The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-04-28

at BOdmin for the murder of her husband, |
crime to which she had been instigated by q |
householder, known in the district as Yorkshire |
Jack. On the scaffold the man appeared, and |
kissed his paramour before the bolt was drawn.
1t was said that he had there promised to join |
her after death. The householder went to sea, |
and on his return from the Mediterranean in a |
truit-ship, was washed off the deck by an enor- |
nous and supernatural wave, and presently, in
a lightning cloud the sailors saw the Devil, |
Sarah Polgrain, and Yorkshire Jack pass away
out of sight. Bad weather in Ludgvan is still
attributed to the eXertions of Sarah Polgrain.
There is a curious superstition also at Corn
hilly, on the lizard promontory. On large,
lonely piece of water there, known as Croft
Pasco-PoOl, >" there is sometimes seen by night
ehostly vessel with lug-sas spread. "The Ghost
OF Rosewarne' dates from the reign OF James 4,
when Ezekiel Crosse, q low attorney, fraudu-
lently obtained the estate. The ghost of one of
the Rosewarnes appeared to HIM as an old man,
and led him to cairn containing treasure. lie
used to appear to Crosse constantly afterwards
when he was dining with his friends, to whom
he had always TO represent the ghost as an
idlotic and deaf and dumb intruder. Worn out
at last by this spiritual persecution, the attorney
surrendered the ill-gotten estate to a person of
the ghosts showing. Crosse eventually, II is
said, destroyed himself and the ghost appeared
ard reioiced as the bad mans funeral was pass.
ing by the treasure carn.
Let us now turn to the legends of the miners,
since two-thirds OF the Cornshmen spend half
their days underground. All tinworkers believe
in "the Knockers ~ or "Buccas," spirits who in
dicate productive lodes by blows with invisible
picks and sledges. They are supposed to be the
ghosts OF those old ews who cruciied our Lord,
and were sent as slaves by the Roman emperors
to work the Cornish mines. 1t IS certain that
Jews iarmed the mines in the days of the early
Norman KINGS. The miners say they often see
little imps dancing and tumbling about the
mine timber when they come to work. Every
mine has its own tradition At Wheal Vor a
white rabbit always appears in one of the engine
houses before fatal accident; it has been often
chased, but never caught. About thirty years
a mo mi a m q hO we
blown to pieces while blasting. The engineman,
shocked at the mere fragments of flesh that were
alone lett, took them on shovel, and threw
them into the blazing furnace. From that time,
the eneinemau declared that troops of little
black dogs haunted the place, whether 1t was
open or shut; and it was found difficult to get
men enough 10 work the machine.
At Wheat Jewel, a dead hand used to be seen
carrying lighted candle, and moving up and
down the ladders. 1t appeared after a rather
bad fellow had fallen down the mine, and been
killed. After a suicide at Polbreen mine, near
st. Agnes Beacon voice used to appear begml-
ing the workmen. On one occasion, however,
it mercifully called two men from level where
a mass of rock soon after fell.
The fishermen round the wild headlands OF
Cornwall have their legends also for sailors,
living as they do, on an element full of myste-
rles, are pIoyerbially superstitious. pilot at
st. Ives told Mr.. Hunt story OF how one mid
night, strolling on the wharf to watch a vess ell,
afterwards wrecked, that he had to take into
Hayde, he saw man, who refused to speak,
leaning against post. On looking closer, the
pilot saw that there were pieces OF seaweed and
stick in his whiskers; that the flesh of his face
and hands looked as if it were parboiled; and
that as he walked the water "squashed" in his
shoes. The pilot was i'll six months from the
fright occasioned by this apparition. All along
the Cornish coast the phantom ship is also
thoroughly believed in. Years ago, a vessel
made signals Of distress to the westward of St.
Ives Head. On reaching the ship, which was
schooner-rgged, and had light over her
bows, one OF the sailors made grasp at her
bulWarks, in order to leap on board; but
his hand met nothing solid, and he fell back into
the boat as the ship and lights disappeared. The
next morning London vessel was wrecked at
Gwithian, and all on board perished. The Phan-
tom Llghts-called by the sailors Jack Harry's
lightsn-are generally seen before gale, and
the ship beheld resembles the one that is subse
queutly wrecked.
A. Forthcurno Cove near the Logan Stone
there is sometimes seen, when the mists are
rising from the Marshes a black square-rigged
vessel, with no one on board, that gides over
the sands to Bodelan and Chygwiden, and there
vanishes. On whoever sees It, ill-luck is sure to
fall. The Dead Ship is another superstition pecu-
liar to Cornwall. Years ago pirate too wicked
even for his companions, was put on shore in
| the Priests Cove, near Cape Cornwall. Settling
| at Tregaseal, the wretch lived by wrecking-
beguilIng vessels with false lights, and murder
| ing those who escaped the waves. When this
man lay dying, black vessel, with all her sails
| set, was seen coming into the land against wind
| and tide; but as the man iell back and died, il
bore out to sea again in a whirlwind, and sur
| rounded by lightning. At the funeral black
| pig suddenly Joined in the procession. When
| the men reached the church stile, the storm
| again broke out and the bearers, leaving the
coffin without the churchy ard stile, rushed into
the church for safety. Then came blaze and
flash ten times hercer than the rest, and the
| coffin was seen to fly burning through the air.
The huge greensboro rocks OF an island near
| st. Ives are connected with curious supersti-
ton. Some years ago vessel was wrecked
there. The men who went off to the rescue
found on board lady, who held child in her
| arms She refused 10 part with her charge; and
| in drawing her by a rope from the vessel 70 the
boat, the child was lost in the boiling waters.
| On recovering her senses, and hearing OF the
child's death, the lady pined away, and soon
after died. Shortly after her burial, however,
her spirit was seen to pass over the wall OF the
churchyard, traverse the beach, and walk on to
the island. There she spent hours looking among
the rocks, and as day broke, returned to the
land, and disappeared near her grave. When
the nights are very tempestuOus or dark, she
carries a corpse-light for q lantern; but on tine
nights she makes her search without a light
This apparition is supposed to predict disasters
| TO Seamen,
Nor are the hardy sailors of Cornwall without
other Cmens and warnings. The parts OF the
shore where wrecks have taken place are often
haunted. At night, before the coming of storms,
the voices Of dead sailors are heard calling then
own names.
Forth Towan is the scene of q wild belief A
fisherman walking one night on the sands, when
all was silent, except the hp and whisper or the
tide, distinctly heard a voice from the sea, en-
claiming three times:-'The hour is come, but
not the MANI At that moment black hgure
appeared on the top OF the cliff, then rushed i'm
petuously down the steep path, over the sands,
and was lost in the sea.
Very often local phenomena have given rise
| 10 supeTstitions intended to account for them.
AT Semen Cove there is sometimes seen band
nfn CtWN AhsUY t1k0n