The group was hauled out of the tunnel in front of Colonel Dimmick, the fort’s commander. As Melanie stood before him she pulled her pistol out of her court and fired at the colonel. The decayed barrel of the old pistol exploded and shrapnel flew everywhere. One piece struck her husband. It drove in to his brain and killed him instantly.
On February 7, 1862 Melanie was executed as a spy. Before she was hanged she requested that she be allowed to dress as a woman again. The group that put on plays dug up a black gown for her to wear. Melanie Lanier was executed and buried in that garment.
Shortly after Melanie’s death a soldier named Richard Cassidy was stationed at his post. It was late in the evening. He felt a small sharp pain as a pair of hands slipped out of the darkness and clutched his throat. Twisting around, he saw Melanie’s spirit. She was dressed in the black gown that she was wearing when she died. Terrified, Cassidy wrenched himself loose from her hands and ran off. He was sentenced to 30 days of solitary confinement for leaving his post.
Other soldiers stationed at Fort Warren met the same predicament down the years. Some claimed that the ghost of the Lady in Black chased them away. Sometimes she would appear and a trigger-happy sentry would start firing his gun at her. The man would always be reprimanded for shooting at nothing, as she disappeared as soon as he pulled the trigger. During World War II a soldier was frightened so badly that he spent the rest of his life in an insane asylum.
The Lady in Black is not predictable. She is still around, despite the fact that the remains of herself and her husband were moved home to Georgia. She has no set time or frequency for her appearance. Like her plans to meet her husband, she waits, observes, and then makes her move.
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Catherine Mezensky's Civil War Ghosts topic, please visit the Discussions page.