The Scranton tribune. (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, September 07, 1895, Page 8, Image 8

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    TIIE SCBA2STOX TRIBUXE SATURDAY MOHNIXG, SEPTEMBER 7, 1895.
Strange Stories
Of Spirits9 Work.
Four Well-Attested Incidents That Point
To Laws Far Beyond Our Present Ken.
J. II. C, In Now York Sun.
I.
Ill 1SH3 Tom Swift cimo over here
fioiu Ireland. Hi' whs a musician f
extraordinary ability, and was en
dowetl with a genial, kindly disposition
that won for him the nltcctinii of all
who knew him well, but unfortunately
he was dissipated. Love of Jliu..r had
brought him down to the gutter in
Dublin, whore he had been one of the
leading teachers of mufie. nnd when
lioi came to this country it was with the
hope of entire reformation. The hope
wjs futile. His habit was too firmly
rooted. lie found many friends here,
the principal on. among them being
Mrs. Mary Shelley, a gifted musician.
Olid established teacher of music in
fNett York, who had known Swift In
Ireland. Indeed, friendship had Imig
existed between her family ami his,
and he gc:vinrd to regard her ns u
mother, conlldinir to her his hopes and
troubles. Kor a short time, until he ol
taineil a place as organist In a church
find got a few pupils. Swift kept soo t,
lint as soon as his .fortunes gave that
Iniich promise of bri;;litc uiiiK, his old
Vice reas"i tei itself and conquered his
too l i'i sulu.ioii-!. As an almost !;n
nie.iiate eonseiiii tice. he lost his place
lis i r'janist. Irs pupils were not sul
fiel.iitly nunierous for his support,
Want threat-mod. and deep despondency
ovciva ni him.
Mr.. Shell y was at tii.it time suffer
ing from an tilinss that kept her in bed
Several month, and her daughter Mary
as In close attend nice upon her, o.vu
ping an adj'iiuiii.g and connecting
room, line nUlil, when 'Mary was
about to go to bed. In r mother called
to inr in an imperative ton": "Mary!
1'ome h.-te at once! Tom Swift is
her.-:"
inde.-d. 1 will not." replied Mary
laughingly, for she was already partly
u. -i n esse- t.urol did !i"t think how strange
it was t.iat Tom Swift sli nild then b"
in her Mother's room, which he could
not have etiterel without passing
through her apartment.
"Kilt yon must; i want you." rejoined
lier mother, a Iding a moment later:
"You can c me n i,v; he has gone."
Mary hurriedly thr-v on a wrapper,
stepped into hor nnitlvr's room and
10. di.d nr.. mil. Certainly the young
In.'M was not tiler; then.
"lie is gene." repeated Mrs. Shelley,
but he was here a mom. m ago. sitting
tin the Sid" of my bed. and said to me.
'.V"i vr. I couldn't stand it any longer
nn ! a IV.- Kill -.1 myself. 1 am do id now.
If Fred ( .me of Mis. Siielley't; sons) will
K i around to my boar Mag house he will
Siml in the dr.twr of the table in m
Jo'.rn a black p i.-ketl k. cmtalniiiT
in on-y en 'High to pay the landlady wiiat
I owe her, and a letter to Mr. M .
who will see to tlw hifial of my body.'
Ti'i-r. h' went on to give a hd of direc
tions 'o nit Ids pipers and what !:
wanted d in- with his things and who
should bo notitieu in Ireland, and so on.
-And 1 wanted to tell y.ea at one.' while
it was all fr. sa in my mind, so that yoil
wotiM h 'lp ni to reinemb.-r. Nothing
should It; fo.'g.itton." All those details
tiie carefully recounted and Mary made
inent.il note of them. 'Finally she said:
"oh! one tiling mine. Jle sai l tlmt one
of tile boardi rs in the house where he
lived, whom he descri'tud, and whose
name he g.ive, entend his room when
he was il-id. f. aiiid his corpse on th"
floor, and took the opportunity to steal
his fold watch from his body, and has
pawned It at a pawnshop around 111"
Corner in the IJowery."
Mary placed no ctvdene.? In all this,
fin.' su.-piotid laat her moth, r w.ia a
little ligiitheaded or had been dn-om-
11. g; ami was so anxious about h.'i- that
File bestov.eil little thought upon Tom
K.v'ift. or wliat she roirar.ied as the v.-i v
remote possibility of his suielae. l.ut
the older lady insisted that she had
li.'en wide awake, in full possession of
her s.-nses, and, that Tom Swift had
really e jme to her, as s! e had told, and
made thnsu communications.
in the morning, when her srin, Fred,
was told of the suj posed visitation, he
remarked: "Uell I II .settle that easy
enough. I shall stop in and see Tom.
It will be right on my way."
Jle saw Tom, but Tom was dead.
r.nd had been for a number of hours,
fcineo the ghost's word wh:i good for no
ranch. Fred pushed on to further Inves
tig.itioii of its credibility. The black
))'.( Kothool; wa.s found with the money
in it. exactly as Tom's Khost slid it
W'.uld be; and the letter also. Among
the board rs galhi re.l in the suieid
room, shocked and curious
was on- J
r ' ll whot't; Hp!;earance taill"il pet fectiy j
with that of the man di roiire i d by
Ton "B rho.-t as a thief. a::d Fled, who
would, by this time, have taken tin
Kl.oafs word for anything, walkeil
tilr.'ilglit to l.iai rjid denianiled the
Watch.
"What watch? replied the fellow,
tts n tidtig a look, of surprise.
"Tom's watch."
"1 don't know anything r.bouf It."
"Via, you do. You carne in here,
found him lying dead, took his v.ate'.i,
c:u ried it to the pawn shop around the
coiner in the ilo-.very. and put it up."
"Who told you?" stammered the man.
"ile paid so," answered Fred, point
!t'5T a til- dead man. The thief turned
)nl. with trembling fingers fished the
javn t!el:et out of his pocket, gave It
tip, and (led. In every minute part'eu
l. r the statements made to Mrs. Shd
loy by Tom's wrnith crmccrning his
jm pers f.nd effects v re fully yerllled.
So far the i lory of Turn Swifi's ghost
fr, P'liinlled by many other well fittes't
'd ones, and, though Interesting as ad
ding to) the weight of testimony con
firming the reality of such apnear
finees, is not really extraordinary, liut
from tills point It Is truly marvelous.
The Khelluys knew all about Tom's
engagements with pupils, and when the
nnd fact of his death was made known
to them by Fred's corroboration of thn
frhost's word, they thought it would
be a proper thlnfr to fill out whatever
unexpired terms of tuition he had left,
Just as If he had made that arrange
ment In order to keep faith with his
pupils. It was a kindly care for the.
poor fellow's reputation, and Miss Mary
Shelley, who was a fine musician ami
excellent teacher, willingly assumed tho
duty, setting forth upon it at once. The
coroner by that time had taken charge
of Tom' body.
At the first pupil's house wlire Miss
Fhelley presented herself, the pupil's
mother answered her rlnfr at the door,
and, when she said "I have called to
give Mr. Bwlt'g lesson In his stead,"
replied with considerable acerbity:
"Mr. Swift was here and prave the
' lesson an hour ago. And 1 told him he
need not come any more. He nefed an
strangely that he frightened my daugh
ter almost to death."
"Hut." frasped Miss Shelley, Mr.
Swift Is dead. He committed suicide
last night."
The woman slammed the door In her
face without a wrrd of reply, an If too
much scared to know what she. was do
Inar. At the next place Miss Shelb y,
Ufion stating her erarnd, wns told:
.vir. nwiri.was nere, pave nis lesson,
and went away nearly nn hour ago.
As It wag tho last of the quarter for
which' he was paid, lie will not come
nfraln."
.Miss Shelley (rave up the Idea of fill
ing Tom Swift's engagements, which he
seemed capable Qf filling, alive or dead,
and went home. .
Nearly a fortnlsht later four younir
men arrived In New York from TMiblln
who were common friends of the Hhcl
leys and of Tom Swift Two of them
were midshipmen In the English ljavy,
on leave, and one was Tom'l cousin.
' They presented 'themselves at . Mrs.
. Shelley's and said they had 0t ift the
-.vi'--:.- --v-:
V: e'o' .N -.'-,''. ':- ': ';"':'': ;r .
evening before, tmt Immediately mon
landing had accidentally met Tom
Swift and gone on mi all-night spre
with him. They had all Rot drunk
they did not know exactly when, or
where, or how he had dlsaplM-ared
without his nddress or making any ap
IHiintment to meet them again. That
did not trouble them, however, na they
knew the Shelley buys, Fred and John,
could give his address, and they meant
to hunt him up at or.ee.
When told that lie was dead, that he
had committed suicide and was buried
while they were tin the ocean, they
would not believe It. .nd could not
be convinced until they saw the news
paper reports of his death and the in
iiiest. For a full month ufter Tom Swift's
body had been laid to rest In a suicide's
grave he was met occasionally in the
,t reels nd was recognized by persons
who had known him well, and always
most clearly, it was observed, by those
who had not been aware of his death.
11.
In 1SI3 the bark Thames, F. Wilson,
master, from Sag Harbor, bound for
the .North l acllic on u w haling expedi
tion, at a point in the South Vacl ie,
n bout four degrees below the equator
ithe exact latitude and longitude not
now remembered Vy his sou. who snp
l.iiies and voucbis Jor the facts), fell in
wi'li ii monster sperm whale and low
ered Uiats for its capture Captain
Wilson succeeded ill ivahing fast to
the whale, which plai ted o.f at a ter
rific rate tif speed, towing the heavy
boat, with him and four sailors, and
swam so fast and far that the mate,
'lliomas Frown, left i" charge of the
bark, entirely lost sight of the chase.
Finally the creature. In a lit of de
structive rage, charged the boat nnd
closed Its ponderous jaws upon it.
Three t il the four men at the oais dl.i
:ip cart il at niii' and the boat was
reduced to splinters. Captain Wilson
and the surviving sailor, a IVltuguosc,
clung to and supported themselves by
il;e lloatit.g tub ill which the harpoon
line had be.-u coiled. The whale, hav
ing thus cft'i 'dually disposed of his lor
uientois. swam away.
That catastrophe happened nbont
o e,. The I'oi tugucsc sailor held m
... his side of the tub about four hours.
Then exhaustion overcame him! he l 't
-o and sank. After bo was gone t ap
iKin Wilson found illilleulty In koepiivr
the tub front tipping mid lilling, ami
was compelled to climb upon It and
balmier- himself across It. The posi
tion was far from comfortable ami r
loi.btl'i.l sal'etc. but. In narrating the
circumstances afterward, he t'lwnys
vld thJ.t be did not fei 1 while perched
on the tub. so long as bo remained cou--.c'nms
of anything, the slightest anxi
ety it seemed to him that he was
h'-.plv waiting for certain rescue, and
ii... ii,cU of the im n and the boat
ti-ouhl-d him more tlmi any fears for
Ids own fate. Night fell: the long
hours of darkness passed; day dawned,
the sun rose higher nnd higher, shed
ding on him a lierce heat; still the un
di'.mted skipper flouted and 'n1l1
wilted. The water wan not cold but
l.Vmvcr. thirst, nnd the strain of bis
cramp-d 1-osiM.m pra'lnr.ll.v weakened
i l,., i.it cnnsriourro'SS. I he
l-.s't' thi;-.!t he remembered was tbiak-
P w it was about time for Frown to "'
"tWing the ran." The next lie knew
. . V..7.i v.i,t.if ivliisr la a bunk.
v ,'ilh.g birk. and
was' tol l that he had been picked up
niter having lir--t been aini""
.1 a.-...u ti.TliOO.
run
.IS- u Wilson's wife, at home In
c. ' m'..,.i iv is startled lib out
o'clock 'in the morning into
,v'.,k ..fulness bv h"r husband's enter.ng
the room white slm slept and sitting
. ..." , tie. front of the bed. when
leeording to the programme by which
i. h.mi.. wiv montllS b
...,, .o' i, . Joniewhere In the I'acilic
oc'-'iii catching whales, and not due to
. t,.t. feiriv months more, rite
snraiig in), calling him by name and
,.veit..,iic- "What s the mat
.... .'ill vou come from? Is
.....'- o,i in n train? What has. hap
m-ied?"" Of course, she Imagined that
Ik., ....t.- toil e.mie into ( ardlner s nay,
and that he had come across he neck
of land to Sag Harbor, but his untimely
return could mean nothing cis in.tn
a:.,...i,nf ,? come sort.
ii,. n,.i,i up his hnnd as If to clm her
v..'i..r,ient and reiilleil tdeastntly: -o,
it Isn't that. Nim. I only want you to
i iv, ir e,.o hoar that nny aceidrnt
)',,, happened to me It is all right nnd
ytn oomitig hnni" with my ship
Whv vou are home! It Is all right.
jhe rei' lined; "and you haven't hid any
hnakfast." Haying this she jumped
out of l-I, and. throwing on a wrap
per, hurried past blm toward the
kitchen, calling as she went to her
mother, who slept In an adjacent room:
"F.d has come home, mother! The ship
is In. (Jet up." He called after her as
If to detain her: "Oh. no; my ship has
not come. I have pome to tell you this,
so that yon will not 1- worried." Hut
she went un Into the kitchen and threw
open the shutters to in In the early
licht and prepared to start a lire, when
her mother, who had- looked into the
room she had Just left, called to her;
"Where Is he?"
Mrs. Wilson hastened back to. her
bedroom nnd looked about, but her hus
band was no longer to be seen. Her
mother, having found the door locked
and bolted on the Inside, and the t hut-'
tirs nnd windows fastened, flatly de
nied that the curtain had been there,
nnd declared that her daughter had
dreamed It all. but the wife stoutly
maintained that she was -wide awake,
had wtu him as plainly as ever In her
life, and that he himself had been there
and told her things she believed and
would continue to believe, even if she
could not explain how he had got in or
away.
Mate ISrtiws, when the cnptaln and
his boat went nway l the wake of thft
big whale, did his best to follow them
with the hark, but the wind failed nnd
before It served they were far out of
night, the mischief had been done, nnd
he would have needed to rail close to
them to see what was left of the objects
of his pursuit merely a flnatltiR tub,
with two men's heads near it, nothing
more than a sneck on the waste of
waters. For three days he cruised
about anl lhnn sadly abandoned the
search as hopeless. Shortly afterward,
encountering a whaler homeward
bound to Sag Harbor, he sent n letter
to Mrs. Wilson amnounelng the loss of
her husband find tho - boat's crew.
That letter reached Its destination In
six or eight months and with it went
other letters from, the surviving crew
of the Thames, nnd the reports of the
men on. the whaler that brought those
missives, so that nothing eemeil to be
better established In Sag Harbor than
Captain- Wilson's death at set. Hut
one person utterly refused to believe the
report, scoffed, and ven laughed at- It,
and that was his supposed widow. -His
funeral sermon was preached In tho
church he used to attend. a.nd she was
present, but not In mourning. A head
Ftone was set at an empty grave In tho'
family burying ground, over In Oreen
wloh. Conn., by sorrowing relatives, to
commemorate his virtues, but Mrs. Wil
son said, "What nonsense!" and went
on wearing gay colors. The whole vil
lage censured her heartlessness, but she
just would not put on mourning, could
not be got to shed a tear for her hus
band, snd presisted, In the face of the
scandalized community. In affirming:
"He is not dead. He Is all right, and
will come home 'll,h . his ship. I know
he will, because he told me so."
'- .Meanwhile Captain Wilson had to re
main aboard the French -whaler soms
three months, as she was out for Imsl
aeSa una Uoim; rattier well unions tuc
u eulta jl ine ooutu i'autne. uiuu uiiui-
ty sue rkii up near Honolulu ana pal
in there. Tiie Thames, under lUatu
uliniib direction, utid ulio tiouig tiunc
well, tuklns u coiaieJcraulc pari ut tier
curao ot oil long bciv.iu iieurui tne uttu
la wl.icll she was destined, uul When
Hearing the Sandw ien Islands the male
UHiuiiiil it wuuid be a good idea to slop
there lor fr esh provisions and. If possi
ble, tu get uieu to replace ttiose who
bud tieeir lost. So il came, to the un-
speukutile a.nazeiiieiitt of tho mute and
Ills Clew, thai us llu-y passed tile quar
ter of tin; r iciich vessel, l uaiiiiin into
the Honolulu harbor, they were nailed
by Captain W ilson, who, standing on
the tuli'iuil. Khtiulcd to theiu to 'VScnd
a boat: The Tliumcs Weill on up in-
Aleutian Islands. Idled up wuh oil in
eu urn dim.i y tiiilek lime, ajnl made
uttogcliicr one of the stun tei-l whaling
vo.iuges tu the North i'acilic, her ub
stiice from iM.it bcliitf only two yearn
ami three mouths.
Incoming vessels were then signalled
from Cedar 'island to Sag Jlurhor, ami
when the Thames was anouueed us in
the oiling, pretty much the entire com
munity went down to the whuff.
Among thrill was the wihuiui who wuh
looked upon us the heartless widow,
and the disfavor with which she was
regarded deepened when it was seen
that the was dressed In white, with
bright ribbons flying, nnd bud a happy
look of glad expectancy In her face.
A fe-pitied her for the grievous shock
she was about ty receive, l.ut when
I be vessel approached the wharf, to
the dumb astonishment of everybody
except her. Captain Wilson stood upon
the tall" rail tdl-ntly watching the mate
"lit lug her In." ami he was the first man
ivlui leaped ashore. Then the cheers of
his o n townsmen burst forth, ii ml,
while be embraced his wife, they sur
rounded him and overwhelmed him
with congratulation:!. The reception
ipilie dazed him. lie eonld not ncetnint
lor it until they fold him that lie had
been stipiiosi'd dead.
"ihit I know you Were nil right." in
terposed ids wile, "because you told
me so."
oil! I did. ch?" he replied, looking
ijiioMtioiiingly nt her.
in most similar cases of apparent
manifestation of the ustrtil double, Un
person unconsciously projecting it has
subsciiueiitly been a ware of having had
nn Intense desire to make the com
munication, but has been without con
sciousness generally of having ilon- so,
Captain Wilson, however, had no rec
ollection of having even thought of
sending nny message to his wife, or
wirhlng that she should know anythln
of the disaster that had befallen him.
When he came to figure upon the time
allowance between Sag 1 1 rubor and the
point where be was picked un. he found
that his double hail appeared to his
wile alter his last conscious thought
w ane lie was ndi itt nnd beiore he was
rescued by the. French vessel.
111.
In December, Hill, the duo Hundred
nnd Ninth Lulled States Colored
Troops, In the force Investing Kith
iiionii, day before Fort Harrison, about
n mile iroin the James river. Lieuten
ant Colonel llarthoiomew was then in
cuiiiinand. Its bandmaster, un excel
lent musician, htolhcr of the lieiittn
ant colonel, was a reserved and taci
turn man, who messed by himself,
avoided ucquutntitnoe.sliips, und neier
voluntarily tpol.e to anybody, except
as about 10 be told. Some kind'.iess or
service to the bandmaster by ldciitrn
nnt Thomas K. Wlisuii (acting captain
of Company lj, when on the picket line
one day, seemed to arouse a grateful
and mildly friendly feeling in the silent
mini, who a few evenings after made a
formal call upon him. tho llrst he was
known to have male In the service.
The strange visitor entered the A tent
nnd s, nted himself In silence, smoked
his pipe u while without uttering a
word, and went awny saying pimply
"Hood evening." The lieutenant, hav
ing fallen Into his humor, was eiiially
sparing of speech. I pon a second visit
the bandmaster said "flood evening"
when he enteied as well as when he de
parted. The third time he called he be
came lotiuaciiMiH. He said. "Come and
see me." That wun all. In that strange
way sprang up quite friendly rela
tions between the two men, who seemed
to develop a mutual liking and were
often together, but never wasted Words
In conversation. From this point on
the story should be told in Lieutenant
Wilson's own words:
"One Tuesday evening, when I went
to the tent of my friend, the bandmas
ter, I was very much worried. "The
lust news I had from home, my favorite
sister Ida was dangerously lli, and ten
days had elapsed since had had nny
news. Hut. of course. 1 said nothing
ii bout that to him. I simply sat down,
lighted a cigar and smoked In silence.
PreKonlly there was u sciutclilng on the
canvas of -the tent nt the door. Ho
said: 'Come in.' jn orderly poked his
head in, saying to me: 'Lieutenant, lb- '
colonel wunts to see you.' I arose and
followed him to the colonel's tent.
Colonel Ibirtholoinew stood In a bright
light, holding n telegraphic dispatch In
his hand; the orderly who had brought
It over wns present, his horse panted
lit the door.
" 'How's this. Wilson,' the colonel de
man. let, as I entered the tent. 'Have
you been applying for a leave of ab
sence'." ''.Vi. sir,' I replied, in surprise.
"Very .strange! Homebody has. An
order granting you ten days' leave of
absence has been telegraphed from the
Fortress .Monroe, and thenep up to
war department at Washington to
(ieiu-riil Ord'H liendouartors, and sent
over here by courier.'
"I reiterated that I had not applied
for nny leave of absence, but he re
plied: -No matter. You had better
fake It. Something Important in your
family, no doubt. Some one has got It
for you. You enn ride over to Varlna
landing and take the boat at 4 o'clock.'
And as he turned nway 1 heard hlin
muttering something about 'must have
a devil of a lot or Inlluonce to get a
leave sent, that way.'
"1 caught the boat. She had a num
ber of invalided officers and men and
some discharged men aboard, but I
was the only well olllcer. A quantity
of baled cotton was piled on her for
ward deck. Un the way down to Fort
ress .Monroe we had two incidents. A
discharged soldier stabbed a sergeant.
I found un assistant surgeon nbonrd,
going home on sick leave, who looked
nrter the wounded man, nnd at the
first landing 1 put In charge of (he
local 1'rovtiFt mnrshnl the mnn w ho did
tho stubbing nnd two witnesses. In
the course of the afternoon the cotton
took fire, some of the men having
emptied their pipes on It, nnd twelve
or Ilfteen burning bales had to be
thrown overbon rd.
,"At Fortress Monroe 1 took the boat
for Baltimore, nn entirely strange city
to me, where 1 had never been before
nnd about the topography of which I
knew nothing. -Somebody on the boat,
during the night, hnd told me 1 could
pet a good 'breakfast at the United
States hotel, so when we landed I
hired n little dnrky on tho wharf for a
quarter to pilot me there. At the hotel
I encountered a big Irish porter, - a
witty, lively fellow, who amused and
pleased me so much that I 'remem
bered' him. From F.altimore to Phila
delphia I went by train, and In the
latter city, owing to my Ignorance of
the roads, found that I had to take a
cub news the town to get a train for
New York by the route I hnd chosen.
That delayed me so that It was 6
o'clock In the evening when I landed.
An Klghth street stage took me un
town, and I wpnt home at once to my
father's house on Keventh street. As
I approached it I saw my sister Ndrnh
going up the steps to tho front door,
and followed her. She entered with' a
latchkey. I passed In behind her. She
went down-flrs Into the basement
without nothing me, and I ascended
to the sitting room on the next floor
above, where I found my father,
mother 'and sister Ida, who was very
much better than she had been when I
last taaard from home. Mother was
sewlr.?, and fhey were talking about
family atiJtirs. Nobody seemed to take
inu t list.tei.t uul ice of me. 1 sat dowu
;n a comer, staring at them and list
ening. From their conversation 1
oUieied uiui two of my eousnus. Will
iyou und iiury Squires, bad married
UKalust the will of their mothers who
liuied euch other dearly that my
mother hud bellied the young couple
to marry and nus now aiding them in
starling housekeeping. H'uo had lour
patterns of dress goods for AUry to
select from, ami 1 noticed the designs
ami colors of them. Finally, I went to
my mother, put my tinns about her
a. id kissed her, but she did not Been
to be uw.tre of the fact. Then I turned
to my father, d.-termined to claim bis
attention, and put my hand on his
shoulder So shake him. hut round that
nothing 1 could tin would make any
iirplcsrion upuii him. 'liie strange
ness of tile situation excited me a
gieat ileal. 1 usike to them and was
unheard, put iiiy.ielf before litem and
was unseen, toiicbetl I'liem and was un
relt, yet was fully conscious of every
tiling alKiut mts ami li- ard every woid
of tnelr pacid, content 'd babble. My
feelings so overpowered me that I felt
on the verse of htirsilng Into tears,
when suddenly 1 roll. id myself sitting
in the bandmaster's tent In the saint!
attitude I held when the orderly came
to the door, with, my flair yet be
tween my lliii'.ers and still alight.
llHi-dly more than u inlnute or two
could have elapsed.
"Are vou satistied now that your sis
ter Is nil right?" ashed the bumlniuster
calmly. I replied that 1 was. 'oil
were getting so exeitetl 1 had to bring
you back.' be said.
"Not another word was uttered by
either of us on the subject. In a few
Miiimii.u I cot in. said good night, ami
started for my tent. As I passed Col.
ltartlioloinenw's qua'rters. be happened
to tu to the door, greeted me, and In-
ited me to enter and something
quite rare In our camp soiiieliiing In
u bottle. 1 went in. saw the something
rare, nnd even tasted il. Then we
chatted, and I tobl blm of my strange
experience, it inter, sted him intensely.
Tattoo sounded and 1 would have re
tired, but he would not let ine go.
" 'N'".' he sanL 'Never mind nbont
that. You set to woik at once and
write n letter hemic detailing everything
you can remember seeing and bearing
there, things thill in the order of time
nllowed for your travil iihould happen
mi Thursday evening, two nights from
now. The letter may get there before
then, but even If it does not reach them
by that time it will nt all events be In
New York nnd delivered much before
any such report could be even tele
graphed here and repented back by let
ter iifl-r their occurrence. If you have
actually seen into the futnre.'that will
prove the astounding fact. Write your
letter and I will have nry orderly take
It to the boat, with n letter from nie to
tin- captain that will Insure Its being
forwarded In the inostexpetlitioua way.'
"1 sat tip until l.Xh o'clock writing that
letter, for It was a very long one, full
of thTTul. and it went us agreed. My
mother did not receive it until Friday
morning. 1'elV.re she had read It half
through she flung it from her. threw up
her hands In horror, and cried out that
it was the work of the devil. I'.y return
mall I had from her u letter of excited
pleading with me to pray for deliver
ance from the power of the ei II one.
Hut from my fnthcr I learned that my
forecast had been absolutely necurate.
down to even the smallest details, con
cpinliigeverythiiig occurring there that
eveniiiif. A couple of weeks Inter t
chanced to ride with Col. Hart holnmew
over to lien. Hunter's headtiuaflcrs,
and we called together upon Adjutant
Cenenil Set-ley, who happened to be an
old friend of my father. In the course
of conversation the colonel asked:
"Hid anything happen to the boat
fUat went down to Fortress Monroe on
Wednesday'."
" 'No,' replied the general, 'not that
I know of. tb! !y the way." he con
tinued, turning to a clerk. 'Send down
mi oi tier to hnv" thai man who stubbed
the sergeant sent up here for court mar
tial, with the witnesses. Ho may as
well be here as there.'
" 'When and where wns the sergeant
Stnbbeil ." asked the colonel.
" 'on the boat; on that trip you nsked
about.
"'I thought you said nothing hap
pened. '
" 'You asked me nbont the boat. Noth
ing happened to the boat.'
" 'Iiirt anything else, of a noteworthy
character, happen aboard the bout on
thut trip? 1 have a particular reason
for asking and would like to know, It
permissible.'
'tien. Secley did not remember flint
anything else bad occurred, but upon
hunting up the oltlclul report nf her
trip on that day It w:is fouifd that some
cotton bales aboard had set nlire by the
carelessness of the soldiers with their
pipes, nnd it hnd been necessary to
throw fifteen bales Into the river.
"The Incidents the stabbing of the
sergeant anil th" burning of the cotton
It will be recalled, occurred tin Wcdnes
dny ami were fully known to me. and
were narrated to Col. ISarthohtmcw six
teen hours In fore.
"In June, after the cnpltuntlon, when
my regiment was ordered down to
Texas, I resigned from the service and
In company with three brother ofllccrs
who hud also resigned came homo by
way of r.altlniore. My experience was
generally known nnd had been much
talked over nmong the ollleers of the
luidli. so, ns we nenreil r.alflmore. my
companions batiterlngly challenged me
to lead them to the Fulled States hotel
for breakfast, following the route I had
gone under the little tlurky's guidance.
I unhesitatingly averred my ability to
do so. but when the boat reached her
wharf the place was quite strange lo
me, but nn Idea cniniMn me. The mate
was near ns, nnd turning to hlin I
nsked: "Did you, In December last,
bind where you do now?' 'No,' he re
plied. 'We landed then away down yon
der where you see them three spiles.
We went there, and instantly I recog
nized the place. From that starting
point I went directly, even by the dar
ky's short cuts, through a rather tan
gled part of the town to the hotel. Hut.
on arriving there, we found no such
big, witty Irish porter as I hud des
cribed. The porter was n large, fat,
solmen negro. Again my friends began
to laugh, but my confidence wns by that
time strong. I suld, 'Walt; let us see
the clerk,' and. going to that official, I
asked, 'Where IsiMIke?' using the name
I remembered having heard him called.
'Mike,' the clerk replied, "left us In
.laiiunry. He is at the Monument house
now.' My triumph was complete.
"In New York I went to (he rtables
of the Klghth street line of omnibuses
to find If possible the driver with whom
1 rode on the box I hat night, nnd the
other drivers readily Identified blm
from my description, but unfortunately
he had gone away, they didn't know
where."
iy.
In 1W0 Mr. Wilson, then ns now on
the editorial staff of a New York daily
newspaper, leased, ut Fnlrmnunt, a
house belonging to Mr. Schumann, the
secretary of the (Jermanlii Fire Insur
ance company. It wrs a commodious,
handsome, and finely-finished residence,
erpcted by the owner for his own use,
and, for a time after Its completion,
occupied by himself nnd family. The
death of a member of his fnmlly mnde
the associations of the place unhappy
to him. and he moved away. Then tho
house was leased for three years iy Mr.
Fontag, a clerk In the Uermnnlu Fire
Insurance company's service, who
eventually gave it up and moved out as
Mr. Wilson moved in.
The Incoming tenant bought a con
siderable part of the furniture belong
ing to the outgoing one; anion the
rest all that wns In. nn exceedingly
pretty room, which was one of two pni
tltloned oft In a very-large and high
garret. In explanation nf the appar
ent newness of everything In this
apartment Mrs. flontag said:
. "I fitted this room up for my sister,
but the first nbjht she was In It I
frightened her for fun, and after that
she never would occupy It."
A few days after the Wilsons were
In possession Mr. Wilson's young
brother-in-law, Samuel Humes, puid
them a visit, und as he purposed re
maining over night, the pretty garret
room was assigned to hlin.. lie was
tiretl, and went up to bed ut about !)
o'clock. An hour later, Mr. Wilson
had Just got into lied, when a great
racket and sound of shouting burst
forth in Sum's room overhead, nnd
.Mrs. Wilson hud barely time to ex
claim: "Sam Is calling you." when tho
young man cume bounding down
stairs from the garret with u red quilt
thrown around him yelling: "Come up
stall's, Toin, I've got a burglar." Then
he dashed back again up the stairs,
followed Immediately by Mr. Wilson,
who had merely stopped long enough
to snatch up a club ami call his two
tlo".s, one of them a rather savage
brute. When he reached the scene of
action Sam. who was holding the room
door shut, exclaim. '.I: "He's Inside."
"All right," responded Mr. Wilson,
;,wii:g!ng his club, "throw It open. We
can handle him."
."am liiing the door open and they
Jumped through II. There wns nobody
visible. evidently Sam hud. as be
averred, bud a hard light. The bed
was tumbled us if combatants bud
struggled nil over It, und three of Its
sluts were broken, a number of objects
about the room were overturned, und
ionic were broken, but though they
stiirched everywhere, nobody could be
found. Mr. Wilson called his dogs,
but they would not leave the stairway,
anil, though ordinarily courageous an
imals, rut her fond of a light, they
were evidently nlrald of something
nnd eager to retreat down-stairs. The
"burglar" could not have escaped
down the stairs, the wire nettings on
the windows had not boon disturbed,
and he wns not In the adjoining room.
There wan no other bidding place, and
the onlv way of exit open was a very
small stovepipe hole 111 the chimney,
hardly big t nougli for n man's arm to
be put through. Hut he was gone.
"I think. Sum," sold Mr. Wilson
meditatively, "we will have to put this
down as a clear case of Jimjams."
"Jiinjai'ia be blanked!" exclaimed
Sam hotly. "I was wide awake, saw
him plainly as I see you now, and hail
to light for my life." Then he went
on to relate his experience, which he,
to this day, insists was the follow
ing: "I had been sound asleep, and wns
half aroused by somebody crawling
over the footboard toward me. I had
merely a sort of vague, dim Idea that
It was Webber, my roommate at home,
without being suflieleiitly awake to
think that was a queer way for him
to come to bed, and I rolled over to
give him place. Then I must have
dropped asleep nt once, for after a
time I do not know how lone I was
again stirred to a vague ' realization,
as before, of the fact that a man wns
coming over the footboard, nnd that
lime I had the idea that I was having
a nightmare. I fancied that I saw his
face In the clear moonlight, a thin,
malignant face, with a long, pointed
sandy beard, but sleepily ascribing It
to a nightmare, fixed myself more
comfortably nnd once more slept
soundly. The third time I awoke fully
with htm on me. his strong bony lin
gers clutching my throat. He was do
ing his best to strangle me and I bad
Id light for my life. I managed to
"heave him off my chest, but be re
tained his grip on my wi'lewipe. We
rolled over and over on the bed nnd
then to the floor, T hammering him
ns well ns 1 could, nnd finally I broke
loose. For th- moment I seemed to
have stunned him. nnd he lay on the
floor. In the moonlight I saw his face,
and it was the same I hnd seen In my
supposed nightmare. 'Snatching up a
quilt to cover me, I dashed down-stairs
to cell' my brother-in-law; then back
and he was gone. 1 ntn sure of only
two things, that T had a very real
fight for my life with something, ami
that that something was not a human
Sam. ns well ns the room, showed the
murks of a violent conllict. He fin
Iil.ed the night on a lounge down
stairs.
Mr. W ilson wrote to Air. r-omug, me
recent tenunt. nsking: "wniit.' you
lived here old you ever have us visitor
or lodger a man about 30 years old. tall
nnd slender, who had a long pointed
sandy beard, and who wore a l'rlnce
Albert coat buttoned up to the hock:
Mr. Sontng replied: "No. we never
hnd nny visitor of that kind, and. more,
during the time we lived in thut house
we never hud nny ghostly visitors or
any ghosts." iMr. Wilson had not writ
ten a word about ghosts, or given ine
slightest hint that anything of the
sort was suspected.
rhree of foulr weeks lutr, the Wil
sons were vislled i.y ,ir. M. MUgie. a
countryman, 4.". or r.O years old. a sober,
setla te, healthy man, with no super
stitions, nnd no more Imagination than
a clnm, used to retiring at !l o'clock
anil sleeping soundly until B. He went
to that pretty room und at about mid
night wns heard charging down stairs,
lie called up nobody, but found himself
a lounge in the dining room nnd slept
there until morning, when he went
nway as soon as possible. No explana
tion was made by blm, ami no ques
tions were asked.
Two weeks later a servant wns en
gaged, a large, handsome, and excep
tionally Intelligent Irish girl. The
pretty room was given to her, and she
was delighted with it; but. In half an
hour after going up tu bed Hie first
night, she came down stairs, and said
to Mrs. Wilson:
"1 cannot undress up there; some
body is looking at me all the time. I
know poniebody Is there."
Another room was put nt her dis
posal, nnd the next day she satisfied
herself that by no possibility except
by floating In n balloon could any
body have peered In nt the window of
Hie apartment first given to her, nnd
that It wns Impossible for a spy to have
been concealed anywhere in that part
of the house. So she said:
"It was Just silliness and nerves on
my part, and I will conquer it. To
night I shall lake possession of my own
nice room."
She made a second trial nnd succeed
ed In getting herself partly undressed,
but then, although a strong light cume
up the garret stairs from the hnll below
nnd her own lamp burned outside her
open door nnd she wns certain thut no
human being but herself was on Hint
floor. she was completely over
whelmed by the consciousness of an
other presence that she darted down
stairs and never thereafter would re
new her attempt to occupy that apart
ment. The station master nt the depot said
to Mr. Wilson a few days after: "That
new servant of yours seems to stay! It
has been the custom when girls cnnie up
to Sont.ig's for them to come piking
back here about the middle nf the llrst
night and sit on their luggage until the
first train came along to take them to
town."
It could not be learned that nny of
them had any fault to find with the
Sontags, or averred having seen nny
ghosts, but something scared them bad
ly in every Instance. Several men vis
iting the Wilsons were sent to that
pretty room, and every one finished the
night, ns Mr. Slaglo hnd. on tho dining
room lounge or In a hammock under the
trees on the lawn. In no case did tho
Wilsons ever mention any suspicion
that they kept a haunted chamber, and
they carefully refrained from asking
questions. .
Tho children! of the family, too young
to know anything about uie mystery
In the house, on several occasions, when
playing on the lawn, In daytime, saw
looking out of that garret room win
dow a man who perfectly corresponded
with the, description given by Sam
Barnies-If nil reported to their mother
l.ckoned ror tnem to come
Pwro wns tulrpn Mint
P , eh lj- Dion &nw
that V"
Idow saw him so
opposition was
prevalent In the- neighborhood, nt one
time, that the Wilsons hail sume friend
or boarder living with tliem who was
too much of an Invalid) to leave his
room. '
Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Wilson ever saw
the detiiaen of -the garret, but iSam
Humes had two more experiences with
him, and In one of them Mrs. Wilson
participated In some degree. Sam was
putting down u hail cjrpet on the sec
ond floor, nrar the foot of the garret
stairs, and Mrs. Wilson stood near,
with her hack -toward him, looking out
of a window, when she suddenly ..
peritneed Ihl1 sensation of a damp ami
very cultl wind rushing by her. At the
same instant Sam sprang up with a yell
of "There he goes!" and dashed up the
stairs to the garr"t. Having whipped
the ghost once. Ile was not averse to
trying conclusions with hi in again, but
though I:-' swears yet he saw the man
pass between him and Mrs. Wilson and
go up the stairs as plainly as be evr
saw any material object in his life, h?
searched the garret for him In vain.
On a siibsfipieiit occasion, when he was
In the garret on his knees gathering tin
litter from the floor, Sam heard and
ft it something pass by his head. It
convt ycl Hie si risatlon of a cannon ball
rushing by him. It was too much f.u
his nerves. It" was willing to tight any
thing he could see and feel, but an In
visible sonnMiIng capable of effecting
such a demonstration uf force was more
than he was disposed to ciirountcr, and
he lied.
Gilmcre's Aromatic Wino
A tonic for ladies. If you
are suffering from weakness,
and feel exhausted and ner
vous; arc gettinc; tliiu and all
fun down; Gilmcre's Aro
matic Wine will bring roses
to your checks and restore
you to flesh and plumpness.
Mothers, use it for your
daughters. It is the best
regulator and corrector for
ailments peculiar to woman
hood. It promotes digestion,
enriches the blood and gives
lasting strength. Sold by
Matthews Bros., Scranton.
EVA M. HETZEL'3
Superior Face Bleach,
PcslUfj'.j R ra;ve3 Ail Fic'.il Blmlsfcs.
N'o morf FrcWi"', Tun, SunTairn, Tllnrli
tinn'K Liver Siot3. Timples iml Sallow
Corr.plerion If liul!" will use my 'Su
perior l''ac Flcach. Not a cosmetic, but a
inedio'.nt which acts directly on the skin,
removing all 'liscolorations. nn on of tho
rcrsatest purifying agents for tho complex
ion In cxintmec. A perfectly clar nnd
spotltr complexion can be obtained in
every InMtinrn by Its usn. Price, tl.00 per
bottle. For sulo at K. M. Hetz'l'st Halr
dretsinsr and Manicure r.irlors, .130 Lack
nv.nnna ave. Mail order filled promptly.
DR. HESRA'S
Bomove Fraekl, Pimptaa.
Liver Malta fUnt-h.-aj,
(.unburn and Tin, and re
atorcs mo amo tt 1:3 ongi- ij i
i feeshncsa, pToflnclna a f&,&KL& V
,. ami hr'illhv c.im.iJtiS, l..VnTW;2t
jilonlon. Superior to nV. I.:;'ou ' ' '
f-rpfimtlona pcfiottlr pinnies. At ail
Juutailta,orjniulcd iorSOeu. Bciid lor Circular.
' VIOLA BXIN EOA? 1 "tnirtr Itimbpiw m
purl!;! fcft tulnnl l ,h mt, nj wlthmt
rival (of Um Bar.rr. AbralRtii l)i- fttA dUntr nd
out, Atdrmrlx, PHealSCin.
G. C. BITTNKH&CO.,Tot.KOO,a.
.Tor tle by Matthew Bros, and Jon
rl. Pholo.
Boara it th; KioHtiif Mretexi. anratirta
pmiOLIffiWB
1 VTT k T m will enra vnn A
ywondcrfnl boon to p:Trnr
EjiVfn ni !! SnrfiThrant,
JT IrCnfnrri, llrAnchllla,
!M nrllA 1 FF.VK. Airr,U
imm"iiat$ relief . Am PtHctoni
ri'tnt'tiT. convrnlfiiit In crr
H poolTPt.WSilT tO Vn fn Uit In-JlratUin of wld.
Cnnttnural t'a t;(Tcti IVrmnnnt Cir.
P'lftPfawHon nnrnt1 or money rt'f untied. Prlea
r-1 . Trl frn nt Dnirtflftt. Ki'slitprert mail,
60 ccou. L D. taXAH, Kir., iU Lmi, kici., 0. . 4,
MUTMftl The nuivpt and nfcit romMr for
1 nut mi .Kin ttlntisflii. ":(t.mi, ll-h. Hmt
HhenmjoM fr. Hnrm, Cm. Wonderful rrrv
rtr for PI f'Rft. Vric. tUttu. nt limn- rs a j tfl
gjaU or by rnnU pTftp.iltl. Atjrirwaw '''". iiriLrTl
For sale by Matthews Bros, snd Jo hp
H. Pheics.
Easily, Quickly, Permanently Restored. '
Vcnlcno, KerrotMiiCKa,
ipcmiiiy, una nn um miia
4rof evils mnn c.irlf errors or
'3"lulcr oitmw, the results nf
overworn, mckiicjv, worry,
k etc. Kiill strenittli, devel-
, l optiieni anti lone eivt-n ni
'1 -InnTprv nroin and tMirllon
' I. , 1 a K. -1 v KlmtilM nm.
urn tnnl lifuW. TmniHili
ininrovement iteeu.
Failure tmpoMlhle. 2,'m rererriices. Book,
esjilauatlouantl nroofs mulled (ttculoti) treit. j
ERIE MEDICAL CO., Buffalo, N.Y.
rhlrtiMlrr'a r-lli niaaiMi Bran.
Pennyroyal pills
J .iVv Orfalnut Md Only Gn1ne A
JV.-. atrr alar.. rolltihU. tunic safe f
hrutrtt-t Car Chrrttif Knjlih TjA
I (jfttnndimttinn. At Urtif ft"", or tmt 40
I W JJ In urn r. tor paifilfiiilnrt, irattnnnlnlt
V if Mull. 10,000 r-AiiiMtUli. .Vw ftpr.
-r'ilch(erl'aiatmlwKHMiMtUNMia
SoU tV U1 Uu4l DruUtaU. rlla1fc '
BLANK BOOKS
Or all kinds, rtianufacturcd at short
notice, t Tito Tribune Oflcc .
t
T'V
Cr.-,"
J9 -"1 S '
VIBOR " BBEH
WHt)
m Mm
mm
That Insists upon
keepingastockof
Mil's Mi BeOef
In the house r
Why, tlie wise mother. Because, when
taken internally it cures In a few minutes,
Cramps, Spasms, Sour Stomach, Heartburn, -Nervousness,
Sleeplessness, Sick Headache,
Diarrhoea, Dysentery, Summer Complaint,
Coli:, Flatulency and all internal pains.
DOSE Half a teaspoonful in half a tumbler
of water.
Used externally. It will cure Rheumatism,
Neuralgia, Mosquito Bites, Stinrs o( Insects,
Sunburns, Bruises, Burns, Scalds, Coughs,
Colds and all throat troubles.
Railway's Ready Relief, aided by Rad
way's Pills, will cure Fever and Ague; Ma
larious, Bilious and other Fevers,
lilt j Cent! Bottle. Sold ty rfliit
RAOWAY & CO., Mew York.
RAD WAY'S
PILLS. .
Purely vnsetnble, miltl m.d le'iab'e. Cam
pert ct tllKKniii.il, riiiii.)..to -inilltlon nnd
liMlthfiil rttgulitrity. ( tiro toii.littin and
lt lur.f lint of unploniintitvnip'.oini Mid rrju
ToDnt tun ayktcui. 26 cents a Lux. All tlruif
iflKU
Tim best 3.00 Men'a Shoes on tha
market
Made from tannery calfskin, doneols
tops, all leather trimmed, solid leather
soles with Lewis' Cork Tilled tsjles.
Unequaled for beauty, lino ivorkuian
ship. and wearing qunlities. Tour clioica
cf nil tho popular toes, lasts and fasten,
tags.
Every pair contains a paid-up AccW
dent Insurance l'olicy for $100, good fof
IX) days.
Wear Lewis' Accident Insuranca
Shoes, and go insured free.
FOR SALE AT
bos Stora
127 LACKA. AVE., SCRMT0.1, Pi.
Ef ANS & POWELL, Prop'rs.
TUB
TRADERS
national Inl of Scrcntoa.
CAPITAL 250,000
SUKPLUS, $10,030
FAJrPKT, THES, Treolflert.
V. V. WAT30X, VIec-Projildcnt
A. B. WILLIAMS. Cashier.
DIRECTORS,
finmuel TTIne?, Jnmcs M. Kverhart, try
Inp A. Finch. Plereo U. Kinley. Joxeph J.
Jormyn, M. S. Kemerer, Charlei P. MaU
thews, John T. Porter, W. W. W'aUon.
, rag. uni
and LIBERAL
mm twnk invites the pntronasa of bu
men ana nrcia rtcneraiy. .
Atlantic Refining Co
Uanotacturart and Dealer, la
. a
Unseed Oil, Napthn and Oainx
lines ot nil arailcs. Axlo Ore one.
Pinion Grease anil Colliery Cora
pound; also a larire Una of Fa
flints Wux CunJl3.
Wo also hnndle the Famoua CROWN
ACMfil OIL, the only family safety
burning oil in tho market.
Wm. Mason, Manager.
Ofrtc: Coal Kxthnpne, Wyoming Ava,
Works at Pino Brook.
MANSFIELD STATE NORnAL, SCHOOL. ,
Intellectunl and practlcnl training for
teachers. Three courses of atmly besldea
preparatory. Speclul attention trlven to
preparation for collene. Studcnta ad
mitted 'to best collcBea on certificate.
Thirty Kraduntes pursuing further studies
last year. Great ailvnntanei for special
studies In art nnd music. Model school. or
three hundred pupils. Corpa of sixteen
teachers. Henutlful grounds. Magnificent
bullillngs. iMrge ground, for athletics.
Klevntor and Infirmary . with attendant
. . T7" I .. .. .m PVMVIH ll
IIUI SHJ. IMtV m .1,1. (.OIIII.lt V ?
furnished at nn averngo cost to normal
students. of $143 a year. Full term, Aug.
IS. Winter term, Dec.. 2. Spring term,
March 16.. Students admitted to olassei at
any time. For catalogue, containing full
Information, apply to - : '
, S. 11. ALBKO, Principal,
01
:;.J
.;
. . i-' - .. '..'v.-, -. -".;.,''",'. ;;- 'i