There never was, perhaps, a more fearless
human being than Madame Gottfried, the
Empoisonneuse of Bremen ; at least, she felt
no remorse — she feared nothing but discovery ;
and yet, when after years of successful crime,
she was at length arrested, she related, that
soon after the death of her first husband,
Miltenburg, whom she had poisoned, as she
was standing, in the dusk of the evening, in
her drawing-room, she suddenly saw a bright
light hovering at no great distance above tlie
floor, which advanced towards her bed-room
door and then disappeared. This phenomenon
occurred on three successive evenings. On
another occasion, she saw a shadowy appear-
ance hovering near her, " Ach ! denke ich, das
ist Milt<*nburg, seine Erscheinung ! — Alas !
thought I, that is the ghost of Miltenburg ! "
Yet did not this withhold her murderous hand.
The lady who met with the curious adven-
ture in Petersburgh, mentioned in a former
chapter, had no light in her room ; yet she
saw the watch distinctly by the old woman's
light, though of what nature it was, she does
not know. Of the lights seen over graves,
familiarly called corpse candles^ I have spoken



1 54 SPECTRAL LIGHTS, ETC.
