The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1871-07-08
The Harvard College Ghost.

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Old Harvard, in our time, though fre~
guently troubled with spirits, suffered no
annoyance whatever with ghosts. Sci
ence aud unbeliei had frightened them all
away. aud the increase of population had
lett no secluded spot in all Cambridge
suitable for ghosts promenade. Still
however. there fingered some old tradi-
tions OF ghosts in former times, who had
made these classic shades their haunt
ghosts real aud fictitious. Among these
of the latter description, one has still
dwelt in our memory from the narrative
Of the lamented artist, Washington Ais
ton Theestory is in substance as fol-
lows:
IN those reunions which used so often
to take place in the students chambers.
for conversation, cigar-smokins, and
social enjoyment, the subject of ghosts
had been very frequently discussed
Some students from tue country told long
and dreadful stories, well authenticated
by their grandmothers and maiden aunts,
OF real, veritable ghosts appearing in the
old fashioned Legitimate way, dressed in
long white robes and making appalling
revelations of crimes and hidden treas
| ures, and then vanished Instantly
going off without beat of drum, and leav-
ing the astonished and Mortified spectator
in the most pitiable state.
To these narratives many of the stu
dent auditors would seriously incline"
while others counterfeited belief, in order
to induce Ihe narrators to afford them
more entertainments of the same sort In
fact, on one occasion the whole cote,ie,
with single exception, declared their
unqualified belief in ghosts. The stories
that they had just heard were too accu-
rate, circumstantial, aud authentic, to be
doubted. There was no withstauding
the accumulation of evidence. The
single dissenter from this opinion, how
ever, stubbornly declared that there
must be some mistake The thing was
too absurd in itself to gain his belief.
! He would never believe in ghosts till hr
should see one with his own eyes. As
for fearing them ..lIe would like to see
the ghost that could fris shteD him
One of his fellow students, as far from
real belief in SUI ernafnral appearances
as himself. resolved, nevertheless, to put
the hero's courage to the proof.
Accordingly ON the next evening after
that when this remark able conversation
took place, at u very late hour. he dress
ed himself up inswhitc, aud quietly glided
into the CHAMBER of his companion who
was lying alone in his bed aud wide
! awake.
The ghost-student, knowing that his
friend always slept with loaded pistols
under his pillow, had previously taken
care to draw out the bullets from them /;
for he was too Well acquainted With the
impetous character of the other To doubt
that he would use them on such an occa-
sion. On the appearance of the spectre
the hero sat up IN bed aud very dellhcr-
ately took survey OF him, well as the
struggling n1pnbeau, misty light
s!,lniu. in at the windows would permit
| The ghost gldrd across the roam. and
standing before the bed raised his hand
in an awful aud menaciug niaHner, ac
cor1ing to the most approved fashion of
ghoStdou- Still the whole performance
failed TO shake the frm nerves OF the
Harvard ghost seer. lie only laughed.
aud shouted aloud III meIudramatic form
Of speech. Vanish fear you not -
The spectre was mo.inDle.s, still stand
ing and gazing upon him with gha-ily
masked face Our horo, at length, de-
termined to put the apparition to the
proof, and '.teach him never to come
there no more," took one of the pistols
from beneath his pillow and fred it point
flank 10 the spectre's face. When the
smoke cleared away-there stood the
grim figure, AS before, immovable and
apparently invulnerable. Instansta
neously the appalling belief came over the
mind of the unhappy beholder that he
was actually in the presence of spirit
from the other world. All his precon-
ceived opinions-all his habits of thought,
all his vaunted courage vanished at once.
His whole being was changed and he
instantly fell into the most frightful con-
WILSON'S
HIS companion. who had been watch-
ing the effect Of his experiment, BECAME
alarmed In his turn, called in others from
the entry who had participated in the
illtimed joke. Medical aid was called in,
aud every appliance resorted to for his
covery. But it was all in vain. Con-
vulsion succeeded convulsion and the
unfortunate youth never recovered suffi
clent consciousness to be made aware of
the trick that had been played upon him,
until the melancholy scene was closed by
his untimely death
This story has its moral The mind
Of mau is too delicate and complicated a
structure to be tauipeIed with by expert
NETS of this description. Whatever may
be ones opinion Of ghosts, it is danger
Gus to counterfeit any thing Of this KIND
for the purpose Of producing terror in
the mind OF another.
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