Year: 1869




Haunted by IA Murdered Man-The Mystery


InsOluble.


Haunted houses having become too common,
the Wheeling (West Virginia) IpteuigeBcer oc-
cupies over a column in telling q story of a
haunted tunnel near the city on the Hempfeld
road. After laying the ground work of the story
by reciting the number of murders that have
been committed in the tunnel, the InteLLigenCer
proceeds to relate the experience of four men
who passed through the tunnel on last Thursday
evening, about six o'clock, as follows:-


The darkness of the cavern had set into an
appalling storm, but still they held their way.
Soon groans and supplicatons for mercy fell
upon their startled ears. The usual cavernous
echo was doubly apparent, as the tone of the
voice was unnatural and sepulchral-the meu
stood transfiXed with horror and fright the at
mosphere was close and sitting. All at once
Issuing from the solid rock which forms the cell
ing directly over the spot where the murderer
slaughtered his victim, ghastly form appeared.
All around, ,aswe have said, was mpenerable dark
ness, but the spectacle itself clearly visible
as in the MONDAY. 1t descended feet first till
it reached place about equi-dstant from the
floor and ceiling of the tunnel. where it stopped
and remained for a few seconds. Although
covered with the slime andEearth Of the grave,
the features of the ghastly spectre were dis
tnctly visible, clad in the habilments of the
tomb. Its appearance was horrible in the eX-
treme. With one arm extended and the bloody
fingers of the hand hanging half severed from
their stems, with the forefinger of the other





The wound seemed fresh, but the drops of blood
seemed cotted and stood out in bold relief on


he face of the ill-starred wretch. without a
movement of the lips, voice, apparently issu-
ing from the throat of the ghost, exclaimed in
tone so unnatural as to be totally in
descrbable, "Let the dead rest !" The
horror-stricken witnesses of this appalling
spectacle rushed from the scene. At the
mouth of the tunnel they met other parties
whose credulity was not sufficient to believe the
story of the witnesses. They therefore obtained
a lantern and returned to the spot where the
apparition was first seem They were not long
waiting when the spirit, in the same place, re-
peated the words he had before used in, if pos
sibe, a more horrifying tone, and glided rapidly
through the air towards the western mouth of
the tunnel. The individuals thus made sure of
the authenticity of the apparition were deprived
of the power of speech for some hours and even
after the Intervention of days their fearful recOl
lectiOns are so vivid as to render them almost
afraid of speaking on the subject.


The persons who witnessed this appalling
spectacle in the tunnel being men of respecta-
bic and truthful characters, their statements
created a widespread and profound sensation in
the eastern part of the city where they reside
This was intensified by facts which were dis
closed yesterday morning by gentleman who
lives couple of miles east of the city, and
which arc related as follows:-He was
coming into the city afOot, by way of the
railroad, late in the evening, and was ap-
preaching the tunnel on the east and had
noticed a couple of persons walking about
/
n hundred yards ahead. He was short dis
tance this side of the school house, walking on
the track and looking down to guard his steps,
when he suddenly felt a strange shiver and SEN
sation of horror, and looking up saw man
standing few yards ahead directly over the
stone culvert (where Ulrich's body was hidden).
His arms were held up above his head us if
guarding against apprehended blows, and the
blood was streaming down his face and neck.
There was an awful stony glare in the eyes,
which rooted the beholdcr to the ground.
His first thought was that it was one of the
men who had been walking ahead
of him who had been assaulted by the other;
but before he had time to follow out the
thought he glanced past the horrid spectacle,
and saw The two men just about to
pass into the tunnel. At that instant the man,
nowhere to be seen. Utterly confounded, the
frightenedh and horror-stricken beholder stood
gazing at the vacant air. trying to comprehend
what he had seen. In n moment or two he had
recovered sufficiently to think connectedly. He
! looked carefully around. Nothing whatever was
| to be seen, though it was still light enough to
see objects with perfect distinctness. He says
he thought at one moment of running forward
and telling the men who were ahead andSasking
! them if they had seen anything but he reflected
! that of course the apparition was not there
! when they passed, and remembered that he
! had been looking forward over the very
| spot where it stood, in the alterations between
| looking ahead and down at the track. Besides,
! he felt sure he would be ridiculed and called a
fool for his fright. He found it impossible, how
| ever, to go forward over the spot, and turning
about he returned home 1--WE judge with good
deal of precipitancy) Yesterday morning he
came into the city by the pike and hearing OF
the appearance in the tunnel, told one or two
| friends in confidence what he had witnessed
| He is an intelligent person, and not given tC
credulity, but he expresses himself unable tC
explain the mystery. His account of the ap,
pearance of the appartion corresponds sub.
stantially with that of the murdered man
| UlrCh.