Morning journal and courier., 1882-07-11
Mistaken for a Ghost.
How a Lady Member of a Phantom Sur prise Party Narrowly Escaped Death at the Hands of Terrified Negro.
 

How Lady Member of Phantom Sur
 prise Party Narrowly Escaped Death
 at the Hands of a Terrified Negro.
 [From the Baltimore American.I
 A number of ladies and gentlemen residing in Baltimore city and county a few evenings ago determined to gi ive one of their number, living in the upper end of Baltimore county
 & pleasant surprise in the shape of phantom
 party. Accordingly each lady and gentleman secured white robe and mask, large bus
 was engaged and the musicians were hired.
 They started, a merry, laughing crowd, for their destination, about seventeen miles dis. tant from Baltimore. When within half
 mile of their friends house the bus was stopped, and ths ladies and gentlemen donned their long, flowing white robes and masks, which were slipped their street cos tunes. They then drove to the house and were admitted by one of the young lady members of the family, who had been previ- ously notified of the proposed party. The other members of the family were soon in the parlor and hospitably welcomed their white -robed visitors. Dancing was at once begun, and kept up without intermission un til II o'clock, when they were all invited to partake of the supper which had been pre- pared for them. Directly after supper one of the young ladies from Baltimore, feeling the rooms rather warm, walked out on the front porch. While standing there sudden desire to explore around the grounds of the house took possession of her, and forgetting ! that she was still covered with her long white robe, she walked down the carriage drive in l the direction of the gate. She had not pro- ceeded over a hundred yards when those who were in the house heard two pistol shots fired in quick succession, accompanied by a wo- l mans scream. All rushed from the house in the direction from which the sound was heard and they found the young lady lying I in the road, apparently lifeless. She was | carried into the house and examination l was made, when it was found that she had l not been shot, but had tainted from fright. ! She regained consciousness after an hours ! struggle between life and death and still | confined to her bed from nervous prostration. | It was not found out until the next morning I who had fired the shots and then the occu- l pants of the house missed an old family ser ! want, named Ezekiel, who had gone home I the evening before to his wife, and who | promised to return at 12 o'clock the same l night, but failed to put in appearance. A l messenger sent to his house, about a l mile distant from the main house. The mes
 senger, upon arriving at the house, found | the old man in bed, and no amount of per | suasion could induce him to leave it. He l said he had seen ghost the night previous l and he was never going out of the house | again When questioned he sad that he had
 started on the night previous about 11:30 for
 his employers house and when nearly there | he saw ghost He frightened that
 he drew pistol and fired at it twice, and
 then ran all the way home. On being told
 that it not ghost but young lady, and
 that he had nearly killed her, he was more
 frightened than ever, and prayed to the good
 man to kill him right there, When the robe
 worn by the young lady was examined it was
 found that one of the bullets had passed
 through the hood and another through the
 sleeve. At the request of the young lady the
 colored man was not arrested, and the whole
 affair has been kept very quiet.