The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-11-12
DAVE KoRDUES GHOST

4 Honderfil Story Of Yorkshire Superstition
The Phantom Fish and he Elfsh Or seen
b, tpo Yorkshire Salmon POachers--A
Huoe Beaa Dogs their FoOiaeps-Trying
TO Shear ShGdOl0- Extraordinary State
ments by Clear Headed Men.
From an occasional correspondent
GIsRoRoUaH, Yorkshire, October l9.-
throughout the hill-surrounded amphi-
theatre. in the centre of which the mar
ket-town of Gisborough is situated the
practice is prevalent of milling horse
Shoes TO doors of dwellings and houses to
keen away witches. Everywhere IN this
historic district-Where, by-the-by, the
alum manufacture was tirst introduced TO
England by Sir Thomas Chaloner, VINO
stole the secret from Rome, in Elizabeth,s
reign-the folklore student meets with
superstition-relics of ancient credulity-
lingering mementoes of ignOrances, but
little known to the present generation
However ridiculous some Of these super
stitions may appear, the present winter Is
10th TO treat them with levity, remember
ing the kindly sentiment OF the old pay
There's something in these ancient supersu1lonS
Which erring as Il is our fancy loves
Mine host Watson, Of the Roebuck ho-
tel-a tall, middle-aged, ru6y-iaced'
briqht-Witted Yorkshireman, with pre-
ternatural sagacity where se-bargain
Is concerned-having listened APPROX
ingly and acduiescently to my narrative
of the Wilton "Black Art" investigation,
published in The World OF June rs, says
aprubtly: ,,,y,,,.
the real estate broker at Saltburn by the
Sea. He has a wonderful story OF demo-
niacal experience of his own to relate II
Won can get him in the talkative Smood'
Saltburn, thenew watering place, is worth
visiting, and it's only five miles distant
| will lend you horse and trap you
can drive down tomorrow
Next day, noon found me in Mr.. Moons
office. He was at first dry and inquisl-
tive but an hour afterwards, over bot
tie Of excellent port, he thawed down,
and became sociable and garrulOus. Grad
ually introducing the sub bieCt of witchcraft
as we afterwards walked along the pic
turesuue terrace garden, he said
81 had very extraordinary eXperl'
ence of my own, some years since, not fai
from here. Take a walk with me, If you
have time, up Hole Beck, as far as MarskC
Mill-the scenery will repay you"
Said my companion, haltlngi
"Thirty years ago on o November NIGH
nv poor old friend Bob Railton and
came down here from Upleantham tC
spear salmon. 1t was poaching of cours(
there's no use denying it and if my
Lord Zetland's keepers had caught us w
would have had no end of trouble, Bu
we were young then, full-blooded, anC
daring; fleet of foot and quick OF eye ant
adopts at the spearing business. Many
lordly fish we had captured in thiI
stream before that night, and immunity
from interference had made us devil-may
care and defiant.
Bob lit UP his torch Of splintered pine
tied it to q pole, and held it splutterinl
and cleaning over the water, while l re
placed my shoes and stockings by pal
of wading boots
"By joYe, Bill |" he cried, make haste
there's a laundering BIZ glib (male) tisl
lying in the middle of the stream. He
| forty pounds if he's an ounce"
was soon wading in, armed with
three-pronged spear, and, allowing TO
refraction, | struck at the superb fish.
knew the depth of the water to a nicely
and / was never 80 much surprised INN!
life as when / found / had missed tina
stroke With more deliberate aim
struck again; and | missed again.
struck again, and again, and again-witl
eyer-increasing caution and deliberatiOn
but | could not touch that fish. Boj
Railton cursed like trooper.
"Come outp he cried take the torcl
and give me the spear; you're blind as
MOLE"
We changed places. He struck at TN
fish score of times, but he never touch
ed fin no scale of it.
Then he jumped on the bank, just her
and taw he was pale and shiverlng
"Bob," | says, "are you unwellY"
"Bill," he replied, 1--WE ought to hav
gone home before. felt it in my bone
all the time. That's no fish, " he said
there's something uncanny here"
was unsettled in my own mind Du
had read of optical illusions and tina
sort of thing, and / said to him;
Lets 60 higher up the stream to tn
Anglers Pass and try there"
He was very unwilling; but when ! be
gan to gibe him he consented. WOulu
Won believe it that when we reached tn
Anglers Pass-half u mile up, wher
we're going now-we both saw u precise
ly similar gib-salmon lying head up tn
| stream. NH.t 3.
''By the eternal Melchisedee" erie,
Bob, fits the same fish, or devil, or what
ever it is W
Just to cheer him said WAS of dii
ferent opinion but saw aud felt it wa
the. Same. Wen, a kind of nervous swea
broke out on me, so repeated to mysel
hurriedly, the Lords prayer, and at tn
/ petition, deliver us from evil, " ! steppe
1 calmly into the water and made a careful
1 vigorous lunge at the fish. | missed hin
however. He moved round about tn
pool little, as he had done before, an
4 again settled steadily head up stream.
4 struck again and again, but it was no U.s.
4 / could not touch that fish, although b
4 scarcely seemed to trouble himself to g
4 out Of my way. Then growing half ma
| and desperate, l struck at a stone one
fourth the size of the fish, just to see
my eyesight was right or not, ! hit tn
stone 30 Yiolentlyjthat broke one of tn
prongs Off the spear; but | could NJ
touch the fish. Nor was there anOtht
fish ofany kind to be seen. y ~
1t wasjinot until Bob Railton's tore
dropped from his trembling hands int
I the water and was extinguished, thu
either of Us noticed the moon was ou
Almost at the same moment we heard
rustling and cracking among the leave
and dry, fallen branches up over TIN
crag there. Glaneing hurriedly up wit
the expectation Of seeing Lord Zetland
keepers stealing down upon US, we behel
instead, large white OK, looking stead
ly at U.s. shall never forget that OK, ,n'
the feeling Of blank CONSERVATION tn
/ came over me when / saw the amin
| H. u Il