The Portland daily press., 1893-04-26
SOME ODD STORIES.

The Mysterious Vanishing of Anthony
Sears and Row He Was Found In the
Secret Cellar OF Ills Own Home-A Story
of War Times In the Virginia Valley.
Copyright, 1888, by American Press Associa-
toni
At the beginning Of the war the Sears
plantation in the Blue Ridge valley of vir-
glnia was one of the most extensive and
valuable properties in that beautiful re
glon lying between the two great mountain
ranges. The magnificent old mansion had
been erected in 1.-THE days that tried mems
souls" and the property descended from
father to son during all the years since the
Revolution, in which conflict thename OF
Sears had stood high on the roll of Ameri-
can patriots The mansion had been kept
in perfect repair, being sacredly regarded
by the family it had sheltered and to whom
It belonged.
Anthony Sears was little better than an
invalid when the war came on, being trou-
bled with attacks of giddiness and faint
ness which caused a great deal of uneasi-
ness and alarm among hischildren, of whom
there were three-two sons and beautiful
dark eyed daughter. The mother of the
children had been dead some years.
As soon as the news or south Carolina's
withdrawal from the Union was known
the old planter became greatly worked up
over the situation, which naturally made
his condition worse. He declared that, al
though he loved the Union, he considered
it his duty to stand by Virginia if the state
thought best to side with the other states
which were sure to secede now that South
Carolina had boldly led the way. But
when Virginia finally decided to step out
of the Union Sears was so Frustrated that
he coa,ld do little save command his boys
to stand ready to give their aid to the con-
federation.
To the old mans dismay Robert, the
younger son, boldly asserted his sympathies
were with the north, and he would never
lift hand against the federal government
Not only this, but when he found himself
In danger of being conscripted into the
southern army he ran away and enlisted
under Rosecrans From this time on, al
though Roger, the older boy, entered the
Confederate army, Anthony Sears seemed
like man at times demented.
! Agnes, the beautiful, dark eyed daughter
found heavy load of responsibility resting
on her shapely shoulders, but she met the
emergency with the courage of true Vir
ginia maiden. Despite the fact that she en-
tertained the greater affection for her
younger brother, she was passionate little
southerner, and it was her nightly prayer
that the confederacy should prove victori-
GUS and both her brothers come safely back
to their home.
When the hitherto peaceful valley filed
with the contending armies, the condition
Of old Anthony grew SO serious that he re-
quired constant watching Agnes cared for
her father as much as possible, and when
she was not near him Nanny Jane, a faith
full old negress took her place. Nanny
James husband was dead, and her grown
up son was an idiot-considered perfectly
harmless by every one about the place. His
name was Joe, and his weak mind enter
tanned an unbounded admiration and love
for Little Miss Aggie," as the dark eyed
beauty of the plantation was known to all
the negroes
AS Anthony Sears condition grew worse
he began to declare with frequency that he
was going to join the southern army, old
man though he was, and he really meant
what he said, which increased his daugh-
ter's alarm. One day he buckled on an old
Revolutionary sword that had been welded
by his grandfather, seddled a horse and
would have ridden away had not the serv-
ants. urged on by Agnes. forcibly detained
him
Thst very night he eluded cid Nanny
Jaaa and mysteriously vanished. Not
horse ,As taken, but he was gone. Imme-
date an thorough search failed to discover
whittier he had fed, but Agnes believed he
had gone to join the southern troops
Knowing his condition, she was confident
this course meant certain and speedy death
for her father.
For weeks and months every effort was
made to discover what had become of An
thoay Sears, but every effort to find trace
Of Aarn was fruitless At any other time
such an event would have aroused that en-
tire section of the country, but those were
restless and troublous days, and nothing
caused remark for more than a short period.
Old Nanny Jane was the only person who
seemed to make particular note of the fact
that her foolish son Joe had disappeared
the same nighs sas master of the plantation
was lust seen.
Agnes received occasional letters from
both her brothers, and she wrote them of
the sarrible thing that had occurred. Rob
srt dassd not to return to his home then,
end Roger could not obtain furlough, SO
oA0 Ik'N& I'LL Al 1OICAlACSo, WILL UlO Lew
faithful blacks remaining about her.
Mysterious things began to happen in
the osd mansion. Footsteps were heard in I
the silent hours of the night, and it was
whispered that a shadowy form fitted
through the dark halls. Quantities Of food
disappeared from the pantry, but Agnes
believed the slaves were responsible for
this. And the slaves believed the old place
was haunted by the spirit of their former
master.
One night a struggling Union soldier,
wounded and weak. came to the house All
asked for food and shelter. Despite the torn
and sciied uniform i.e wore the southern
maids heart :, Is touched by his miserable
csrsdi: ION, md she took him in, fed him,
beuad ap his wound with her own fair
hsrds and had Nanny Jane show him to
the room in Which Anthony Sears had slept
the night of his singular disappearance.
In tfiednorning the wounded soldier was
gone, but, wonderful to relate, his weapons
and his clothes, which he had removed on
going to bed, were in the room where he
had retired to sleep. The bed was tumbled
and In one spot was bit of blood that had