The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-09-17
A SPECTRE SLEPT IN IT.
THE GBUESoWE TALE OF
HUNTED BEDSTE1D.
Kiss the FooI-The Deadly Heat of Cen
trail Asia-Japanese Dwarf Trees
The Gay Senoras.

Inc gay Sehofas.
Colonel M, a prominent merchant
and banker of Galveston, Tex, at a small
gathering of intimate friends about his
hospitable table a short while ago related
the following narrative:-To the story l
have to tell there are, or were, hail d
dozen witnesses, whose names 4 could
readily furnish if it were not ADVISABLE,
tor obvious reasons, to not give them. 1
am not a superstitious or lmagnlaplYes
man, as you know, and up to the time 81
which 1 am going to speak l was deci-
dedly skepticai in regard to al super
natural occurrences. Indeed, l mlghb
have been called q ~scotfer, In me
seventies some time / became the propfle-
tor of a hotel III a North Texas town,
situated on the Houston and Texas Cen
trial. On taking possession OF the eStap.
lishment / found that q new supply OF
furniture was needed, so | ordered anum-
Der of bedroom sets from New Orleans.
They were secondhand for the most part,
but in most excellent repair. One bed
stead was really handsome in a heavy,
old-fashioned style, with much elaborate
carving, II | was surprised to nnd tna9
its cost was less than a third what /
should have supposed it would be.
inspecting this bedstead,I noticed that
the headboard was stained by some
darker spots that seemed to be dried
splashes of some thick liquid, and winch
/ found impossible to remove by scrub
bling, or cover up with varnish. / placed
this bedsteadin a room known as No. 81.
The first guest that occupied that room
was a stalwart cattleman from Ell Paso,
with about as much imagination as q
gate post. A little after he had retired
the night clerk and | heard a fearful yell
from No. 81 and a fierce banging on the
y. F.-ls.l,E f;.ool1xr hcoIn onnp and n11f
fell N in his night clothes, trembling
all over his big body as If in ague, and
dripping with cold perspiration.
'EIook at the bed! look at the bedlN ne
gasped. GOOD Lord! I'm afraid he's
dead"
We ran to the bed, and finding it all
right, concluded he had only had the
nightmare, but he persisted that when he
had put his lamp out there had lain be-
sideihim on the bed a man with his throat
cut and bleeding. In spite of the way we
laughed at him we found it impossible to
get him to return to the bed, so / was
obliged to give him another room.
A few nights after, a lady occupied
No. 81, and, as before, d scream was heard
that rang through the house. coming EVIL
IDENTIFY from hat room. When the cham
bermaid went to Mrs. BPS assistance she
found her utterly insensible. On being
restored, she related the same story the
cattlemen had told, stating that when she
got into the bed it was apparently empty,
but on putting out the lamp the moon
light, streaming into the room, revealed
the dim outlines of a man lying beside
her, with his throat cut from ear TO ear
| Hearing this / began to grow alarmed,
Tor, to say the least of it, it was a curious
coincidence that NJ and Mrs. b,
unknown to each other, had the same
dream. requested the chambermaid to
remain with the lady until she should fall
| asleep. but | had scarcely regained my
own room before each of the women came
running out into the hall, screaming in
concert.
"Pve seen it, sir" cried the chamber
| maid, "and it's a ghost, for ] can swear it
wasn't there when l put the light out"
Mrs. B. said she had again seen the
bloody spectre when the servant extin-
guished the lamp that she might go
to sleep the soone and insisted on going
at once to the rival hotel. knew there
| was no hope of either of the ONE keep
ing their singular adventure to them
/ selves and that if | did not wish my es-
| ta~blishment to be ruined by a reputation
of being haunted | must at once find some
practical, commonplace explanation of
! the circumstance. | still persuaded my
self to believe that some shadow thrown
by the canopy above or the ~headboard
caused the delusion, so | resolved to
DCCuPy oA0 AOOm dhA y w - ASNAVN
ing night.
First satisfying myself that there was
no n concealed in the room to play D
trick on me, / lay down on the bed with
out removing my clothes, having a lamp
| beside me that | could lower to a thread
OF light, or brighten to briiiiancy as |
chose. My eyes were attracted by the
stains on the headboard that, to my
heated imagination. seemed singularly
fresh, and so surong was the impression
on me of their being still wet that | put
out my hand to touch them, but was
seized by such a sudden horror of the
spots that | could not help drawing back.
L got up and plunged my head in ice
water, for / wished particularly to keep
my brain cool. l mention this that You
may all know that | was wide awake.
Getting back into bed l lowered the
lamp, and then glanced at the opposite
side of my couch. My heart nearly
jumped out of my mouth, for lying beside
me, with his ghostly face turned full to
mine, was a man, whose head was nearly
severed from his body. The light of the
full moon streamed in at the uncur-
tanned, open window. and revealed his en-
tire figure as plainly almost as tine day
could have done. His fixed, CLASSY eyes
olaring with ~unspeakable horror, seemed
to gaze right into mine, and his out
stretched clinched hand to clutch n
me. Every detail of his dress is clearly
impressed on my mind, for / noted all il
O. kind of fascination. He wore a darl
pair of pants, a white shirt, then reekins
with his life blood from that gaping
wound9in his throat. n was IN hi
stocking feet.
Sternly summoning all my courage an(
former skepticism, / turned up the LAM
once more With my hand, while | kept my
ewes fixed steadily On what l still hole
myself was a delusion wrought of moon
shine, shadows and imagination. Slowl,
as | turned the screw, and as the ligii
grew brighter the figure grew dimmel
and fainter, until in the full glare the bet
showed clean and empty. Passing m,
hand over the place where the phantom
had lain, l satisfied myself that there wa
nothing tangible there. / then gradually
lowered the wick and watched the spec
tire evolve once more from what ] nov
knew to be empty air. | was resolved no
to accept such an experience on thu
strength of one sense alone, so conquer
ing my horror of the object beside me
put forth my hand and seized the ghost
arm. A chill SO extreme as to fairly par
alyze my hand and to deprive il of al
sense of touch struck through ME, and
knew ! had been too bold in thus at
tempting to solve a mystery nnsolvabl'
by man.
Human nature could stand it no longer
SO leaping from that fearful couch, | raj
into the hall. Then ! realized thai it hat
been the courage and stimulation Of shee
terror that had sustained me, for once GU
Of the presence of that awful object | fel
to the floor faipting and completely IN
neryed. Next day that bed was mad
INFO kfnalinO-wood. after | had had thoS