Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-10-28
HAUNTED osos 4 MON rB.

Philadelphta Correspondent II htOn OBJ.
A strange sequel to very sad story
that agi'ated Philadelphia 15 years ago
comes from Dover, Dol. In 1871 John
Hess was lieutenant of police in this city
III what is now known US the Eighth dis
trict. One Of his subordinates was ramed
William Darrah, who was an insephrable
companion of his superior officer. Darrah
had very beautiful wife and two lovely
children. The two men had been ac-
quainted from boyhood up, and Hess was
q frequent visitor at the house of his SUBJ
ordinate. One day in the summer of 1872
Mr.. Darrah received an anonymous note
warning him TO beware of Hess as the
latter was taking advantage of the rounds.
mans absence from home to make love to
his pretty wife. No attention was paid to
the letter, and so little stock did Darrah
take in it that he laughingly showed il to
his superior, and shaking him by the
hand, said:
81 would no more doubt you, old boy,
than would the Bible"
Not many days aftg. this Darrah re-
ceived second note, and a week later
third, all of the same import. To these
he paid no more attention than he dill 10
the first. About August 25th, 1872,
Darrah was doing day duty. He was
taken suddenly i'll in the street and hur-
ried home to obtain medical assistance.
AS he entered the honse he saw li-uten-
ant Hess in the back kitchen with his arm
| about Mrs. Darrah's neck. To sny that
the man was startled would but family
express it. He said nothing, however,
but went up stairs and threw himself on
| the bed. Within 10 hours he had fully
recovered and was again on duty. The
following week he was placed on night
duty, his hours of service being from
p. m. until 6 a. m. About O'Clock in
the morning, while patrolling his bent, he
was approached by q woman, who thrust
o note into his hand and then suddenly
disappeared down o dark alleyway.
Darrah walked under the light of street
lamp and opened the piece of paper,
| which was folded several times. He read
these words:
You did not believe what | first wrote to
you; II you doubt me, go to your home at
once.
The policeman lad almost forgotten
the anonymous communication and the
subsequent sight in the hack kitchen, but
this brought it to his mind with renewed
force. He hurried to the humble little
dwelling, and, stealthily entering by the
back way, he saw Lieutenant Hess seated
in chair, while Mrs. Darrah was tying
his craVat. After she had adjusted it to
her satisfaction she threw her arms Hbout
the neck of the handsome lieutenant ,,nd
kissed him several times. Darrah was
almost stunned. He went ba and
patrolled his beat until O'Clock then
going TO the station house he met Lieut..
Hess just as the state house bell was
striking the hour. Approaching hin, he
said
''John Hess, we have been friends for
many years. 1 have trusted you rs /
would my own brother. l have been
warned, us you know, that you were
taking advantage of this friendship
could not and would not believe it uutil
this morning, when was convinced with
my own eyes. 1t is impossible for me to
permit you to live any longer. To-
morrow morning at 6 o'clock will kill
you. Make the best Of the "a hours you
have TO live, for, as true as God hears mo,
! will do as say
Then, taking of his badge, Darrih laid
, it upon the desk. Lieutenant Hess
laughed and showed his handsome teeth.
! "You are very foolish, Bill, /" he said,
| -'Auu Nuu Hfo HllStlhen, ..a-.-..a-
Darrah made no anawer, but walked
out Of the station- house.
He went directly home, kissed his wife
and children and strobe out of the house.
! ALI that day he was seen wandering about
the streets in the vicinity Of the station
house, apparently suffering the most in
: tense mental agony. BY nightfall he
} looked to be dozen years older. He did
not go home, but paced restlessly up and
: down the sidewalk in front of his house,
from o'clock in the evening until the
! next morning. At that hour he entered
through the front door, and found Hess,
as he expected, sitting in the dining-room
! reading newspaper tie Went In, SAT
| down, and never uttered word. Hess
3 made some aippant remark, but eceived
( no reply. The minutes sped by, and just
l as the factory whistles began announcing
: that 6 O'Clock had arrived Darrah arose
! from his chair.
II gave you "a hours to live" he said,
t advancing toward Lieutenant Hess ''and
4 now your time has Gomez With these
i words he drew from his breast pocket 0
bulldog revolver, and placing ii within O
8 few inches of Hess breast, fred. The
Q ball went directly through the heart Of
l the police lieutenant, and he fell to the
Q floor corpse.
+ Darrah was arrested tried and con
Q yicted of murder in the second degree,
: the Jury taking into consider alton the
extreme provocation to which the slayer
t of the destroyer of his happinesss had
Q been subjected lie was sentenced to sil
d years Imprisonment, which he served
and then disappeared, his family i'll tht
meantime having broken up and gone NJ
one knew whittier. Nothing was heart
of the broken hearted aud prematurely
aged man until few years ago, when j
was learned that he was living in OBJ
a scurity in the State of Delaware, and her
II is where the sequel comes.
s. About year after his release from the
y Eastern penitentiary, Darrah was sud
y denly awakened by seeing bright ligh
II in his room. He arose, dressed hihlsel
and sought to discover from whence tn
N Glare came The whole room seemed II
II be illunined with ghostly glow, but M
70 fixed light from whence tins glow cam
4 oonld he discover. He declares that b
N was thoroughly awake aud that his men
ie tai faculties were unimpaired and that
n, was not the subject of an hallucination
I'd Seated in a chair near the head OF tn
AZ he'd he saw the dim outline of form. A
Q. he looked the glow in the room becaln
nj DINNER and the form more dist lci
ne finally, resolving itself into the shape q
H. a man, clothed in blue uniform.
g. Darrah's unspeakable amazament j
lis recopnisgd the features of th9 man b
ty had Slain years before. This is the stor
ne iii his own words:
he ~ was perfectly SOBER" said he, ''an
ty fully awake. As the figure beonme MOI
mt distinct thought it was real living PEI
son, but the CLOSER ! looked the more col
re- WINGED became that it was not a livin
ast man. for the features were those OF Jon
Hess. He was smiling jnst as he used
smile when we were friends togetht
Years ago. He had peculiar way
throwing back his head and extending b
Is" arm when he was very well pleased wit
ANYTHING. That is what the figure dit
OF and that is why recognized him. to
OF NV hair standing on end for momen
lu- b,It Inc feeling OF fear soon left me and
plucked up courage enough to say. :
on, tbnt Won. john 2 No sooner had Ispckt
we than the form disappeared like fias
and the room became dark again.
"a could not go to sleep, but got up al
req req walked around until daylight. pick'
has az mn a ulorning newspaper and saw it date
ne. Anoust 9th, the anniversary of the di
on which shot my old friend.
it'll Exactly one month after this Darrah
Ior- stranoe experience was repeated and
on tbe next month and the next. Then dete
ted -;,,aa to 500 whether the apparition W
the result of disordered mind or not
called In n friend one Abraham Huckl
- s,1r I1lCN d