The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1853-04-27
An Unleniable Apparition.

At a town in the west of England
was held club of twenty-lour people,
which assembled once a week to drink
punch, smoke tobacco, and talk poll
tics. Like Rubcns academy at Ant
werp, leach member had his peculiar
chair, and the presidents was more ex-
altcd than the rest One of the mem
bers had been in dying state for
some time of course his chair while
he was absent, remained vacant.
The club being met on their usual
night, enquiries were naturally made
after their associate. As he liy-
ed in the adjoining house, particular
friend went himself to enquire for him,
and returned with the dismal tidings,
that he could not possibly survive the
night. This threw gloom on the
company, and all efforts to turn the
conversation from the sad subject be-
fore them were Intellectual.
About midnight, (thc time, by long
prescription, appropriated for the walk
ing of spectrcs,) the door opened, and
the form, in white, of the dying, or
rather of the dead man, walked into
the room, and took his seat on the ac-
customed chair, where he remained in
silence. The apparition had been a suifi-
cicnt time in the chair, to assure all
present of the reality of the vision at
length he rose and stalked towards the
door, which he opened as ii living, went
out, and then shut the door after him.
After a long pause, some one at last
Lad the resolution to say =
eff only one Of us had seen this he
would not have believed, but it is i'm
possible that so many persons can be
deceived"
The company by degrees recovered
their speech, and the whole conversa-
ton, as may be imagined, was upon
the dreadful object which engaged
their attention. They broke up and
went home.
In the morning enquiry was made
after their sick friend it was answer,
cd by an account Of his death, which
happened nearly at the time of his ap-
pcaring in the club. There could be
little doubt before, but now nothing
could be more certain than the reality
of the appcrition, which had been seen
by SO many persons together.
1t is needless to say, that such a
story spread over the country. and
found credit even from the infdels Z;
for, in this case, all reason was super
hous when opposed to plain fact asScr-
ted BY thrcc-and-twcnty Witnesses
TO assert the doctrine Of the fixed laws
Of nature was ridiculous, when there
were so many people Of credit to prove
that they might be uniXcd.
Years rolled on : the story ceased
to engage attention. and it was forgot
ten, unless when occasionally produced,
to silence an umbcliever. One of the
club was an apothecary. In the course
Of his practice he was called to an old
woman whose profession was attending
sick persons. She told him, that size
could leave the world with a quiet con
science but for one thing which lay on
her mind
"Do you remember Mr., whose
ghost has been 50 much talked about !
was his nurse. The night he died |
left the room for something | wanted
am sure | had not been absent long,
but at my return found the bed with
out my patient. lie was delirious, and
feared he had thrown himself out Of
the window. | was 50 frightened that
| had no power to stir but after some
time, to my great astonishment, he en-
tered the room, shivering and his teeth
chatterlng, laid down on his bed, and
died. Considering myself as the cause
Of his death, l kept this a secret fol
fear of what might be done to me. ]
dare, not do it. | know by what had
happened that it was he Mmself who
had been in the club room (pcrhaps
recollccting that it was the night OF
meeting,) but / hope God and the
poor gentleman's friends will forgive
me, and | shall die contented 20