Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-06-14

kept her up so long 10 no purpose. AT
ter the stormy experiences OF the two
preceding nights | thoroughly enjoyed
an unbroken sleep.
/ prevailed upon my sister and my
friend TO give the ghost one more
chance. and the next evening saw US
again comfortably established in the
two rooms. separated only by the cur
tain which hung over the door Of COM
muDication.
IL may have been ii o'clock when |
heard board crack just behind my
chair. Uttering shout. sprang up,
and, dashed at the spot from which the
noise had come. came into heavy
contact with what felt like gigantic
human figure. Prescott and Ellen hur-
RED into the room and beheld me wild
" graphing, apparently with nothing
at all. by Jove -" said Prescott.
she has got them" Them" ] be-
lieve meant some kind Of hallucina-
tions upon which Prescott protested to
be an authority, but | was struggling
furiously with my unseen antagonist,
and had no breath for explanation.
"Seize him seize him " cried.
At that moment my prey burst from
me, hurting me with prodigious violence
across the room.
Prescott rushed forward. and, as he
did so, was tripped up by what he after
oil fro
an unseen foot, and sent sprawling on
the floor. Fortunately ! was PROSTATE
at the other end Of the room. and could
not be suspected Of having had hand
or foot in this outrage.
As we struggled to our feet, while
Ellen stared wildly about, we all heard
two or three hurried steps, as OF man
running there was tremendous crash,
and all was still. But the curtains had
swung violently back into the window,
and the window itself plate-glaSs.
frame and all, was burst clean away
outward.
Prescott was as white as a sheet. and
the sensible AMI stroDg-minded Ellen
was actually crying. which impressed
Inc more than anything else in the
scene.
"Let us leave this horrible house,
she said something worse will hap
pen if we stay
But | was filed with an unreasona-
BILE kind of courage at having. as it
seemed, put our inexplicable visitor to
fight: and was, besides, conscious of
certain degree of pride in the as
surance that Prescott had been con-
verted. and would hardly talk again
about my having "got them"
1--WE can't 60 tonight" | said,
land as our gentleman seems to have
taken himself off for the present, we
had better consider what's TO be done
next. | am sure Prescott wants to
stay and investigate the phenomenon"
We shut the shutters over the wreck
of the window, and sat talking over the
event until late at night. BY degrees |
contrivcd to infuse into my companions
some of my courage and at last. no
further disturbance having taken place,
we all went TO bed in pretty good spirits.
placed loaded double-barrelled pistol
on the table by my bedside, thinking
that if a ghost could be struggled with
he ought to be able to be shot, AID Pres
colt placed within reach large bowie
knife which he had brought back from
America, and had long been wishing for
an opportunity to make use of.
When | awoke | thought my last
hour had come. My throat was grasped
by two extremely-strong hands. A
crushing weight was on my chest. |
tried to shout, but could not. ! was
rapidly being strangled. And as | lay
writing my eyes, forced half out of
their sockets, glared through the light
of the nisht-light at the opposite wall,
which looked precisely as usual, except
that, as the squeezing of my throat
grew more and more intolerable, my
view of the room slowly darkened. But
Of the horrible and only too palpable
form that was killing Inc ! could seeno
trace. In unavailing despair clutched
at the iron wrists that held me down.
In another moment | believe should
have become unconscious. Then last
CLEAN of hope, the thought of my piss
tol, flashed through my mind. stretched
out my hand, and as | lay could just
reach the end of the barrel. | drew it
toward me, and with an expiring effort
pushed the muzzle of it close against
what took to be the invisible body of
my tormentor. and fired. We never
found the bullet or any trace of it after
ward. Instantly the hands relaxed their
grip on my throat q little, and with a
violent effort wrenched my neck away;
then heavy body fell sideways from
my bed to the ground. and | fell, too,
graphing with it. At that moment Ell
len and Prescott, who had been aroused
by the sound Of the shot, burst into the
room. There they saw me struggling,
partly on the floor and partly kneeling
apparently on space. They rushed
TO my assistance. Both of them
felt the thing, both of them grapplcd
with it. The struggles Of our enemy
became fainter. Managing to get one
hand free, reposSessed myself of the
pistol, which had fallen on the floor,
and emptied the second barrel into
what | Judged to be the breast of the
spectre. | fired straight downward.
apparently at the floor, but of
that bullet We saw no more than
Of the other. Meanwhile Prescott
stabbed furiously with the bowie-knife,
and each time he dashed the blade
down its progress was arrested before
it reached the carpet. Then the strug-
giles ceased and nothing was heard ex-
cept our rapid painting. We were all
kneeling on and holding down what
looked like space and felt like the form
of tall and athletic man.
"We've done for it, whatever It is"
said |, hoarsely.
Prescott burst into foolish giggle.
by Jove " he said, well make
cast Of it and see what it's like"
As he spoke the form Of our victim
was sgitated by desperate CONFUSION,
which shook us all off. Before we
could seize it again deep groan burst
from the place where we had held it.