Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1908-06-12

every side, looked in and under the
bed, and then, sharpening small
piece of wood into wedge, l thrust it
| under the door leading into the hall
way, thus rendering it impossible for
anyone to enter even with false key
A big clock in the room interested
me. At a distance it resembled an
| old English clock, such as / had seen
| in many farm houses in the west, but
| closer examination convinced me it
was oriental work of some kind. 1t
stood in one corner of the room, near
| one of the windows, and was about
| five feet high.
| The carpet on the floor was light
| blue in color, and there were no
cross seams to indicate any possibility
! of a trap door. | was puzzled, but /
| did not propose to take any risks. l
pushed comfortable arm chair
! against the wall between the two
windows, and, with my shotgun across
my knees, awaited the arrival OF the
ghost l preferred to meet him or
her in light rather than in dark
ness. if I must, so | left the gas burn
ing.
| heard a distant clock strike II.
and was reminded by it that this was
the proper time for specters to ap-
pear. All was quiet, however, within.
A couple of wearisome hours passed,
and the distant clock struck two. l
: was beginning to feel ridiculous. | got
up, walked around the room two or
three times, and was just about to re-
sumo my seat when curious sound
within the room struck my ear. 1t
seemed to come from the tall clock
in the corner, and sounded as If its
bell had been tapped very lightly. This
was followed by single tick-tack, and
| | saw by a reflection of the light upon
the brass that the pendulum was mov
ing slightly. The next instant there
issued from space between the
bottom of the door of the clock and
the base what l for an instant took
to be a thin stream of blood; l con-
fess a slight chill ran over me from
head to foot, but in far less time
than l can tell it the stream of blood
resolved itself into a crimson-colored
snake about IS inches in length, which
began to wriggle over the carpet
toward me.
There was no time to think, lifted
my gun and blew the snake into rags.
The report sounded deafening In the
closed room. Almost Immediately an
other snake somewhat larger than the
first one crept out of the clock. Igave
this one the other barrel, and then.
not knowing how many more there
might be, l rapidly reloaded my gun.
1 heard a woman shrek, footsteps
coming along the street, and loud raps
at the door below; then somebody
l called my name from outside. dared
: not, however, remove my eyes from
the clock. A mans voice called out:
open the door; what is the matter?
You had better not try to open the
: door yet" I answered. II am killing
r the ghosts, and heaven only knows
e how many more there may be-"
AS no other snake came out l ap
d preached the clock and smashed in the
/ glass door with the muzzle of my gun
! Twined about the pendulum in wrig
e Cling, writhing mass were dozen OF
G more small snakes about the thickness
I of lead pencil and few inches il
S length. Stepping back two or three
e feet l fired into the lot, and then witt
e the butt of my gun crushed some
which still seemed to show signs o.
l. life.
y BY this time there was a furiou!
hammering upon the door of my room
Vt kicked away the wedge and turned
d the key, and a policeman entered, fol
l, lowed at a distance by my landlad!
1t and her daughter and a few curious
neighbors more or less dressed.
:. What on EARTH" began the officer
. but l answered by pointing to tw'
crimson bodies on the carpet, one o
y which was still moving, though almos
torn to pieces by the shot.
There are your ghosts" l said, ad
! dressing myself to the landlady, "bu
y as am not sure we have them all, yo1
L had better not come into the room.
70 don't know what kind of reptiles thes
are, but from the shape of the head
u know them to be deadly venomous.'
The policeman, who knew the stor.
- of the house, simply calculated
~ Good Godi" and beat retreat towar
~ the door, At my request an ak wa
handed in to me. l broke the cloc
= into kindling wood and hammered tn
- works fiat, but found only one more Q
:, the progeny, scarcely larger than
match in a crack of the wool work.
l need not say that didn't sleep i
y the room that night, for there was N
, certainty that the clock held the onl
e. nest At daylight all the furnitur
- in the room was carried out, ripped W
and thorough search made, but notf
! ing more was found. The remnant
- of the snakes were sent to Washinf
-, ton where a learned professor of tn
- Smithsonian pronounced them tn
~ deadliest species of viper known in tn
~ island of Martinique
:. Undoubtedly the reptiles had mes
- ed in this clock before it was sent O
"a from the West Indies, and had fo
~, more than a year lived upon the mic
- which were plentiful in the old house
~ coming out at night, as is their habi
% % to sting to death any one who Nigh
y, be sleeping in the bed.
Ny landlady held to her bargain
o.. and even more. She not only CAV
PC me board and lodging free, but 81
70. months later the hand Of her daughte
IA There have been no more ghosts 6
al No. 259, though l confess it was
of long time before 1 had the courag
IF to sleep in the second story front room
bo (Copyright)