The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1885-08-07
Strange Phenomena.

About forty years ago, in the western part
| Of New York, lived a lonely widowed moth.
| or. Her husband had been dead many wears
and her only daughter was grown up and
| married, living at distance of mile or so
| from the family mansion. And thus the old
lady lived alone day and night. Yet in her
conscious innocence and trust in Providence,
she felt safe and cheerful did her work
quietly during the daylight and at evening
slept quietly. One morning, however, she
awoke with an extraordinary and unwonted
gloom upon her mind, which was impressed
with the apprehension that something was
about to happen to her or hers. So full was
she of this thought that she could not stay at
home that day, but must go abroad to give
vent to it, unbosoming herself to her friends,
especially to her daughters. With her she
spent the greater part of the day, and to Ler
she several times repeated the recital of her
| apprehensions. The daughter as often re.
peated the assurance that her good mother
had never done injury to any person, adding
vi cannot think that any one would hurt
you, for you have not an enemy in the world"
On her way home she called on her neigh
Dor who lived in the last house before she
reached her own. Here she again made
known her continued apprehensions, which
had nearly ripened into fear, and from the
lady of the mansion she received answers SIM
liar to those of her daughter "You have
harmed no one in your lifetime, surely no
one will modest you" Here, Rover" she
said to stout watch dog that lay on the
floor; "here Rover go home with Mrs. Mosh-
er, and take care of her." Rover did as he
was told. The widow went home, MIXED
her cows, took care of everything out of
doors, and went to bed as usual. Rover had
1aff hap for ircf ol,a
fairly in bed, he laid himself down upon the
outside, and as the widow relied upon his f.
deity, and perhaps child herself with needless
fear, she fell asleep. Sometimes in the night
she awoke, being startled probably by a
slight noise outside the house. 1t was so
slight, however, that she was not aware of
being startled at ALL but heard as che awoke
sound like the raising of window near
her bed, which was in a room on the ground
floor. The dog neither barked nor moved.
Next there was another sound, as if some one
was in the room and stepped cautiously on
the floor. The woman saw nothing, but now
for the first time felt the dog move as he
made violent spring from the bed, and at
the same moment something fell on the floor
sounding like heavy log. Then followed
other noises like the paving of dogs feet,
but soon all was still again and the dog re-
Suneu Ills pldCe Oh luc Deu without having
barked or growled at all. The widow lay
awake suffering, yet not deeming it best to
get up. But at last she stepped out of bed
and struck light, and there lay the body of
man extended on the floor, dead, with a
large knife in his hand. The dog had seized
him by the throat with grasp of death, and
neither man nor dog could utter sound till
all was over. The man was the widows
son-in-law, the husband of her only daugh-
ter. He coveted her little store of wealth,
her house, her CATTLE and her land; and in
stigated by his sordid impotence, he could
not wait for the decay of nature to give her
property up to him and his, as the only heirs
apparent, but made his stealthy visit to do a
deed of darkness in the gloom of the night.
A fearful retrbution awaited for him. The
widows apprehensions, communicated to her
mind and impressed upon her nerves by what
unseen power we know net, the sympathy
of the woman who loaned the dog, and the
silent but certain watch of the dog himself,
formed chain of events which brought the
murdcrer's blood Upon his own head, and
which are difficult 10 be explained without
reference to.that providence who numbers the
hairs of our heads, watches the sparrows fall,
and shapes our ends, roughhew them as we
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