The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-03-11
THE WOMAN IN BLACK.
me ssonses.-rIearted Citizens Of BIissyilie
Filled with Terror.

New York Timesl
All the hair in Blissville, Long Island, is
au end with terror and excitement, and
ever the stoutest-hearted citizens feared 10
sleep until they got to church sunday, be-
cause the ghost-cries, "0h, no /" and
s.Ah. ha!v and likewise "Humph.
humph !" still haunts the sepulchres OF
Calvary cemetery, and all Saturday night
gave vent TO weird and mysterious means
and sIghs.
The hldeous mystery that shrouds the
ease was on Sunday made blacker and
more frightful by the story Of John Pow
ers, the proprietor OF hotel directly
epposlte st. RaphaePs church. Dir.
Powers says that while he was on his way
home from the City Hall, which has
Iiquor-saioon in the basement, about IL
O'clock on Friday night, he met little
aonisn in the road Just back OF the De-
Beyoise homestead. She passed HIM Just
M the clouds parted sufficiently for him to
notice that she was dressed completely
in black, and she moved along in 4
strange manner, looking neither TO
the right nor TO the left. Mr.. Pow
eyx Is 4 brave man, but he cOnfcsses
shaf there seemed something so weird and
unearthly about the mysterious travel
scr that his knees quaked and his heart
came up into his throat. However, he
swallowed it and managed to falter ''good
Might" but the black figure neither paused
nor answered, but passed straight along.
Mr.. Powers turned to go on his way, his
mind flied with strange forebodings, but
something prompted him TO turn and look
taci again. He had looked away but one
brief moment, but in that moment the
q 4
were no houses, trees, nor fences near,
nothing that even cat could have con-
ccaiod itself behind, and yet the weird APP
partition had disappeared and Left not the
slightest indication OF its presence. Mr..
Powers by mighty effort collected his
faculties and started homeward sadly but
not slowly.
Thomas Culvert, Jr., OF Blissville, met
the same black spectre on Saturday night.
She was not more than three feet tail, and
hzd red hair, he said, and long curls hung
down her back. She seemed to be about
twenty-five or thirty years Of age, and the
cxpTessloD OF her cOuntenance, rs he
caught glimpse OF her face, was one Of
deep melancholy. while her eyes were Of
stony blue that chilled his very blood as
she fixed them upon him for a single
instant. So soon as she took her glance
from his face CulYert bolted for the
maternal roof, without look behind
him, and never slackened his pace until he
burst hatless and breaihless into the house
anu skinned and bolted the door behind
him. The same night the residents OF the
hoIlscs in the locality OF the frame struc-
lure whence the ghOstly cries have pro-
ceeded distinctly heard the fearful sounds
nj intervals. and tremblcd and uttered eX-
oTcisms. Numbers OF persons made brave
by the daylight visited the haunted house |
and locality yesterday afternoon, but |
shrank away when the shadows began to
deepen.
Many lay The authorship Of the mystic |
rioLs sounds TO Rollins johnson, the VIII |
fage barber, and Supervisor Mclaughlin |
insists that il is either an owl or that art |
lat. Barber johnson, however, insists that !
he knows nothing about the matter and |
swcaTs that he himself is afraid to stir out |
OF his house after dark. IT was intended |
To form party oil bold and fearless men |
on saturday night. to solve the mystery, |
bat il was so stormy and unpleasant the |
project was postponed. August Hef-
ner, barber from Hunters Point, WIS.,
ifrd Laurel Hill and Blissville Sunday
to Join the searching party. He was
lassaYpointed when he learned that il had
been abandoned, and said that he had laid
BaIy ghost in Germany, and was conf
dent OF his ability to deal with the spook
tibas was disturbing the peace Of Blissyille. |
The Rlissvilleites are confident that the |
cries are from no earthly voice, and there |
will be no peace until the grisly secret Is
explained. No one stays out late at night
now; husbands and sons remain at home
m the evenings, and the young men who
call upon the young ladies 90 home early
and do not stop on the way.