Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1872-06-28
Spectral Illusions Explained.

An OLD WluOW woman, llVlng IN re-
tired village, came one day to the parson
of the parish in state of great despon-
dency She said she had had "signal
warming and she was sure she would
soon be in her grave, for she was contin-
ually haunted by ''skeleton." The par
son having in vain tried to convince her
that she was under delusion, set about
a systematic examination of her eyes. He
first made her shut her left eye, and then
asked her if she still saw 1.-THE skeleton. :"
Y cs, there it was still" He then made
her close her right eye and open her left.
when to her astonishment the apparition
had vanished. After several repetitions
of this experiment the old woman became
convinced that the dreaded skeleton was
due to some defect in her right eye. She
returned home much consoled, and all the
better for her 'signal warning" and its
lessons. She no longer dreaded the
''bogy." for whenever she wanted to get
rid of itshe had nothing to do but to wink
at it. A very singular story is related by
Sir W. Scott, but with a more tragical
termination. A gentleman. lawyer of
good standing in his profession. and pos
sesscd of high intelligence and good sense.
was observed by his friends to be suffer-
ing from a profound dependency. the
cause of which he refused to explain
Being at length prevailed upon to confde
to his physician the secret of his depres-
sion, he declared himself haunted by per-
scouting visions. so painful and so abhor-
rent, that to use his own words, "his rea-
son was totally inadequate to combat the
effects of his morbid Imagination, and he
was sensible that he was dying, wasted
victim to an imaginary disease" The
visions, it appeared, had first begun to
haunt him some two or three years before,
when he found himself embarrassed from
time to time by the presence of large
cat, which within the course of few
months was succeeded by gentleman ush-
er in full court dress, with bag and sword,
tamboured waistcoat, and chapeau bras
After some time this visitant was followed
by one far more horrible to the sight&nd
distressing to the imagination-a grisly
skeleton, the image of death itself ''Alone
or in company" said the poor invalid, "the
presence of the last phantom never quits
me. | in vain tell myself hundred times
over that it is no reality, but merely an
image summoned up by the morbid acute
ness of my own excited Imagination and
deranged organs of sight: science, phi
losophy, even religion. has no cure for
such disorder, and [ feer too surely that
[ shall die the victim to so melancholy a
disease. although I have no belief what
ever in the reality of the phantom which
it places before me- In what part of
the chambe inquired the physician, do
you now conceive the apparition to ap-
pearl" Immediately at the foot of nv
bed" answered the invalid. "When the
curtains are left little open, the skeleton
appears to fill the vacant space" "You
say you are sensible of the delusion, " said
his friend; "have you frmness to convince
yourself of the truth of this? Can you
take courage enough to rise and place
yourself in the spot so seeming to be oc-
cupied. and convince yourself of the ill.,
sion" The patient heaved sigh and
shook his head. WELL" continued the
physician, ave will try the experiment
otherwise. y" Accordingly he arose from
his chair by the bedside, and placing hia-
self between the two half-draw cur
tains at the foot of the bed indicated as
the position of the phantom, inquired whe-
Their the apparition were still visible. mot