The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-11-03
paper on which her dying lover had traced
u few words Of farewell:
Homo they brought her warrior, dead.
She nor swooned nor uttered cry.

u few words of farewell:
Homo they brought her warrior, dead.
She nor swooned nor uttered cry.
Pale, calm, fearless, the ghost of herself,
She watched the rude but loving mourners
bear him to chamber in the house and lay
him rs il asleep upon couch. 1t was the
sleep of death from which kisses on the cold
lips or warm caresses on the pallid brow
could not awaken him. Day by day she
faded like lily that is denied moisture,
ana within few short weeks her spirit
fed to join his in another world
Since then the Hunter house has had
many owners and many occupants but
every year upon the anniversary of that
stormy night in 1887 the stroke of horses
hoofs are heard without, the old knocker
clangs, footsteps sound upon the stairs
and the occupants of the south roOm-the
same in which Philip Marston's body lay
receive ghostly visitant. Such being the
case, few care to occupy that apartment
during the latter part of June The last
authenticated instance of anything being
seen there was as follows:
Ten years ago the house was owned and
occupied by family named Thunsden,
among the members of which was n neph-
ew named William Elack, young and
rising member of the bar Early in the
their annual pilgrimage to one of the
Virginia watering places, leaving young
Black to occupy and care for the house in
their absence. He was the sole inmate as,
according to southern custom, the servants
lived in separate building. and indeed it
would have been difficult to have coaxed
any darky to spend u Rght there at any
time.
Several days had gone by without Incl
dent until the night Of June 25. Black
had started to go to bed, but was suddenly
seized with nm unaccountable loneliness
and distrust of his solitary condition, and
upon reflection recollccted that this was
the anniversary. He was n man of noted
courage and physical strength, and not a
bit superstitious. Nevertheless, like most
OF u.s. the coincidence gave him creepy
feeling and he resolved on having com
pany. Taking his hat and cane he went in
search of n fellow barrister of his own age
and with whom he was intimate, one John
L. Jones, who held forth upon the court
house square and kept bachelors hall over
his Office.
Ascending the narrow staircase he found
his chum enscOnced in bed, but not vet
asleep. In response to Blacks invitation
to go and spend the night with him he
good naturally consented, and they were
1t was about 80 O'clock and rs beautifully
calm and clear a moonlight night as heart
could wish when they entered the house,
and after locking the hall door went to
Blacks roOm-the south chamber Young
men make short work of toilets so they
were quickly in bed, and neither being
sleepy Black started to tell Jones the
story of the haunted room. He had Just
finished when the old cracked bell in the
court house. tower struck midnight and as
the last rcvcrberntions died away n horses
hoof strokes could be distinctly heard upon
the gravel walk without.
Suddenly and without warning the win
dows commenced to rattle in their case
ments and noise resounded from the roof
ms II torrents of rain were descending upon
its weather beaten shingles. All this time
the moon was throwing it's mellow rays
into the room, lighting it up to n mezzo-
tlnt ana the shadows cast from the trees
showed that no breath of air was stirring.
Then came the clang of the old knocker
upon the hall door; the noises ceased rs
quickly as they had begun, and all was ST
lence.
Jones and Black were brave enough, and
would have faced the devil and all his
imps in broad daylight, but this was more
than they had bargained for. The noise
had been startling, but the silence that fol-
lowed it was so intense that it was almost
palpable. Then -''tapn-"tan"w
"tap"-came the unnistakable sound of
footsteps upon the stairs, slowly and
YEARLY mounting. They ceased for a sec
ond or two upon the landing outside, the
door swung noiselessly open, and n figure.
clearly seen in the moonlight, entered and
crossed the room. Both men lying on the
bed saw it plainly, and afterward de-
scribed 1T as that of Il young and beautiful
girl, tall and slender, with golden curls
framed around face of marble palIor,
wide open blue eyes, and clothed from
head to foot in flcecy white, with single
white rosebud nesting above the eur.
Advancing slowly to one of the windows
the figure stood n moment with clasped
hands, looking wistfully out into the
night and with the full glow of the moon
light upon its upturned features; then it
turned, approached the side of the bed
were Jones lay, stopped and placed hand
cold as earth itself upon his forehead. I'd
to that moment he and Black had been too
frightened to move or speak, but when that
ICY hand was laid upon him the spell was
broken. Human nature could endure no
longer and with yell both of them
tumbled out of the other side of the bed
from where the figure stood and bounded
down the stairs
How they ever unlocked the hall door or
got outside neither of them could ever tell.
but when they came to themselves sufIi-
GENTLY to take in the situation they were
making record time, clad only in their
night clothes, toward Jones' Office. They
did not go back to the Hunter house that
night; in fact it was some days before they
could summon nerve enough to 90 in day-
light and get their clothes.
Since then the night of June 25 in each
year finds that room untenanted. Sim
gularly enough the noises described are
never heard elsewhere through the hous.