Bride-and-Seek

Example 1

This example truly happened a few hundred years ago (1809). Taken from https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=9ncEAAAAQAAJ&rdid=book-9ncEAAAAQAAJ&rdot=1, and old copy of The Boston Review. This later became the popular, Bride-and -Seek urban legend.

A singular and calamitous event, which happened in Germany, and which was long involved in the deepest mystery, was brought to light a few years since. The baron de , when a young man, was married to a young and lovely woman, to whom he was fondly attached. A party of the friends of the family were invited to pass some days with them at his mansion in the country, to cele> brate this happy event. On the evening of the marriage, they were amusing themselves with playing " /ride and go seek." Dur" ing the game, every one had been found but the bride, and thev were all employed in seeking her, wondering how well she had hid herself. Not being able to find her, nor obtaining any answer to their repeated calls, they became alarmed ; and every one, with athe servants, were employed in the search. The house was ran sacked from the chambers to the cellar. The garden, the grounds about, every place was explored in vain. Thinking she might have been carried off, if she had gone out of the house, persons were despatched round the neighbourhood, and on all the different roads. Nothing could be heard of her. Letters and every inquiry were afterwards made, to no purpose. The husband lamented his mis fortune, never married, and was always tortured with his mysterious loss. After a lapse of thirty years, the house was destined to be thoroughly repaired. In removing the rubbish from a neglected garret, there was among it, a large antiquated trunk ; on opening it, they found a skeleton, with some fragments of female dress ; on examination, they were recognized to have been part of the bridal dress of the unfortunate lady ; and, that she had concealed herself in this trunk, which fastening with a spring lock, the top had fallen, and that she had miserably perished.