The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-07-27

on my wrist until it was positively pain
full, and my arm was dragged of the
bed
q was ont Of bed in three seconds. The
room was light enough for me Ia have
seen a mouse cross the floor. After look
ing around ! got back into bed, Dut as I
did so the chair fell ever and ny coat and
vest dropped from the hook.
''Was I frightened? No. / was vcxed
and annoyed. It looked to me more like
a practical joke than ghosts and goblins,
but who could the joker beg
81 had not been in bed ten minutes
when that same cold hand cluIche my
throat. - 49,, s,-sssssa~-D' - 4
You smile, but you must rerleRb Der
how I was situated. was the captain OF
the boat, and it was my duty 70 investi-
gate the affair Let the report yet out
that there was something wrong with No
A. and the business of the boat would be
ruined in a few weeks. You must reason
that I would not permit my imagination
to get the better of my common sense. L
tell you, sir, hand not only clutched my
throat, but lef5 marks there which We're
visible two days afterward.
- go5 up and scratched over every
square foot Of floor, ceiling, and sides and
/ pulled all the clothes of the bed, and
examined every crack and crevice, but 1
was no wiser for it. l finally dressed my
self and went out. Even when free from
the clutch Of the invisible hand, I could
feel that a strange something was near
me.
when we got into port related my
story to enc OF the owners of the boat
He laughed at me, as you may suppose,
but when we went out on the next trip
he occupied No. IA.
"He remained in the stateroom until II
O'Clock. When he came out his face was
whittier than snow. What he saw or heard
or felt he did not tell me, but his orders
were to remove everything from the room
and locl. IL up. -----
"How the matter leaked ont do not
know, but in "a short time our deck hands
were seeing spooks behind every bale and
package, and The queer proceeding IN
No. Il, a great deal exaggerated, were
published IN two or three papers. when
we denied the story we were asked why
the statcroom was kept closed. Z
Before the lst Of August, strange Es Il.
may seem TO you, or passcuEcr business
was ruined, and it was hard ,vuriz tS-et
u crew to make the trip. ! had iudiyi1-
uais come 70 me and offer as hi-s!l as Sl!0
for the privilege of occupying No. Il oyer
night, but of course IL was my policy to
IlAIIul@ buS NA1lS story uLA l4aEt OAI
that there was nothing in it. /,
IF people did not desert rs on ;ii::,;.CiI1t
Of the stateroom, the reputation Of the
boat was under q cloud. There were
plenty 10 affirm that it was q s-n Of inn
pending disaster, and that the mysterious
proceeding should he taken as 80 1,qrai1g,
We cut down rates, inserted big a-lgei siss-
ments and laughed at the stories; but
after the Isl OF August we did not aver
age three passengers to n thin, aud Uc
were continually short-handcd for men. .
The matter was no doubt kept alive
and enlarged upon by rival iiuo. bat
along IN October what had So OF. n been
predicted by weak Drained people aatU7-
ally came 10 pass. We came into col
lision with schooner one night and went
down in fOrty-fye feet of water, losing
fvo lives.
After a year or two the steamer was
raised, her engines removed, and she was
made a lumber barge and renamed. she
had no further misfortune as I ever heard
of, but she had bad reputation, and
never made a dollar for her owner She
was, the last / heard Of her, rottinc, away
in ordinary, while other barges had all
the charters they codld take care of. 81
Nv hat do l think of the queer proceed
ings in No. l42 l have never been able TO
| fathom them to my own satisfaction.
Call them what you viii, and place the
causes as you may, they ruined the beat
and brought my employers great loss"