Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1898-08-05
A SUPERNATURAL WONDER
A MorRue Keeper Tells OF = start-
ling Experience.

A MorRue Keeper Tells OF = start-
Hing Experience.
Grlzzled old "Bill" Clark, the head
morgue-keeper at % Adams street,
Chicago, has been SO many years en-
gagged in the care Of the dead he al
most feels more at home in their COM
pany than in that Of the living, at
whom he looks askanee as a rule, but
occasionally he will unbend into So
ciability and at such times will draw
from the storehouse Of his memory
weird and CHASTITY experiences which
cause the new hands AZ the morgue to
open their eyes in wonder.
No one, however, ventures at any
time to express even a grain Of unbe-
lief in any Of the venerable morgue-
keepers entire accuracy of recollection
and truth Of narrative. "Old Bill was
never known to tell lie In all his life
and he cherishes his reputation for
veracity as the very apple of his eye.
The other night he told a strange
tale about the headless peregrinations
OF the body OF Marie Grfgnovitz, which
the police found floating in box in the
Chicago river just north of the forks.
The corps was that Of girl Of Is or
thereabouts and, though II was MANNED
and hacked with knives, traces Of its
unusual beauty remained perceptible
to the most unobservant OF the hun
dreds who we're attracted by the curios-
lty or duty to view the body. twas nude
when found and the absence OF the
head seemed to add an insuperable OBJ
stacle to the difficulties OF Identified
tion. officials despaired and even the
most ardent of new-hedged reporters
butted their heads in vain against this
stone wall of mystery. Everyone had
given up hope and 1t had been deter
mined to inter the poor headless corpse
next day when strangely enough, out
Of nowhere, unheralded and by route
unknown then and eq laily undiscov-
cred now, the head appeared at the
morgue, exciting the wonder OF all and
the superstitious fears OF thousands.
II never did know how that head
came to rejoin its body and don't
suppose | ever will" said Clark, but
what l do know Is Just this I was on
guard at the old morgue that night.
There might have been threa or four
bodies on the slabs, can't exactly say,
one of them being, OF course, this head
less girl Grignovltz. There had been a
good many visitors early, but after
awhile things got quiet, midnight
came on and l sort of made myself
| comfortable In tilted chair and, with
bit of pipe, and leaned back, think
ing.
at may be my eyes closed for just a
second or so, but, anyway, a quick rush
of fresh air and the shutting of the
| door sent me on to my feet with a
start. l glanced around quickly and
ran to the door and looked out. Nc
one was in sight and all would have
been still except that l heard a bel
tolllng midnight. Then stepped bach
in doors, feeling a bit queer, somehow
I turned up the lights and the first
thing l saw was that the body of tht
headless girl was gone. The naked
slab lay there before me, but its late
occupant had vanished as entirely al
II she had become a spirit of air.
well, now, l needn't assure you thii
took my breath away completely. AL
the time knew the body hadn't beer
stolen or hadn't disappeared by natura
means and this made me feel NOR,
peculiar than ever. There wasn't an!
telephones in those days and l coul(
do nothing by leaving the morgue, 81
sat down in my chair again, feeling
little shivery. I'd been there abou
a minute, guess, when felt the sam
peculiar rush of damp air over my leg
and l knew the door was open again
Soft footsteps came toward me.
didn't dare raise my eyes, but the tai
of my glance fell on the floor and
saw stalk past me the wet, naked fee
of a woman. Then | sank down in m,
chair and closed my eyes with m,
hands"
The old man stopped and with grea
deliberatlon filled his pipe from a can
vas sack.
"Well?" queried his youngest audi
tor.
WELL" said Clark, slowly, lust the
the sergeant came in and together W
went over to where the bodies lay
Lying on the breast of the headles
girl, with her two hands holding 4
was the stony, staring-eyed head sh
had lost, with its long yellow hair a
dabbled in blood. The lips were parte
and the white teeth we're clenched VI
on bit Of parchment II had red lei
ters on it. printed in English capital
which said
"'This Is the Head Of Marie Grignovit
Traitor
"And we never found out a sing
thing more about the matter" conclut
ed Clark. Nor could we persuade hi
J to add a word more to what he ha
said.
Much in Little.
1t Is impossible to run at an altitud
! Of II 900 feet above the sea.