The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1907-09-13
FRIDAY AFTERNOON, SEPTEMBER 10. 1901
gelett Stnrp.
WHAT WAS 1T?
BY F!TZ-JAMEs o BRIEN.

Is very spacious. \ nan OF noble Size
leads to large spiral staircase, winding
through its centre, the various apartments
are of imposing dimensions.
1t was built by well-known New York
merchant, who threw the commercial world
into commissions by stupendous bank
fraud. He escaped to Europe, and died
of a broken heart. Almost Immediately
the report spread that the house was
haunted. 4 caretaker and his wife de-
clared that they were troubled with I'M
natural noises Doors were opened with
out visible agency Remnants Of furniture
were, during the night, piled one upon the
other by unknown hands Invisible feet
passed up and down the stairs in broad
daylight, accompanied by the rustic of an
seen silk dresses, and the gliding of view
less hands along the massive balusters
The caretakers declared they would live
there no longer. The house agent laughed
and put others in their place. The noises
and supernatural manifestations continued
The house remained untenanted for three
years.
It was then that our landlady. who wishes
to remove further uptown, conceived the
bold idea of renting this house. Happen
ing to have rather aplucky set of board
ers, she laid her scheme before Us. With
the exception of two timid persons, all of
Mrs. Moffats guests declared they would
accompany her into the abode of spirits.
OF course we had no sooner established
ourselves than We began to expect the
ghosts. We absolutely awaited their adj
vent with eagerness.
Things were in this state when an Incl
dent took place so awful and inexplicable
that my reason fairly reels at the bare
memory 1t was the 10th Of July. After
dinner was over repaired. with my friend
DR.. Hammond to my rooms, to take our
evening pipe. Independent of certain
mental sympathies, the doctor and myself
were linked together by vice-we both
smoked opium. We enjoy together that
wonderful expansion of thought, that mar
velous intensifying of the perceptive facul-
ties which would not surrender for "a
throne, and which hope you, reader, will
never, never taste.
These hours of opium happiness which
the doctor and | spent together in secret
were regulated with scientific accuracy.
While smoking, we carefully steered our
conversation through the brightest and
calmest channels of thought. If we talked
of Shakespeare '.Tempcsi we fingered
over Ariel and avoided Caliban
This skilful colorine of our train of
thought produced in our subsequent visions
corresponding tone The splendors of
Arabian fairyland dyed our dreams.
On the evening in question, the 10th of
July, the doctor and myself drifted into an
unusually metaphysical mood. Insensibly
we yielded to the occult force that swayed
US, and INDUCED in gloomy speculation.
We had talked some time upon mysticism,
and the almost universal love of the terrible,
when Hammond suddenly said to me ::
"What do you consider to be the greatest
element of terror p
The question puzzled me. That many
things were terrible, | knew. Stumbling
over corpse in the dark; beholding, as |
once did, woman floating down a deep
and rapid river, with wildly lifted arms,
and awful upturned face, uttering shrieks
that rent one S heart, while we, the spec
tators, stood at window, unable to save
her.
81 confess, Hammond" | replied to
my friend, II never considered the subject
before But there must be one Some
thing more terrible than any other thing,
| feel. cannot attempt, however, even
the most vague definition.
II am somewhat like you, Harry" he
answered. II feel my capacity to ex-
perienee terror greater than anything yet
conceived by the human mind. -
"Look here, Hammond I rejoined,
''let us drop this kind of talk, for heaven s
sake. We shall suffer for it, depend unon
it."
We parted, and undresseI quickly and
got into bed.
The room was in total darkness The
atom of gas that still remained alight did
not illuminate distance of three inches
around the burner. drew my arm across
my eyes, as if to shut out even the dark
ness, and tried to think of nothing 1t
was in vain. The themes touched on by
Hammond kept obtruding themselves on
my brain.
While I was lying still as a corpse,
hoping should hasten repose, anawful
incident occurred. A Something dropped,
as it seemed, from the ceiling, upon my
chest, and the next instant felt two bony
hands encircling my throat, endeavoring to
choke me.
/ am no coward, and am possessed of
considerable strength. The suddenness of
the attack strung every nerve to its high
est tension. In an instant | wound two
muscular arms around the creature, and
squeezed it against my chest In few
seconds the bony hands that had fastened
on my throat loosened their hold, and
was free to breathe once more.
Then commenced struggle of awful
intensity. Immersed in profound darkness,
totally ignorant of the nature of the Thing
by which l was so suddenly attacked, find
ing my grasp slipped every moment, by
reason, it seemed to me, of the entire
nakedness of my assailant, bitten with
sharp teeth in the shoulder, neck and chest,
having every moment to protect my throat
against pair Of sinewy, agile hands, which
my utmost efforts could not confne-these
were circumstances which required all
strength, skill and courage.
At last, after silent, deadly, exhaust
ing struggle, got my assailant under by
incredible efforts. Once pinned, with my
knee on what made out to be its chest, |
rested for moment to breathe. | heard
the creature beneath me painting in the
darkness, and felt the violent throbbing OF
heart. It was apparently as exhausted
rs [ was.