Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-10-13
THE SOLDIERS VISION.
STRANGE SIGHT SEEN IN n
CHURCH IN VIRGINIA..
Aroused From His slumber In the Shell
ter Of the Consecrated Building to
Witness the Return OF u Ghostiy We'd
ding Party to It's Old Hauuts.

great country house In one OF the
border counties of Virginia, so called,
as it was near that line of fame,
the sad, fatal, auctuating war;
Near our house was a church, a
noble edifice and monument of the
days gone by, when stately ladies
and grand gentlemen composed its
congregation. The old church, built
in early colonial times. had seen the
growth OF our strong, young re-
public, and near its hallowed pre-
eincts were buried the descendants OF
princes, mobiles and titled danes, the
old cavaliers of Virginia. The wind
made sad music through its sounding
galleries and the raindrops spattered
like tears of memory on its ruined
walls. The church had been used as
barracks by passing troops in two
wars, who found safety from storm S
in its massive walls, and it could be
used as fortress of defense in sud
den attack In the swift flight of
years it had fallen frequently into
ruin and been again repaired, and
once, while removing the rubbish,
the workmen found a box hidden far
back in an embrasure of the ruined
tower, which contained rich bridal
garment. in a fashion of bygone
years. The rare and costly fabric
was blood-stained. and every evil
dence pointed to mysterious murder.
but Ia answer to the questions, "Who
did the deed?" "Who was the VIC
tim?" the echoes from nearly two
centuries brought no reply.
One quiet night in June while we
were sleeping after watching and
praying for weary hours for loved
ones in the army who might never
return, we were startled by knock
at our front door, and on opening it
dark, determined man stood there
and asked for shelter, which in a
Virginia house is never refused. His
unif>m was dark brown, the color
of dead oak leaves; his cap was knit
of black and gray worsted, the color
of dead moss and lichens of forest
trees; his rifle was long and bright,
and q sheath knife glittered in his
belt AS he stood in the weird light
of the family dawning day he looked
like a ghost of one of the old knights
of Sherwood forest in the days of old
Robin Hood, but we knew him for
what he was, a Texas ranger sc
famous in the guerrilla warfare oil
the South. The color OF his uniform
so blended with the color OF the
,,oods chat M Ona oo,,1d s,,.,oat I, .
presence.
After q hasty salutation he said
IL have seen strange things tonight,
that make me doubt my own identity
and | have come TO you, not with
war stories and news of battles, but
to ask the explanation of what saw.
/ am acting as a scout for General
Stuart and have been sent forward
to obtain what information / can.
have passed quickly and quietly from
one position TO another, my presence
not even suspected, and as night
came on, tired out, l sought refuge
in the old church so near you.
suppose | must have fallen asleer
from utter WEAKNESS, for apparently
/ awoke to the sound of weird music,
SO plaintive and ghostly in its nature
that all the superstitions l had
learned from my negro nurse on the
faraway old plantation possessed me
at once.
1t was that wild, low strain, a wed
ding march or a funeral dirge; in it.
tones, tenderness, regret, sorrow anG
pity seemed blended. All at once the
massive doors of the old church
were swung open by unseen hand:
and the dim moonlight lit the ole
building with ghostly light, and {
phantom train of stately cavalier:
and pale, lovely women entered the
ancient sanctuary.
"Solemnly down the aisle the din
procession swept l could hear the
taps of the high-hceled shoes anC
the rustic of the ladies' trains a.
they passed over the old. damn
stones, and the night whds tos &c
their waving plumes, and the low
dirge-lil1e music kept time to theil
stately stepping.
There was one among them fairei
than all the rest. Surely the pearl.
in her golden hair and the shadow
veil had been arranged in delicate
beauty by spirit hands; the soft
mournful eyes had a far-away lool
of grief, and at her side walked one
dark and stern as midnight.
1.-The procession paused before th,
ruined chancel, and it seemed to M
that bridal vows and deep sobs wer,
mingled with low imprecations anC
muttered curses; the wall of sad
low voice, a culver and a shuddei
passed through the phantom and tn,
vision mingled with the shadows o
the night.
Thoroughly aroused. / arose ant
went out into the moonlight; IA
away in the east the first rosy tint
of the new morning were faintl,
glowing. while the sentinel stars still
kept watch over the sleeping earth