The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-05
In THE DISMAL SWAMP
A HUNTING PARTY STARTLED By
SEVERAL GHOSTLY VISITORS.
They Made Their Entrance Through
an Old Pfcture-Turned Ont to Be
Only M0onshiners, After All.

of the towpath about four miles, lies the
haunted Lake Leland, with its dirty yellow
water innumerable fiocks of ducks and
gruesome histories of CHASTITY past, and
where the wild fowl of the swamps find
perfect peace and safe abiding place,
shielded from the shot Of hunters by the
wholesome dread of the place entertained
by all those in that vicinity.
The negroes speak in Awed whispers of
the nightly seance Of the unfieshly appari-
tions in white that they declare hold high
carnival on the deserted waters, and the
poor whites sit in wild-eyed dread and his
ten breathlessly to the tales of the muir
ders reported to have been committed there
in a distant past.
The heart of the Dismal Swamp is far
from an inviting place even in its most
thickly populated spots, and it was with
questionable doubt as to our sanity that our
friends babe Hank and myself goodbye
when we left home to visit friend of mine
living in the depth of the wilderness.
Captain Waller, whom we visited, lived
| about midway through the swamp on the
canal. Why he had chosen such place to
dwell was beyond the reasoning power of
my feeble brain. Still, he seemed to like
it. and, barring a constant regularity Of
/
and enjoyed life with the rest of us. and it
was he who invited my chum. with his timid
companion, to explore the deserted lake.
| 1t was not idle curiosity, but the desire
| to shoot few of the thousands of ducks
| there that led us to undertake the trip.
| 1t was about an hours row up the long,
winding creek, that tired out the soft mus
| Giles of the high-living city boys, and the
| Captain was the only one in the party able
1 share When
| reached the lake there was a scene or
| desolation. The grand old mansion, the
| former home of the Leland family, stood
| at the head of the lake, and, like the old
| negroes horse, was wreck Oh former
grandeur, but, though 1t had seen better
days, it certainly presented now a picture
| of restitution and misery. The great white
pillars that supported the massive roof
/ of the once grand portal now leaned over
| so threateningly that L hesitated for mo-
ment about risking my precious anatomy
| beneath the tottering structure, but see
| tain seemed to have for bodily harm, L fol-
| lowed them they entered the mansion
with calm indifference as to the conseo
| quence, and soon had roaring hre
| burning in the massive CRATE till the place
| seemed to become quite comfortable, and
| the fumes from the wood caused my head
to drop with drowsiness, while the flames,
to one of my imaginative temperament,
seemed TO twist themselves into fantastic
shapes and forms that caused the cold
| perspiration to start from my forehead,
while the heat warmed the damp woodwork
| and set 1t crying Nth strange creaklng
| noises. These noises seemed not unlike the
| laughing of the apparitionS in white that
! formed themselves in the rings of smoke
| that CURED from my briarWood as l puHed
| in unison with the moaning of the forest of
| swamp pines that ran for miles back of
AO A GHosTLY FORM.
| A sense of dread was slowly stealing over
me- anxiously looked at Hank, and saw
he was asleep, while the long. slow breath
| 0ft ba rot oh MIA i1lu that
the history of the place had made but lit
| tie impression on that gentleman, for he
| was oblivious to all but dreamland. shud-
| dered in dreamy loneliness as my restless
| gaze wandered about the walls, resting for
| moment on the only thing that orna-
mented their dirty surface; it was picture
| too old and soiled to have been OF great
| value to any one yet suppose 1T was once
| a likeness of some one of the house of Le-
| land but now blurred and worn it was,
| 1 could scarcely discern the outline of a
| form, and knew not If it were male or fe-
| male. STILL for some reason, 1t fascinated
| me and held my gaze until the figure
| seemed to stand out in bold relief develop
/ ing form divine, while the blurred face
| cleared away and the eyes of woman
| beamed on me from the canvas, as If they
| were glad to again see one on whom they
could look with their bewitching smile.
| Eagerly l gazed at the face, and, in my
| imagination even went far to firt
| with the bright eyes, when suddenly the
| picture moved,
not believe in ghosts, still L must admit L
felt far from comfortable.
Surely, said |, this is but the mad imag-
| nation of distorted brain, made Tightly
by an overindulgence Of hot coffee and 9TH
| er things. Thus vainly | reasoned with N.Y.
self that l must be dreaming, then rlsir z
to nv knees gazed anXiously around the
room. In the CRATE the fire had burned its
fuel and was slowly but surely dying. The
last sparks were Pickering and seemed like
human eyes gazing at me in their death
| stare, then closing forever. With terror 1
noticed how dark IL was becoming, and,
though the temperature OF the room had
fallen but a few degrees, 1 was simply
freezing; my blood seemed not to flow
became numb from head to foot; but still
| I was eagerly gazing toward the picture
that was lost TO view in the darkness, when
suddenly there appeared around the frame
| an outer frame OF light as If the thing had
become phosphorescent; meanwhile the
wind was fairly blowing gale, AS it
shrieked around the caves of the mansion
| till the screaming elements sounded like
| the bowling of thousand devils. and
felt the heavlng Of my chest as tried to
Of my b aea Tne in
emotions as the picture slowly slid down
the wall to the floor revealing an open
ing in the side Of the room.
THEY WERE MOONSHINERS.
Ghosts? Not much. No. spirits robed in
white stood there. but the figure of n man
clothed i'm a rough suit OF tattered clothes,
while beneath the SLOUGH hat was a face
more like that OF hend than a ghost.
This is NICE" murmured to myself as |
felt for my revolver. just a peal OF thun-
der shook the structure, and TO my great
10y woke the sleeping Hank.
The light had gone from the open space,
and he was saved the terrible disclosure
without a warning. for before 1t again APP
Feared. / had whispered the word moon
! sinners" Then the rays of light again
| flooded the room and two figures appeared
at the space, and, slowly lowering them
| selves 10 the floor, proceeded 10 crawl 10
| the door where We lay right in their path.
| / knew we were in for IL. 1t out OF
| the question 10 try 10 move, for there lay
the sleeping Captain. beyond the reach OF
| either Hank or myself on crept the men
TO where we lay with bated breaths, our
| hearts in our threats and hitting our teeth
with every beat. IL was question OF nerve.
| and Hank, as usual supplied the essential
qualification. Composedly he waited the APP
proach OF the men. VINO with yell OF sur
| prise fell over US.
With the courage born of cowardice
grabbed my man and threw him 10 the
1oor. but l could not hold him. for with
the fury of a wild man. he wrenched him
| self from my grip and disappeared out
| into the darkness OF the night. In the
| meantime Hank was having the tusse of
| his lifa 70 hold his man. but that one tOO.