Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-02-17
THE OLD KENT NANOR-HOUsE

THE OLD KENT MANOR-HOUSE.
From Robert Dale OWENS ~FootfalIs the Doun-
Diary of Alother World."l
In October, 1857. and for several months
afterwards, Mrs. R, wife of IL field
officer of high rank in the British army,
was residing in Ramhurst Manor-Honse,
near Leigh, in Kent, England. From the
time of her first occupying this ancient
residence. every inmate of the house had
been more or less disturbed ut night-uot
usually during the dHy-by knOckingS
and sounds as of footsteps, hut more
especially by voices which could not he
accounted for. Those last were usually
heard i'll some unoccupicd adjoining room;
sometimes as if talking in loud tone,
sometimes as if reading aloud. OCCASION
ally as if screaming. The servants were
much alarmed. They never saw anything;
but the cook told Mrs. r., that on one
occasion, in broad daylight, hearing the
rustic of n silk dress close behind her,
and which seemed to touch her, she
turned suddenly round, surposing it to
be her mistress, but, to her great surprise
and terror. could sec nobody. Mrs.
Rs brother, bold, light-hrarted
young officer, fond of ficld-sports, and
without the slightest faith in the reality
|
much disturbed and annoyed by these
voices, which he declared must be those
of his sister and of lady friend of hers
sitting up together to chat all night.
On two occasions, when a voice which
he thought to resemble his sisters rose to
scream, as if imploring aid, he rushed
from his room, at two or three o'clock in
the morning, gun i'll hand, into his sisters
bedroom, there to find her quietly asleep.
On the second Saturday in the above
month of October, Mrs R drove over
to the railway station ut Tunbridge to
meet her friend Miss S., whom she
had invited gtoaspend sope. weeks with.
her. This young lady had been in the
habit of seeing apparitions, at times. from
early childhood.
When, on their return, ut about four
o'clock in the afternoon, they drove up to
the entrance of the Manor-House, Miss
s. perceived on the threshold the
appearance of two figures, apparently an
elderly couple, habited in the costume
of former age. They appeared as if
standing on the ground. She did not hear
any voice, and, not wishing to render her
friend uneasy, she made at the time no
remark to her in connection with this
appnrition.
She saw the appearance of the same
I
/ within the next ten days, sometimes in
one of the rooms of the house, sometimes
in one of the passages-alwHys by day.
/! light. They appeared to bcr surrounded
! by an atmosphere nearly of the color
usually called neutral tint. On the third
| occasion they spoke to her, and stated
that they had been husband and wife, that
in former days they had possessed and
occupied that Manor-Housc, and that their
name was Children. They appeared sad
and downcast; and, when Miss S.
inquired the cause of their melancholy,
they replied that they had idolized this
property of theirs; that their pride and
pleasure had centred in its possession;
that its improvements had cngrossed their
! thoughts; and that it troubled them to
know that it had passed away from their
! family, and to see it now in the hands of
careless strangers.
asked Miss s. holp they spoke. She
replied that the voice was audible to her
/ as that of a human beings; and that she
believed it was heard also by others in an
adjoining room. This she inferred from
| tho fact that she was afterwards asked
with whom she had been conversing.
| After week or two, Mrs. R, begin
ming to suspect something unusual, con-
uected with tho constant disturbances in
the house, had occurred TO her friend,
questioned her closely on the subject; and
then Miss s. related to her what she
had seen and heard, describing ths appear
ancc and relating the conversation of the
figures calling themselves Mr.. and Mrs.
Children.
Up to that time Mrs. R, though her
rest had been frequently broken by the
noises in the house, and though she too
has the occasional perception of appari-
tions, had seen nothing, nor did anything
appear to her for Il month Hfterward. One
day, however, about the end of that time,
when she had ceased TO expect any aPpa-
rition to herself she was hurricdly dress
ing for n late dinner, herbrother, who had
just returned fromI days shouting, having
called to her in impatient tones that dinner
was served, and that he was quite famish-
ed. AT the moment of completing her
toilet, and as she hastily turned to leave
her chamber, not dreaming of anything
spiritual, there, in the doorway, stood the
same female figure Miss S. had de-
scribed, identical inappearHnce and in cos
tune, even to the old point lace ou her
brocaded silk dress, while beside her was
the figure of her husband. They uttered
no sound, but above the figure of the lady,
as if written in phosphorus light in the
dusk atmosphere that surrounded her,
were the words "Damc Children together
with some other words, intimating that.
having never Inspired beyond the joys and
sorrows of this world, she had remained
"eafth bound" These last, however, Mrs.