The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-01-02

RMINEBEcK, n, Y, Jan. 1,-You have
heard tho story as Irving tells it OF the
headless horsoman who spread con-
s~ternation through Sleepy Hollow, This
is a story OF a mysterious woman in
black who is exciting as much tear
among tho people Of this peaceful VIII
lagc, sixty miles further up tho beauti'
full valley, as did Irving's ghost,
1t Is the story OF q strange creature
who glides noiselessly along the country
roads at dead Of night, She has never
been known to address anybody, al
though sho has met many. Her lam
guage is tho language Of sigma. She in
Varlably halls long enough to stretch
out her long arms from beneath q black
veil and mako u kissing noise. She
might say more il any ono hesitatod
long enough to give hGr the chance,
but nobody has tdrrted as yet. This
strange apparation is described by
those who have seen it as n thin woman,
at least six feet four inches tall, with q
slight stoop and u long stride.
HER FIRST APPEARANCE.
The woman in black, rs the appOrl'
ton Is known, frat made her appear
anCe in R~hinebock about two weeks
ago, She had been parading tho streets
Of the villages Just north OF Poughkoep-
sic for several months prior to that
tlme, and the people Of Rhlnebeck
thought shc was u myth.
John JudsOn, who lives in Chestnut
street, was the first to behold her hero.
AS he was going home late II night
no heard q noise in Walter W. Shells
front yard. lIe looked around and was
startled 10 svu-a tall black object stand
ing perfectly still. Judson hurried
home and arrived there in n cold sweat.
The next day tho news was all over
Rhincbeck. The women and children
Hhiyored and tho mon laughed, but that
same night David Ackert, n OF tho
bost known business mon in thevIllagc,
was going home no met tho black rObed
object on Main street. Ackert is six
feet tall himself, and he says ho had to
look up at tho woman.
She shrank from him with u kissing
sound, he declares, and he pissed on
without saying u word or again looking
around,
SOLID TESTIMONY.
Davis Ackert'a word ia US good MS an
affidavit in RhInebock. II wasn't
scared, boys" he said TO q group Of
listeners tho next day, "but l felt q
shiyering sensation. for she was SO tall
and slim and piratical looking"
The four village Constnbies-BM
Sloight, John IIobb, George Wheeler
and Murray Dederick-Ind Night
Watchman Seneca Taladay heard Ack.
ertIs story and vowed to capture tho
creature that very night. But the
woman dlscreetly kept of tho highways,
and wa not seen tho following night
either.
Thomas Sinclair was the next reliable
person to encounter the strange wom-
an. IIe met hor on the outskirts Of the
village about 10 o'clock at night. She
was pacing in tho middle Of the road
with her head bent low and her long
arms clayped behind her. Ho merely
took one look,
Next james Trastor mot tho mys.
FERROUS creature in n side street about
ten o'clock ono night. He did not stop
and speak to her because, he says, he
didn't think OF it until after sho had
disappeared. He is a tinsmith, and ono
OF Rhinebeck's most reliable citizens.
Things have been running along in
this way ever since. No ono has taken
advantage Of his opportunity to address
tho woman, and no one, so tar as l Gun
learn, has deliberately SGT about an i'll.
vestigation.
MLtLr mnALLN Mn