaution to place my chair firmly
{ l.