Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-05-20
FATAL OMENS.

Does Misfortune Give Notice of its Coming
Not few old families pride them
selves upon inheriting certain omens
whereby they are warned of deaths APP
proach. Some are warned by meteor's
light, some by melancholy strains of
music floating from the mansion to die
away in the woods. A mysterious
knocking, never heard at any other time,
tells the lords of hampton that one 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 it's way up the Trent
toward Clifton Hall, is sign that one
of the 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
upon the battlements of Wardour Castle
If Devonshire Oxenham is about to
die, a white breasted bird futters over
the doomed ones head.
ABIGAIL BALLAD
relates how on the burial eve of Marga-
ret, heiress of the brave and generous
Sir James Oxenham, silver breasted
bird flew over the wedding guests Just
as Sir James rose to acknowledge their
congratulations. The next day the
bride fell dead at the altar, stabbed
by 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 white-breasted bird futter-
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 a lament on the hillside.
When death purposes visiting a Mclean,
of Tochbury, the unwelcome caller is
heralded by the spirit of slain ances-
tor ringing the bell on his fairy bride,
as he gallops twice round the old home
stead. AS a 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 a
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 asa
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 IA
mily 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, 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
pretty pale face and red dishevelled
hair, and was clad in the garment of
old-very 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. GA near relation" said
he, 'died last night in this castle. We
kept our expectation of the event from
you, lest it should throw cloud over
the cheerful reception due you. Now,
before such an event happens in the
family and castle, the female spectre
you saw
ALWAYS BECOMES VISIBLE.
She is believed to be the spirit of wom-
an OF inferior rank, whom one of my
ancestors married, and whom he after
ward caused to be drowned in the moat