The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1871-11-22
Phantom Armies.

~ ipii' VI AIpdiitioHS "uu w OE-
de.s," preserved in the British Muse
um, records that at Durham, on the
9Th of September, 1903, when the eve
ming sky was serene aud full of stars,
a strange and prodigious light spread
over its northwestern quarter, as if the
sun itself was shining; tl.cn came
strcamcrs which turned to armed men
ranked on horseback. j. EdmondSon,
the writer Of the Sroadsheet, adds: at
was thought they would see the appa-
rition better in Scotland, because it
appeared Il great way north; the
same" he continues gravely. twas
seen in the latter end of March, l70i,"
and the battle of Hochstatit followed
it. This must refer to the second bat
tie fought there, which we call Blen-
helm, when Marshal Tallaid was de-
feated and taken prisoner by Mailbo-
rough. But this wonderful light which
turned to armed men at Durham WAS
outlone by marvel at Churchill, Ok
fordshire, where lin the same collec-
tiuE) we find that, on the 9th of Janu-
airy, l705, four suns were all visible in
the air at once, ''sent for signs unto
Mankind" adds The publisher, Mr..
Tookey, of St. Christoplier's court,
"and having their Specifications of the
Lord. like the handwriting upon his
servant Daniel"
In 1874, man named D. Stricket,
when servant to Mr.. Lancaster, of
Blakehills, saw one evening, about
o'clock, troop of horse riding leisure
ly along Sonter Fell, in Cumberland
They were in close ranks, and before
long quickened their pace. AS this
man had been sharply ridiculcd as the
solitary beholder OF spectre horse
man in the same place in the prece-
ding year, he watched these strange
troopers for some time before he sum
moned his master from the house to
look at them. But before Strcket
spoke of what was to be seen, "Mr.
Lancaster discovered the aerial troop
crs," whose appearance was as plainly
visible to him as to his servant. ''The
visionary horsemen seemed to come
from the lowest part of Souter Fell,
and became visible at a place named
Knott: they moved in successive
troops Tor sQuadronS) along the side OF
the Fell till they came opposite TO
BlakehillS, where they went over the
mountain. They thus described kind
of curvilinear, with their first aud last
appearances being bounded by the
mountain" They were two hours in
sight and "this phenomenon was seen
by every person (twenty six in num-
ber) in every cottage within the dis
lance of mile" according to the
statement attested before magistrate
by Lancaster and StriCket, on the 2lst
of July, 1916.
During the middle of the last centu
~ oli-keeper in Perthshire affirmed
on oath, before certain justices of the
peace, that an entire regiment passeC
though lis tollgate at midnight; bu
as no such force had left any town il
the ncighborhood or arrived at any
other, or, in fact, were ever seen any
where but at his particular turnpike
the whole story was naturally treated
as dclusion; though the Highlander
sought in some way to connect thu
vision with the nnQuiet spirits otthOs'
who fought at CuIloden, for there, th'
peasantry aver, that Sin the soft twi
light of the summer evening, solitar.
ay.flrcrs, when passing near th'
burial mounds, have suddenly fount
themselves amid the smoke aud hurry
burly of a battle, and could recognize
the various clans engaged by their tar
tans and badges. On those occasions
a certain Laird of Caduthil was al
ways seen amid the fray on whit,
horse, and the people believe that once
again great battle will be Tough
there by clans, but, with whom, o
what about, no seer has ventured t.
predict"
Shadowy figures of armed men wer
seen in Stcckston forest, Yorkshire
prior to the war with France, as tn
Leeds Mercury and local prints re
cord +; and So lately as 1872 much curl
osity aud no small ridicule were excl
ted by the alleged appearance of !
phantom army i'll the vicinity of hard
working, prosaic Leeds, and all TIL
newspapers and magazines of the tim
show how much the story amused til
skeptical and occupied the attention q
the scientific.
Iy A country deacon went home on
evening, and complained to his wifi
that he had been abused down at til
store shamefully. One of the neigh
bors, he said, called him liar. lie
eyes flashed with Indignation.