The Northern Pacific farmer., 1883-11-01
J SELECT MISCELLANY.
a STRANGE STORY.
Olive Harper's Experienced in q New
. York Hotel

{ : p & = d . 4
Olive Harper's Experience in New
81 York Hotel.
Inthe latter part Of April, 1873,
went to the Metropolitan hotel in New
York, which is situated at the corner of
Broadway and Prince streets, and was
assigned to room ''242" This room
fronted on Prince street and was about
10 feet wide by Is long, with an alcove
:, 'or the bed adjoining the main hail,
/ while narrow hall led from the main
go. hall to the room by the side Of the al
GIVE. I am thus particular in describing
the room because it has direct bearing
upon the story shall relate.
The room has but one window and
bedside that is the fireplace, and both
together take up the entire wall space.
An old-lushioncd bureau stood by the
window on the left hand on entering the
room. A stationary wash-stand, with a
movable gas burner above, was placed
between the bureau and the door lead
ing iuto tho little hall. A rather faded
Brussels carpet covered the tloo-, and a
small oval handicapped table stood in
the center of the room. A couple OF
easy-chairs and two plain chairs also
stood about. On the right hand side OF
the room was wardrobe near the foot
OF the bed, just outside the alcove, and
between that and the fireplace was a
I3uDge. This completed the furnishing
Of the room.
had arrived from a railroad journey
and was very tired, but in superb health
never was one likely to indulge in
vision; and wish il distinctly understood
that am not spiriuulist, and do not
believe in spiritual manifestations in uny
WY. / relate What have to say just as
it happened, leaving the explana-
ton to any ono who can explain
it.
arrived, rs say. ana was gwen this
room. I had my dinner served III the
room, and sat there until midnight writ
ing letters and then calling the bell boy
and giving him the letters. l closed and
locked the cu:cr hall door, and then the
inner one, ard u1rr looking at several
photographs O! friends, left them and
my writing material ON the table, and
went to bed. ass,irin. myself that there
vas no possibility OF any ore entering
the room by the window. There we're
no transoms, on y /. sort Of win .owblind
s!atwork over the head Of the bed for
afr. left the gas turned up slightly
and the little table by the side of the
stationary was!, stand, where l had
drawn it for the sake Of the light,
there being no other burner in the
room.
Being very. healthy, tired. and not
troubled by 81 hau conscience or diges-
ton, went tp sleep almost as soon as I
vas comfortably ''rt'lcd in bed. aud
do not know how lang slept. Sudden
ly | awokc an eat ''lt upright in bed,
and saw w., men in liIe room. The
light WAS bright, a!iI they were seated
at the right l.nntl side Of The room at the
foot of my bel. One: WAS on the sofa
and the O.hur Oh chair. and the little
marbIc-tohpa ped tAh'e WIS between them,
and on this table they were PLAYING
euchre. | he'.ri io words. but knew it
was e,lchrc, :,cr..u5e | understood that
game flr!v wc!i myself.
He who was sitting, or rather reciin-
ing. on the sofa was a delicate boxing
man, like one in poor health, and he
had thin. re.!isi hair and strayglins :,
beard. His forehead was unusually
broad and high, and the rest OF his lace
was SO thin that the pointed beard gave
him a peculiar look. His hands we're
long and thin. and his left wrist was
misshapen, as if it had once been broken
and badly set.
The other man was Stout. dark, with
piercing black eyes, and eyebrows which
seemed to stand out straight. His hair
was straight ard thick and very black
and shining. His moustache was thick
and dropping. At one corner of the
nouth--I can't remember which-was a
little scar like the letter V in shape, and
hfface and chin had that peculiar blue
tiage that some dark men have when
newly shaved. He was handsome, with.
al. He was dressed in dark clothing
They played out one hand and had
played one trick on the next, when 1
noticed they seemed angry and quarrel
ing, though beard no sound, and in a n
inst ant the dark man quickly drew a
knife and stabbed the other in the left
breast Tie knife penetrated to the very
hilt. He shivered little, his eyes closed
and he was dead. Then the other one
rose and lifted up the inert right ar m
and drew it forward, and clasped th E
and pushed the table closer until it held
the elbow of the dead man in such pc
sition as would keep the arm from fall
ing again. Then he gathered up the
cards. put them into his pocket, took up
~tis hat, and in an instant the whole
scene had disappeared, and l fell back
in the bed and knew no more until
morning,
might give long description of my
terrors and work up a thrilling tale, but
rs lam simply narrating facts I must
say that l was not frightened. l was
more surprised than anything else, and
the whole took place so suddenly that I
had not time to get frightened until it
morning it haL almost passed from my
mind, as thought it but dream. Blu,
when | rose and went into the room
saw that the table stood by the side of
the lounge and all my photographs and
papers were on the bureau. Still did
not attach grt atimportance to that even,
as [ walked in my sleep some when |
was young, and in the press of business
the next day it went entirely out of my
mind.
That night I was reused in precisely
the same manner as before, and l saw
the same thing precisely. In the morn
ing the table stood by the sofa again,
and all the things that had been on it
WCI0 Ol bllC 1ulS SuFUTlSSu ulC
a good deal, and must confess to feel
ing little 'crawly' about it; still much
occupation during the day almost etfaced
the Impression before night. The third
evening spent with some friends, and
returned at about III o'clock. and almost
Immediately retired, to 90 through ex-
actly the same experience; and then in
reality l began to feel uncom.
Portable and not to care about going to
bed. I determined to fix things
so that nobody could move that table. 1
did not believe in supernatural agency,
and took rope that had been around
my trunk an tied that table fast to the
leg of the bureau, and tied more knots
than l could have united in half an
hour, piled some things on the top anu
went to bed leaving the gas fully turned
on. l awoke next morning. after having
been the unwilling witness of it all again
and the rope lay on the floor and all the
things with it.
l declared to myself that l would not
sleep III that room another night,
though did not think spirits had any,
thing to do with it. called chamber
maid and asked her if she could not
sleep in the room with me. She said
that was against the rules, but that she
would speak to the bousekeeper. So
Katy did, and the housekeeper came
down. l had 4 conversation with her
and asked her if any one had ever COM
planned in any. way of that room. She
hesltated, and finally said that a sick la
dy once had insisted on being changed