Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-01-17
ABABYIN HIS TRUNK.
THIS IS WHAT A GENTLEMAN FOUND
IN AN AUCTION PURCHASE.
JuAgs Flssrnoy's Expsrisses With Hasnss'
{ Theaghs He Could Locate DashSsai-'
Other Good stories Of the Idiss.

A gentleman IN this city recently pur-
chased an unclaimed trunk. which was
| filed with unknown articles. lnasmucn
| a. it was securely locked no ono could
puezs what it contained. but the pur-
chaser. thinking that possibly It held
| treasures of iusstimable value. gladly paid
| $50 for IL He had his prize taken to his
home, and ordered special locksmith to
come around and pick the lock. While
this process was going on the proprietor
| of the newly acquired chest stood Dy ana
with eyes bullying with fond expectation
awaited results. The locksmith proceeded
with his work for about hse minutes lana ana
then stopped short all OF q sudden. prs
trunk feels mighty heavy" said he,
"and vet when / shake 1t l can't
hear anything move. 1 declare 1 De-
! lieye IL has dead man in It.. ~.
| don't talk that wsy, please" said the
purchaser of the mysterious article, es the
respective hairs on his head assumed
perpendicular attitude, =" don tnke those
sort of Jokes" The locksmith then sug-
eested that he smeir a dead man, and this
caused the silk hat of his temporary em.
pioyer to rise still higher on the erected
capillary substance OF its owner. But even
| fear can sometimes be overcome bv curl
osity and this invincibie desire to furtner
| investigate stimulated the purchaser OF
| the trunk TO continue his researches. ne
| brayely told the locksmIth to go ahead ana
| open the mysterious chest. Finally the
| I'D was lifted and there lay-not dead
man-but various articles of feminine aD-
narel which were decidedly the worse for
wear. To say that the expectant gentle
man was disgusted would but poorly ex-
press his feelings, but be possess
ed q hopeful disposition and order
Ell the locksmith TO remove all the
articles. This was done but nothing
further came TO light for several minutes,
aud the purchaser turned aside IN order
10 suppress the almost irresistible desire
TO kick himself The key-maker continued
10 rummage among the many pieces, OF
dilapidated clothing. and suddenly yelled
out, Here's baby!" The gentleman
bounced up like rubber ball, and wildly
EXCLAIMED: For Heavens sake, shut the
trunk, Lock IL up Take it away! Don't
ever say anything about having opened
it," YES" said the locksmith. ITS a
baby-a doll-baDy." The relief which
then came over the features of the fellow
who invested his $50 is indescribable. He
thought not Of the two ks" which had
been cast TO the four winds OF the earth.
but only of his escape from horrible dis
covery. The gentleman told his friends
buy any more trunks under any circun-
stances.
Hauntsl" exclaimed the popular Secre-
tary of the Commonwealth, Judge Flour
noy, the other day, addressing group that
had assembled in his Office and were discuss
ing superstitions 49, Haunts!' Don't you
tell me there are no such things as haunts.
| II - hot
ran. don't you remember church
ward down in Clarke county where the
roads fork, one going to Berryyille and
the other somewhere else, and where
we had a small picket-post? Well"
continued the Judge. looking over
bis eyeglasses and dropping his hands
palm downwards IN way that is pecu::
iiarly his, Il never shall forget night
stood picket there. 1t was one OF those
miserable nights, half moonlight, half
dark, with drifting clouds throwing all sorts
of shadows and Just enough wind to make
the trees keep upa continuous sobbing
and signing. l was supposed to be on duty
two hours. but it was two months before
that relief came-yes. two months
of solid night during which those
tomb-stones played leap-frog. waltzed,
stood on their heads, and cut up high links
generally, and every mothers son of the
people who had been buried there in
century assembled IN that church and
heard in your life. 'Haunts'! Why, there
were million of them IN the church. My
horse knew it, for finally, to cap the eli.
max. he began to tremble. l could teel
nv hair rising, and the cold chils ran up
and down my back at the rate or for
| ty miles an hour. l would have
given all ever expect TO be worth II the
Yankees had sent squad down there and
opened fire on me and driven me away.
When the relief did come / was the hap
piest man in the Southern Confederacy.
Don't tell me there are no such things as
'haunts.'"
The Judge was only about sixteen years
old when he had this experience. and he
narrated it with an earnestness and de-
| scribed his feelings with an !nimitable
vividness that literally conyu,sed his
auditors with laughter.
-
| DR.. Lafferty is considered one of the
most witty and humorous men in these
parts. He has travelled almost all over
the world and has accumulated variety
| of experiences which are exceedingly IN
| teresting as narrated by him. The Doctor
was sitting in the DISPATCH Office o few
evenings ago with one leg thrown across
one of the reporters desks. He was keenly
observing the long stove-pipe, which runs
almost the entire length of the building.
"Well. seeing that stoye-pipe calls
| to my memory" he said, IAN Incl
dent which happened many. winters
ago and upon one OF the cold
est nights l think l ever experienced.
| | was then on one of my lecturing tours,
and was to appear before an audience at
| country church in Augusta county. The
people came in from all four corners Of
the earth, and there was stove in the
room with pipe Just about twice as long
as this one you have. Well, all things
went smoothly until one old brother re-
filed the stove, and in so doing put in
one stick of wood which was about half q
| foot too long. 1t seemed that the old fell
low thought he could shorten the stick by
kicking it. He undertook to put his the
| ory into execution and by so doing
ali those sixty feet of stove-pipe fell, and
every Joint separated. emptying out two
pecks of SCOT each. and danced all over
| tho house. Well, have never seen such q
panic. Women and children screamed
| and toppled over one another. and men
rushed about in O frantic frame of mind.
But / stood unphased until the crowd had
retired. when quietly dispersed into the
whirling snow myself"
| s.s
1t is really wonderful how people read
the different things which appear in news
papers and magazines. Sometimes think
there must be individuals who scan every
word, not only of the reading. but also Of
the advertising matter. Shortly after w.
s. Dashiell skipped town Major Poe, the
Chief of Police, through the columns Of
the Police Gazette, offered reward for the
arrest of the fugitive. A few days ago he
reserved letter from man In Wyoming.
who said that he could give information
concerning the whereabouts of Dashiell.
The writer stated that q person
bearing this name and answer
ing the description Of the accused
was now working In the Patent Office ct
| Washington. He asked Major Poa not to
say anything about the information but to
write to him further. This the MAJOR did
and thus the matter ended. for the letter
was never answered by the Wyoming citi-
zen. Whether the latter really knows Q
man named Dashiell in Washington IL very
doubtful. Perhaps there is person bear
| ing name something like Dashiell's. but
the fugitive would hardly have the suds-
city to show up so close TO Richmond. !
| asked Major Poe what be did with the let
/ tar from fha Wvoming man and ho amil0d