The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-03-18
My Strange Vision
A Story For Washlngton's
Birthday
By F. A. Mitchell

ing houses in some of which happened |
scenes connected with the Revolution
airy war Most of these are now dilapi |
dated. OF some only a part remains. |
while a few are we'll preserved. In
one of these houses l once slept. The
only mark of its past grandeur was the
staircase. The minute workmanship of
that day was apparent in it, though
in its dilapidated condition it looked
tawdry.
l slept in room on the second floor
near the head of this staircase. The
original room had been divided into
two small ones. | went to sleep very
soon after going to bed and must have
slept till after midnight, when | was
awakened by hammering at the front
door below. There was a noisy con
/ fusion Of mems voices without, and /
heard above the din. Long live the
king" Another cried: The rebel is
within. Watch every egress!' And
still another shouted: He's gone, you
traitor Tory. You're too later Then
there was a shot, and 1 heard some
/ one cry. My God, I'm done forI'
/ Immediately after the shot came a
/ fierce onslaught upon the door below.
and ! heard it give way.
! Scarcely a minute had elapsed while
this was going on before sprang from
my bed, rushed to the door of my room
/ opened it and looked out Lights from
below family Illuminated the staircase
/ Descending it was a woman in her
nightdress, a shawl wrapped about
her shoulders. She was young and
beautiful When opened my door she
had turned an angle in the stairs and
faced me A voice from below cried:
The captains shot! Give me that
shawl to stanch the boodT
The woman's face was lighted with
anger, as if suffering some grievous
wrong
God forbid" she replied, that l
should give my shawl for any such
purpose"
1t was a sickening sight, that which
saw next. | wish | could forget it.
but I can't 1t will be with me to my
grave ! saw a soldier in a three cor
nered hat. red coat and buff knee
breeches run up the stairs and plunge
q bayonet into the woman's breast
She sank down with a moan. There
were cries Of "Shamer' from below.
and l heard shrieks and lamentations
in different parts Of the house.
Suddenly found myself in darkness.
l was lying in bed my heart beating
like a drum. AS / became more con
scious of where | was ! saw streak
I of light coming through a shutter from
a street lamp without All was still
r What a horrid Observation-Disclosures, ]
mean. ! knew that / had got out OF
e bed and gone to the door. But
My thoughts went off in all imagi
.. nable directions
5 In an hour l was asleep again. My
d vision came back. though this time II
d was more like a dream. Yet so rea
+ was it that when | returned to my
ordinary consciousness ! wondered If
e had been asleep.
sat by an open window looking ou
on large grounds. Persons were group
ed below me, all subdued, speaking il
l. low tones, There were soldiers anon!
b them dressed in the Continental uni
V form. Before the door was a gun car
riage. As in moving picture, at tn,
j. gate at the farther end Of an avenue o
4 trees appeared a commanding figure
!. also in Continental uniform. mounted
Is and followed by several officers. The.
% rode rapidly toward the house. and
: heard a voice below exclaim:
General Washington has arrived!'
% Then | heard singing of hymns be
low, after which ! saw coffin wrap
ped in the stars and stripes taken on
and laid on the gun carriage. The col
tege moved away. the general and tn
:, officers being part of it
- l awoke in the morning feeling as !
- had suffered a great strain during tn
u, night. though it was rather a spiritui
y than physical strain, After breakfas
. called the man of the house aside an
told him of my nocturnal experience
He said that he was no interpreter c
u dreams, and that was all the inform,
i" ton | got out of him.
Some time after this visit l was tel
ing my visions to a librarian. His il
terest in my story grew intense as
% proceeded. We were in the library {
the time, and when l had concluded /
On went to a shelf, took down a bool
he opened 1t at a certain page and handle
Sc the volume to me
III read OF certain house in New Je
sey where an officer in the Continent
army was wont to visit his young wifi
He was betrayed by Tories, and BIRTHS
at troops sought to capture him. Blu
learning of his danger. he escaped b
er fore they arrived. The scene l hs
ut dreamed-or seen. know not which
to had been enacted during the Revol
ton in the very house in which sa
1t more than q hundred years later.
My friend the librarian hunted f
an account of the funeral of the your
wife who was killed by a British 81
tor der because she woIld not give b
en- shawl to stanch the blood of his ca
Ani hn4 %