The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-04-09
"A HAUNT INN.o
BY FRANCES s. BELL.

O~~>e,~> e~c~>~~~~~~>~>.
Virginia, tho State Of ancient dwellings,
old families, queer ghost stories and traldeltl.-
tons. has mo place, perhaps, with more orr,
romance and mystery surrounding It than
the old tavern, now fast falling In TO DC
cay, at Blackstone Virginia.
The 3orig1nalsbuidns, erected during the
Revolutionary. War. was afterw "a r r ID
gded 10 and occupied as a tavern, by y, q q
Mr.. Black. fB On the opposite sldo Of the
road a man bys the name of5White opened
a. rival tavern, and the place was was: then
known to travellers. far and near as,
Blacks and Whites name which The The
little village bore thai sprans up around md
these tavernsiS until it was changed. a few
years ago, to Blackstone. White tavern sll
was burned down ma years asoS The ~ .t
remaining and historic tavern 4 has been e'el
occupied and oYned Cby many man different
persons duEtrgthe IL AS ttYyears some
times usedlastp g'opse a =. gam ga
as a prlvatcSr& s!dence.
Viewed from the outside the slant:ng
root ana dormer Windows OF the long
building give it the a ppearance OF m old
English nlanse. III. tile middle Of the
building, there is a porch, and the riGlltt
hand side of it, as one enters. can &c seen
the queer, little bar-rooni with
Its wooden dbored window. Here men
used TO ride up to the window order q
cocktail, drink It without disnounting,
and continue their journey. On the In:
side, the qucerly5 arranged rooms, tho
peculiar and secret SIT irWays, suggest IA
Japanese puzzle, The rooms of the So
cond story do oteconnect with each her;
each room has Its own main stairway,
and usually. a secret q stairway .Dcslocs.
Tho side partitions of the secret stair
cases arc so close together, that broad
shouldered person would have 70 turn s'de-
ways in order to go up or own even II
y lie could get u footlold on the narrow
steps. Built during troublesome times,
the house, tSis 3said,$ IA ffordcd escape for
American soldiers md officers Wllen TOO
< closely pressed by the enemy. As tate
as the Civil War5it3wasi occasionally used
as refuge by soldiers. and much pro "
sion and manysyaluable were hidden III
It's secret chamber. At one time the taY-
ern became n grea t gambling resort, ana
II an officer OF the law appeared OIL the
occupants In a fewss5moments and seem
as decorous as a parsonage y III,
n The tavern was situated at the juno.
ton of several main thoronglfares going
north, south, east md west Tho old say
ing that IAN roads lead to Rome" was
then changed to"AllRronds lead to Ola cs' 8
and Whites" Az this was the cross
roads, It was, of$course, a nrpal stopp-
Ing place for travellers and stagecoacfcs.
The stories Of romance, adventure, and
even scandal connected with the
old tavern would furnish e many sem
sational chapters to the noyelIsts.
IT is the intcntIon3to relate in this mr..
tIcle the history Of one romance and
tragedy, about Which the past genera
tlon was famillarsnnd the present knows
some disconnected portions
During a hcavygsnow fall, one wlntor's
night intl,c carly part Of the nllletee l y
century, Il carriage and four weary, pa pant ny
Ing horses halted at Blacks taycrn.yA
gentleman and n lady $alighted from the
carriage. and engaged lodging for tue
night, Tho pale face and 'ncrvolisnoss Of
the lady were too II pparent not 70 20
noticed by the servants, whose lolls en-
pcrence in similar scs con vinccd tllenl
that this was another OF ~ no runaway
couples that so rreuuently stopped I here,
Tho ncws sprealEqu!cklS lrollg u me lav
cTIl, anu ,cNGryI0TG, " may NV 80 Ri 800,
was anxious TO. catch ta3gl impse OF the lo'i !.
eis. As the newly married folks passed
to the room assigned them, u door was
pnrposely opened 80 that some men Gam an
bling at a table could also have view
Of the Interesting pair. Az sight Of tleH,
one maj, rosc half out of his chair leaned
forward. eyqry nerve a u ycring, 70 Obtain
Il better look ntGthe lady. suddenly 10
fol- back nihis chair, his fnce llNid ana
his lsnuds nIinchcd $3 Tho lady's gulrk
glance into tho room as she passed r. g.
vened to her, tho presence q one tn'1'
by no means added to her compof'lre'
| Tho gin, for girl she was Twas pnly
seventeen, and tho beautiful MD. ido!zcu
| duughtcr of wealthy parents lielsl par
ents proud and ambitious, had PLANNED q
marriage for her with g y nNlema MO- <
| wealth ana distinction, but lt WAS an "
lance al whIch5thns girls who'll, sou re-
| VOTED. Hers heart entire 4hnd hecil. lYei
to Il young officer whom She l't'ti y npWl
| from childhood, hut for whom hsil Nlieilt s
| especially. since he stood ~ s.h. Nay ~
| their hopes, lad taken q bitter dlsiike W
| the simple reas0nlsthat NO Was poor, y
] accordance With tho 5usual cllslo' " ~ INA
/ time The young of1iceri was denied thu
| house ana tlnlS daughter forbidden y!
| speak TO him,-l ruie that inYhrahS
works favorably for the 5lep e ,', ana op.
I That the nodern,s ma tchrmakil's n,anlds
wisely employ, Wien hey tlnd g an ,elisfin