San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-08-19
A WEIRD WAGER.
The Man Who Made it Was Scared
Nearly Co Death.

1
Nearly Co Death.
Rochester Democrat
Aud then an old college chum of
the reporters told story, which the
reporter happens to know to be true,
of an experience of his, which for
downright brutal ghsstl mess left
the ghost stories en tirely in theshade
and sent the ghost seers to bed
ashamed, for the time being, OF their
morbid curiosity in regard 70 the un :
seen world. 1t was in some respects
such an abominable sort of yarn that
it seemed to the reporter worth print
ing as an illustration of the sort of
thing that the college boys consider
funny. The narrator is a man with
out particle of humor or imagins-
ton. and this is the way he spun his
painful yarn:
II never saw ghost, but 1 was
very badly frightened when was q
young man. L really do not think
any number of ghosts could have
frightened me any more. 1t was
when 1 was freshman in college.
When first went to college 1 was a
very bosstful boy, especially in re-
gard to my personal courage, because,
probably, IL remember Alright, L was
somewhat deficient in that quality. L
must have annoyed my FELLOWSHIP
dents very much, and that, 1 suppose,
is the reason they subjected me to the
experience am now about to relate.
zone night fell in with quite a
party OF them in Ain a fellow stu
dents room. There was one man in
the party who was not student, and
L afterwards learned that he was an
employee in the Office of the superin-
tendent of the cemetery. The reason
why men ton this fact you will per-
ceiye by and by. / was led OH to
boast OF my courage as usual, and
they excited me to make the most
eXtravagant statements. l think
L went so far as TO say
that 1 was not afraid of man,
ghost or devil, aud to tell an entirely
imaginary story of how 1 had volun-
tarily passed night alone in house
supposed by all to be haunted. Final
ly, one of the party offered to wager
me q sum of money that seemed large
to me then that would not dare to
even undertake an enterprise which
he would indicate to me. Being much
excited by-by argument, I accepted
his wager at once.
."He then said that what was to
do was to go into the receiving vault
of the cemetery that night and drive
nail full length into the coffin that
was there con tanning the corpse of
person who had recently died.
II was Immediately very sorry that
had been so boastful. Not only be-
cause knew l should be very much
afraid at the vault, but because the
test proposed seemed to me in shock
ingly bad taste, and not at all thing
q gentleman should engage in
Still | said that [ would readily do
what was sugges ted, and having pro-
cured a hammer and a nail, we put on
our overcoats and started to walk 10
the cemetery. 1t was very dark and
unpleasant night, but l could see the
tom Dstones quite plainly as We neart d
our destination, and as my cOmpan-
ions had purpOsely talked in a way
calculated to depress my spirits, when
we reached the receiving vault L felt
really i'll. was so nervous and ter
rified.
1.-THE man who was not a student
went into the vault with me and
struck match so that I could see the
coffin on Its trestle, led me up close
to it and gave me the hammer and
nail. Then he went away suddenly
and shut the inner door after him.
II have sometimes wondered that
did not faint then. 1t is really quite
impossible to tell you how L felt, all
alone in that Egyptian darkness with
a corpse upon which was about to
commit q sacrilegious outrage.
should have tainted, but my compan-
ions were talking and laughing loud.
ly, and 1 heard them so 1 did not
faint. I hurriedly put the point of
the nail to the wood, and struck at it
blindly with the hammer. missed
it, and hit tue coffin. The noise was
terrible. struck several more blind
blows, and then started to run away,
but found that 1 was held back.
Something behind me held me by my
coat. Then I tainted.