Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-05-21
FATAL OMENS.

FATAL OMENS.
Does Misfortune dive Notice Of It's Coming {
Not few old families pride them
selves upon inheriting certain omens
whereby they are warned of deaths ap-
proach. Some are warned by a meteor
light, some by melancholy strains of
music floating from the mansion to die
away in the woods. A mysterious
knocking, never heard Mt any other time.
tells the lords of hampton that ono of
their race is bound for the silent land.
A stamping by unseen feet on the pal
ace floor predicts death in the family
of the ducal house of Modena. A stur-
geon forcing its way up tho Trent
toward Clifton Hall, is sign that one
of tho Cliftons of Nottinghamshire will
have to put on mourning. Some days
before the death of the heir of the
Breretons, the trunk of tree is to be
seen floating on the lake near the fam
lily mansion. Two giant owls perch
upon the battlemcnts of War.lour Castle
when nh Arunders last hour has come.
If Devonshire Oxenham is about to
die, white-breasted bird Autters over
the doomed ones head.
ALoCAL BALLAD
relates how on the burial eve of Marga-
ret, heiress of the brave and generous
Sir james Oxenham, q silver breasted
bird flew over tho wedding guests Just
as Sir James rose to acknowledge their
congratulations. The next day tho
bride fell dead at the altar, stabbed
by q discarded lover. Howell saw a
tombstone in stone cutters shop in
Fleet Street, in 1862, inscribed with the
names of sundry persons, who thereby
attested the fact that John Oxenham,
Mary, his sister, James, his son, and
Elizabeth, his mother, had each and all
died with breasted bird flutter-
ing over their beds. A family of Loeb
RAMA, Arran, knows when one of their
kin is about to die, by an invisible pip
er playing lament on the hillside.
When death purposes visiting Mclean,
OF TOchbury, the unwelcOme caller is
heralded by the spirit of a slain ances-
tor ringing the bell on his fairy bride.
as he gallops twice round the old home
stead. As rule, death-announcing
phantoms are of the femenine gender.
No Lady Holland expects to shuttle off
this mortal coil until she sees shadowy
counterfeit presentment of herself.
The Middletons, of Yorkshire, as be-
comes an ancient Catholic house, have
Benedictine nun to apprise them of q
reduction in the number of the Middle
tons. A weeping, moaning, earthly
sprite warns the Stanleys of the
death of distinguished member Of the
family.
A HAIRY-ARMED GIRL
called May Moullach, brings alike the
same sad news to the Grants, of Grant,
the Bodach-am-dun, otherwise the
ghost of the hill, performs the Office for
the Grants Rothiemurcus, and most old
highland families boast their own fa-
mi!y banshee, whose wailing, screaming
and weeping, tells them the head Of
the house must make room for his heir.
Lady, Fanshaw visiting the head of an
Irish sept in his moated baronial
grange, was made aware that banshees
are not peculiar in Scotland. Awakened
at midnight by an awful unearthly
scream, she beheld by the light of the
moon, q female form at the window of
her room, which was too far from the
ground for any woman of mortal
mould to reach. The creature owned
q pretty pale face and red dishevelled
hair, and was clad in the garment of
delivery old-Ireland. After exhibit
ing herself for some time, the interest
ing creature shrieked twice and van.
ished. When Lady Fanshaw told her
host what she had seen he was not at
all surprised. "A near relation" said
he, "died last night in this castle. We
kept eur expectation of the event from
you, lest it should throw cloud over
the cheerful reception due you. Now,
before such On event happens in the
family and castle, the female spectre
you saw
ALWAYS BECOMES VISIBLE,
She is believed to be the spirit of WON.
an of inferior rank, whom one of my
ancestors married, and whom he after.
ward caused to be drowned in the moat,
to expiate the dishonor done to our
race" If all banshees originated in the
same way, the less the proprietors of
such things ,brag of the matter, the bet
ter.-AN the Year R0u2d.