The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1907-07-12
GHOST STORY.
that is TRUE
SpoOk Had Real Knife, But
Even That Vanished.
Thrilling Experience of Two
Americans in Far Away
France.

|
1, during our vacation, were tramp
ing through the Fontainebleau forest,
about 80 miles from Paris. On the
evening of the 23rd of August, q
Thursday, we arrived in the small vii
lage of Montigny-sur-Loig, about 10
miles from Fontainebleau.
We applied for lodgings at the on
ly hotel, but were not accommodated,
as the place was already full. After
vainly trying to find a room in the
village itself we were sent to a
house on the outskirts on the road
from Montigny to Bourron.
The house belonged to an aged wo-
man, who reluctantly consented to
rent us a room for the night. The
house, which was isolated, was two
stories high, rather old, and must
have been part of farm. We were
shown into an immense room, with
whitewashed walls and tiled floor; the
only furniture was an old-fashioned
curtained bed, two chairs, a roun4
table resting on small round car
pet, and in the angle of the room an
antique clothes closet, such as is still
used commonly in France.
After leaving our packs and wash
ing up We returned to the hotel where
we dined. After a smoke, We walked
back slowly, and being tried after our
long tramp, retired.
AS was our custom on such trips, we
made everything secure for the night,
looking under the bed and furniture.
We locked both windows and the
door, in front Of which We placed q
chair.
My friend, Frenchman, n0med
Julien Derard. slept next to the wall.
We We're soon sound asleep. IN the
night | was awakened suddenly by my
companion clutcning my arm. sat
up, and before | could understand
what the matter was | heard rim
say, Look, Look"
The room was pitch dark, but as
| raised, my head | saw in the mid
die Of the. room the forearms of
man. Only the blue sleeves IF
blouse from the elbow down and the
hands, which We're coarse as those
Of peasant, could be seen. The mos,
awful thing was that the right hand
clasped a knife, q kitchen knife: SO
far as | could see hold poin, down
ward
Alrhouga ! could not even see my
own HANDS, could see those arms as
perfectly if in daylight.
After wat | think must have been
a few c,rds the awful thing began
TO NOV toward 'he bed. We wers
speeches and lorlor-stricken.
| done know wnal would nave nap
pened and J own up that Was
paralyzed with frigct. All Of a sud
den ! fell my companion grab the re-
volver under my pillow and Inc nax,
instant bo fired. Instantly NE "v.s-
ion disappeared. | heard ely of
pain, thGn something dropped and an
was still.
We regained courage, got up, lig1ted
the candle and looked around. Al
though We searched every inch Of
the room, nothing could b. seen and
not thing in the room had been dis
turbed.
The only evidence our mysterious
visitor had left was knife, which
we found on the floor about three fee
from the bed. 1t was about 10 inches
long, rather rusty and had black, |
wooden handle. | locked at my
watch then; it was quarter past one. !
After making sure that both win |
dows and the door had not been op- |
ened, we sat up during the rest Of |
the night. In the morning, We took /;
the first train for Paris. Before leav-
ing we settled our bill with the old |
lady, who dined that she had heard |
during the night. When |
pressed further she flatly refused TO |
answer our questions. At the station, |
while waiting for the train, the agent
told us that the house had been re-
puted to be haunted for years, and |
that the old pleasant woman who lived |
there alone was the granddaughter of |
a man who had been found murdered |
years before.
Before leaving the room / had