The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1886-03-24

omenl teariully begged him not to go to
work. He laughed at her fears, and in
the words of my informant "that was
the last she saw him alive before noon
he was caught in some machinery and
ground up into pieces no bigger than
my finger" All, he added, with a
shake of the head, "you can't tell me.
I've seen such things too often" and
then he went on to tell how a dog bark
ed when his grandmother died and
when his aunts house was burned, and
cited numerous other instances. OTIS
foolish know" he said ''but I've seen
the proofs many and many O time
It was no use for me to laugh at him
and tell him it made me tired to hear
him talk so, and suppose henever will
get over it.
One night little group of five or six
persons sat in the gloomy office Of a
very primitive hotel, in a lonesome
country town in Texas. Something had
happened that day that had excited us
all very much, and there was one in the
group who was certain it had been fore
told by the unaccountable barking of
some dogs on the previous day. 1t was
A GLOOMY OCTOBER NIGHT,
and no star could be seen through the
canopy OF murky clouds a ghostlywind
was making the windows rattle, and the
boughs OF a group OF alanthus trees that
grow around the lonesome and rickety
old hostler.e, creaked and groaned dis
mally. The conversation turned upon
ghosts and kindred topics, and by the
time we had exhausted our supply of
hair-raising lies and separated to return
to our rooms by the dim light of old
fashioned candles it was near the hour
of midnight Now, 1 know L don't be.
lieve in any of that rubbish. There
isn't a superstitious bone in my body, as
y frequently proudly assert, and yet I
was so deeply interested in some OF the
tales that in spite Of myself I couldn't
forget them when I reached my room.
I blew the candle out and turned my
face away from the window in order not
to distinguish any possible form that
might be made visible by passing be-
tween me and the dim light that fell
through the white muslin curtains
With my mind still upon the ghost
stories 1 soon sank to sleep from sheer
exhaustion. 1 don't suppose ] haC
been asleep five minutes before found
myself sitting upright in bed and fairly
overcome with a terrible vague fear o
something or other. Then I thought ]
saw a mana burglar or assassin-be.
tween myselfand the window, and when
1 awoke l felt so certain l had seen a
man that I was almost tempted to get
up and look under the bed. But real
lizing that it was nightmare and men
tally calling myself a fool 1 dropped
back on the pillow determined to sleeE
as soon as possible. I was all trembling
and a cold sweat was upon my forehead
The truth is 1 was badly scared. But
soon slept again, only to go through with
the same experience again, only more
so. The second time I awoke L was
bolt upright and reaching and striking
at the same imaginary murderer, whC
said nothing when called out to hin
to keep pack or beware the consequen
ces, and who suddenly turned into moth
ing when 1 ran my fist through hin
two or three times. Then 1 was indeeC
scared until / fully awoke; I trembleC
like a leaf and felt awfully weak. n,
real being was ever seen more distinct!
by my eyes than 1 seemed to see some
one that night, know now that ther,
wasn't any man there, but it took m
some moments to be fully convinced O
it at that time.
What mean to prove by this tina
we can't always help being fools, NJ.
mind was so worked up by the foolisI
stories I had heard that I had almos
begun to believe in the black dog bus
ness, and my Imagination got the bes
of me. Yet that very experience make
me all the less superstitious, because
can readily see how one inclined to bt
lieve in such stuff could have magnife
my invisible man into a genuine spir
and found lots of believers, and I in
agine all other ghosts have simila
origins.
had intended narrating number
other similar experiences, but hay
one more little story to tell. is
A STRANGE STORY,
yet one that believe beyond a doub
as my informant, who experienced tn
unaccountable phenomenon, is a genu
man of intelligence and education, an
whose reputation for veracity and reli
, bility Ishall never question. Nor wouI
b you if you knew him He is a ma
, who has had many an adventure, sue
4 as are only'known to the mountaine,
5 and plainsmau, the soldier and scou
D He has stood where Fremont plantC
d the stars and stripes upon the SUNNI
I of the Rocky mountains, and chase
Indians all over the West, and yet
p. now quiet and prominent citizen
{ one of the most beautiful cities that d
e the Occident. / haven't the shadow
: a doubt but that the incident he to