The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-17

sions are apt to conceal their troubles, being
ashamed to conide them to their most
intimate friends. / know of two cases that
may interest you. They are queer mani
festations of alcoholic disturbance of the
BRAIN"
We gathered closely around the table, and
all of us, as one man, demanded the stories.
The eX-confederate officer said: johnson
was raised on the Sea islands. He married
shortly before the war. tie entered the
army Of Virginia. His wife, to whom he
was devoted, died shortly after he left her.
After the surrender johnson came West,
lie is a well-educated, courageous gentle
man. Twill tell you Of the vision that inva-
riably arises before him if he drinks at all. l
will tell it in the first person, just as he told
1t to me. Imagine that johnson is talking:
Whenever l drink, L am haunted
by a vision that arises before me as soon as l
go to sleep. 1t is this: My wife is by my side,
her soft hand lovingly slipped in mine. We
are walking up an oyster shell path toward
our Sea island home. Entering our house l
realize that it has been deserted. and an I'M
accountable feeling of dread rolls over me in
an icy wave at this discovery. Then my wife
speaks, saying softly, II an afraid" Instant
ly my mind is flooded with the recollection
OF a dreadful horror that [ had not thought
of for years. 1 remember that we had aban-
doned the house because it was haunted. Our
experience, as l recall it, was that a spirit
walked nightly in the attic, and. after a short
walk, descended the stairs. When the door
at the foot of the stairway opened before the
ghost a column of whitish vapor floated sim
uously into the hall; then, turning to the
left, it entered my room and passed out OF
the window. Supplemented to this night
ly horror was another manifestation
of rare occurrence and at highly irregular
intervals. This was a voice accompanied by
footsteps-Sometimes heavy footsteps, at
others as if the infrm steps of age were
lettering around the house. Again they
crept along the inside of the partitions. Then
the voice groaned, as if in pain. | knew the
voice to be that of a negro OF hideous aspect
and gigantic size, whom one OF my ancestors
bad scourged to death. This voice threat
ened US with direful disasters, and made the
night hideous with its cries. 1t always came
III the gray OF the evening, and staid all
night. The recollections of these horrors
that had escaped my memory, terrified me.
My wife saw that l was unnerved, and chung
closely to me, repeating i'll trembling tones,
II am afraid, I am afraid, l am afraid" l
tried to restore her courage, but l could not.
l looked at her, and saw that she,
too. recollected the dreadful tale. We
el4deavored to leave the house, but
could not. Then we sought refuge in the par
lor, and trembling awaited, we knew not
what. Suddenly u barbaric tune was beaten
on the floor above us, as though pounded out
with a war club, and the voice spoke taunt-
ingly, saying: Tonight you shall see me-"
An Irresistible force drew US TO our bedroom.
The column OF vapor descended the stairs
and entered it and floated outof the window.
Then we sought to escape from the dreaded
voice by hiding in dark corners, but the
voice tauntingly called us forth. Finally, in
despair, we entered the parlor, and there the
end came. Forth from the solid wall strobe
a gigantic naked negro. His flesh was scored
as with a whip. Blood marked his trail as
he walked. He stalked toward us. With an
exultent grin he glared fiercely at
us. Then he slowly stretched out
his hand as though to grasp my
wife's yellow hair. An overpowering base
and cowardly terror seized me. My only
fear was that the black specter would grasp
me instead of my wife. She chung to me
with twining arms, murmuring, Protect
me! Save meP Basely l thrust her from
me toward the outstretched hand of the gi-
gantic black. She looked at me lovingly,
not reproachfully, and, with a kind, forgiv-
ing smile on her face, fell dead at my feet.
With inetfable scorn the negro pointed his
horny index finger at me and said. A cow
ardl The first of his race, and disappeared
with a crash that always awakened me-"
The eX-confederate ceased talking for an
instant while he lit a fresh cigar, and then
he said: That is Johnson's vision. 1t never
varies q particle, and he sees it if he drinks
so much as one glass of whisky. OF course,
you all understand that there is not any
ground for the vision. 1t is, from beginning
to end, an alcoholic phantasm."