St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-01-21
WHAT TWO SAW.

| POSSIBLY there is nothing in 1t. Prob
ably you will say that it is impossible
that there could be more than nothing
In 1t. Yet for days and days and night
after night it never left my thoughts,
nor can drive it from me- And now,
after lapse of ten years. have but to
close my eyes and 1t is all just as real
10 me as though it had happened yes
terdav.
Twas glorious starit night in May
and my friend and | were stretched out
on rugs in the garden of the old rectory,
smoking our after-dinner cigar. when
he suggested that L 70 into the church
and play for him. We went in through
the choirroom door, OF which l had a
key. and, going to the organ, began TO
play. while my friend stood OH the
bench beside ME, looking out over the
church, which was lighted solely by the
moonbeams that stole in through the
| stained-glass windows. | was playing
| little wiSps of melody and scraps Of old
familiar tunes, when my friend said
| quietly:
Il see shadows moving abont in one
pew and out at another and then disap-
| pear in the darkened corners. wonder
if they can be the shades of past parish
toner's who have come back to visit the
place where they have so often hoped
and prayed?"
l smiled at his conceit and went on
playing, when suddenly, placing his
hand OH my shoulder, he said, agi-
| tatedly:
| Look! Is that man?"
| l turned and looked where lie was
| pointing, ana saw, or thought l saw.
! what seemed to be man, dressed in an
old blouse and trousers of some light
colored material, half standing and half
kneeling il the center of the church.
| There was nimbus of light above his
| head, and he was looking straight at me
with eyes protrudlng from their sockets.
"Great God"' l exclaimed, "what can
it be?'
Not taking my eyes from the appari-
ton, l reached to tue side of the organ
aud pressed the button that turned on
all the lights in the church. As l did so
the figure disappeared. We then de-
cided 20 search the church, so my friend
went down one aisle while 1 went down
the other, looking in all the pews, but
| there was no one in the church but our
| two selves.
Feeling rather strange, we left the
| church and walked out into the coun
! try. Coming back, we passed 10y the
walls of Woodland cemetery. We had
| passed by the main entrance, which
was closed for the night, when my
| friend, looking through the bars, said:
There is something L have often
heard of and always been anxious to
see. Look! the ienls fatuuS."
| | followed his gaze ana saw what ap-
| peared to be a pale. yelloWish ball of
| fire suspended directly over a large
| granite tomb, that had for its vista a
small clump OF trees.
LET us go in" lie said, ~ would like
| to see it closer"
SO. going OIL to little gate that was
| fastened by chain and hook, We I'M
! fastened the grating and entered.
| We walked up the path until we came
to side path that led US back to where
we had seen the light. AS we turned
into the side path a large white dog
came toward US. making no sound on
| the loose gravel of the path. He came
toward us wagging his tail. and stopped
within few feet and looked up into our
| faces. l called:
Here, doggie; here, old fellow"
When he turned observation-disclosures
both paused and looked at each other,
| and | need not own TO cowardice when
l say that l began to feel cold and
creepy. Finally l said, "Do you still
want to see the lighi?"
Yes" answered my friend. "le's go
on" So we went OIL toward where we
| had seen the light, and suddenly | said:
There it is" And there it was, not
twenty feet away, shining with a dull.
| unearthly glow.
II must go nearer" said my friend.
| and he started toward the light. As he
| got to it, it went out.
"Do you see it now?" he called.
No. answered. Come. let's get
out of this" And we fastened from
the spot. nor did we stop until we had
chained and hooked the grating on the
| outside.
what do you suppose it was?" l
asked.
at would be poetic to say that it was
the light OF some tired soul gone out 10
the vast unknown" he answered, "but,
whatever it was, let's get home"
The next day l had strange feeling
that something-1 knew not What-WaS
going to happen. but l accounted for it
by the events of the night before. and
told my story to no one. AS | was com-
ing out of town in the afternoon l
bought an evening paper, and the first
thing that met my eye was the head
line:
Suicide in Woodlands cemetery"
Eagerly L scanned the column. and
even now | recall the exact wording:
"At an early hour this morning as
two men were going through Woodland
cemetery to work at Gray's Ferry. they
came across the body of man Sus-
pended from a tree, which is one of a
group of trees situated between the two
gateS-the only group Of trees i'll this
part of the cemetery. The body was
TIE coroner's physician IS of the opn-
ion that the man died between II and IL
o'clock last night"
l Immediately left the car, took
cross-town car and went up to the
morgue.
.Can see the man who hanged him
self in Woodland cemetery last nIght?"
l asked the keeper.
YES" he answered. aud led the way
to the corner of a room and going to a
slab on which was form covered by a
sheet. threw down the covering, and
said: There lie is"
And there, with eyeballs protruding
from their sockets. was the body of the
man whom my friend and l had seen in
the church the night before.
r. C.. Y.
Sport Mt Como.
Comm attracted large crowds Of win