The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-06-17
Odd Vision That Came to Boy in a
Missouri Town.
A MAN MURDERED IN A FIGHT
SunernaturaI Revelation of An Old
Time Tragedy-Jhe Lads Vision
Was Endorsed by the Muir
derer's Confession.

uncanny. Mr.. CASTOR rs p CONTRACTOR
who lives IN Texas. He IS wir,, dark
little man. with a determined -aw and
keen black eyes. and has .he manners OF
a good fellow and Sou-horncr. APP
parenty be DIS the last man % the world
who would SIT up nights woiiylhs about
the supernatural Mr.. CASTOR I'm fact
IS not believer in either secOnd-sisht
or spiritualism, and is Fnolly az a loss
20 account for the strange ocurrCrce
which he narrated 10 a reporter for The
sunday Inter-Oco1n and 20 q group OF
smokers I'm the hotel lobby Friday even
Ing.
This letter contains the sequel 10 n
vivid dream ] had twenty years ago." he
said as no exhibited am envelope with a
recent post-mark "It is from 10y fatLer
and it gives a little family history, with
the copy OF "a letter written t1 him by n
cousin who died in Missouri three weeks
ago. A couple of dozen or so of the Cas-
tons were killed in the Confederate army
With the death of this cousin my father
and j are the only ones of ,he family
left and my father is an old man of
scvonty-three. But OF course. this has
nothing TO DO with the story except. as
I WAS thinking to-day. Dr. shows you that
we have been hot-bl0oded Dot and may
De- the sooner we are under ground the
better. ] had "a fellow in New York look
the Gastons mp once in French genocogi-
cal records. and 1 found that we had
reputation away back in crusade tunes
for carving and being carved
"Do unto the other fellow as he would
Ike 90 do unto you-and do &c FIRST said
Is broker in tho crowd who had dipped
into David Harum's philosophy
MR. GASrONs QUEER STORY
ayes. of course" said CASTOR. taking
The suggestion seriously while the others
all laughed. "But ass I was teiliag you
the Gast0ns fought good many duela ID
Missouri before the war. and they were
Old fine sworlsmen and good shots. Pack
as far as 4 can remembo-, however. my
hmI'y was Impoverished by taa war;
and those who were left alive Eadut
much spirit f0r fighting 1iy iatler lived
near Lexington. in the northern pai- OF
the State. but this cousin I speak of had
settled at Warsaw in THE southwest. one
morning in Tho latter part of tho seren-
ties. my father went down there on
hunting trip and took me with him. i
was about twelve at that time. i reckon.
We went 800 "a big covered wagon and
camped 0.t 0f nights. ] shall never for-
get the evening we reached Wars 49,. or
the weird aspect of the OLD town. The
day had been sultry and a.i tho afternoon
a thunderstorm breWed Doc s'F srlou-
ALLY becoming more overcast until the
clouds formed a dense PAIL glowing
creonlsh-yeu0w here and ther1 from tle
lightning that played behind them. THE
road We travelled led over heh ridge
heavily iimbcrcd Tho forest of course,
increased tho darkness. Everything .Ay
iu that waiting hush and shadow that
nrocedes violent storm iu August i'"
road appeared little travelled. for "e mos
no other wagons. was thoroughly
frightened and persuaded my iaiher .'
drive "a little faster that $50 might reach
the town before fhe storm broke. + com
SEQ Warsaw set as it looked to me when
first caught o. glimpse of DC ass H
emerged from tho woods ON the hN
above 10 Is one OF the oldest towns n
Tho State and during the war suffered
attack from both sides. There it lay Use
an oh ghost town asleep DO the little
deep valley The houses were al. WDatl-
er-beaten and black and unreal in Che
curious yellow black glow above and
around Them Many of these were ten-
aut'css doors OF the hinges ANA window
broken in $50 that they seemed to mF
fancy IKE darkened skulls ginning on
every hand.
IN WARsAWs GLOOMY TOWN
CAS- we drove slowly down Tho hu and
through the main street. scarcely hu-
man being appeared. except here ana
there % pickau.nuy scuttiing away Dee
tween the sheds. The stiffness OF death
re.mai. broken only by the roar ot
fosm'ng stream at the foot OF the
| descent Tho natives down there can
this creek Pumy Tar. DO if ONE OF lia
uarr0West. most tOrtU0u+. aad deep.
streams Of its size iu tAe world. Even
.u "a dr0ughty season &c has wicked
/ look AZ this time Dc was swollen hf
rains. and dashed IKE "a fury down ltf
uout-uu channel. Tho water was la.n.I
into foam. and r0ared ana h.sesd as h
! threatening nsldiOueiy The depth ot me
stream gave the water a black look The
creek was named long years ago nF
party OF French hunters Pommc-ie-
Tarre. which means. simply ser ialIie-
| Ucauv enough. potato. This mas poem
corrupted by the Missour.anf into funl.N
! Tar "a name which appears oddly ny li7
sound. 10 describe the nature ot the
stream. A shackly wooden bridge hung
very nigh over the water. and fairy
swayed Don the wind which began 20 DI'w
forcelv. The bridge was queer Ola
thing very narrow constructed of nor
overly heavy oak boards. and resting ON
slight umbers. stuck Ike mere pegs ODD
tie roaring water The top was rooted
.-.. and 81 our wagon rolled along The
sofrd was taken up and repeated win
ta-foid the sorority of thunder AT inc
ends ~ the cave-nous bridge. as looked
backward and forward. j saw sheet Nsn.-
ming flame necessarily.
"lrv mind was thoroughly aroused I'd
tha unusual and the uncanny by mo tiina
we reached my kinsman's house. TO rms
T.y cannot shake off The impression
.b.t vareaw is haunted. Scenery more
eerie and forbidding cannot be imasine'.
Nv cousin. GrlswOld Castor. we lounu
lived I'm the mansion house. Dig ora
brick structure. on high. bold knoll at inc
edra Of the town. AS we drove into th'
ward the rain began 10 pour, while
terrific wind bent the popiars In the zane
10 the ground. I could hear the -le
roaring up the valley Ike a demon
"Griswold Gaston's house and family
were not Of the cheerful KIND 70 pu-
heart into you on a stormy evening me
mansion was q gOOd-sized. old-fasnloneu
AFFAIR. with black oak floors and VAIN
| scoting. innocent Of polish or Vainish'
Tho sittlng-room was an immense, gloomy
affair low-ceied and with lii.ic furni-
turs. 4 cavernous empty Fireplace only
added depression. since. ass 10 was mid
summer no fires were lighted. When !
walked tho sound OF my hOotheels ccho-
| ing through the halls frightened me.
| Griswood was a powerful, dark fellow,
more ike an Indian than any others Of
| our family. His face was spare and
| black and his hair curled tight about his