Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-03-22

Samuel for the entertainment of Saul
At other times they present themselves
unsolicited, as in the case of Banquo's
ghost and the ghost of Hamlet's father.
In most instances there are good and
sufficient reasons for the ghost appear
ance to be found in the Unsatisfactory
condition of his affairs at the tine Of his
death, or in the gross wrongs and injus-
tice which had been perpetrated upon
him while living. But in very many
cases ghosts come back without any sort
of rhyme or reason, and seem to take
malicious pleasure in supernatural
frolicking.
Wefdo not know that ghosts are given
TO whiskey, but many of them certainly
behave very inexplicably. Perhaps it is
because, as disembodied spirits, they are
T" out of their heads" There is no ac-
counting for the freaks and whims of
ghosts, and we have never yet seen any
one who could keep the run of them.
Sometimes they come about because they
have been treated badl.g; at other times
it seems TO be gratitude for good treat
ment which attracts them around the
places of their former abode. They are
prompt to reward kindness and avenge
wrongs done to them in the flesh. They
are singularly inconsistent, at times, in
their behavior, and often make no dis
elimination between friends and foes in
the dispensation of their annoyances.
Generally they travel without the embar-
rassment of their earthly tabernacle,
but occasionally they lug it along with
them, to the offense and disgust of decent
society.
An exceptional case Of this character
recently occurred at Grand Traverse,
Michigan, which is backed up by the
sworn affidavits of several respectable
witnesses. A spiritual mediumess of
that place, whose husband was stub
born disbeliever in the manifestations,
assured him, in her dying breath, that
she would re-appear to him in her body,
at his death, to convince him Of the
truth of her belief. Some time after this
he was taken sick, and spiritual
rumpus was kept up in the house until
after his decease, which soon followed.
just before his death, which occurred at
midnight, heavy and irregular steps
were heard in the hall, the door was
burst open and the stenchful remains of
a human body, reeking with putresence,
stalked into the room, and in a muffied
voice reminded the dying man of the
promise, and, as he died, fell horrid
mass upon thesfoor.
An examination of her grave proved 1t |
to be empty. Our Western exchanges
tell us that the story created intense ex-
citement, and the house where the affair |
was said to have occurred was burned |
to the ground by the friends of the family. |
But as we have intimated ghosts do not |
generally appear nthis way. This is the
first instance land we are well posted in
ghosts in which we ever heard of COB
lin bringing in his corpus along with him
and leaving itupon the haunted premises
And the action Of the wife seems to have
been wholly unnecessary in this case; for
as the husband was in the act of follow
ing her to the land of spirits at the time
of her visitation, he would soon have
learned whether she had told him the
truth or not
Nearly all neighborhoods and commu-
mites have their ghost legends. There is
q locality not far from Charlottesville,
which is reputed to be an old Indian
burying-ground, where the ghost of an
cid warrior called Chillis is said to raise
the war-whoop and perform other strange
antics every night
While we were rubbing our heads
against the walls Of the University,
party of adventurous students thought
they would investigate the habits of Chill
lis So one night they visited his stamp
ing ground With nervous apprehension
and excitement they approached the
spot, and sure enough, they were greeted
with something between whoop and
sereech, which proceeded from white
object with horns and feathers upon its
head They took to their heels, of course,
but subsequently learned that the source
of their terror was the whistling of the
wind through the cavities of an old ox's
skull, which had been put on the top of
a stump.
We believe that most ghosts can be
by a good cudgel or Colts
revolver and the demonstration of sufi-
cient nerve for their employment -
Richmond Times.