The Portland daily press., 1874-06-02

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 palace floor
predicts a death in the family of the ducal
house OF Modena. A sturgeon forcing its
way up the Trent toward Clifton Hall is a
sign that the Cliftons Of Nottinghamshira
will have to put ON mourning. For some
days before the death of the heir of the Brer-
etons the trunk of tee is to be seen float.
ing on tie lake near the family mansion. Two
giant owls perch uron the battlements of
Wardour Castle when an Arundels last hour
has come. If a Devonshire Oxenham is
about to die, white-breasted bird fiutters
over the doomed ones head
local ballad relates how on the burial
eve of Margaret, heiress of the brave and gen.
erous Sir James Oxenham, silyer-breasted
BIRD flew over the wedding guests just as Sir
James rose to acknowledge their congratula-
tions. The next day the bride fell dead at
the altar, stabbed by discarded lover How
ell saw a tombstone in stonecutters 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, bis son, and Elizabeth, his mother.
had each and all died with white breasted
bird futtering above their beds. A family of
Loeb RAMA, Arran, know when one Of their
NIL 10 aoOut W uIC ny an IuNtSlulc piper p1dy-
ing lament on the hill side. When death
purposes visiting Mclean OF Tochbury, the
unwelcome caller is heralded by the spirit of
battle-slain ancestor ringing the bells on his
fairy bride, as he gallops twice round the old
homestead. As a rule, death-announcing
phantoms are of the feminine gender. No
Lady Holland expects to shuttle off this NOR
tai coil until she has seen shadowy counter
felt presentment of herself The MiddletOns
of Yorkshire, as becomes an ancient Catho-
lie house, have Benedictine nun to apprise
them of a reduction IN the number of Middle
tons. A weeping, mourning, earthly sprite
warns the Stanleys OF the death of a distin-
guished member OF the family.
A hairy-armed girl called May Moullach
brings the like sad news to the Grants of
Grant the Bodach-am-dun otherwise the
ghost of the hill, performs the Office for the
Grants OF Rothiemurcus, and most old High
land families boasted their own familiar ban
shee, 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 baro-
nial grange, was made aware that banshees
are not peculiar to Scotland. Awakened at
midnight by an awful, unearthly scream. she
beheld by the light of the moon a 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 pret-
ty, rale face, and red disherelled hair, and
was clad in the garb of fold-very 2ld-lreland.
After exhibiting herself some time, the inter-
esting specter sbrieked twice and vanisne,s..
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 our expectation of the
event from you lest it should throw a cloud
over the cheerful reception which was YOUR
due. Now, before such an event happens in
the family and castle, the female specter YOU
saw always becomes visible. She is believed
to be the spirit Off woman of inferior rank,
whom one OF my ancestors married, and
whom he atterward caused to be drowned in
the moat, to expiate the dishonor done to our
race"