, 1883-12-08


that | was perfectly sincere and hon
est, and a particularly level-headed
person, and one not given to any Of
the fallacies or spiritualism, and that
he did not doubt that | saw every
thing as l said. He had had one or
two persons who desired to leave
the room, but he did not know why.
He would not be afraid to sleep
there, but never had done so. Then
several persons who had occupied
that room began to be heard from,
all relating different experiences,
though none had seen what had.
A Catholic priest published an ar
ticle relating to it, and accounting
for it all by saying that he believed
that the man had been murdered and
that assassin was still living, and
that, as Il punishment for his crime,
he was obliged to enact it every
night in spirit while asleep, and that
it was a well-knOwn fact that one
mind had influence over another to
II greater or less extent, and that his
mind during its free moments had
forced mine to behold the tragedy.
Some of the newspapers sugges-
ted that it was the ghost of Tam
many; others declared it Bill Tweed,
and some ridiculed the whole affair.
An English sea captain also pub
lished his experience while occupy
ing that room. Hehad been playing
cards with a friend, and while at the
little table there came an invisible
shower of apparently heavy articles
down on the table, scattering the
cards right and left. Another man
had had peculiar but not startling
experiences there.
Several years have passed since
that time, and l had almost forgot
ten that had ever written or seen
anything, when about two months
since the whole was brought to my
mind by strange and shocking in
cident.
l was walking along one of the
busiest streets in New York, and it
was very hot and did not wish to
get unnecessarily heated, when l be-
came aware of an uncomfortable SEN
satIOn, as if a cold hand was touch
ing me and leading me forward. A
few steps further took me toward a
lady Of graceful mien and figure,
who was standing by the side of IL
gentleman whose face and figure
seemed strangely familiar to me. l
caught his look, which was fixed
upon me, and he drew his lips back
in an attempt to smile, which was so
ghastly a sight that all who saw it
shuddered, and then he fell to the
ground dead.
OF course everything was done
that could be done to restore him,
but uselessly, and the doctors said
he died in a fit. Twas the only 9TH
er woman present, and, as such, I
felt it a duty to stay by the woman,
who seemed to be stricken with a
pallor of death, though she did not
faint or cry when they said he was
dead. l took her hand and asked
her if she was able to give orders,
and asked what could be done for
her. She replied wearily but simp-
ly, "nOthing." She would have the
body taken to the undertaker's and
buried from there, and then she
would go home.
1 turned to go and gave her my
card, saying that | should be but too
happy to be Of service, and started
out; but as my eyes fell upon the
face Of the dead man l saw, with a
shock that l fear l shall never forget,
that it was the murderer Of my Wis.,
ion, without any shadow Of doubt.
The next day brought me a pack
age by post, in which was a pack of
cards and slip Of paper, on which
was written: at is all over town,
and the unhappy sight you were
forced to witness has wrought its
result. The man you saw die yes
terday slew his half brother for q
fancied wrong, the preteXt ofa quar-
rel at cards being a subterfuge. As
soon as my husband knew that his
brother had not supplanted him in
his fathers affections he became the
victim Of remorse as terrible as
imagination could paint. His father
became almost maniac when he
heard Of his younger sons supposed
suicide, and as my husband dared
not own himself murderer to that
poor old father, he suffered such tor
lures as you can imagine. He was
man of powerful will and could
control himself while awake, but as
soon as he would sleep it seemed as
If his will escaped from his body and
seemed to fly through space, and nc
matter where we were-and we trav-
eled everywhere-he would return
in spirit to that fatal room. He told
me all and l loved him well enough
to love him still and to pity him in
finitely, and Of all he ever saw, you
and one other woman were all to
whom he could ever show the trag-
edy plainly. He has told me that
sometimes in his baffied rage he
would long to be there in body to be
able to kill the sleeper. This other
woman died, and at last you made
public what convinced the father
that his beloved son had not been
guilty Of self-destrucrion, but he
never dreamed of suspecting his eld-