The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-02-03
Az ABBOTT GHOSTS.


scnal knowledge as it is possible to be
without being the actual object of the ex-
traordinary interferences narrated.
There was residing, some years ago, at
an insignificant town in the Northern
Counties, widow lady who occupied a
small house alone with her young children.
Tie even calmness and self possession of
her disposition, the absence In her of ev~
erything approaching nervousness or hys>
terra, and her extreme good sense, would
eptireIy dissipate any suspicion Of weak
ness or unusual susceptibility Of mind, or
of her possessing tendencies beiitting her,
according to popular notions, TO be the
subject of any spiritual or supernatural
revelation. She was sleeping, or rather
dozing in "A half unconscious state, in bed,
with one of her children, at night, when
she felt her reason overpowered by an
oveI mastering influence, as though she
were seized with fit Immediately there
was presented to her mind a vision of ter
ribe disinctness. She saw three men
. struggling desperately in the water of some
deep and rapid stream, and in all the ag>
onies of Tie last gasp for life The vision
was but momentary, but sufficient for her
TO observe distinctly and with minuteness
the desparingly distorted features of each
in q manner SO vivid and impressive that
they were never effaced in ali their clear
ness from her memory. On returning 10
consciousness, the feeling of reality cre>
ated was SO exciting that she was unable
to obtain any further rest but dressing
herself, sUent the remainder of The night
in passing about the house, in great per-
turbatiOn Of mind, IN the endeaYor to res
cover from the terrifying effects of her VII
sion. When daylight began to dawn, she
opened the shutters of lower room look
ing on 10 the town street, and before clos
ing the window observed a person, whom
she recognized, running hastily down the
street. He told her that just then the
bodies of three drowned men were being
taken out of the river adjoining the town.
Deeply affected with the coincidence, she
sought and obtained an opportunity of
viewing the corpses during the day They
were those of three strangers TO the vicin-
ity, who, engaged in some poaching ven~
ture in the uelghborhood, and being puE-
sued, had plunged into the river, which,
rapid and uniordable, and had 60 met with
their death. In them she recognized at
once the very faces that had been so plain
ly represented TO her mind in her vision
of the night previous.
In another case, married lady, resid>
ing in a remote country district in Line
colushire, had bestowed her charity, and
taken deep interest in poor and fiend-
less sIranger-woman, who, advanced in
years, had seen bt tier days, an1 who,
struggling with starvation, persistenty re-
fused to apply fer, or receive, parish ass
sistance Her great fear-a dread which
haunted her perpetualIy-was that after
death she would be submitted to the In
dignity of a paupers burial. On this
theme she continually dweIt TO her bcne>
factor, and she extracted from her SOL
emn promise that after death she would
secure for her decent and respectable in
terment.
The hopa of obtaining little present
aid for necessities led her a short distance
away from her friend for some length of
time. Dnring this period, IN the middle
of one night, whilst tile lady was passing
from her own chamber 10 her children's
nursery, she suddenly saw on the landing
betvvoan tho Two rooms. with great dis
tInctness, what she took TO be the form of
her old dependant, who had for some time
escaped her memory, regarding her with
look of most anxious supplcation. The
reader will, Of course, guess the sequel of
the story, which is, however, a veritabie
fact. When the lady with her husband
on the following day, deeply impressed
with this circumstance, sought oGt the lit
tie hut in which the poor woman had been
a resident since her removal, ,Ihey found the
parish assistants preparing her corpse for
its funeral, and the promise SO singularly
exacted thus strangely obtained It's tullil~
mcut.
There lived some years ago in one of
the large towns in the north. a lad, who,
in his later years, was well known by
many now living. beginning life as an
errand boy in an Office of large business,
his merit soon became apparent and was
acknowledged and in the same Office he
ventually became a partner of the firm,
he had served His only parent from in
faacy was his mother, left in wretched
circumstances in life, bat toiiing for, low
ing with an enSrossing intensity Of devo-
ton, and wholly wrapped in the fortunes
of her only son. His base indifference
and disregard of her did not check, but
seemed to heighten her affection. In her
sons prosperity, and her age, and the
great infrmity induced by her privations,
she was the inmate of public almshouse.
But here her sole thought and converse
ton was Of the son. Having at last be-
came bedridden, she was visited by the
vicar of the parish one day, at a time
after she had been supposed to be uncon-
scious. He entered into conversation with
her, and with food of tears-but tears
of resignation-she told him that her boy
was dead, that she had seen it all-that