The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-08-04
The Death Knock.

The death Of Mr.. Thomas Feast, Of
Evansville, Ind, has developed singu-
lar circumstance in the history of his
family, which illustrates the old High
land tradition of the banshee. The
banshee, as it is commonly called, is an
embodied spirit or ghost, which gives
warning to persons whose death is ap-
preaching. by peculiar scream or wall
in the night. by appearing to the doom
ed person, or in various other ways
Mr.. Feast was born on be Isle of
Ely. Csmbridgeshire. England, forty
seven years ago, and has lived in Evans
vile about twenty three years. He
WAS shoemaker, good citizen. and q
man of quiet. unobtrusive demeanor
He was. moreover, very intelligent
man. and devoted q portion Of his time
to the study Of philosophy and religion
of life. 1t does not appear that he
was spirituslist, but he had leaning
that way. Since Mr.. Feast came to
Evansville with his family there have
been five deaths in the home circle. the
last OF which was the father himself.
Each of these has been predicted at
midnight Of previous night by q
death knock on the door. Mrs. Feast's
death was preceded by a heavy, sudden
knock on the front door. which aroused
the entire family. Upon search being
made nobody was found at the door.
Mrs. Feast died the following day.
Three weeks afterward her infant
child died, and the same warning was
repeated at the same hour of the night.
The death Of the wife seemed to prey
upon the husband He had been feeble
and ill, but thought that he would live
through the Winter. One day he had
a sudden spasm, and came through it
much weaker When the family re-
tired he was apparently as we'll as u.s.
ual.
Suddenly. in the middle of the night.
there came loud, hollow knock upon
the street door, which ar, used all the
family. His son George. a young man
about twenty-th-.e, was awakened by
the sound. and raising from his bed
sought his fathers room, thinking he
had been seized with another spasm and
desired assistance. When he entered
the room he found his father awake,
and inquired if he had called.
NO." replied the old gentleman. "it
was somebody knocking at the front
door"
George descended the stairs and
opened the door, but nObody was with
out, and further examination revealed
the fact that nobody was passing in the
street. George went up stairs and told
his father of this. A sudden change
passed over the doomed man as lfe soft.
ly said:
"Go to bed, George. it is the same
knock"
George returned to bed. observing
that it was few minutes past twelve
o'clock. The singular warning occur
ring in otller cases Of the family had
been noticed by all the family, and.
after lying down. the son remembered
the fact, but dismiss;ng it as coinci-
dence, went to sleep. Next morning,
his father called him up in his usual
voice. apparently losing no strength.
George went down to take his order for
brea kfast, but he said:
IL want no breakfast; nothing but q
quiet room to-day"
A second application met with the
same response. and accordingly the
younger children were sent away to the
house of friend. and George remained
with him. During tho morning he
went asleep. This CONT ued during
tho afternoon, ana at four o'clock it W as
discovered that he had glided quietly
from life to death.