Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-01-05
SPECTRE OF RuINEBECK.
SECOND SLEEPY HOLLOW HAUNTED
BY A WOMAN IN BLACK.
or Immonse Stature, She Glides AlouG
tho Country Roads at Eoad of Night
Kissing at Those WHO Ioet uer--Nany
Nitnessos vouoh Tor Hor Neullir.

RuENEBEcK, Jan. 1.-The people OF This
place are much excited over the GAeg7i up
pearsnce of woman in black, who slides
noiselessly along the country roads at dead
of night, and disappears as mystsriously as
did the headess rider OF Sleepy Hollow.
She has mover boeu known to address any
body, although she has mat many. Her
language is the language OF signs. She in
varlaOly hats long enough to stretch out
her long arm from beneath black veil and
make kissing noise. She might say moro
IL any one Lesitated long enough TO give her
the chance. but nobody has tarrie1 at yet
This strange apperition i9 described by those
who have seen it as e thin woman, ct least
six feet four inchos tall, with q slight stoop
and long stride.
The woman in black, az the spparation is
known, 1rst made her appearance in Ehi o.
beck about six weeks ego. She had been
paradlng the streets of the village just north
Of Poughkeepsie Tor several nights prior to
that time, and the people OF Rhinsbock
thought she might be a myth. A number
have testified to having seen her. and not
few have boen badly frightened.
John Judson, who lives in Chestnut
street, was the first to behold her here. As
he was going homo late one night he heard
noise in Walter w. Shells frcnt yard.
He looked around and was startled to ace a
tall black object standing perfectly still.
Judson hurried home and arrived there in a
cold sweat The next day tho news was oil
| over Rhinebeck. The women and Children
| shivered, and the men laughed, but that
same night, az David Ackert, oue OF the
| Lest known business men in tho village, was
| going home lie met the black robed object
in Main street. Ackert is six feet tall him
self, and he says he had to look up at the
| woman.
Tho first woman to see tho black appari-
tion was Mis- Florence Welch, the pretty
youus teacher at Milier's school, q milo and
a half from here. Miss Wech dismissed
her scholars at 4 o'clock on last Thursday y
and then went to call on Mra Herman
Asher, who lives on a farm near by. She
remained there until shortly after D o'clock,
when she started TO walk home. 1t was
about dusk as she passed her school house,
and she glanced through the window.
There sat the woman in black on ono OF
the benches. Miss Welch remembered dis.
tinctiy that she had locked tie school house
door. She did not stop TO if it bal bssu
opened, but ran for her life. She is sure
she was not lsboring uuGer delpsion.
Robert Sbriyer, the village blacksmith
who had been spending last Saturday oven
ing with friends in RhineciT, started fol
Rhinebeck at ~ o'clock. In tho outskirt
Of the village he u tall black objec
standing beside the roadway. He didn'
stop to give warning, but drawing his pis
tol fired three shots at it. 1t was tho wo
man in black and she ran across the mead
ows.
Every resident OF Rhinebeck ia perfectly
satisfied that the woman is a reality, bu
not one of them can think OF who she car
he. There IS nobody near here who TN
swers the description of the mysterious crea
ture, and there is no family that harbori
crazy person. The nearest eayum is a
Pougtkeepsie, 16 miles away, and no lunati
has escaped from that institution. TO ad
to the mystery the strange creature
never seen abroad in tho daylight, and n
one has stumbled upon her in any hidin
place.