The National Register.
London, England, 1821-04-30 00:00:00

Oxon.—During the last week the inhabitants of Truro
have been amused, astonished, or alarmed, according to
the different degree. of nerve and judgment possessed by
each, by the mischievous freaks of a ghost, whose pranks
have excited no small degree of interest; and who has
hitherto eluded ev cry attempt to discover its retreat or
detect it in the exercise of its vagaries, though numbers
of persons have been on the watch for that purpose. Near
Carclew-street, a part of the town lately built, a house has
been hired as a depot, in which the arms of the militia
regiment of Royal Millers are deposited. On the evening
of Wednesday se'nnight She person who resides in a part
of ibis house, and who takes care of the arms, was alarmed
by the breaking of his windows: he ran to the door; but
could not discover the spot from whence the stones pro-
ceeded. Still the missiles continued to fly at intervals,
and several panes of glass were demolished, not only in
the depot but in the adjoining house, which is inhabited
by the serjeant-major of the regiment, mimed Candye
This continued for some lime, and the affrighted armouree
■std serjeant-major applied to the officers resident in the
town, who repeated to the spot; bat though they saw the
stones strike the house, and break the windows, and were
occasionally struck themselves, every attempt to discover
the person who threw them, or the precise ■pot from
whence they came, was Ring. This continued
through the night, and the people in the neighbourhood
Insisted that the stones were directed by no mortal hand.
♦t length the Mayor was applied to, who, with the active
constables of the parish of Keawyn, Messrs. Cletneuce and
B►own, hastened to the place, accompanied by numbers,
eager to witness the proceedings. The scene of attack was
now changed from the front to the rear of the houses; and
though the stones continued to fly, and the civil power was
on the alert, and scouts were sent out in all directions, no
discovery was made. The ghost appeared to enjoy the
confusion it had excited, for both his Worship and his as-
sistants were struck with moues whilst endeavouring to un-
ravel the mystery. After the activity of the scouts and the
ingenuity of the constables were exhausted, sentinels were
placed at various points; some of the cavalry in the barracks
which adjoin eke spot were engaged to assist, and the ma-
&trate and constables withdrew. Still no detection took
place, though the stones continued to be thrown occasionally,
and In utter hopelessness of wearying out the invisible es-
salient, the windows of both the houses were barricadoed
on the outside with boards. The attack has been continued
up to the present moment, and in the presence of hundreds
of persons of all descriptions who have gone in crowds to
view the premises which are subject to this most persevering
and extraordinary annoyance. The lower classes, who have
always a taste for the marvellous, are fully persuaded that
this is a supernatural visitatiou by some troubled spirit, and
numberless tales of the must extravagant nature h.tve been
circulated. Some assert that the stones smell of brimstone;
others, that they are quite warm; and one person who re-
sides near the place very gravely assured us that the stones
continued to eater the rooms and break cops, plates, he.
though the windows were barricadoed and the doors shut ;
sud that a few minutes before we arrived, he had heard
(WO NO inside. As the sport has been so long canalised,
we should think it very probable that the ghost will overact
Its part, In us finally to lead to detection. At all events, it
appears to be susceptible of fatigue; for its attacks are only
✓esumed at intervals, and but one stone is dung at a lime.--
The houses attacked are open both at front and rear; on
the one side are several newly-built sud uninhabited houses,
and on the other are bat racks, from which two companies
of the I titla Lancers have marched.

ATROCIOUS OUTRA•R.-011 the night of Monday
the 16th inst. a most barbarous murder was committed
in the neighbourhood of Bannagher, in the King's
county. Between the hours of twelve and one, a body
of villains, in number about thirty, most of them armed
with muskets and fixed bayonets, attacked the house of
a man of the name of Murphy. On their shooting the
dog outside the house, Murphy took the darns, and had
scarcely put on his clothes, when the door was burst in,
and five or six fellows entered, against whom, having
Belted a pitchfork, he defended himself with desperate
resolution. The villains hissing retreated, had not con
rage to enter into the house a second time, but despatched
three of their gang to a short distance fur fire, with which
to burn the house and inmates, consisting of Murphy,
his sister (a woman about 40 years of age), his aged,
old blind mother, and his nephew (a boy about ten years
old.) The roof being first set on lire, Murphy's sister
first endeavoured to escape; but on her coming out, one
of these savages stabbed her in the eye with a bayonet,
which pierced through to the back of her head, whilst
others beat her about the face with their musket ends,
until a musket-shot through the heart, from the hand of
another, put an end to the period of her existence! The
house being in flames, and part of the roof having fallen
in, Murphy next rushed out, when he instantly seethed
a musket-ball in It's head, which traversed skull ; a
second shot passed through his heart, and lotlaed in a
black of wood upon which he had fallen. The next
victim was the poor, old, blind mother, whom they car.
tied to a deep bog-hole, into which they threw her. Ou
departing, they struck the boy with the butt cud of a
musket in the mouth, by which several of his teeth were
knocked out ; they then fired at him, and lodged several
slugs in both his legs. Col. L'Estratige, of Aloystowu,
a* toots as he was informed of the outrage, repaired with
a party of his staff to his house, and shunted the unfor-
tunate man, who was still surviving, every assistance,
and had him conveyed to die barrack at Banagherov here
be now lies without hope of recovery. Nearly twelve
months ago the house of Murphy was attacked by a
body of ribandineti, who demanded his fire-arms. The
assailants were repulsed, and filially beaten off, which is
supposed to have been the cause of this dreadful outrage.
HIGHWAY ROURRRT.--AS Mr. Matthewson, of
Marshall-street, St. James's, was travelling in his gig
from Cobham on the forest to Chertsey, on his way to
Loudon, about four o'clock on Thursday afternoon, he
was stopped in a lane about three miles from the latter
Flute by three fellows undisguised, two of whom pre-
sented pistols and demanded his money, t. bast the third
stood at the horse's head. He gave than 71 in notes
and some silver, all he had about him, when they took
his watch and his broach. The villains next cut the
battiest and turned the horse loose, and then compelled
Mr. M. to go into the further end of a large field, threat-
ening his life if he did not comply, and the three en:uped
without its being knuwu which way they went.