Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-02-06
THE LADY IN WHITE.

There are few persons nowadays whit
would even affirm themselves to be beliey
ers in ghosts. Those pale, sheeted figures
with their hollow eyes, cavernous voice anC
CHASTITY laugh, that used to haunt the lionel,
churchyards at =" the very witchng time O
night must have lived only in the imagi
nation of our ancestors. or else they hay,
tired of their nocturnal antics and are nov
satisfied to remain quietly in their ap
pointed home, the tomb. However thi:
may be, we have not all of us. as yet, extir
pated entirely from our natures these super
sauous tendencies OF our progenitors.
strange sound, heard at dead of night
awakens something more than curiosity in
us; bad dreams sometimes disturb oul
peace of mind with the fear that they are
forewarnings; many OF US have our lucky
and unlucky days in Inc calendar. We
stoutly maintain our want of faith in the
unnatural, and yet we involuntariiy start
at its apparent manifestation.
There is certainly something unaccount-
able in many of the current stories about
signs. forewarnings, and peculiar manifest
ATOMS, from the fact that they are told by
perfectly reliable persons A friend of
mine, whom | know TO be a person of the
strlcteSt veracity, once told me of remark
able incident that occurred in his own
family. His little sister was taken i'll one
evening, but no one considered her malady
dangerous. After supper, along about s
clock, as they were sitting in the sick
room, talking, they heard suddenly what
seemed to be kitten mewing. 1t did not
sound like an ordinary feline cry, but, a
long, low, piteous wall, apparently coming
from under the bed. They were startled, for
they knew that there was no cat in the house
and, as the bed-chamber was on the second
hoor, they felt sure that it could not have
been an animal in the street which had
deceived them. The family sat in silence
for few moments, looking blankly at one
another, when suddenly the sound was
repeated, only in a more sorrowful, awful
tone than before, yet coming from the same
source. Thereupon my friend said he took
4 lamp and looked under the bed and
searched the room, thinking. of course,
that kitten might possibly have strayed
1nto the house during the day and been
Shut into that room by accident Naught
resulted from his efforts save an increase of
the mystery. Again the cry was repeated.
and this time it brought with itself fear to
all the listeners. They instituted search
OF the house from garnet to cellar. They
explored every closet and every nook and
Granny, from one end to the other, without
finding anything unusual. 1t was clear.
moonlight night, and any object outside OF
the house could be seen readily, but no
discovery was made in that direction,
though the search was conducted stealth
lily, for fear of disturbing the creature
sought. When they returned to the sick
room everything was quiet. Hardly had
they seated themselves before the wierd
voice broke forth in a more mournful
strain, longer and louder, and then it
died away by degrees into Stiffness. At
this point the mother screamed, My
childw and rushed to the bedside. The
little girl was gasping and choking for
breath. Death had seized upon her. She
struggled for few moments and then
passed away. But her last hard-drawn
breath, as it escaped from the almost life
less body, ratified i'll the throat and pro-
duced exactly the same cry which had
startled and terrified the family during
the evening. The child had appeared
perfectly natural up to the time when the
mother first noticed a change and partici-
pated in the fear occasioned by the strange
sound.
have heard another well authenticated
story about two sisters who were sitting
with their needlework, when one of them
CHANGED to glance down at her sisters feet
and saw that the sun, streaming in aslant
at the window, had painted there upon the
floor the perfect shape of a coffin. The
young lady gave a shrill scream. and, as
her companion looked up, her eyes fell
upon the same spot, and she exclaimed /:
Mary, | shall not live long True
enough she was taken down with fever
the next day and died within week.
The incident to which | would attach
the above title, The Lady in White was
related to me by gentleman who wit
messed the occurrence. He was person
entirely lacking in his makeup the super
stitious element ; and, though he could not
explain the phenomenon and believed it q
delusion, he vouched for the truth of his
having seen the same. He told his nara
tive as follows:
1t was back in the thirties and | was
visiting my brother, who lived with his
family in the town of c. They had
one child, daughter, then grown 10 wom-
anhood, who attended the academy in the
neighboring town, but who had Just re-
turned home for her summer vacation. A
young lady of talent, but beautiful and
accomplished, she was the idol of her
parents, as well as the pride of the COM
munity. Everyone acknowledged her SUI
periority though she herself never evinced
BY her manners a consciousness of her
worth. She had fine voice for singing,
was something of an artist, and good con-
versationalist but, above all, she had a
pleasing and attractive way, which en-
deared her TO all her neighbors and CON-
panions. Young. gay and with the bloom
of health upon her cheek, she seemed to
give promise of long days, and of becoming
a stay and comfort to her parents declin-
ing years.
zone afternoon during my STAY, my
brothers wife in company with her sister
went for drive to one of the neighboring
towns On their return they took a diff
ferent route from the one they had fol-
lowed outward, and which, when within
about half mile of their home, led over a
long, open bridge. When they reached
the end of this bridge and were about to
enter, Helen, for that was the sister
name, inquired Who is that young
lady, dressed in white, who is crossing the
road at the other end of the bridge? Her
companion looked and exclaimed: Why,
that is our Jane, sure enough; and wonder
what has brought her out here There
upon they quickened the horses speed;
but when they arrived al the place
where they had seen the young
girl pass, she could not be
found. Iney called ner name to no pUlr-
pose; they descended from the carriage
and made little search in the immediate
vicinity, thinking she might have hidden
for sport; finally, deciding that they had
been mistaken in their vision, they contin-
ned on their way and thought nothing
more of the matter. When they reached
home. the daughter was there and informed
them, upon inquiry, that she had not been
away from the house during the afternoon.
This convinced them effectually of their
mistake, and no superstitious fears what
ever troubled them, for they had never
given credence TO that belief in spirits and
ghosts which so many persons cherished
in those times.
In the evening, or about twilight of the
same day, we all sat grouped around the
supper-table, intently engaged in converse
ton, when the father happened to glance
toward the window, and quickly ex-