Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-12-25

"'Let IL increase said Rus., with a fear
ful oath. i viii see hume to night. in spit. Of
tue tempest, or uay never see TT
'At tbess words he gave Tie whlp TO his
high spirited horse, and disappeared IA mo
ment But Peter Rayg did not reaca home
that night. or rhsne1t; nor, when ne became
q missing man. c9uld be ever b traced b.
You'd Mr.. Cutters N Asnotomy.
For a long time after, on every dark and
stormy night, the wife Of Peter Rugg would
fancy she heard the crack Of q whip, and the
feet tread Of ashorse. and the rafting Of .
carriage passing her door. The nexhbors,
too, heard the same noises; and some said
they knew II was Riggs horse, the tread On
the pavement was perfectly familiar to them
This occurred 50 repeatedly that at length
the neiShbors watched with lanterns aud saw
the real Peter Rngg, vita his Own horse and
chair, and child sitting beside Tim, pass di-
rectly before bis own door, his head turned
towards his house. and himself making every
effort 70 stop his horse, but ia VAIN
The next day the friends Of Arl Rugg
exsrted themselves to find her husband and
child They inquired at every public house
and stable in town, but 1t did not appear
that Rusg made any stay In Boston No one,
after Rugg bad panssd his own door, could
give any account Of him; though il was A.
serted by some that the clatter Of Riggs
horse and carriage over the payements shook
tAs houses on both sides Of the streets.
Thus Rugg and his child, horse and chair,
were soon forgotten, and probably many in
tho neighborhood never heard word on the
subject
There was indeed a rumor that Rugg
Afterwards was seen in Connecticut, between
Su1eld and Hartford, passing through the
country with headlong speed This gave oc-
ession to Riggs friends to make further in
quiry. But the more they inquired, the
more they were baftled. II they heard Of
Rugg one day IN Connecticut, the next they
heard Of him winding round the hills in New
Hampshire; and soon after, man u a chair,
with . small child, exactly answering the
description Of Peter Rugg, would b seen in
Rhode Island, inquiring the way to Boston
But that which chiefly gave . color Of
mystery 70 tho story Of Peter Rugg was the
affair At Caarlestown bridge. The toll
gatherer asserted that sometimes on the dark
est and most stormy nights, when no object
could DO discerped, about the time Rugg was
missing, horss and wheel carriage, with
noise equal 70 troop, would at midnight, in
utter contempt OF the rates Of toll, pass over
tho bridge. This occurred 80 frequently,
that TIE toll Gatherer resolved to attempt
discovery. Soon after, at the usual time. ap-
parently the same horse and carriage ap-
preached the bridge from Charleston square.
The toll gatherer, prepared, took his stand as
near tie middle of the bridge as he dared,
with larCethree legged stool in his hand
As the spparition passed he threw the stool at
the horse, but heard nothing, except the noise
Of the stool Skipping across the bridge. The
toll gatherer, on tbs next day, asserted that
the stool went directly through the body OF
the horse; aud he persisted in that belief
ever after. Whether Eugg ever passed ths
bridge again, the toll ga,lerer would never
tell; ard when questioned seemed anxious to
waive the subject. And thus Peter Rugg
and his child, horse and carriage, remain .
myster; to this day. n-Current Literature