Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, January 09, 1868, Image 1
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VOL. 14. YORKYILLE, S. C., THrESDAY, JANUARY 9, 1868. NO. 2.
COUNTING-HOUSE ALMANAC FOE 1868.
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Jan. ?.! l 2 J 4 July...: 1 2, 3 4
5 6 7 8 9TO 11: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
1213 14 15 16 17 18, 12 13 14 15 16,17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 19 20,21122:2324 25
26 27 28 29 30*31 ... 26 27 28 29[30;31 ...
Feb. .J 1 Aug. ..." ...... l
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 2i 3 4; 51 6, 7 8
9 10 1112 13 14 15 910 11121314 15
1617 18 19 20 21,22 16 17 18119 20,21 22
23 24 25 26 27 2S 29 23 24 25 26 27 ,28 29
Mab I...I. .! 30 31 .........L. ...
1 2 3 4 5 6 7! Sept 1! 2j 3: 41 5
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 6 7 8| 9 1011112
15 16 17 18 19 20 21; 13 14 15)16 17)18 19
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
29 30 31 1......| 27 28 29 30
Apr. 1 2 3i 4 OCT. 12 3
5 6 7 8 9 10111 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1213 14 15 16 17'18 1112 13 14 15 16 17
19 20 21 22 23 24,25 18 19:20 21 22 23 24
26 27 28 29,30 ....J (25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Mat ...j 1 2, Nov |...j J.........
3 4 5 6 7 81 9; 1, 2, 3 4j 5) 6; 7
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 8 9)10 11 12 13 14
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 15)16117,18:19,20,21
24 25 26 27 28 29:30) 22 23,24 25 26,27)28
31 | ...I... ...J 29 30 j... ... ....
Juke ... 1 2 31 4 5, ft Dec 1 2 31 4; 5
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 6 7 8 9 10111; 12
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k 21 22)23 24|25;28 27, 20 21 22,23,24,25,26
1281291801|... I ...|| lZ7]2S;Z>i30:31|...|....
CARRIER'S ADDRESS
TO THE PATRONS OF ,
?0tMle
JANUARY 1, 1863.
In duty bound, the Carrier's here
To hail the advent of new year,
And give the greetings of the season,
As best he can, in rhyme or reason;
For the old year has "passed away,
And "Sixty-Eight" begins to-day.
The leading topic of his rhymes
Will be, of course "hard times, hard times
For that's the only theme of talk
In private room or public walk.
There's lots to sell, but few to buy;
For people's pockets-now are dry,
A fa /Ml + /lof A
AUU UCAUVj WVj U VUV VI uuw
Where merchants most do congregate.
From Adickes' up to Colonel Stowe,
The song is "Pay up what you owe" ;
The sign is up in every store,
"Credit is given here no more."
So, while tne prospect is so blue,
What shall a "busted" rebel do?
He can't afford to pine and sicken;
For then hi3 troubles only thicken.
The Doctor's medicines cost money?
To pay for them is never funny;
S And even if they make him worse,
SI The bill is sure "to ease his purse.
Nor will it do to be so rash
As give the ghost up without cash;
For if his assets, or his will,
Furnish no funds to pav Hare's bill,
Dick can't afford on slabs to paint
The "dear departed," as a saint
Whoso virtues never had been known,
'Till they were graven on the stone.
For Dick himself politely "axes"
His debtors to pay up his taxes.
Such is the present situation
Of rebels in this mighty nation;
Money is scarce, ana credit scarcer ;
Profits on cotton, too, are rare, sirs.
With such a picture of finance,
On politics we fear to glance.
The prospect there is just as bad,
With Congress crazy, people sad,
Wild-cat Conventions everywhere,
And thoughtful statesmen 'in despair.
One thing alone requires remark?
We're still outside the Union Ark,
Where penitential rebels hanker
To enter soon and cast their anchor.
Perhaps our new Convention may
Arrange to climb its sides some day,
And we may be on board conducted,
As loyal rebels, reconstructed.
Pehaps we may get in this year?
(Who knows?) and yet there's room to fear.
"Carolina" never will be slapt in,
Until the ark has changed her captain.
For Andy can't control his crew,
Who do just what they choose to do.
Thev lately had him almost floored,
And swore to pitch him overboard ?
But came, at last, to the conclusion
It might create too much confusioh.
^ The Carrier's trreetine must be brief.
And close by calling for "relief."
He has a claim on each admirer,
Reader, or patron of the Enquirer,
And trusts that when it has been stated,
It will not be repudiated.
Specie or greenbacks, either one,
Will be received for what he's done;
His terms are cash, as is the fashion,
And ought to put none in a passion.
So, don't forget the Carrier's claim;
But search your purse to pay the same.
He wishes you a nappy year,
Exempt from sorrow, want, or fear;
And hereunto he sticks his fist,
As yours sincerely, Thomas Grist.
Jlti Original ^tovu.
Written for the Yorkvllle Enquirer.
THE HAUNTED CHAMBER.
n
BY CLAUDE FORRESTER.
CHAPTER L '
About a mile back from the main road, literally
hid away among immense mossy oaks, and approached
only by a dark, narrow lane, scarcely dis^
cernible to the traveler, rose the greenish, mouldy
brick walls, of what was known as the 'Clarkson
Mansion.' A quaint old building it was, too, with
its roof of Dutch tiles, its granite steps, its immense
doors, and narrow, tall, antiquated windows.
But we were in no condition tc be choice in our
selection of a lodging for the night, for our grey
jackets were perfectly saturated with the rain,
which had been beating mercilessly upon "us poor
rebs" during the entire afternoon, our haversacks
exhausted of the last bite of corn bread and bacon,
and our feet?but partially protected with broken
shoes?perfectly sore from our tramp of over twenty
miles, over a hilly country and rough roads.
We were sitting upon our blankets, whiih had
been compactly folded and laid upen an old log by
the roadside, wondering what arrangements could
be made for the night, when an old, dilapidated
wagon came down the road, driven by an old negro,
and containing, besides a lot of fodder and
corn-shucks, a remarkably handsome young man,
who, we immediately concluded, would look remarkably
well behind a musket. My irrepressible
companion, always ready for fun, called out, as the
wagon came rumbling toward us:
"Say, mister!?what are you doing in there
t with our camp-kettle on your head ?''
The wagon came to a dead halt, and its handsome
occupant bowed politely to us, and wished to
know if one of us had not addressed him.
"Beg pardon," said my companion, getting up
and walking towards the wagon. "We thought
you had our camp-kettle on your head ; but now,
when we get a good look at it, we perceive our mistake.
Ours had a small hole in it, and was rather
worn out in the service. Yours is, evidently, but
just mustered in."
The young man smiled good naturedly; leisurely
surveyed my companion from head to foot, and
then turned and looked upon me.
"Where are you going, boys?" he asked, fumbling
among the fodder, as if in search of something;
which something, by the way, suddenly
made its appearance, in^he shape of a bottle of
real blockade gin.
"We are going home on furlough," responded
my friend.
"Indeed!" said the stranger, drawing the cork
of the bottle. "And how much farther have you
to walk ?"
"About seventy miles?isn't it, Forrester ?"
"About that," I replied. "The railroad has f
I been pretty well destroyed all along this section, c
j and I shall be veiy agreeably surprised if we find a
; car accommodation, nearer than that" t
j "Goodness alive!" exclaimed the young man in r
the wagon. "And what do you propose doing for
' the night?" t
"Foot it, of course," I replied; "unless, indeed, r
; we should come across some hospitable farm-house, 1
in which case, we would plead eloquently for a i
snooze by the fire."
"Well, boys," said the stranger, passing the f
bottle over the side of the wagon, "here is some- f
thing, which I am sure will do you no harm in \
: your present condition. Drink as much as you a
' want, and empty the balance in your canteens."
, Then, as my companion seized the bottle and v
: aimed the butt of it to the sky, with its mouth a
pressed lovingly to his, the man in the wagon c
turned to me and said : t
- " You made a remark just now about snoozing c
b? a fire. Now, it so happens that we have no I
spare bed-room up to the house, or, I assure you, c
that it would afford me a real satisfaction to have t
you pass the night with us; but, I tell you what I c
caw do for you. I can give you both a night's t
lodging upon a rug by a rousing fire, which I prom- t
ise to keep up all night'' L
"A thousand thanksI" 6aid I, involuntarily s
grasping the hand of this 'friend in need.' "Any- c
thing would be preferable to remaining out upon t
the road. The rug by the fire will be charming." f
"Why, my dear fellow," said my companion, s
handing me the bottle, and addressing himself to
the stranger, "only give us shelter for the night, a
and we will do without rug or fire. We are tired c
enough, God knows, to sleep anywhere." n
"So I presume," said the stranger ; "but come 1<
along! The house is not very far off, and I am o
anxious to have you provided for."
My companion and self needed no additional in- e
vitations. and we clamhered un the side of the old n
wagon with commendable agility, and nestled our ii
weary persons cozily among the nice dry fodder, b
In doing so, we discovered that our hospitable ti
stranger friend was the sole proprietor and owner si
of a wooden leg. Doubtless this was the secret of lj
all his kindness to us, then and afterwards. He, ti
too, had been a rebel soldier, and knew by heart a
the definition of the term. tl
An hour's drive brought us to the entrance of a
the little dark lane, to which reference has been e
made, and shortly after, we were standing in the ti
vestibule of the grand old mansion, surrounded v
and welcomed by the entire family. d
And this is how we came to know old 'Clarkson
Mansion.' w
Charles Matthews?for this was the name of our ei
friend, who so kindly cared for us in our emergen- r<
cy?immediately took us up to his room and as- n
sisted us in making a tolerably respectable toilet ti
With the mud scraped off our jackets and pants, st
our old shoes polished, our hair combed and brushed,
and our faces and hands washed, we were, by ol
no means, unpresentable, but rather good looking ir
"rebs."
"And, now, boys," said young Matthews, sur- .<fi
veying our transformation with evident triumph, ti
"we will go down to supper."
And what a supper it was to two of the half al
starved rebs, who had just returned trout cnasing
old Ben Butler from the very gates of Petersburg, oi
away down to Bermuda Hundreds! Genuine tea at
and coffee, hot rolls, light biscuits, broiled chick- P
ens, ham and eggs, beef-steaks and good hominy.
To our credit, be it said, we instinctively thought
of our comrades in the ditches and breastworks in
behind us, and longed for the power to transport fa
just such a meal to every man of them. - uj
"Come, young gentlemen!" said Mr. Matthews,
senior, "sit down, and make yourselves perfectly c<
at home. Annie, my dear, give that young gentleman
a chair." a)
The young gentleman alluded to, looked around b<
timidly to see who this "Annie, my dear," might
be, when his eyes fell upon a perfect ir
"Miracle of loveliness?a tiling all grace *
Summed up and closed in little."
We sat down?my comrade and self; sat there,
with everything before us, calculated to tempt the P
appetite; but how was it possible to eat with two
pair of blue eyes directly opposite, the owners of jg
which seemed determined to carry our poor hearts q
by storm. a]
"Pass the toast to the young gentleman with the
stripes on his arm," said a remarkably fine looking ^
old lady, addressing herself to a lad beside my v)
companion.
"My name is Prank Harrison, ma'am," said my ^
comrade, looking over his bowl of coffee, and with- ^
out moving it from his lips. .
"And mine is Claude Forrester," said I, in vol
<11
untarily stirring my tea with the handle of my
knife.
"Frank and Claude, eh !" said the old gentle- C
man, quietly placing a spoon in my saucer. "Well,
young gentlemen, whatever may be your names, .
you are heartily welcome. Pray endeavor to make
a meal of what I have been able to provide."
Frank hauled over another roll into his plate, U'
while I passed my empty cup to a darkey beside ^
me, with the request that it be replenished. In ,
doing so, I inadvertently neglected to accompany
the cup with the saucer and spoon. As I handled .
the latter, and, with it, kept rolling about a force- e(
meat ball, then lying upon my plate, I was suddenly
aroused from my reverie by the old gentleman
inquiring what I was thinking about, aud
why I did not help myseii irom the uisn 01 steam- .,
ing fritters, which a servant had been poking at
me for a minute. ^
If I had attempted to reply, I would have told
him that my thoughts naturally reverted to Butler,
while handling the spoon, and to grape and canister,
while rolling about the meat-ball. As it was,
I plunged the fork directly into the centre of the ^
dish, bringing out at least one-half of the fritters,
which so much disconcerted me for the moment,
that I hastily shook off a portion upon Frank's 64
plate, much to his amusement 01
At this stage of these rather queer proceedings, ,p
the old lady arose from her scat at the head of the ,.
table and, whispering something to the beautiful ^
girls directly opposite, glided out of the room. The gt
girls remained a few moments; then, without a |
word, followed their mother. ' .
Frank breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately 0
made a grab at a baked-apple, while I seized the
leg of a chicken and drew forth the appended bird. n<
"That's right, boys!" said young Matthews, ev- m
idently pleased with our returning appetites aud ei
tickled at our camp-style of doing things. "The
ladies having withdrawn, and only father and myself
being here, don't be at all backward."
"Surely the ladies have not retired for the
night?" I asked, rising from the table and walk- tv
ing towards the fire, with a slice of corn-bread in si
one hand and a fragment of the chicken in the w
other. ta
1 * * - 1 ?? " *arvli n/1 Afoftlintra tit
' ID&l IS JUSt US f/UlO soy, i'AUbvuvnoi ??
"If yourself and friend feel like hearing a little vocal
and instrumental music, the ladies will return; 31
but if you are disposed to lie down, they have appointed
me, a committee of one, to bid you good ai
night and pleasant dreams." sc
"The music, by all means!" said Frank, rising 01
from the table?both hands full?and throwing
himself upon a rug before the fire. Then, with a of
sudden "excuse me," he jumped to his feet and
seated himself in an antiquated chair in the corner, w
For a few moments old Mr. Matthews laughed gi
heartily; then, good naturedly handing us segars, w
he said, "Poor fellows 1-?you ought to be excusable
or any little breach of what the world calls eti
luette. We want you to make yourselves comfort
ible, however; and if it affords you any satisfao
ion to lie down, why, do so 1 These chairs are
lot exactly just the thing for soldiers-''
We certainly agreed with him, and frankly ad
uitted that it would materially add to the enjoynent
of a good smoke, to take it in camp style.
Yith his permission, we would recline a la Turk,
intil the ladies were about to return.
So we reversed the position of two chairs, and
mffed away at our segars; Prank chatting awaj
or dear life with our host and his son, and I ta
:ing a minute and meditative survey of the room
.nd furniture.
The ceiling was very high in the centre of the
wonderfully constructed room, beautifully arched
.nd gracefully supported by tall cedar pillars, ex
[uisitely wrought and polished, and ranged along
he walls of solid oak at equal distances. From the
entre of a wreath in the ceiling was suspended a
ong, heavy, rusty chain, evidently intended for a
handelier or large lamp, and, no doubt used foi
hat purpose in former days and by the original
ccupants. The walls were hung with old por
raits of queer looking persons, in antiquated cos
umes, with now and then a cracked and defaced
andscape. I was particularly struck with the
trange effect of the swaying shadow of thependanl
hain upon the gruff countenance of one of the por
rill ?J ?UAM?n4<nn *1
rails. jlIItJ Ittue OOCUICU aiiciuauug ucincuu U
irowD and a smile, according to the position of the
hadow.
The furniture of the room was a mixture of the
ncient and the modern. Most of the chairs were
onstructed with high backs, remarkably flat and
arrow seats, the who}e mounted upon brass rol;rs.*
These chairs were of massive mahogany, out
f all proportion in shape, and exceedingly heavy.
A great, tall, top-heavy, bookcase stood at one
nd of the room, its doors cut up and divided into
fabulous number of panes of glass of every imaglal
shape. The top was adorned with three large
ronze urns, the largest of which stood in the cenre,
and seemed about to topple over. The whole
tructure was mounted upon lion's feet of splendidr
carved mahogany, and rested upon rollers. The
lble, occupying the centre of the room, was also
ntique in its construction and, like almost everyling
else, was mounted upon brass rollers. The
lrpet, several rocking chairs and the piano, were
vidently quite modern. The latter piece of furnilre,
with its bright, flashing surface of varnished
eneering, looked strangely out of place amidst its
ull, sombre, antiquated surroundings.
I had just concluded my survey of the room, and
as about to question the old gentleman in referace
to the history of the old mansion, when the
;turn of the ladies was* announced. Frank and
lyself were upon our feet in a moment, the chairs
lrned right side up immediately, and our half conjmed
segars thrown hastily into the fire.
"Can either of the gentlemen, sing?" asked.the
Id lady, raising the lid of the piano, and rnptionig
to her daughter, Annie, to be seated.
"Frank has the reputation of being an excellent
nger," I said, gazing admiringly upon the beauful
twin sisters.
"Among my comrades only," said Frank, actu
Jy biuslung.
"Then please be so good as to oblige us with one
? the songs which yon sing in camp," said Mary,
idressing herself to Frank. '' 'All quiet along the
0 to mac,' for instance.''
"Or 'My Maryland' " said Annie.
"Well," said Frank, evidently ill at ease, iu beig
thus made the subject of conversation," the
jet is, ladies, nothing would give me more pleasre;
but, really I?that is to say?"
"Come, now, Mr. Harrison !" said the old lady
jaxingly.
"Well," said Frank, with a sigh, that made us
J laugh," since it must be so, pray what shall it
i?"
"Something which we all know," said Annie,
opatiently thumping upon the keys of the piano.
"How will 'All quiet along the Potomac' anrer?"
asked Frank, walking up to the Piano, and
tilling nervously at the throat button of his grey
cket.
"Admirably well!" said Annie, running over the
aves of her music-book. "Ah! here it is now!
orae, sister." And Mary approached the piano
id stood beside my comrade.
Frank's honest face became as red as scarlet as
s begun the beautiful song; but as the dulcet
lices of the young ladies took up the air, accominied
by the profound bass of Charles Matthews,
y comrade became master of the situation and aclally
immortalized himself among the party. The
e having been broken, Frank made himself very
jreeable to the company in general, and the ladies
;pecially, by joining them in song after song;
larming them by his frank, easy, genial manner
id the inimitable sweetness of his really fine voice.
"And, pray, Mr. Forrester," said a sweet voice
; my elbow, "what remarkable phenomenon has
Tested your attention, that you gaze so intently
pon the ceiling."
"Really, Miss Annie," I replied, "my attention
is been arrested by nothing but your own beautid
voice. Between the pauses of the exquisite
clody, I may have been guilty of a few wanderg
thoughts,, but these have been instantly recall1
- il il. . >1
l at me resumption 01 ine uengiui ui rnuuu,
"And these wandering thoughts were?what?"
ic asked.
"Scarcely worth being told. They have exclu-J
ve reference to the room overhead," I replied.
Annie started?looked wonderingly up into my
ce, and asked, "How do you know that there is
room overhead?"
"Your father told me as much," I replied.
"And related any tradition or circumstance in
innection with it?" asked Annie, with a shudder,
lat mystified me.
"Nothing whatever," I replied. "I simply ask1
your father the question, because, from the peiliar
construction of the ceiling, I did not exactly
nderstand how there could be a room above this,
hese walls, Miss Annie, are scarcely over nine feet
igh, while the centre of the arched ceiling is cer.inly
three times as lofty. Supposing the keyone
of the arch to be on a level with the flooring
)ove, what becomes of all the space on cither side
?the centre and between the two rooms."
"Secret passages," whispered Annie. "And,
iw, pray dismiss the whole subject from your
iud, as I shall not utter another word in refer
ice to it Come! let us rejoin our friends."
CHAPTER n.
About an hour after this -brief conversation beeeen
Annie and myself, and while we were all
tting around the spacious fire-place, discussing
ar topics, an old negro came into the room, and
king a large fire-brand from the hearth, departed
ithout uttering a word.
"What is old Pompey after?" asked young
[atthews, addressing his father.
"He complained of our Confederate matches,
id declared it impossible to ignite one of them;
11 gave him permission to take" a chunk from
lr fire."
"But what does he want with fire at this time
night?" asked young Matthews.
"Well, Charlie," said the old man, with a sly
ink, which I did not fail to observe, "our young
lests would find their bed-room rather chilly
ithout a fire; so I ordered one to be made."
"Their led-room!" said Charlie, with an ex
- presaion of countenance denoting intense surprise. 1
"Why, where do you mean to put them?" 1
The old man significantly pointed to the ceiling, s
i "Oh 1 father 1" exclaimed Annie; and as I turn- t
ed to look upon her, her face had grown pale as (
death. & 1
I did dot exactly understand the caose of Char- e
lie's surprise and Annie's evident agitation, and t
! was about to ask an explanation, when Frank said: i
"Do not put yourself to any inoonvenienoe on c
1 our account. We have made up our minds to e
r sleep by the fire down here. There is no necessity t
to make preparations for-us elsewhere." t
i "But I object to any such arrangemeO|Land for t
the very simple reason that there is a fclge unoc- \
i cupied bed in the room directly over this. Pom- i
I pey has been making things comfortable for the t
last two hours; and I do not see any necessity for (
; yon to lie down on these hard boards, when a fine t
s feather-bed is at your service." a
i "You must certainly think me aa exceedingly i
l oddfellow," said Charlie, turning aodaddressing c
himself to us. "I offered the hospitalities of the t
I house on condition that you would be satisfied to i
sleep on the fioor, assuring you that we had no d
better accommodations to offer. Now, father in- t
1 sists upon you occupying a chamber, with a large, c
> roomy becfetead and a downy mattress, telling you, j
; at the same time, that it is a spare room I What c
must you.think of me?" And the young man
i looked exceedingly annoyed. j
i "Suffer me to explain, then, since you deem an d
explanation necessaryand old Mr. Matthews
: adjusted his portly person on an old leather-bound a
i chair between Frank and myself. p
"We solicit nothing of the kind, sir," said I? t
"We are satisfied to sleep down here or up stairs, d
just as you may direot'' a
"Well, young gentlemen," began the old man, b
paying no attention, whatever, to my remark, a
"we purchased this fine old building, about nine s
months ago, from a family about removing to Eng- t
land. The weak minded creatures sold it to us for s
far less than one third of its value, because one of t
the rooms was haunted?they "did not state with b
what. The parties selling to us had purchased
the property many years ago at a public sale, put c
on foot bv the original owners?Clarkson. This tl
last named family actually fled from the house, as- s
signing no reason, whatever, and exposed it for I
sale at publio auction a few weeks [after. Now, o
the haunted chamber is directly over this, and ii
there, with your consent, we propose to lodge you g
for the night Let me ask you one question: Do n
you think that I would really placo you there, if I c
dreamed for one moment that you would not pass fl
a quiet and pleasant night?"
I glanced at Frank, expecting him to reply; but, tl
to my surprise, he was looking vacantly into the tl
fire, his countenance pale as death. g
"I assure you," continued Mr. Matthews, '"that
during the whole nine months that I have lived y
here, I have seen nothing to warrant the slightest b
suspicion that these reports are true. The cham- e
her above is decidedly the finest in the house, has ri
been oocupied again and again by soldier guests, tl
like yourselves, and is frequented by all the qiem- ii
hers of my family." tl
"Youforgctyoung Chisolm," said Annie, timid- a
ly. n
Mr. Matthews shot an angry glance at the trem- ti
tiling girl, and a general pause ensued.
' 'And what about young Chisolm ?' J asked Frank, 0
with a suddenness that made us all start. "Who
was he, anyhow ?"
"To answer your last question first," replied the o
old man, "Chisolm was a Confederate soldier."
"Well, tell me what he had to do with the p
chamber, which we are speaking about?"
"Do you see those stairs over there ?" asked the a
old man, pointing towards a shadowy corner of the U
room. n
Frank replied in the affirmative. fi
"Well, about four months ago, Chisolm was sit- h
ting just about where I am now. It was much si
earlier in the evening than this, and we were all tl
sitting around the lire, cracking nuts and eating y
apples. Noticing that the poor fellow nodded, w
and knowing that he had taken a long tramp that y<
day, I told him, that whenever he felt disposed to
lie down, the room was ready for him. He imme- oi
diately arose and requested to be shown up stairs, sf
remarking, that, beside being very much fatigued,
he was feeling strangely unwell. His request was
complied with; and, after seeing him comfortably
fixed, I left the-larap burning in the room, and rejoined
my family around the fire here.'' N
"Well," said Frank, drawing his chair closer to di
the speaker. - w
"About an hour after," continued the old man; sa
"and just as we were about to retire, we were fii
slartled by a most unearthly scream from the room si
above, and the next moment poor Chisolm rushed qi
down the stairs?staggered?looked back?and fell n<
dead in our midst" in
"Fell dead in your midst 1" exclaimed Frank, tc
starting to his feet. cc
"We were perfectly paralyzed with terror,"con- uj
tinued the old man, "and, for some moments, ol
stood gazing, with speechless astonishment, upon w
the prostrate form and pallid countenance of the re
poor fellow. Upon examination, we found him of
quite dead, but neither wound nor bruise could be st
discovered upon his person. Instantly Charlie di
and myself repaired to the haunted chamber?so
ailled?and made a diligent and thorough search w
of every part of it. The little metalic lamp, which in
I had left burning, had been extinguished, and one w
of the trap doors opened, but ?" p<
"Trap doors I" exclaimed Frank, becoming ex- k
ceedingly nervous. "Why, what are you doing b'
with trap-doors in a bedroom ?" ?I
"We found them there," replied Mr. Matthews. w
"There is one of them on each side of the room,
communicating with secret passages. Into one of
tliooA nassairfis. Charlie and mvsclf boldly entered, 66
upon the night we were speaking of, and followed M
it out, down between the walls, to its terminus in ai
the cellar beneath us; but nothing whatever was
discovered, calculated to throw the slightest ray of a
light upon the death of poor Chisolm, except an P(
old black cat" Wl
"How, sir?" I asked, incredulously. "What
do you mean ?" 83
"Well, Mr. Forrester," continued the old man,
alter throwing a fresh log upon the fire; "we missed 01
our cat about a week prior to poor Chisolm's visit. t0
The poor thing must have been locked up in the b*
cellar. Now, it appears probable to me, that, for
some inexplicable reason, poor Chisolm must have '
lilted the trap-door, when, of course, the imprisoned
cat, which had found its way up the passage, st<
instantly bounded into the room, with its great eyes th
glaring upon him. The probability is, that noth- tii
ing but those glaring eyes were seen, as the open- sb
ing in the floor is dark even by day. Now, what ly
gives additional probability to this version of the sfc
affair, poor pussy has been among us ever since ki
that night?indeed she made her appearance shortly
after the dreadful catastrophe.'' th
"But had Chisolm been told that the room was or
said to be haunted ?" asked Frank. ry
"Old Pompey informed him of that fact before di
he entered the house," replied Mr. Matthews, ra
"though I knew nothing of it at the time." m
A general pause ensued; each party seeming
entirely taken up with their own thoughts. What cli
Wits the character of those thoughts could be con- b*
jeetured by the bowed heads and elongated faces I*
of the silent individuals themselves. It was evith
dent, to my own mind, that Mr. Matthews' ver- 00
I sion of the cause of Chisolm's death, was anything m
rat satisfactory to the group around the fire. For
ny own part, I deemed the whole supposition
limply absurd. The fact of the matter was simply
his : The trap-door may not have been opened by
3hisolm; for there was no reason to believe that
le had been even made aware of the locality or
ixistence of such a thing. It was too weighty to
>e removed or lifted by a cat. It follows that some
inknown hand?supernatural we will not say?
ipened this entry to the secret passages, and openid
from the room where Chisolm was sleeping; for
he secret spring was located near the centre of
he outside of the door or lid. The mere fact of
he cat's sudden appearance, had nothing to do
vith the ease. Instinct would have taught it to
nake its escape, never mind who or what opened
he door of its prison house. But, admitting that
Chisolm did open the trap-door; he must have
lad some object in doing so. A man put to bed
iter a long and fatiguing tramp of twenty miles,
s not likely to get up and open secret passages out
if mere curiosity, 1 If he did get up, he must
lave been aroused by some unusual noise. And
f so, he must have gone to work very coolly and
leliberately to ascertain tne cause or it; ror tne
rap-door was not easily found, or, when found,
ipened without considerable pains. Is it at all
irobable, then, that such a man would be frightend
to death by the sudden appearance of a cat?
"But what about poor Chisolm?" I asked, the
>rotracted silence becoming too irksome to be enlured
complacently.
"Well," said Mr. Matthews, "we had him exmined
by two intelligent physicians and they both
(renounced it a case of internal hemmorrhage of
he lungs, the immediate cause of which was
loubtful, but likely to have occurred anywhere and
t any time. The remote cause was supposed to
e an old wound in that particular locality. We
sked if any sudden excitement?a fright, for intance?would
occasion a hemmorrhage of this naure.
He replied?the oldest physician did?that
0 instantaneous a death was scarcely possible to be
hus occasioned; that the poor fellow must have
een bleeding internally for some time."
"Well, well; only God knows what was the
ause of that unearthly scream," saicl Mrs. Mathews,
who had hitherto maintained a profound
ilence on the subject. "Internal hemorrhage, if
am correctly informed, is accompanied by no vilent
pain; and if poor Chisolm had been bleeding
1 his sleep, the probability is that he would have
radually sunk, until life became extinct I shall
ever forget that glance of terror towards thestairase,
a moment before he fell. Only God can
iflirtm fliA iiTveforr
Frank, who had been thoughtfully gazing into
be fire, suddenly jumped to his feet as Mrs. Matbews
ceased speaking, and, confronting the old
entlcman, said, in a tone quite unusual to him:
"If I were in youi place, Mr. Matthews, I
rould never expect a guest to lodge in that chamer
again; and, I must confess, that it is quite inxplicable
to my mind, why you should thus harbw
up our feelings, and then request us to pass
be night in such a place. If you had said nothlg
whatever about the matter, I have no doubt
bat Claude and myself would have passed a pleasnt
night in the chamber thus alluded to; but,
ow, anything like sleep is quite out of the ques;on,
there or anywhere else."
"Has the chamber been occupied since the night
f Chisolm's death ?" I asked.
"No, sir," replied Annie.
"Well, Frank, what is your decision ? Shall we
ocupy it or not?"
"We are bound to occupy it now," was his rely.
"By no means I" said Mr. Matthews. "You
re quite at liberty to act as you choose in the mat:r.
I confess, however, that it would afford me
o little satisfaction to have you decide in the afrmative.
You are both young men, in good
ealth, and, I presume, well-armed^ One can
ecp while the other watches; and, in case of anylincr
nrmanal ncciirrinc. mil can ensilv defend
Durselves until Charlie and I reinforce you. We
ill remain down here all night, ready to assist
du in any emergency."
Frank relished the old man's contemplated mode
f action; and, slapping me upon the shoulder,
lid "We'll go 1"
CHAPTER IE.
The four of us entered the chamber together?
[r. Matthews, his son, Frank and myself. A
iminutive metalic lamp was placed on the mantle,
hich, of itself, would have been of no earthly use,
ive to render darkness more visible. The bright
re burning briskly upon the hearth, in some meaire
dispelled the air of gloom which pervaded the
taint old room; but there were dark, shadowy
)oks and sombre looking corners for all that, and
to which the general darkness had merely retread,
ever and anon advancing and falling back, acirding
to the briskness or feebleness of the fire
pon the hearth, Grotesque shadows from the
d-fashioned furniture flitted across the wainscoted
alls, ghastly looking portraits frowned from scard
and dusty frames, and the entire "make up"
'the room was calculated to revive every ghost
ory that over had troubled our noddles in nursery
lys.
"Mr. Matthews," observed Frank, standing
ith his back to the fire, and meditatively surveyg
the apartment, "I propose that you furnish us
ith several candles, which shall be posted in such
jsitions about the room that every part of it can
; seen. I advise also, that a bright light be kept
lrning all night upon the stairs, thus keeping
>en communication between the pickets and the
serve."
The old gentleman smiled at Frank's soldier talk,
. t a. 1 fFl J1
ID assented to nis proposition, jluu ouuuies were
nt up, arranged according to Frank's directions;
id, after a social glass of Port, Mr. Matthews
id son left us alone in our gloiy.
"And, now, Claude," said Frank, after placing
brace of Colt's Repeaters upon the table, "sup>se
we reconnoitre a little, before we arrange the
atch."
"I was just about to suggest the same thing," I
id; "for I have no idea or intention of remaining
ire all night without a thorough knowledge of
ir whereabouts." Then observing what looked
be the shadow of a man upon the wall, which I
id certainly not seen a moment before, 1 added,
ith a tone of voice, which belied my real feelings|: I
Change your position a moment, Frank."
Instinctively his eyes followed mine, as we both ,
epped asidefrom our original positions; but there
e mysterious object remained?vague and indisict,
it is true, but nevertheless as much like the :
adow of a man, as our own. Frank involuntari- j
seized his pistols and looked around for the sub- (
mce of this strange shadow; but nothing of the
nd could be discovered. God knows what it was.
Wherever we went, whiTe examining the room, ,
ree shadows followed us?two accounted for in ,
ir own persons?the third an inexplicable myste- ;
. We raised our arms, and the two shadows ,
d the same, but the third was motionless; we ]
n around the wainscot, but that third shadow ]
oved slowly after us. J
"Hold on a moment!" said Frank, as we con- |
aded our search, and were about to seat ourselves ,
side a table by the fire. "Let me try a little ex- ,
iriment'' So saying, he snatched a blanket from j
e bed, and requested me to hold up one of the ]
rners. We held it up,'like a curtain, between the
ysterious shadow and all the candles, which we i
\
had congregated upon the table behind us. The
result staggered and confounded us beyond measure
; for our two shadows alone stood out in bold
relief upon the blanket, and peeping behind it, we
discovered the third still upon the wall, scarcely
discernible, because of the shadotf cast by the
screen, but evidently still there.
"Well," said Frank, throwing the blanket upon
the bed, and seating himself beside the fire, "whatever
that shadow may be, we are bound to bo in
company with it all night It will never do to fall
back now."
"By no means," I said, drinking off a cup of
cold coffe and sitting beside my comrade. "How
shall we arrange the watches?"
"WeD, it is now eleven o'clock, and I presume
that it will be daylight about six. Suppose we
divide the night into two watches."
"All right," I replied. "Which do you prefer?"
"To be candid with you," replied Frank, "I
prefer the last; but the man that pulls the longest
hair from my head shall have the choice."
I smiled in spite of our dreary surroundings,- and
pulled a hair from his head. Having done the
same, he changed color for a moment, for I had
? j?*i
cviueuujr nuu luc uuuiuc.
"And which watch shall it be ?" he asked, in a
tone of anxiety that rather surprised me.
"The first," I replied, knowing very well, that
such an answer would gatify him. "Go to bed,
Pranlq and I shall wake you at half past two, unless
circumstances should render your assistance
necessary before that time."
"Promise me, Claude," said Frank, instantly
throwing himself across the downy bed, and adjusting
the pillows under his head, "that if anything
unusual should occur, you will rouse me up immediately.
Give me a good, shake, old fellow; for
you know how soundly I slee|>. Good night!
Keep a sharp lookout!"
"Good night, Frank!" I replied. "Pleasant
dreams of home!" And, throwing my blanket
over my shoulders, and laying back in an immense
leather-bound arm-chair, I prepared to pass my
portion of the watch as comfortable as.possible.
Finding it impossible to keep awake in this com- ,
fortable position, I arose to my feet, and?sentinellike?paced
the room to and fro for nearly two
hours. During that time I had neither seen nor i
heard anything whatever to give me the slightest ,
uneasiness of mind. Even the mysterious shadow ;
had disappeared, and an impressive silence reigned
almost supreme, broken occasionally by the snoring ,
of my comrade and the conversation of Mr. Matthews
and son down stairs. Feeling re-assured by
this orderly and unexpected condition of things, I
? 1 ' i- AL- 1 -5 ./? ?
ligntea my pipe, ana, gomg 10 me neaa ui me i
stairs, requested young Matthews to pour me out a <
cup of coffee and bring it up ?o me. The request <
was complied with, and I returned to my post, 1
whistling a popular air, feeling perfectly satisfied 1
in my own mind that I had nothing whatever to 1
fear. 1
A moment after I was confounded and amazed i
by the almost instantaneous re-appearance of the
mysterious shadow. Before, it was vague and in- i
distinct; now, it was well defined and palpable; i
and as I hastily put aside my coffee, and gazed up- <
on the singular apparition, I
"The child's heart within the man's,
Began to nove and tremble."
Had I yielded to the promptings of nature at
that moment, I should certainly have deserted my
post and made a precipitate retreat; but self-re- j
spect, utterly precluded such a cowardly step as j
this. No, no; terrified and awed as 1 was, I verily
believe that I would have faced the very devil '
himself sooner than abandon my comrade or expose
my fear and terror to the party below.
I never believed in ghosts. To my mind it appeared
absolutely out of all reason for an invisible '
essence to appear in material form. At times, in .
the years which are gone, I have been vaguely con- .
scious of the presence of the departed, and such
manifestations have chilled the blood in my veins
and sent a shudder through the whole nervous system.
I say manifestations, because the departed
one is evidently present to the mind's eye. Has ,
the reader never gone at night into his chamber, J
with gladness in his heart and a song upon his lips,
and suddenly lelt a consciousness of another pres- .
encc ??a consciousness that made him look unea
sily over his shoulder and then,juddering, hurry j
from the spot ? In this way alone I believe it possible
for the spirits of the departed to make their [
presence known.
The shadow on the wall was a manifestation to 1
the senses, and such being the case, I did not feel *
disposed to attribute its appearance to supematu- f
ral causes. And yet, to my mind, there was some- .
thing terrible in the fact of there being a shadow
without a corresponding substance?an effect with- c
out a cause. What was it? A ghost?
Whatever it might have been, I grew suddenly c
nervous, sick at heart and strangely low spirited at s
its second appearance. Gloomy apprehensions of r
the future, forebodings of approaching evil, unac- a
countable fears of some terrible calamity, took com- j
plete possession of ray mind and chilled my heart. D
Frank had requested me to awake him if any- j
thing unusual should occur. Should I do so now? j
No, I would call young Matthews from below and j
direct his attention to the shadow. Perhaps, after t
all he could satisfactorily solve the mystery.
Accordingly, Charlie was called up; but, to my a
utter consternation, there was no shadow to show j.
him. It had again disappeared; and Charlie
laughed at me when I stated my reasons for cal- 9
ling him. .
I was alone again. Never, in all the coming
years, will I forget the mental suffering of the
next half hour. A feverish consciousness of there a
being something beside me?something that dog- ^
ged my steps and clouded and chilled my whole a
nature; a constant dread of some apparition emer- t]
ging from the shadowy corners or rising from the u
. J J- 1?i 1
irup-uuora, UiUUC luuc jaot uau uuui ui my naiAju ?]
appear an endless period of time. 0
Then I thought of poor Chisolm !?his percep- j,
tible flight?his scream of terror, as he rushed out s
of the room?his tragic death! And the secret of f(
it all was buried with him ! Oh! it was terrible, tl
thus n
"To let a dangerous thought run wild." ^
However, my allotted time for watching at last c
expired, and I hastened to the bedside of my com- o
rade to arouse him from his profound slumber, tl
This was undertaken with no little hesitation, and ^
accomplished by the expenditure of considerable t]
effort on my part. Had I consulted inclination a- tl
lone, I would have left Frank to the enjoyment of 1
bis slumbers, and continued the watch alone, du- g
ring the remaining hours of the night; but, as a:
such a course of action would have incurred the p
displeasure of my comrade, the only alternative 1L
was to awake him, according to promise. ft
As poor Frank reluctantly arose from the anti- s<
^uated bed, and yawningly threw himself into the E
jommodious arm-chair before the fire, the myste- e<
rious shadow again appeared upon the wainscot, tl
more distinct and clearly defined than ever. I did st
not direct Frank's attention to it, however ; but bi
having fully aroused him with a cup of strong cof- b<
Pee, and charging him to keep a sharp lookout and it
to arouse me instantly, if anything unusual should gi
ixxrur, I hastily divested myself of my jacket and to
shoes, and, throwing myself across the foot of the 01
bed, was soon sound asleep, in spite of my appre- fi|
hensions and excited imagination. w
What occurred during the remaining hours of fc
that eventful night, I could never positively learn, k
A ray of sunshine from a window, near the bed,
awoke me from a profound sleep, and, starting to
my feet, I ran shivering to the expiring fire, wondering
all the while what had become of Frank,
or why he should have vacated the room without
awaking me. Turning to look for my jacket a
moment after, I was surprised to find one of the
trap-doors wide open and my comrade's cap lying '
near the entrance. Immediately I hastened to the
head of the stairs and called aloud for Frank and
Charlie. The latter made his appearance soon after,
evidently but just aroused from sleep. Himself
and father had seen nothing of Frank. They
had remained awake until the break of day, when,
deeming their services no longer requisite, they had
taken a short nap. They remembered bearing no
unusual noise?nothing to excite the slightest suspicion
of Frank being in need of assistance.
What had become of him, then?
Very naturally, we both turned to the open trap
door, and, lighting a pine-knot, then lying beside
the fire, prepared to descend the narrow stair-case
of the secret passage?Charlie leading the way and
I following eagerly behind him. A few moments
brought us to the terminus of the crealdng stairs;
and, as Charlie lifted the torch high above his
head and glanced anxiously around the oellar, an
exclamation of horror burst symultaneously from
our lips, as we discovered poor Frank lying upon
his face, and motionless as death jtadfi
He was not dead?is evenjfluifive; but his
mind is irretrievably gone. MMwowse birWwn, *
are now as white as snow. aTOsecret of this wonderful
calamity is known alone to God; and the
terrible experience of Chisolm and my gallant comrade,
in that antiquated chamber, must fbeever remain
shrouded in impenetrable mystery. It is impossible
to attempt an explanation of what, to me,
has ever been a profound mystery. Sinoe the derangement
of Frank's mind, his lips have maintoined
perfect silence on the subject, and every attempt
to wring from him the secret experiences of
that eventfnl night, have been utterly useless.
It only remains, therefore, to assure the reader
that Frank was a brave-and gallant soldier?courageous
almost to a fault upon the battle-field, and
ever fonnd where danger threatened most
"Clarkson Mansion" is probably known to thousands
of the unfortunate, but none the less gallant
army of the late Confederate States; and, did I
overstep the bounds of confidence and propriety,
and reveal my comrade's real name, many an old
reb would come forward and youoh for the truth of
our little story of the Haunted Chamber.
GEN. HANCOCK.
The President, although peculiarly unfortunate
in selecting commanders for the Military Districts
created by Congress, who were disposed to cany
out a generous policy towards the people, seems to
have found in General Hanoock, the very man he
has been so long looking for. This man seems to
be the fortunate possessor of both heart and brains.
rhe following account of a recent act of his, is given
in the New Orleans Picayune:
"On Saturday night a father and son, known respectively
in this community by the names of Simon
M. Frank Walleche and Edmund F. Walleohe,
who have for, several months past been proprietors
of the sash'and planing mills, called the Mariposa
Mills, bh St. Joseph street, were arrested by
the police, under a warrant issued by Governor
Flanders, who had received a requisition for them
from the Governor of the State of New York, they
being indicted in the City of New York, it is alleged,
with obtaining goods from merchants there,
lbout eighteen months ago, to the amount of $100,300,
by false pretences.
Saturday night Judge Cotton, counsel for the accused,
sued out, before Judge Theard, a writ of
iiabeas carpus, returnable this morning at 10 o'clock.
It appears, however, that Gen. Hanoock
learned late last evening of the simple fact of the
Issuance of the "writ by a court of competent jurisiiction,
and of the probability, under peculiar qtfindant
cimiimfifancpa. that tha writ waa nnt tn h?
espeoted. He at once went in person to the office
)f Chief of Police, about 6: 30 o'clock, and told
Major Williamson that he had learned that a writ
)f habeas corpus had been issued, and that owing
o some illegality it was probable that it would not
)e obeyed. 'I will hold you responsible in this
natter. Those prisoners must be produced. Ibeieve
you will produce them, but I myself take, the
lecessary precaution that they be produced. I
iave issued an order that the writ of habeas corpus
s to be observed and it shall be. I am here to
)rotect the dignity of the government, and the rights
>f the people as to life, liberty, and property must
te preserved. So long as I am a power here, the
aw shall be respected. I know nothing, Mr. Chief
>f Police, about this case; do not know what these
nen are charged with; but it is sufficient for me
0 know, and you to know, that a writ of habeas
orpus has been issued, ana that writ shall be repec
ted. I will sink the boat in the mi'ddle of the
iver with cannon, that takes these men on board,
,nd intercept any train of cars that oarriesthem. If
he law is not observed, who and what is safe ? I
nay be taken away, you may be, any of us may be.
"ustice mu3t he upheld. 1 hold you, therefore,
rlr. Chief of Police, responsible for the delivery of
hese men before Judge Theard, in obedience to
hat writ'
The General then took his departure, and we felt
s though we had listened truly to the defender of
iw and dignity of government We don't remember
of ever having witnessed a more impressive
cene."
FEMALE WRESTLING MATCHES.
An English traveler describes an entertainment
t the Eapp Theatre, in Stockholm, Sweden. It
ras a series of wrestling matches between girls,
nd is thus described: "They were apparently of
be class called extras at theatres, and were dressed
1 long-sleeved shirts fastening around the throat,
he short loose trousers of the debardeur, lights,
f course, and boots. They had been instrv&d
a certain rules for the strife, (which defined', the
pace of the adversary's body for the gripe,>npd
arbade pitching and kicking) all duly set forth'in
be play-bills ; and with the pay of a rixdollar a
ight apiece, and a prize of four rixdollars for the
rinner, were left to fight on the stage. The prjnipal
dancer picked out four couples one after the
ther, and as the fate of each pair was decided,
be vanquished girl retired to the back of the stage,
rhile the winner stood on the side to wrestle with
be others equally fortunate as herself. It was a
boroughly genuine thing, and really worth seeing,
he girls dodged, and gripped, and w --cggled in
ood earnest, and many were the mishaps to hair
ad garments, and many the strong white limbs exosed;
while the everchanging attitudes of their
ssom forms, so unconsciously significant and graceil,
deserved the lens of the photographer or the
:ulptor's chisel to confev undying immortality on
[err Eappo, the manager. As the ties were work
l on, me exuuepieub grew very severe) sop wueu
le last couple, blown, dishevelled and flushed,
ood up for the four rix, the hiking of green
reeches and red breeches was like the clatter of a
jtting-ring when the odds are rising on the favore,
and the 'professionals' find themselves on the
ridiron. This extremely aesthetic exhibition, with
Meow, vivants, pantomimic ballet, performances
1 the trapeze, and a presentation of the immortal
;ht of Sayers and Heenan, between a ample of
retched Whitechapel acrobats, was all to be seen
tr the high price of two rixdoUara?and no smoing
allowed I" ;
* - A