Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-10-06


NIatch-MRkine IN Haunted CastIe-PIay.
inE the Ghost 90 Advantage-A Wealthy
Iarl Induced TO Marry an. Amoreus
Phantom.
n he ondon correspondent Of the New
Orleans Delta relates this story of haunted
castle;
A certain friend Of the well-known
Frenohman, Coun d'0rsy--a sporting cell
ebrity, was trapped in sharp way, at an
old-fashoned castle in Lancashire, place
which is overgrown with lichen 1000 years
old--a dark, frowning mass of stone, which
looks out with feudal grandeur upon the
bleak moor around; a strange, wild place,
yet most beloved by the aristocratic owner
and his friends for the endless supply Of
grouse and game of all descriptions which
abound on the moors, and his old warrior
nest is among the best visited in England.
The Earl in question was on o visit, and was
q prize, having 100000 year. There were
lots of lady-birds, but one sighed most es-
pecially for his hand, and resolved to
have it.
What old English castle is there that is
not haunted with respectable family ghost2
Indeed, TO be without one there would be
blot upon their escutcheon. The topic of
the ghost was capital after -dinner-D December
evenings talk to crack nuts over, and drink
item of a family ghost ought TO figure in the
advertisement of the sale of every ancient
property, if it were not unprofessional, as it
would else be a vast incentive to purchasers.
| OF course, nobody believed in the ghost at
this old castle, and it ruffled the owners
temper not little, and he brought forward
all the facts that could be deduced in sup
port; positive encounters with her ladyship's s
| bleeding, and with a lamp in her hand-for
,rl,x IF n 1adr rbr, h,I
| fallen by the hand of her Jealous lord and
was now either doing penance for the sin, OF
| taking revenge on the descendants of her
husband by the next wife, whom he married
and did not stick, though he stuck by her
faithfully until his death.
The ladies Of the society that evening
| were very impressionable, and especially the
| one have alluded TO above as casting her
eyes most particularly upon the sixty
thousand-pound-a-yea nobleman. They
/ spoke in a hushed tone, and drew closer
around the fire. There was no music
that evening, as not one lady, perhaps,
liked to 90 into the farther recess of
the room, in which was skeleton over the
piano, of the armor of the old knight-whO
might, with little fancy, be supposed still
grinning through the bars of the closed visor
The host, as each took up his and her silver
candlestick, to HE to the bedroom, placed
in distant parts of the castle, begged them
in a soothing tone of voice not to be fright
ened if they heard the ghost that night, for
it was customary for it to pay visit after il
had been talked of by the descendants Of the
rival successor to the lady with the stab.
The next morning there were some rather
long visages at the breakfast table, and at
last, upon comparing notes, it was dis
covered that there had been heard
some very peculiar noises, early in the
morning, as Of the clanking of chains. The
men looked at each other and at the host, to
discover the perpetrator of the practica
Joke, but it was soon self-evident enough in
their mien that not one of them had that sit
to answer for, and the ladies could not bt
suspected of being guilty of a midnight es
c8pade. This lasted three nights-doors haC
been opened, but nothing further had beer
seen or heard when such resolution had been
manifested by any of the visitors to search
out the truth. The Earl laughed, for he had
heard nothing; out he lived in a different
corridor of the castle. If he had, he would
have certainly had a shot down the passage
to warn the practical joker.
Oh, for the unbeliever how bitterly h.
was made to repent his rashness The mex
night as the clock struck twO-which is TIVE
hours too late for genuine ghost in low
life, but this one had to suit his doings Il
aristocratic hours-the noise of clanking
was heard outside of the Earl's door. With
out hesitation he was out of bed, bootjack il
hand for pistol, and on opening the dool
suddenly, he did see the specter, woman il
white, with small taper slowly descending
the corridor, and just about to turn into
another. ''Ill fire if you don't stop" ht
exclaimed, but there was no result in thi!
appeal to the unearthly visitant; perhaps il
glided trife quicker round the corner The
Earl was not to be done, and after il he
sped--turned the corner and came up quickly
with the ghost; but it vanished into tn
room of the fair lady just alluded to; as h
was upon the point of clutching at her cos
tune, the light was out and he was in dark
ness; but, as though by some preconcerteC
arrangement, the moment after, the door
were all flung open and the lights of resi-
dents popped out and found the Earl at th'
door of the fair dame, who now appeared
and in apparent CONSERVATION at the dis
coveTy and the publicity. The Earl hurried
off as fast as possible to his own dormitory
The next morning he was about to trea
the matter as capital joke, but there wer
no titterings; it was looked upon as no joke
as there was little character sacrificing o.
the case. Whether the Earl thought tn
witty fair one deserved her prize-or he hal
been smitten by any particular and newly
discovered attractions in the night costum
, with the lamp as she glided along the pass
age, or-if he was timid about the conse
, quences--certain it is proposal for her haE
followed, and so did wedding. And yo
may say this is very pretty romance, an
not word true. There dissent. Curiol
as it is, it is well-known story in Londol
The father of the Earl was man great
J literature, and give the clue to him as I'll
author Of certain letters to son.