The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-10-04

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| Whateger nav be Ihonekk fn tha f,St1si
ent CIay coneernInk tlis - nv ef 1. 5isSs;
| and appsrftions, e q eestAis tnA i "a q
/ lasf eenturY there wsra uuanr aho fIrTilV
believed that they had BEEN visited ~:
beings of supernatural world. or thsti
they had seer, the spirits Of departed feIa-
lives and friends. One Of the best authen-
ticated of these stories il that Of NicOlsi.
an author and bookseller. Of Berlin. In
the autumn Of the year l79O, he tells US
that he had been afflicted with an uhin-
terrupted seriesof misgortunes which had
the effect of casting him into very IoR
spirits. At length he fell III. and one
morning, while his wifs and mother we're
! in the room, he ASt. at 4 short distance
from Ateyhed. A .laeta eks, TINT bf a friend
\ whom he had lost. He AK ffiS SSSSs IL
look At it. but she saap, .9slbiaK. and en-
deavored TO alIay his agitation. At four
o'clock in che afternoon Of the same day,
the figure again appeared 10 llitn. He
endravored to convince himself that he
was laboring under some delusIon, Occa.
stoned by his weak health, but in short
time numerous other phantons, :: some
times resembling acquaintances, but most
ly strangers" surrounded his bed. ~
could" writes NIcolai, distinguish be.
tween phantoms and real objects, and the
calmucss with which examined them
enabled me to avoid the commission of
the smallest mistake. kn0& exactly.
when it only appeared to Me that the door
was opening, and phantom entering the
door, and when It actually opened, and
real person enter. d. !" For a long time
Nicolai was haunted by these apparitions,
not only in hts own house, but when he
visited friends. They were generally
walking, took no notice Of each other, al
though the room was sometimes full Of
them, and they moved "as in market
place, where all are eager TO press through
the crowd" Some had pleasing ap.
pcarancc, and none were disgusting or
terrifying in aspect. Nicolai heard them
talk occasionally, though all he says on
this subject is that 'stheir speeches we're
commonly short, aud never 0f an un.
pleasant turP. Alter this state had con-
tinued some time it was decided to bleed
the patient, and while the operation vas
being performed Nicolai fancied that he
saw the chamber crowded 18th his shad-
owy guests. Gradually they vanished
into air, and the bookseller WAS free. At
a subsequent period Of his life he tells us
that he experienced q sensation as if the
phantoms we're going to reappear," but
he saw nothing. Nothing can be clearer
than that bad stats OF health had con-
jured up the spectFes, and that they were
exercised by means Of few ieeches.
Another extraordinary story is told ol
a commission which was appointed, after
the execution Of Charles l., to survey the
kings house at Woodstock. One night.
when all the deeFs were securely fastened,
great black dog entered the room where
they sat, "made a dreadful bowling, over
turned two or three chairs, and vanished
under the bed" While wondering at
this occurrence they heard the furniture
being thrown about the kings presence
chamber, and the following morning they
found the minutes Of their transactions
torn to pieces and the ink glass broken.
In the night, some OF the beds were tilted
up 80 high that the occupants began to
think their necks would be broken, and
| then they were Vet suddenly down with
such force as to shake the very windows
and ceilings. Bedciothes were stripped
off, candles extinguished, and all kinds oI
uneasthly noises were heard. huge stones
were thrown into the bedrooms during
the night, cannon seemed to be fired Oft,
and DIR. Plot, 10 hIs History OF Oxford
shire, states that this spectral cannona'
ding was heard sixteen miles round the
| rOnOtFV- The commissioners wnrp thor.
oughIy terrified oy this time' and thei'
horror was increased on the night OF the
ISL oi N0Senoe', M0eD burning logs o.
woou were tossed INTO u'esr oedS' paiiiutS
Of green, s1l1Klng water were thrown
mo 'he room, he FURNITURE was shat
tercu ana broken, cannon 'nuhoerco ~
tneir ears hke he OroaoSioes oi shlE
OF war; ana NOT only the commissioners
but every one N tEe helgh6orhood, Xers
agents couid'ssene H no 'o"geF-tnsy let.
the mouse, ana couio never oe PreVaileo
on to return
All these Signs anu wonders were
caused, IL was aterWarus discovered, oy
the ingenuity OF the commissioners OWL
secretary, Cosepn ColI'ns. ne knew a.
tue NAP-uooIs Inu sec. g. 2sssAgss :, ~ uls
mousse anu, WIN Tue a.s nls IeaiOw-ses,
vah% Pe,'oImcd All INC tt'Cks tast NAG
~ "'asIncu 'no coIn''lssiotefS ous I"
% 'nls uay enere % are son'e .n !" OA'o'usn.rs N:
|ho |i os''eve p,Tusly tnA', a'.er Ming
C"vries ueAin' gnos's naun'eu ;n. me-, nouSt Us
al No"us'ocA, an1 Wou'u nave Nl''eu Tue
eo',''i''Ss'o"1's "A" :"ey "ot leus"'e"' tn
1" A'"S .e"."'
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