The Inn At Birnley

In every city and town in the land you will find a mili, store or factory which seems to be hoodooed. The location is apparently all right, but whoever buys, leases or rents niakes a failure. When George Walters of the town of Birnley decided to build au inn and become a landlord, he selected what was called the best location in the corporation. He was a man liked by all, had a fair amount of money, and everybody wished him luck and predicted that he would do well. It was strange what a turn of luck carne to the man. He had been successfnl in everything, but on the day he broke ground for the new enterprise he feil over some tirnbers and broke his leg. Before the framework was up a workman had been killed. While the building was being completed a painter feil from a ladder and was fatally injured. The inn was opened with a housewarming. Some of the guests drank too heavily, a qnarrel occurred, and the postmaster of the town was stabbed to death. The people advised Walters to get out of it. He looked upon it merely as a run of ill luck and remained until his wife died of typhoid fever. Then he sold the inn to a stranger uamed Grafton and moved away. Grafton had a wife and three children, and he had not been in the house a month when two of the children were Irowned in the river uear by. Fifteen lays later the tavern stableswere burnd to the ground. ïhe inan realized ;hat the place was hoodooed and got 3ut of it, and it was taken by another itranger narned Eldridge. This owner made a low place of it, but for six months nothiug happened to créate cuuch gossip. Then Eldridge was kill3d in a qnarrel over cards, and that was the last of the Red Eose inu as an iun. [t was offered for sale at alrnost any price, but the story of its ill hick had gone abroad, and no one would take it. [t was flnally pnt to use as a warehouse, tmt after a fire, which desteoyed a portion of the structure, it was left an unoccupied ruin. It had stood thns for a year or so, an eyesore to the town and a wonder to all strangers, when a man named Cummings carne along and made certain inqniries, which at once revived all the gossip. He had a sister married to a man named Drayton. On a certain date the pair had set out from Columbus, O., to drive to a town in Illinois. They had iheir own carriagc, and that they passed through the town of Birnley was provecí by the fact that the sister mailed him a letter with the postmark on it. After that letter uothing fïirther was heard from her, though the husband had been seen in one of the territories alone. I was only a boy then, and I cannot remember all the details. I recollect, however, of Cmnmings explaiuing that it was not a happy marriage, that the woman had a large arnouut of money with her and that he was sure the husband had made away with her at soma point on the jouruey. No oue in Birnley recollected the arrival of the conple or anything connected with them - no one but me. It so jappened that I was able to furnish inïormation. They arrived at 8 o'clock one evening while there was a circus in town. I had helped the hostler to put out the team and had seen the man and woman at snpper. Just at daylight - I having remained with the hostler all night afterwehad taken in the circus - we were called upon to bring around the team. I saw only the man get into the carriage. I was sure the woman did not depart. When I spoke to the hostler, he took no interest in the matter. When I asked Mr. Eldridge, the secoud landlord, about it, he replied that of course tihe went with her husband, though he was sturnbling about and half asleep, and I am sure he did not see her. Eldridge had gone, the hostler had gone and I was the only one who could give any details. I remembered and described the two people and the hprses and carriage, and Ciimmings had no doubt that they stopped at the inn. Froni Birnley he proceeded on his journey west, seek ing to piek up the trail. He got trace of the man a dozen times, but the woruan had not been seeu. After three or fcrar weeks he carne back to Birnley with the íirm belief that the wife had been murdered there. There was a river flowing through the town and a inillpond below. The first move made was to drag this pond. The work was thoroughly done, and, though all anticipated that a skeleton wonld be found, uothing of that nature was discovered. There was found, however, a satchel containing female apparel. This had been weighted with bricks and was lying at the bottom of the pond. When the satchel was found, Cummings feit eure he was on the right track, and the rear yard of the inn was esplored. Men dug into the ground in 50 different spots, but after a long ■Uy:s work it became certain that Itody had been btiried there. The barns bad never been rebuilt after the fire. Cunmiings hired a dozeu men and had the debris removed, but still the search was unsuccessfnl. He had previously gone over the house, which was little better than a ruin, but now he entered upon a oloser investigation. The wiudows had been broken, doors carried away, and the leaky roof had let in the Btorms until the floors were rotten. Now and then half a dozen boys entered the house and clambered about, but as a rule it was avoided as an uncanny place. Up to this time no one Had hinted at a ghost or strange things, but that was to come. Mr. Cummings, a constable and myself entered the old inn one eveniug after suppar to ruake a thorough search. What the brother expected to find he did not say, but he made up nis mind that his sister never left Birnley alive. My persistency in declaring that she did not go away with her husband and thefact that the husband left at suoh an unusnal hour probably gave Cnmmings the idea that she had been made away with during the uight. On entering we inounted to the second story and entered the room the couple had occupied that night. We were standing still and gazing about when there suddenly carne a sound as of a woman sobbing. I bolted at once, but the constable followed at my heels, and when Cummings joined us below he was pale and trembling. It was a queer sound we had heard, and after discussing it for a spell the constable went for a Mr. Hastiugs, who was a justice of the peace. Hastings arrived to ridiculo our fears, and together the four of us 'vent up to the room. It was not yet dark outdoors, but very glooniy up there. The justice walked about, knocking and rapping with his cane, and perhaps ten minutes had passed when we hcard a noise as of slippered feet crossing the floor, followed by gurgling and sobbing. The sounds were so real and at the same time so uncanny that the four of us made for the stairs at once. "When we had got safely down, Cummings said the noises had been produced by the wind and wanted to go back, but no one would go with him. It was agreed to keep the affair a secret and inspect the house next morning, and after f ast erar nuntber was increased to six. The two otbers were merchants of the town, and they had a hearty laugh at the way we had beeu driven öut. At half past 8 o'clock in the moruing ■we gathered in that room. Most of the piaster was off, the floor was sinking and cobwebs bung from the corners. Queerly enough, access was had to the garret above through this, the best room in the house. There was the scuttle in the ceiling, with the trapdoor shut down, and I wondered that I had never taken notice of it before. Cummings had just remarked that he would like to take a look up there in the garret wheu there came a.wailing, gurgling, sobbing sound which lasted for at least 15 seconds. Every one of us had the same idea abintit. It sounded as if a band had elutehed a woman's throat and choked the life out of her. There was a move for the stairs, and every one's face was as pale as death, but Cumniiugs made a gesturo which checked the retreat, and there was a long minute of silence. Then there was heard what might have been called a death rattle - a queer sound to make the flesh creep. After it had died away Cummiugs said: "Gentlemen, rnurder has been done in this house. Let no one go away. We will get a ladder and take a look into the garret. ' ' The constable fetched a ladder, and Cumm'ings was first through the scuttle. The garret was 40 feet long by 20 wide, with the end wiudows broken out and davliaht and sunshine streaming in. Fhere were loóse boards over the joists, ind the garret was the roosting place of scores of pigeons. For two or three minutes nothing -was to be seeii. Then Cummings, who had made his way to the -west end of the garret, beckoned to as and pointed to an object lying on the laths between the two eud joists. It was a bundie of black mold and bones the skeleton of the missing woman. She had been murdered in the room below and carried up there, and one might have looked into the garret a hundred times without discovering the body. It had been there so long that there was only dust and bones to be gathered up and taken down for identification and burial. The murderer had stripped the body of all clothing, but on one finger had been lef t a ring, which the brother had given her as a bridal present. There was not the shadow of a doubt as to who the victim was, and so great was the popular excitement over the ghastly noises and the dreadful find that 100 men turned to and pulled the ruins apart and made a big bonfire of the last board. Steps were at once taken to apprehend the murderer, and his trail was followed for many months, but to this day his crime is unpunished.