The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-07-30

A gentleman now living in Edinburg,
but formally resident of the High
lands, and we'll versed in it's superstitions
and folklore, sends the Inverness Cour-
Ter the following notes from his COM
monplace book on the curious belief of
the Highlanders in ''Faire Chlaidh," or
watching the dead:
In many parts of the Highlands it
is believed to this day that the last per-
son buried has to perform the duty of
sentinel over the church-yard, and that
to him the guardianship of the spirits of
those buried before is in some degree
committed. This post he must occupy
until tenant of the tomb releases him.
1t is not esteemed an enviable position,
but one to be escaped if possible;
consequently if two neighbors die
on the same day, the surviving
relations made great efforts to be first
in closing the grave over their friend.
| remember an old nurse, who was
mourning the death Of sweet girl whom
she had reared, exclaiming with Joy,
when she heard, on the day after her
funeral, of the death Of parishioner
4 thank God my dear darling will have
to watch the grave no longer! A lu-
dicrous but striking illustration of this
strange notion occurred some years ago
in the parish of A. An old man
and an old woman, dwelling in the same
township, but not on terms of friendship
for the lady, Kate Ruadh, was more
noted for antipathy than attachments
were both at the point of death. The
good mans friends began to clip his
nails, an Office always performed just as
a person is dying. He, knowing that
his amiable neighbor was, like himself,
on the verge Of the grave, reused him
self to last effort and exclaimed !:
stop, stop; you know not what use
may have for all my nails in compelling
Kate Ruadh to keep Faire Chlaidth in
place of doing it myself. ?" In the sta
tistical account of Scotland, xiv, 2lO,
Parishes of Kilfinichen and Kilviceuen,
county of Argyll, we read: ''The in
habitants are by no means superstitious,
yet they still retain some opinions
handed down by their ancestors, per-
haps from the time of the Druids. 1t
is believed by them that the spirit of
the last person buried watches around
the churchyard till another is buried,
to whom he delivers his charge" In the
same work, xxi. ia, it is said: SIN one
division of the country, where it is be-
lieved that the ghost of the last person
buried kept the gate of the churchyard
till relieved by the next victim of death,
a singular scene occurred when
two burials were to take place on
the same day. Both parties staggered
forward as fast as possible, to consign
their respective friend in the first place
to the dust. If they met at the gate,
the dead were thrown down until the
living decided by blows whose ghost
should be condemned to porter it," 1t
was the duty Of the spirit of the last
person inferred to stand sentry at the
graveyard gate, from sunset until the
growing Of the cock, until regularly re-
ieved. This, sometimes, in thinly in
habited parts of the country, happened
to be a tedious and severe duty; and the
duration of."Faire Chlaidth' gave the
deceased surviving friends more
uneasiness. About thirty years ago
(1849) young man had an interview
with the ghost of a neighbours wife while
she watched at the gate Of old Laggan
churchyard. She was clothed in
comfortable mantle of snow-white fam
mel, adorned with red crosses, and ap-
peared now, though very old woman
at her detease, in the full bloom of
youth and beauty. She told him that
she enjoyed the felicity of Flathinnis,
and they exchanged snuff-mulls. She
directed him to hidden treasure, and
desired that it might be added to the
fortune of her daughter, who, she said,
was to be married ON . certain day.
which she named, and strange to say,
though the girl was not then courted,
she became wife on the day foretold.
Tawv Errv v,n~ he's q .,r<>l g. IL