Land of Goshen, Part Nine

23 November 1905

Official transcript: portions of the damaged diary of Joanna Wozniak, as recovered by the police department of Erie, PA, on the evening of May 28, 1974.

I have determined to keep a record of all I have learned thus far of Abe and his story. I cannot continue investigating at the moment, as he has fallen terribly ill, but this information is too important to be lost as he recovers.

On the evening of Tuesday, the 21st of November, I received word that Abe had been bedridden all day and was refusing doctors. I made arrangements with my family, who were deeply frightened for my safety after an event earlier that day with the Reverend Halzberg, Doctor Price, and Old Tom. I know not the details, but Father warned me that my home may be less welcoming

Portion damaged

I arrived around lunch on the following day, and found Abe in dire straits. He was delirious, his body bruised, and he was coughing up the most dreadful bile. He continuously muttered in a language I did not recognize, but would occasionally say fragments of a thought in English. It took me nearly the entire evening to piece these words together, and realized that he seemed to be claiming to need moving water. He appears to believe he has a connection with it,

Portion damaged

I solicited help from my driver, and we carried Abe to the stream at the edge of the property. When placed in the water, his mood grew more stable, and his words became more clear. Within the hour, his symptoms passed to where he could maintain his own composure. I sent the driver away, and we discussed his condition.

​Abe believes himself to be a spirit of a river, and not a native man at all. There is a part of me that wants to believe this is simply part of his poor health, a fleeting fancy that will pass as his mind grows strong again. But, it all makes sense. I fear that I have thrown in my lot with a pagan spirit, that the Reverend was right about him. No, I know Abe better than that. If he is a spirit, he is a blessed one, his heart pure and his touch soothing. If he is a spirit, let him be an angel. If he is an angel, let him be my angel.

pages from here until entry dated 30 November have been torn out

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