Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1902-03-21
CURIOUS CASE
WILLIAM GULLY


assisted by Stayely Hunt. ON opening
his fathers private desk he found,
lyils on the top OF the other papers,
'iha rs~aliar document, addressed To
himself.
My Dear Son-Of past years. as you
are aware, have devoted myself al
most exclusively to the study Of East
Stayely Hunt | believe that | have
made most wonderful discovery,
namely, the art of suspending con-
sciousness at will for prolonged per-
iod. This art Is praetieed by the Hindoo
yogis, and perhaps others, but the Sc
cret of it has never yet been known to
Europeans. As 1t would Lot be wise
to make the secret known until Its
truth is assured. | shall carry on my
experiments privately, in hopes of be-
ing able alone to perfect this grand dis
eoyery. There is fear however, that
while doing so may throw myself into
the cataleptic state without having pre-
viously given warning of 1t to any one.
This state closely resembles death, SO
much so that no doctor, on a cursory
examination, would imagine 1t to be
anything else, and my living body
might thus be unwittlngly consigned
to the tomb. In the event of my
death, or supposed death, enjoin you,
therefore, to keep my body for period
above ground in a secure place, and
if no decomposition sets In to apply to
it the method of restoring life known to
Stavely Hunt, which must be done with
in three months after my apparent
death"
The letter stopped here, as If the
writer, being suddenly called away,
had hurriedly placed what he had been
writing in the desk for safety. The
reader will not, perhaps, be surprised
to learn that John Gully dismissed this
communication with a sneer of unbe-
lief, and threw it to Hunt with the
following scornful words:
Some more of my fathers tom
foolery How mad he must have been
before he died. As you encouraged him
in this folly, this may be of more inter
est to you than to me-"
Hunt took the letter. carefully folded
it without IA word, and, putting it into
his pocket, proceeded with the work of
sorting the deceased's papers. The let
ter, though was destined to be an
agent of destruction to John Gullys
peace of mind in the future.
The will was proved and all the leg
acies distributed. Stavely Hunt, as
soon as he had obtained his disappear
ed. He was seen one day, about a week
afterwards, magnificently attired and
three parts drunk, lounging out of II
low public house near the Strand, and
so appeared to be making haste to en-
joy his five hundred pounds after his
own approved fashion. Nor was it long
before he came on the scene again.
About five weeks after his fathers
death John Gully was sitting in his of
flee when in walked Stayely Hunt, un-
announced.
"Well, what do you want? l hoped
to have seen you for the last time.
Hunt" said the man he thus intruded
upon.
Il want some assistance, Mr.. Gully.
The legacy had from your father has
all gone"
ooh, it has, has it? Well, you'll not
get penny from me, so you'd best
clear out sharp, my good fellow, and
not waste your time"
"Yes-but | think you will help me-"
"Then you think very wrongly" re-
piled John Gully. angrlly, as he reached
for the bell. "Good-day. Or must | send
for some one to show you outI"
"Stay" said Hunt, producing a pa
per; 'do you recognize this letterf'
Gully recognized it as the document
he had found among his fathers pa
pers.
We'll" Hunt continued. Everything
your father said in it is true, and you
have buried n live man.
What nonsense is this?" broke in
Gully.
None whatever replied Hunt:
land If | do not obtain pecuniary help
from you, | shall find means to pro
cure the eXhumation of your fathers
body, and then prove the truth Of my
statement When he comes to life
again | think your position will be ma
terially altered. Mr.. John Gully"
Gully desisted from his plan of call
ing a messenger, reflected for a while,
and then said:
well, Hunt, I've been thinking over
your position. OF course | don't be-
lieve word of your ridiculous asser-
ton but considering the comfort you
were TO my fathers declining years,
perhaps the money you received by
his viii was hardly an adequate com
pensation for your devotion. | will
write you Il cheque now for two hun
derd pounds, and il you do not trouble
me in any way, or attempt to force
yourself on any other members of the
family. | will give you another for
eight hundred pounds at the end of