Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-02-24
Leeends of the Supernatural.

There is tale reported by Lord Lyttelton
1--WE mean, of course, the younger of that name,,
which shows the tendency in the minds of ever
the shrewdest men of the world to give re-
spectful audience to the marvellous and super
natural. 1t may be found in the twenty-first ol
Lord LytteltoD's letters.
He says that in the early part of the life oi
-, one of his friends, he attended hunting
club, when well-mounted stranger, of genteel
address, joined the club, and rode with o cour-
age and address that astonsbed everybody
The animal he rode is described as one of anna
zing powers and endurance; the huntsman who
was left far behind swore that the man and his
horse were devils from hell After the sport, he
was invited to dinner, and astonished the com
pany as much by his conversational powers and
the elegance of his manners, as by his equestrian
powers.
He was, says Lord Lyttelton, an orator. po-
ct, painter, musician, a lawyer, divine-in
short he was everything, and the magic of his
discourse kept the drowsy sportsmen awake long
after their usual hour. At length they retired,
but had scarcely closed their eyes when they
were awakened by the most terrible shrieks re
sounding through the house. Inquiring of the
servants, they were told that these horrid sounds
approaching his room, deeper groans of despair,
and shriller shrieks of agony, astonished and
terrified them. After knocking at The door, he
answered them as one just awaked from sleep,
declared he had heard no noise, and in rather
angry tones desired not to be disturbed again.
The company accordingly retired, and scarce
ly begun to communicate their sentiments to
each other, when repetition of the most horrid
nJo ~ al.
screams, shrieks which, from the horror of them,
seemed to issue from the throats of damned and
tortured spirits. They Immediately followed the
sounds, and traced them to the strangers cham
Der, the door of which they instantly burst open
scourging himself with the most unrelenting Sc
verify, his body streaming with blood.
On their seizing his hand to stop the strokes,
he begged them, in the most wringing tone of
voice, as an act of mercy that they would retire,
assuring them that the cause of their disturbance
was over, and that in the morning he would &C
quaint them with the reasons of the terrible cries
they had heard, and the melancholy sight they
saw. After repetition of entreaties, they re-
tired, and in the morning some of them went to
his chamber, but he was not there; and on ex-
amining the bed, they found it to be one gore of
OlOOC. OpOH luTLuer Inquiry tle gToouloiiiah
said, as soon as it was light the gentleman came
to his stable booted and spurred, desired his
horse might be Immediately saddled, and ap-
peared to be extremely impatient till it was
done, when no vaulted into his saddle, and rode
out of the yard at full speed. Servants were
Immediately despatched into every part Of the
surrounding country, but not single trace of
him could be found; such person had not been
seen by any one, nor has been since heard Of
Lord Lyttelton proceeds to state that the cir
cumstances of this strange story were immedi-
ately committed to writing, and signed by all
who witnessed them, that the future credibility
of any one, who should think proper to relate
them, might be duly supported. Among those
who witnessed it were some of the first men in
England
The charm of this marvellous narrative, in
which Lord LytteltoE evidently suspected some
thing supernatural, is somewhat dspelled by the
fact that, about the date of the narrative, an
American gentleman, by the name of Huger, of
South Carolina, visited England, who was just
suoh person as described above, as fine q
horseman, man of very elegant manners and
splendid powers of conversation, but who had
the ugly habit of whipping himself in his sleep,
precisely as described by Lord Lyttelton.