Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1869-01-01
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BILLY M0RGiN'Si GHOST.

BILLY M0RGiN'Si CHOSE. iso'
sai3J .i--s1zfxp I4.--1- on y19Vsia .5aen
Tn the year 1901, a seaman named
William Morgan enlisted on board a
United States frigate for three years
cruise in the Mediterranean. He was an
awful looking person, six feet four
inches high, with a long, pale. wrinkled
visage, sunken eyes, thick black hair
standing on end, with white, prominent,
and irregular teeth 1t was impossible
to define the color of his eyes; Ills voice
was sepulchral; on his right arm was en-
graved certain mysterious devices, and
his tobacco box was of iron.i He entered
ON Friday, the frigate was launched on
Friday, the master carpenter who built
her was born and died on Friday, and
the squadron went out to sea on Friday.
These IA condolences, added to s. its
singular appearances, caused the sail
ors to look upon Morgan with
some degree of wonder, mingled
with suspicion. During the voyage to
Gibralter, his conduct increased this
feeling. He wentwithout food for days
together at least he was never seen to
eat, and if he slept it was without shut
ting his eyes or lying down. His ship
mates, one and all, declared that, wake
at what time of the night they would,
Morgan was seen sitting bolt.upright in
his hammock, with hisgeyes glaring and
wide OPEN When in watch upon deck,
he would stand still for an hour at time,
gazing on the stars or the ocean, and,
when reused, fell fiat on the deck in a
swoon. w hen he revived; he preached
and talked incoherent rhapsody. He
often limited that he had as many lives
as cat, and more than once offered let
himself be hanged for disqualification of
his messmates. He had zalso frequent
frances, during which he lay stiff and
rigid, with. all the appearances of death.
These things at length reached the
ears of Captain R----., who idooked
upon them as mere tricks, and the next
time Morgan got into a trance confined
him for twenty four hours, stopped his
grog and devised .sundry other. punish
ments. One day. about half way across
the Atlantic, and the frigate several
leagues ahead of the squadron, there
was an alarm, of the magazine being on
fire. Morgan was just coming on deck
with a spoon in his hand, for some pur-
pose or other, when, hearing the cry, he
made one spring overload. The fire
was soon extinguished, but, in the con
/ fusion, no effort was made to save Nor
gan. As a matter of course, he was
drowned. Two days after, one. of the
ships of the Squadron came up, and sen
a boat along side with Billy on board
Twelve hours after his leap, he hac
been found swimming gallantly Will
the spoon diinH his hand, which h,
said he held fast that he nigh
help himself to salt water when b,
was dry.sa After this the sailor,
felt convinced that Morgan was deaf
man come to life again, and that it woult
| be difficult to kill him i'm any ordinary
I. waysq He continued shisi ipranks, star
gazing and swoons, for which be wa
severely punished. Atllast, as they ap
preached Gibraltar. he solemnlys an
nounced to his messmates that he In
1 tended to drown himself again with tn
first opportunity He made his will
dressed himself in his best, and settle,
all his affairs. He also replenished hi
Tobacco box, put his allowance of bis
cult in his pocket, and filled a small can
teen with water whieh-he slung rount
his neck, saying. that perhaps he Nigh
jtake itsinte his head to livetwo orthre,
days in the sea before he finally betool
himself to Davyf jones' locker.91T Tha
same night between twelve and one, Nor
gan was distinctly seen to come up th'
hatchway, climb up 1.-The bulwark, ant
drop into the ocean. Z A midshipman ant
two sailors testified to, the facts, and
Morgan being missing the next morning
no doubt existed. of his suicide, Of iiils3
The talk and wonder were beginning
to subside, when, one night, about >,
week after, the figure of Morgan in we
clothes, with sunken eyes and cadave-
rous visage, was seen by one of hi
messmates, who happened to be laying
awake, to emerge slowly, from the for
part of the ship, approach one of th'
tables where there, was can o
water, take hearty draught, and disap
pear in the direction whence it came
The sailor told this the, next morning
but. as yet, very few believed him. Tn
! next night, precisely the same thin
occurred, and was seen by differen
person. The story came to the ears @
Captain R, who, under the convic
ltion that Morgan's drowning himse
had been deceptive, ordered the strictes
search to be made throughout the frig
ate, but without any discovery. Th
ghost continued to appear, evading car
ture or surprise. Once, it emptied
tobacco box, and at another time mad
free with fragments of supper which ha
not been cleared away. In the Bay c
Algesiras it spoke, and offered its han
to messmate, and saying "Good by
Tom," vanished as usual.
By this time the whole crew wer
terror stricken, afraid of their shadow.
and even the officers began to share tn
infection. The's sailors were permitted t
take an occasional turn on shore. I
the Tom Brown named above, Morga
had left his watch and chest of clothe:
Strolling down dark lane, in the sub
urbs of Algesiras, he heard well-know
voice call out, "Tom, d-n your eyes
Don't you know your old messmate 2
Tom recognized the tones, and, turnin
, round, saw himself confronted by Bill,
Morgan's ghost. Having no wish to re
new the acquaintance, he took to hi
heels, without looking to see if the ghos
gave chase, ran to the boat, and told til
story as soon as he could find breath. ],
his birth, that very night, the ghost.vis
tied him again, passed its cold wet han'
over Toms face, who bawled Justify, bu
the apparition absconded before help ar
rived, muttering in a hollow whisper
"You shall see me at Malta" s"e i1saa
| After some weeks, the frigate camest
the last named place. AS nothing ba'
IL L.