Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1829-09-15
[For the National Gazette.l
From the Atlantic SotsUenir, for 1850.
THE GHOST.-BYJ K. PAuLDING.

THE GHOST.-BYJ K. PAuLDING.
Some time in the year 1900 or 1901, am
no, certain which, man OF The name Vi wal
liam Morgan--I don't mean the person whose
abduction has made so much noise IN the
world-enlistcd On board the United States
frigate - for three years cruise IN the Med
iierranean He was an awful looking person,
six feet four inches high, long pale vissage
deeply furrowed with wrinkles; sunken eyes
far up in his forehead; black exuberant hair
standing on an end Us If he were always fright>
. ened at something; sharp chin OF length pro-
porlioned TO his height; teeth white but very
irregular; and The color 1T his eyes what the
writer's Of supernatural affairs call very singu-
lar and mysterious. Besides this, his voice
was hollow and sepulchra; on his right arm
were engraved certain mysterious devices sur
mounted by the letters L. NJ; and his iobac-
CO box was Of iron. His every day dress was
acanvass hat with black ribbon band, a blue
Jacket, white trowsers, and leather shoes. On
Sundays he wore white beaver, which am ing
sailors, bespoke something extraordinary, ard
on rainy days a pea Jacket too short by hall
ward. T. is worthy of remark that Morgan en-
tered on Friday; that the frigate was launched
on Friday; ,hs, The master carpenter VINO
bull; her W., born on Friday; and that the
squadron went 10 sea on Friday. All these
singular condolences, combined with his mys,
terinus appearance, caused The sailors TO look
upon Morgan with no little degree of wonder
During the voyage TO Gibraltar, Mcrgaa's
conduct served TO increase lne impression his
appearance had made upon the crew he some
times went without eating for several days 10
gether, al least no oIie ever Saw him eat; and.
If he ever sep' al all, il was without shutting
his eyes, or lying down, for hi, messmates, Que
m al, ..asa hat ft,A,n ~ thn
night they would, Morgan was seen sitting
upright Ia his hammock, with his eyes glsriug
wide open. When his turn Came 20 take his
watch upon deck, his conduct was equally
strange. He would stand stock still in oae
pa'e, gazing al the Stars, or the ocean, appa-
rentIy unconscious of his situation; and whsn
reused by his companions, fall HAT on The deck
in a swoou. When he revived, he would fal!
to preaching the most strange and incompre-
hensible rhapSo9ieS that ever were heard. In
their idle hours upon the forcasle, Morgan
would tell such stories about himself, and his
strange escapes by sea and land, as caused the
sailors hair 10 stand on end, and made the jol-
BY fellows look upon him as person gifted
with the privilege Of living for ever. He often
indeed hipted that he had as many lives as
cat, aud more than once offered to lei himself
be hanged for the qualification Of his mess
found living OIL his back in his hammock, apps
rently withou, life, his eyes fixed and glowing,
his limbs stiff and rigid, his lower Jaw sunk
down, aad his pulse moionless, at least so his
messmates sYore when they vert TO call the
doctor; though when the latter came he always
found Morgan as we'll as ever he was in his
life. and apparently unconscious Of all that had
happened.
A, they proceeded on the voyage, which
proved for the most part succession OF Gains,
the sailors having little else to do, either ina
gined or invented new wonders about Morgan.
Al one time lutte Welsh fo'etopmau swore
that as he was going 10 si Own to dinner his
canteen was snstched from under him by an in
visible hand, anG he fell plump upon the deck
Ascend had his ALLOW ance Of grog abducted
in a mys'- rious manner, although he was ready
10 make oath he never had his eyes off il for
moment. A third had his tobacco box rihsd.
though il had never been on, of his ocket.-
A fourth had crooked sixpence, with a hole
by which il was suspended from his neck BY
ribbon, taken away without his ever being the
wiser for il.
These things at length reached the sars of
Captain R, who, the nexr time Morgan got
into one OF his frances, had him confined for
Tour and twenty hours; and otherwise punished
him in various ways on the recurrence Of any
on of these wonderful reports. All this pro,
duoed no ctsc, Whatever, either on Morgan or
the crew, which at length had its wonder
stretched 10 he utmost bounds by singular
adventure of our hero.
One day the squadron being ahou, half way
across the Atlantic, and the friynte seyerrl
leagues ahead, with fine breeze there was an
alarm OF the magazine being on FIRE. Morgan
was j.st coming on deck, with spoon in hi.
hand, for some purpose other, when hearing
the cry Of magazine on fire. he mode one
spring overheard. The fire was rxtinguished
by the daring galisuiry of al officer, now liv
ing, and standing in the frs rank of our naval
heroes. In the confusion and alarm, il vas I'm.
possible Ia make any effort to save Morgan;
and ip was considered a matter of course that
he had persisted 10 the ocean. Two days after,
one of the other vessels Of the squadron came