St. Mary's beacon., 1862-01-02

bic, and the family seated themselves to
the rcpass. While eating and chatting. .
strange g,oan Was heard, and an awful
j aPparition came up from the cellar--she
head and shoulders Of man without the
body-w;ich slowly circulated around
the table, and then disappeared down
the ecllar-way. OF course the family did
not rcmove any more Of their furniture
! from the CART and stayed only long
edough 10 gather their property, when
they hastily departed. returning 10 the
place from whence they came. This
house is still unoccupicd, aud rapidly
falling into decay.
In the western part of Gardiner, =
village eight miles south Of Augusta. is
little cottage. which has long borne the
reputation Of . haunted house. This
cottage had been owned BY sailor. who
went off to sea, and was supposed to
have been lost overheard, shipwrecked. or
murdered. as he was never heard from
after his departure. In the course of
time it became the belief in the vicini-
ty that this sailors spiri. was haunting
the promises; shadow being repeatedly
zen by the several members of tn. fami-
ly occupying the house. 1t was quite a
harmless manifestation. however. the
shadow generally appearing near the
gate. and quietly approaching the house
often causing the occupants to think
that visitors were eoming. but always
''dissolving into thin air" before il
reached the front door.
Our informant was once visiting at
this cottage when the shadow was seen
by the eldest daughter, and declares
that the entire family had no doubts Of
the supernatural origin Of the apparition,
althoug gh it had been seen so often that no
emotion, was caused By its visit.
Not many years ago. an old house.
Standing between Albany and Science
tady. ON The turnpike road. was said to
be subject to ghostly visisations. Lights
were seen at unusual hours, and strange
noises were heard. The place had be-
gun to acquire considerable reputation az
haunted house, when some astutc off,
cials made . screct descent upon it. and
arrested quite q number of counterfeit.
ters, whose occupancy and occupation
fully explained tho ghostly phcnomens
which had been seen.
Near the ruad which winds along the
foot Of Mount Royal two miles from Mon
trcal, there stands house which is rcgar-
ded as haunted by all the .upcrstitious
people in the ucigLborhood. 1t was form
crly the abode Of an eccentric old French
man. who committed suicide, and about
whose character and history q great deal
Of mystery had gathered.
His body lay several days in the house
after his tragical end. before. his suicide
became known. 1t is siid tkaf the ghost
Of the suicide is often seen fitting about
the premises, with its wild eyes and wilder
laugh.
Between Hallowell ard Gardiner there
stood on little creek. some thirty years
ago. IN old mill. The proprietor had
been found murdered in the stream below
the mill, and it was said that his spirit
fingered round the mill The old resi-
dents thercabouts still ls,ve to dwell upon
the mystery.
Apropos Of this subject, there il not far
from Hampstead. l.. l., an inlet in small
river called Lovers Creek" and tho
name thus originated: A young man,
who was dcvotcdly attached t. fair young
girl near, had become jealous Of her un-
conscious c"quctry. and is supposed to
have given her an instant and fatal poison,
as she was found dead, without external
marks "f violence. while tho lover lay
near. cold and motionlcss. with discharg-
cd pistol iu his right hand. AMI a bullet
buried in his brain. Another account Is
that the the maiden suddenly died of some
obscure and deadly disease, and the lover.
through grief and despair. perhaps coupled
with fear Of being thought her murder.
er. shot himself on the spot whore lay her
lifeless form. This latter account is more
generally favored. for. it is said, the lor-
crs are often seen walking on the shore.
or sailing about the river in a spectral
boat. and otherwise living out, in ghostly
form. the existence whose earthly career
was interrupted in such IL melancholy man
ner.
Near Bclladona. n Y. there is an old
farmhouse which stands deserted. The
former owner poisoned his wife. as was
generally supposed. though NC legal evil
dsnce was produced in support of the pre-
vailing suspicion. The suspected party
suddenly removed to the west. but not be-
fore the rumor became current that be
had been frightened nearly out Of his sen
scs by repeated visits from the spirit of his
wife. The house having acquired a bad
name, it was easy for the more supersti-
,ious portion of the community to find
mysteries and wonders to keep up its rep
uiation.
1t is probable that most Of the alleged
hauntings could he explained on natural
principles. were the plain truth to be
k.owm. Ii must be co,accdcd, however,
that there have been such accommodations
Of evidence respecting ghossly vi-itziinus
as to stagger reason aud challenge belief.
Nearly every mysterious and unexplained
murder becomes the subject Of supersti-
iioas interest and gossip, until gucsscs and