The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1907-12-20
SPn al HAT rs $ HORSE j:
siid warns Farmer against Going
to HIS Home.

AtNGhEANftnAeEssT = ~ sstEs MY 7aTIs.MM
--
Was Delayed Until Daylight and
When He Reached Wdime Finds
Death Trap.
When q Society for PsySchical Re
search holds it's next meeting II.
might call before it. Charles Henrv
Durand, q farmer living about three
miles from Caldwell, N. JIG and hear
his story of how his life was saved
by q strange apparitiOn he met in tho
roadway on Monday night.
Since the death of his wife Durand
has lived Slone in the farmhouse He
was on his way home from Peterson
after dark Monday night. when his
horse stopped still in the road and
refused to move. The horse trem-
bled so violently that Durahd strain
ed his eyes in the darkness}Sto learn
what the animal had seen.
He says he saw a flicker Of Blush
light, which. moved toward him until
it was beside his wagon, and then
took on q misty shape. He avs he
recognized the form and the voice Of
the apparition. 1t repeated to him
three times the warning, $40 not 90
home for several hours"
With the cold chills RUNNING IN
and down his spine and the gbosehesh
standing out over the body like q
man with q chill he tried to{ drive on
after the apparition was gore. The
horse refused to bulge. Tbs an nal
had broken out in a cold sweat.
Durand says he unhitcheat the horsa
and blanketed him. 1t was then
about II o'clock. For two hours he
worked with the horse, which seem
ed afflicted with the aguel After
to his home.
1t was then nearly 3 o'clock. He
put the horse into the barn and went
inside the house. The first sight that
met his eye was a muddy footprint.
Durand found that nothing had'been
taken, although the house was q bit
upset. He found a windowlon the
ground floor that had been topened
in his absence, showing howl{he in
truder had entered. The Mariner
looked into closets and outSDf-the.
way places and then decided to 90
upstairs. When he started up}he saw
at once that some one had been
there. There were footpriutgbn the
stairs and in the hall leadin@Eo his
sleeping room.
Lighting his way before b and
stepping cautiously, feeling \ that
some danger was lurking ah hd OF
him. but determined to faceit at all
hazards and have the dreaa That
possessed over him, Duranal an.
preached the door of his room. HI was
open, as he had left it.
When about to enter, Durandjstop
ped and looked closely. AcroJs the
door at a height half way to1 <nee
SO that his foot or shin mus trikt
it, was a string, instincts tho
farmer says, he felt that binf
threatened his life.
To the man Of the woods, It,
the sharing of birds and animM th,
string across the door sugge@ I'd /,
spring or q trap. Durand went wn
stairs and returned with an up Tel
la. He stood against the Walp ht
hall and with she umbrella Mlt
gave the string a pull. ms dtl,
there was a report and a bullG I'm
beded itself in the end of the wall
Investigation later showed it was a
about the height of a mans chest.
Durand then entered the re- ant
found q revolver fastened to a dress
er. The string led from the trigger
TO the door. 1t was ingenionsly ar
ranged to shoot the person who en-
tered the room.
Durand believes that the person, OF
persons, who visited his home did 81
with the intention of killing him, and
not finding him home, arranged tho
trap. He says he has a suspicion as
to their identity and knows the rea
son for their enmity that prompted
the attempt upon his life. His neigh.
bors say whatever feud there is mus
have existed before Durand moved
into the neighborhood where he now
lives.
He believes the apparition in the
road saved his life. He says ne rec.
ognized the figure and the voice. and
it was of a person now dead of whom
he was fond. Further than this he
refuses to talk. Durand never has
believed in spiritualism. His exper-
fence has pretty well unnervcd him,
although he is not the kind of man
who is easily unnerved.
Christmas Buyers.
| Christmas is almost here and every
body is looking out for presents for