Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-02-22
The Mysterious
Lady
1t Was a Question Whether She
Was Ghost OF Flesh
and Blood.
By F. A. mitchell
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

city in the world-at any rate. to Euro
peans and Americans-is Rome. For
twenty-five centuries she has been
passing through exciting scenes such
as have been but occasional with other
cities. And her changes have been
no less remarkable. There was the
austere purity of the republic, the
prof1igacy Of the empire, her almost
obliteration following the many at
tacks of her enemies, the petty quar-
rels and villainies of the middle ages.
Perhaps the most despicable period
at Rome was during the fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries. Within this
period every head of a family inhabit-
ed his tower or stronghold, in which
he defended himself against every 9th
er family There We're the Orsini, the
Borgias, the Colonna and many other
clans whose business it was to fight,
slaughter or poison one another Some
of them grew rich through plumber
there was then no other way-and
built enormous palaces, where they
lived with their retainers in princely
style.
During q visit to Rome l occupied a
room in one of these palazzios. The
building is very long and has been cut
up into sections by partition walls.
Not that there is any regularity i'll
these Partitions; they occur any and
everywhere. and it is not easy to tell
which ones were a part Of the original
palace and which have been built in
since. l was curious about the pile,
for though l was then but twenty-five
years old | had read much about metli-
eval Italy. and knew the history of
the house from it's building. 1t was
erected by one Of the most villainous
of the Roman family leaders that
flourished III the fifteenth century. 4
number of times his enemies bcsicgcd
his palace. Oyercame his followers. but
could never capture him. The fox had
means of escape that enabled him to
60 forth a free man, though every
avenue Of exit was carefully watched.
My room was on the second story
on Il corridor with apartments on Ell
Their hand and was near one eXtrem-
ity. On the terminal wall was q mural
picture.
Being Interested, as / have said, in
the building. one day questioned the
maid who took care of my room
about its construction. The only in
formation l elected was that none of
the rooms between me and the near
end of the hall was occupied This
may have been because the summer
season was coming OH, when travellers
seek more n0rtherly climates :
Nevertheless one morning on leaving
my room | was just in time to see a
lady advance from this unoccupied re-
gion. Perhaps it was the work OF my
imagination, perhaps some arrange
ment of her costume borrowed from
two or three centuries agone, but it
seemed to me that the lady belonged
to medieval times. There may be an.
other reason why ! should have thus
considered her, the fact that I had not
expected her to come, 50 it seemed,
out Of the wall. For had not the
maid told me that none CT the rooms
from whence she came was occupied?
However. was so struck with the
vision Of loneliness that swept by me
that whence SHE came or what's her
name occupied a comparatively small
part Of my thoughts concerning her.
watched her till she reached the cen
ter Of the corridor and passed down
the staircase. At that moment the
maid came along, with her brooms
and bucket, and l asked her about
the rooms she had told ME were va
cant. She assured me that they WERE
Slipping couple of Ira into her
nands, asked her to unlock them
She opened every door, and there was
nothing but the bare furniture in any
one of them. Nor was there any open
Ing or stairway leading elsewhere. In
other words. the end of the corridor
was a complete pocket.
From whence had the lady come?
l regretted that l had not followed
her downstairs to see whittier she
went. 1t was but . O'Clock in the
morning. and it occurred to me that
she might have gone to the cafe on
the first floor for breakfast. I went
down there. but she was nowhere to
ne seen. She was in street costume
and had doubtless gone out.
For several days I spent all NV time
going about the city. hoping to meet
the mysterious lady, visiting every
gallery, ruin or subterranean excava.
t1on IN Rome. I did not happen to
meet her: l kept an eye for her in the
palazzio, both in the cafe and other
parts OF the building where I would
be likely to meet her. My watchful.
ness availed me nothing. I experenc.
ed strange sinking about the heart
at thinking she might have left Rome
linen one evening, ascending the
staircase In the palazzio. I started
uoWn the corridor. No lights had vet
been lit. and objects were very dim
AS was putting my key into the door
OF my room felt current of air and
turning. caught glimpse of the mys
terious lady going in the same direc-
t1on as before
was then young. and superstitions
tnat nave a greater hold think on
youth than experienced age had not
yet worn away. Somehow l was i'm.
pressed with the belief that the n,ys.
terious lady was one of those WHO had
inhabited the palazzio several centu.
Legislators Ferquisites In Spain.
Spanish deputies, some of whom are