Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1869-05-21
NJ is OH LA NY
A GENUINE GHOST STORY.

worth Wales. 1t was tho dullest of places.
and should nearly have died Of cnnui were
At moi, being familiar with the language, I
was able to get acquainted with the people
ana study their household habits and house
hold lore.
Many were the strange tales they told as
we sat around the cheerful peat-Grc in the
long autumn cvenings-talcs of fairies and
goblins; OF spirits and demons; of corpse
candles and wraiths Of witchcraft and gla'
MOI of tho evil eye. Most of these made
little impression beyond the moment, but the
following, partly because the man who told
it was intelligent beyond his station, partly
because it seemed to illustrate a characters.
Ito feature of Welsh supcrstition-intcrcsted
me so much that the outline, and, with some
exceptions, tho exact words, became firmly
fixed in memory. If Robert Pritchard, this
was the story.teller's name, still walks in the
hes'', and should chance to SEQ these pages,
he will do me the justice to bear witness that
! have faithfully reported him.
You don't believe in ghosts? lido. When
you have heard my story you shall judge
whether my belief is we'll founded.
You know Wclshmcn are supcrstitious.-
The belief in supernatural apparitions is sa-
croaly cnshrincd every glen and mountain
defle, and ruin has its familiar spritc. There
is not a town or hamlct-thcrc is hardly q
farm house or cottage, from the Dec to the
Severn, but boasts its began. To deny that
tlfe spirits of dead men walk the earth at
night, is accounted the rankest hcrcsy. Yet
l was an unbclievcr. | would argue by the
hours against the possibility of such thing
ns u visitation from the other world. And it
was not mere bravado. | can truly say that
/ feared neither man nor devil. Many and
many q time have I put my hardihood to the
test by visiting haunted places in the dead of
night, sometimes simply to show my more ii.
morous companions how superior I was to the
common infrmities of mankind. I spent one
whole night lying in wait for the famous de
mon, Cadcr Idris, on the very track of his
goblin rounds. Another time 1 slept in ON
old ruined mill, where the spirit of the muir.
dered Rcllin Cock held nightly revcl. A
few weeks later, I made a bet that I would
pass the small hours in the society Of the ter.
rible Bwgan Uchy Myndd-a ghost whose
unearthly shrieks were wont, on stated nights,
to disturb tho sleep of the good people for
miles arouhd-and won. Finally 10 cap the
climax of my audacity, I went out one wild
night to meet the spectral %smugglcr Of Macn
Molit, who, according to universal report,
was accustomed to ply his old trade-anchor
his shadcwy craft in the cove and land his
shadowy cargo. Yet, nor ghost nor goblin
came near me.
But / was destined to have q far different
more terrible experience. An old man
Hu Hirman was found murdered in his cabin
one morning. lie was a strange creature
half savage, half idiot, who lived alone, his
only companion an enormous ill-favored black
cat. He had the appearance of the most alb.
ject poverty, yet it was generally believed
that he possessed considerably money conceal.
cd somewhere about the premises. The more
ignorant of his %neighbors insisted that he had
dealings with Evil the One, and some went ev.
On 80 far as to affirm that he came to his death
by no mortal hand. A bclatcd peasant, 20.
Ing home from the village tavern after a more
than usually heavy orgie, declared that as he
passed the hut he saw tho old man struggling
with his Satanic majesty, in tho shape of q
gigantic black cat and as tho cat, his only
companion, was seen no more after tile muir
der, the story gained considerable crcdcnce
The authorities, however, took q somowha
different Wow of the case. An examination
OF the body revealed an ugly wound on tn
side Of the head, as if inflicted with a bludg
con. Suspicion rested on worthless fellow
named Dick Wirion, (Dick the foolish) VIII
was seen providing about the place on tn
evening of tho tragedy. Iic was arrested
brought, according to tho custom of tn
country, to the presence Of the murdered
man, and made to stand over it. According
t. the time hcuored test, if tho prisoner il
innocent tho dcfunct ''makcs no sign - i
guilty tho wound opens and a squirt of bloot
flies on the person. Poor Dick was hit squar,
in the face with a thin stream of gorc, fell I,
tho floor in a fit and was carried back to pris
ION. A bloody club WINS found back of hi
cabin, several sovercigns wcrc takon from hi
pocket, which, added to the accusation of tn,
corpse, seemed to make the case against hin
AvaAo ~.sl~-. T-II 49, JILL E