Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-23
STRANGE AND UNCANNY,
A Bride on Her Seeming Deathbed Reap
pears Years Afterwsrd.

From the Chicago Herald.
An English officer tells the following strange
and most uncanny story. which ought 10 be
given a. far as possible in his own words: "A
great friend ofmine, fellow named D., one
OF ours was engaged to the daughter Of an
old clergyman in Leicestershire. They we're
awfully in love with each other and were to be
married in ten days. He had asked me to be
his best man and all the arrangements were
completed for the Wedding, when he received
q Geographic message from the father OF his
bride saying that she had been taken suddenly
Ill and to come at once II he would see
her alive. OF course he started Cor their
place Immediately and was so completely cut
up about it that went with him, feeling
that he ought not to be alone in such . condi-
ton Of mind We found the sad news only too
true; the poor girl was dying. and as they both
greatly desired that he might have the right 20
be with her until the end the old rector per-
formed the ceremony and they were made
man and wife, 1t was the most affecting thing
1 ever saw. Her mother drew of her own
wedding ring, which the poor fellow placed on
the finger OF his broken lily of bride. who Law
there SO white and wan, the only calm member
OF the agitated group. Three days afterward
all was over. Unable to bear his old life, D.
sent In his papers and left the service. For
several years completely lost trace Of him.
and then, from an English surgeon who had
proffered his services to the German author
tiles during the Franco Prussian war, heard a
tale SO weird that it might well seem impos-
sible. Finding the monotony OF his life I'M
endurable, D, it seems. entered the French
army, and without much difficulty. through
his previous connections, obtained q commits
sion in one Of the regiments which had been
ordered to the front After the battle of Sedan
among the many who had been carried to the
hospital mortally wounded was D.. Was il
q visionT he thought that as he lay dying he
SOW bending over him his old love, his dead
wife, In the garb Of a Sister of the Red Cross
He saw the startled white face and the deep
blue eyes that he knew SO well all filed with an
awakening wonder There was a sharp cry
and the sister swooned away. The surgeon in
attendance hurried up, and giving her in
charge of some of the other nurses returned to
the excited man. who insisted that be had seen
the face OF his dead wife. The shock was too
much for his enfeebled condition, his wound
broke out afresh and in q few hours he was
dead.
DEIIRIoUs WITH BRAIN FEVER.
"On leaving his patient, who no longer re-
quired his services the doctor found the Red
Cross nurse delirious with brain fever. Over
and over again she lived what seemed to be the
last weeks of previous existence. She was q
happy promised bride-she was girlishly ex-
cited over her trousseau and pretty presents
she talked proudly of her handsome and de-
voted lover and finally of solemn deathbed
wedding. That was all-over and over she
seemed to live again a former period Of her
life, but of the time since the doctor had known
her there came never word. A year or two
before he had been connected with one of the
London hospitals and had been greatly inter-
ested III this woman. who had been brought
there ana placed in the ward for the insane.
The only point upon which her mind seemed af-
fected WAS that she had no recollection of the
seemed of har
identity. Her name had been given as Mrs.
Clark. and the people who left her had never
appeared again. Showing herself most capa-
bic and intelligent. with the one exception
stated she was kept as an assistant IN the wards
and gradually became one of the most expe-
rlenced of the hospital nurses. When the doc
tor decided to go to the seat of war it occurred
to him to take her with him, not only on ac-
count of her acknowledged competency but
with the idea that change and excitement might
possibly touch some chord that would awak en-
her memory. Bat she died without recovering
consciousness and the mystery was upsolved.
Among D--s effects, however, the doctor
found letter directing that his few papers,
&c. should be sent to me in case of his death.
and photograph in a frame which so
marvelously like the dead woman that he at
once wrote and gave me all the par
ticulars, not only of D-'s death, but of .5Irs
Clark's life while under his observation. He
forwarded at the same time plain gold ring,
MhACA vas ou Aei Hiioef NHeH siit came 10 the
hospital, and which had simply date of thirty
years back engraved inside the rim. Feeling
that the strange coincidence-for it could be
nothing more-was hardly enough to warrant
me in disturbing the family by awakening pain
full memories. l concluded at first to say moth
ing about it. but the affair troubled me- and at
length l grew fairly haunted with the idea that
there was more in it all than liked to think
possible. l finally found myself Ell route for
the Leicestershire village without any clear idea
of what really intended to do. There found
changes the old rector and his wife had both
died; their only remaining child, a son, had gone
over to Canada, whore his wife's people lived.
l knew no one; ali the faces were strange to
me. felt that eerie sense of living in the past,
of having nothing to do with the present, that
comes over one sometimes. While waiting for
the afternoon train, which was to take me back,
l wandered into the churchyard and sought out
the graves of the old couple and of my friends
bride. Mary was written the headstone,
beloved wife and daus hter-died May Is, IS
But did she die then orlong after! That is what
haunts me to this day."
DO you mean that she was buried in a
trance!' said the listener.
That is what believe" he answered. IL
think that her rescuers were afraid of the law
and. finding signs of life hurried her to a hos
pital, where her entire lapse of memory tempted
them to keep the matter forever a secret
Thinking it over l deemed it inexpedient to
take any steps in the matter. The publicity
would have been painful; they were all dead.
Il could do no good, and SO l let the matter
rest. But from that day to this have been
doubtful whether l did right or not in not
carrying the investigation further"