Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-06-20
THE FACE IN THE PLANK.

Last summer I was living at the upper edge of Harlem. always came down town in the morning by the elevated railroad, be- ing usually in hurry. In the evening, hay ing more time to spare, 1 preferred going home by the boats that ran up the East and Harlem rivers. The air on the water was pleasant to me, and the kaleidoscope of the lighted river front continually presented new features of interest. One evening when was on the boat going up the East river had a strange and start ling experience.
 Night had set in early, as the day had been dark, and the river front was not yet fully lighted. The boat was running pretty close to the New York shore, and 1 was at my usual place, on that side of the boat, on the lower deck, as to the water possi- ble, leaning on the rail and gazing alternately at the water and the docks.
 It was when we were passing pier little way above Corlaer's Hook that my strange experience began.
 The pier that speak of was planked up at the sides and at the water end with upright blanks, which probably fastened to stringers across the piles. I had noticed that before, as l had noticed everything along the river, being minute observer. At the time speak of there was also a bright lan- tern light at the head of the pier, doubtless intended as signal for some vessel that was expected to land there.
 Suddenly, while 1 gazing at the pier without being specially interested in it, human face became visible in one of the blanks near the middle, as if it was framed there
 It was mans face, not at all good look ing, with coarse and brutal features, and with wild and staring eyes. The light from above neither lighted it up nor cast it into the shade, but enabled it to be clearly seen from where I stood. 1 should add that the 1 tide was then low, and that the spot at which the face was framed in the plank appeared to me to be little below high water mark. The vision-that was what was compelled to call it-was so weird and unexpected that | it startled me. Though not at all timid, l am a nervous person, and I confess that it upset me.
 1 In another moment the boat passed beyond 1 the pier, and 1 lost the view of that pallid | and sinister face, but not by any means the | remembrance of it.
 | Ihad been working very hard of late, con- pressing good deal of my sort of labor into few hours every day, and there had been more or less worry mixed with it, and the weather was very hot. It was natural, therefore, that I should believe that was beginning to be ill, and that my Hines afflict- | ed me with the unpleasant faculty of seeing 1 things that did not exist.
 As there is not particle of superstition in 1 my nature, I told myself that had been the victim of an optical illusion, and that there could not possibly have been any such face framed in the plank of the pier as that which had supposed l saw.
 That was also the opinion of my wife when l 1 related my experience to her. Though had reason to suspect that she took more serious view of the vision than l did, she was of the opinion that had been overworking myself during the hot weather, and that needed rest and recreation There was noth. | ing for it, she said, so good as country air and an absence of work and business bother and she was determined that should have the air and the absence.
 left the matter in her hands, concerning myself only with arranging matters so that could leave the city for while, and the re suit of her machinations was that our little of the Catskills, where we could not even gel the daily papers until they were so stale tha; I cared nothing for them.
 It seems to me that led there as easy ane indolent life, as far as business cares ant worry were concerned, as man could lead and after while the weird face which ha< seen framed ill the plank ceased to haunt m, dreams Then considered myself cured. We were in the country but two weeks that being the limit of the absence l had al , lowed myself, and when we returned to tow resumed my former habit of taking the ele vated road to business in the morning and , Harlem boat home in the evening. It was on my second trip up the river b. the boat that had recurrence of the visio which had so nervously troubled me.
 was on the lower deck again, standing a the forward guard rail, watching the alway interesting panorama Of the lighted rive , front, when the boat passed the same pie above Corlaers Hook, and I noted the sam lantern hanging there.
 Suddenly, directly under the lantern, an r a little below high water mark, as had prs f viously judged, appeared the same weird
 sinister, brutal, evil looking face which
 had seen there before, pallid and corpse lilx
 with wild and staring eyes, framed there i
 the plank as when it first confronted me- :, was so startled and shocked by this SCI J ond vision that staggered back from whe1
 I stood, and might have fallen if deck han
 had not caught me and held me up.
 tsWbat's the matter, bossv' he asked. tsA1
 you sickr'
 III SAA4 0AsA vA1oo ooAAAOoA1A1Ss 10 oAO uu0CUs with me-" answered faintly. "Did you II, ' tice the pier we just passed7'
 'sThat one where the lantern hangss
 most always notice it, but didn't look tn. l. way tonight. Is there anything the matte j. with ita'
 Did you ever sec ghost therea'
 No; but l wouldn't be bit surprised 1
 see something in that line. It was just c
 that pier that passenger on this boat jumpt
 overheard and committed suicide. He ",
 standing just where you were a bit ago, a1
 all of sudden he got over the rail and in
 the water he went. We stopped the boat a1
 did all we could to save him, but nothi1
 was seen of him after he went overheard. ]"
 ''What kind of a man was he9'
 ssI thought he had been on a big spree, ar
 that he had got a touch of the jimjams. I < was hard looking case, one of the toughe subjects ever saw His face was as pale J sheet, and his eyes were wild and queer.
 saw him just before he jumped, and he hs
 the look of a crazy man. Say, boss, dor
 JOB PRINTING. ], AT THE nUHn nn XM nNnYnD