Year: 1870

Gibbertng Ghosts I'm Germnny-A Flesh-creep-
Ing Narrative of vnmpirism-Truth stranger
than Fiction.


correspondent of the New York World,
writing from Hodmir, Hungary, June l. tells an
almost incredible story, portion of which we
here reproduce. Coming from any less respon-
sible source, the tale would be unworthy of
notice, but appearing in a respectable journal,
we give it, leaving readers to form their own
conclusions. The World writer says


The story l have TO tell is so terrible in its
character that l can scarcely hope it will find
credence among my own people. l venture,
however, to send it to you for publication, and
am willing to let the matter be referred to the
local authorities for verifcaton:-


In the little Hungarian village where for the
past two months have been living, there has
lately reappeared the old horrible superstition
of vampirism. Already it has spread to several
of the neghboring towns, so that within circle
whose radius is fifteen miles, and whose centre
is Hodmir, hardly anything is thought spoken
of but vampires.


Recently at about 2 o'clock in the morning 1
aweke in a cold sweat, screaming, and strug-
Cling with some horrible thing, cold as death,
that lay upon my breast, pinioning my arms to
my sides and trying to fasten its clammy mouth
upon my throat. l yelled and fought, and
presently heard men running through the hall
towards my room. Whatever it was that had
thus fastened itself upon me rose suddenly with
a sort of grunt, and distinctly saw it disappear
through the window. In minute was on my
feet, .l had grasPed my pistols ,l,o and run run
moon no the was wndOw Shining a5hGSgh br@hsy the
could see no traces of a burglar or the means by
which my chamber bad been invaded. The
landlord entered my foom, looked solemnly at
me, and when had told my story shook his
head gravely, and told me | had better make up
my mind to die in a few days-two weeks at the
tarthest-for had been sucked by vampire.
l told him had not, but he only sighed, and
asked me to let him see my neck. l did so, and
his face frightened, for there was no trace of
puncture there.


Shortly afterwards 1 was told that the devil
was abroad and getting into corpses that should
be lying quietly in their graves, and that all
the village was frightened half out of its wits
because only the night before not less than
three of the villagers had been attacked by the
devil, and had their blood sucked from their
bodies


OF course went to the churchyard, and there
i found men in long, uncouth coats and terrible
boards, and looking as if each of them when
dead would naturally become a vampire
talking and gesticulating as if their whole
lives were concentrated in that moment. A
grave was to be opened-the grave of Peter
Dickow.tz, who had died three weeks before,
and who, as the people said, had been harasslng
the village ever since.


The story in regard to this man was about as
follows:-He had been shepherd during the
latter part of his life, but many people remem-
bered that he had often told them that when he
was young man he had lived in the service of
a Turk near Belgrade. This Turk had died, and





to the earth, he had sucked the blood from the
throat of Dickowitz, who, as he claimed, had
cured himself of the virus by eating earth from
the grave of his old master, digging his body
from the tomb and rubbing himself from head
to foot in his blood. But, as it appeared, this
cure had been imperfect.


The earth had already been removed from the
two graves when | arrived at the churchyard,
and men were engaged in pulling up the coffins.
The priest of the village-of course, one of the
priests Of the Greek Church, than whom no
more superstitious and ignorant set of men
can be found on the face of the earth-stood
near, mumbling prayers, and evidently scared
much more than half out OF his wits. The men
now stood around with determination and hor-
ror in their eyes. In the background women
and children were praying and wringing their
hands, evidently dreading that at any moment
a vampire might spring upon them. 1t was not
long before the two collins were placed side by
side on the grass: Night had come on, and by
the lickering light of lanterns the faces of all
appeared weird and wild in their excitement and
dread.


The coffins were opened, and as l, pressed for.
ward by the crowd, looked into them, saw
dare / tell it Pin the sickly light of the fam
beaux that the men within them were not dead;
but, horrible beyond expression, deadly in their
ghastliness, yet alive, they lay there. Their
bodies were swimming in blood and horrible
leer was on their mouths and anguished fate
within their staring eyes. Loathsome beyond
thought, deadly beyond nightmare dream, they
were the living dead.


The Hadnagi, with compressed lips, ordered
his men to drag them forth. They were seized
by the hair pulled reeking from their cotfins
and laid upon the grass The moonlight touched
their faces, and saw their bloated cheeks and
leering mouths. Then the Hadnagi had them
removed from the consecrated ground and laid
upon the road. OF all that crowd there were
but ten or twelve persons who followed, and |,
with the fascination of the horrible upon me,
accompanied them.


Four men, two to each body, placed them
selves over the corpses and, at the given signal
plunged a pointed stake through each of the
vampires heart. AS live, there came from
each such wailing sob and cry as never did
dream even in nightmare. Then, with thesharp
spades with which their graves had been dug
open, the head of each was sawed and hacked
from his body. The trunks were then taken in
front of the church and burned.


Heartsick and weary, filed with many
thoughts of what the possibilities of horror were
in this pleasant world, turned homewards.