Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-08-27
Discovered by . Dream.


made q strong IMPRESSION on him.
"I Thought / had arrived in the same
town. - so he related, but In the midoie
of the evening that l had put up a.
the same inn, and gone out linnnouiaI
ly in order to see whatever was Woi.ny
of observation in the place. PreSehtN
I reached a miserable cottage, IN iron.
of which was a garden covered
with weeds 1 had no great dlilicuity
in getting into the garden, for Tue
hedge had several wide gaps In IL. APP
preached an old well that stood SOLITARY
and gloomy in a distant corner, anu
looking down into it, beheld, Without
any possibility of mistake, corpse
which had been stabbed IN severdi
places. | counted the deep wouhus
and wide pasbes. There were slx:"
At this moment he awoke with MS
hair on end. trembling in every nnno,
and cold drops of perspiratlon Deu5M
ing his forehead. He sprang from h's
bed, dressed himself, and, as 1t was YET
early sought an appetite for his break
fast by morning walk. He went ac
cordingly INTO the street and stroiled
along. The farther he went the strohg
er became the confused recollection Oh
the objects that presented themselves
to his view. He hurried forward, no
longer doubling that the next moment
would bring him to the cottage anu
this was really the case. In all lts eA-
terror appearances it corresponded win
what he had seen in his dream. lie
entered the garden, and went directly
to the spot where he had seen the wei'
but here the resemblance failed there
was none. He looked in every dlrec-
ton, examined the whole garden ana
even went round the cottage, which
seemed to be inhabited but nowhere
could be find any signs of well. lie
then hastened back to the inn IN a state
of excitement hard to describe: lie
went to the landlord, and asked him
directly to whom the cottage belonged
that was on the by-road.
Said he: sit is inhabited by an Old
man and his wife, who have the char-
acter of being very unsocial. Iney
scarcely ever leave the house, see
nobody, and nobody goes to see them.
OF late, their very existence has been
forgotten, and L believe that you are
the first who for years, has turned
your steps to the lonely spot"
Fastening to the nearest magistrate,
he related the whole circumstance
briefly and clearly. "It is very strange"
SAID the officer. 81 will place tive
of the police at ycgr command
you can then go once more to the hovel
and search every part of it."
He allowed but a very few minutes
to escape before he was on his way,
accompanied by two officers. The old
man received them somewhat unciyllly
but showed no mark of suspicion when
they told him they wished to search
the house.
VERY well as fast and as soon as
you please, was the reply.
"Have you well here ?"
mo, sir e; we are obliged to get our
water from spring about quarter of
a mile distant"
They searched the house but discov-
cred nething of any consequence. They,
however, resolved to inspect the gar
den. By this time a number of persons
had collected together outside, having
been drawn to the spot by the sight of
a stranger with two policemen. They
were asked if they knew anything of a
well i'll those parts. They replied that
they did not; the idea seemed to per-
came forward leaning on crutch.
"a well 2" said she, SIS it a well
you are looking for 2" That has been
gone these thirty years. l remember
as if it were yesterday how L use to
throw stones into it just to hear the
splash of the water
do you remember where that well
used to be ?'' asked the gentleman.
"As near as 1 can recollect," replied
the woman, lit is on the very spot
where you now stand"
He suddenly started as if he had
trodden upon serpent. They at once
commenced digging up the ground.
AT about twenty inches deep they came
upon layer of bricks, which, being
broken up, revealed some rotten board.
These were easily removed, when they
beheld the mouth of the well.
81 was quite certain that this was
the spot" said the old woman. What
fools they were to stop it up, and then
have to travel so far for water ~
A sounding line furnished with
hooks, was now let down into the well,
the crowd hard pressing around them
breathleSSly bending over the black and
feIid hole, the secrets of which seemed
hidden in impenetrable ObScurity.
This was repeated several times with
out any result. AT length, penetrating
below the mud, the hooks caught in
something of considerable weight, and
after much time and effort they sue
ceeded in raising it. 1t was an old chest.
The sides and lid were decayed, and
| it needed no blacksmith to open it,
Within it they found what they were
sure they would find, and which filed
the spectators with horror-the remains
of human bodyl
The police officers now rushed into
the house and secured the old man. As
/ to his wife she at first could not be
found. But, after fatiguing search,
she was discovered beneath a pile of
wood, being much bruised by the heavy
logs above her. By this time nearly
| the whole population of the town had
! collected around the spot.
The old couple were brought before
the proper authorities and separately ex-
amined. The man persisted in his de-
nial most obstinately /; but his wife at
at once confessed that she and her huS-
band, very long time ago had mur-
dered pedlar who possessed large
sum of money. He had passed the
night at their house, and they, TAX
ing advantage of the heavy sleep
| that encompaSsed him, had stranpled
him, after which they had placed his
body in chest. The chest was thrown
into the well, and the well stopped UP.
Terrified by the deposition of his wife,
the old man at length made similar
confession and SIX weeks after the
guilty couple expired on the scaffold.
The latest theory of malaria is that
the principal source OF the fever and