The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1913-02-06
My Strange Vision
A Story For Washington's
Birthday
By F. A. Mitchell


In New Jersey there are still stand |
ing houses in some of which happened
scenes connected with the Revolution !
airy war. Most of these are now dilapi !
dated. OF some only part remains,
while a few are well preserved. In
one of these houses | once slept The
pnly 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.
| 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 hammerng at the front
door below. There was noisy con
fusion of mems voices without, and
heard above the din. Long live the
king!" Another cried: THE rebel is
within. Watch every egressr' And
still another shouted: Hes gone. you
traitor Tory. You're too late." Then
there was. a shot, and | heard some
one cry, My God. I'm done for"'
Immediately after the shot came
| fierce onslaught upon the door below,
! and ! heard it give way,
Scarcely 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 1t was a woman in her
nightdress. q 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 blood!'
The woman's face was lighted with
anger. as if suffering some grievous
wrong.
God forbid" she replied, that |
should give my shawl for any such
purpose"
1t was a sickening sight, that which
! saw next. / wish | could forget 1t,
but can't 1t will be with me to my
grave | saw soldier In a three cor
nered hat. a red coat and buff knee
breeches run up the stairs and plunge
bayonet into the woman's breast
She sank down with a moan. There
were cries Of "Shame!" from below
and | heard shrieks and lamentations
in different parts of the house
Suddenly l found myself in darkness
, was lying in bed, my heart beating
like a drum AS | became more con
scious of where | was | saw a streak
of light coming through a shutter from
a street lamp without All was still.
What horrid Observation-Disclosures
mean. ! knew that | had got out OF
: bed and gone to the door. But
My thoughts went off in all imagi
nable directions.
l In an hour | was asleep again My
= vision came back, though this time i
was more like a dream. Yet so rea
was 1t that when | returned to my
ordinary consciousness / wondered if
had been asleep
= sat by an open window looking ou
( on large grounds. Persons were group
ed below me, all subdued. speaking il
I low tones There were soldiers amonl
them dressed in the Continental uni
form. Before the door was gun car
, riage AS in moving picture. at the
gate at the farther end of an avenue o.
trees appeared a commanding figure
, also in Continental uniform. mounted
and followed by several officers. They
rode rapidly toward the house. and
heard voice below exclaim:
General Washington has arrivedr'
Then | heard singing of hymns be
low, after which ! saw a coffin wrap
ped in the stars and stripes taken out
and laid on the gun carriage. The cor
tege moved away, the general and the
officers being a part of 1t.
l awoke in the morning feeling as il
had suffered great strain during the
night though it was rather spiritual
than physical strain. After breakfast
called the man of the house aside and
: told him of my nocturnal experience
: He said that be was no interpreter of
dreams, and that was all the informa
tion | got out of him.
SOlnc llllle al Ter lAIS WISH was tell
ing my visions to a librarian. His in.
terest in my story grew intense as |
proceeded. We were in the library al
the time, and when | had concluded he
went to a shelf, took down q book.
opened it at certain page and handed
the volume to me
read of certain house in New Jer.
tey where an officer in the Continental
army was wont to visit his young wife
He was betrayed by Tories, and British
troops sought to capture him. But,
learning of his danger. he escaped be-
fore they arrived. The scene | had
dreamed-or seen, | know not which
had been enacted during the Revolu-
ton in the very house in which | saw
1t more than hundred years later.
My friend the librarian hunted for
an account of the funeral of the young
wife who was killed by a British SOL