The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1878-03-01


the dead summer, the family wa!
gathered round the fire in the drawing
room.
| Uncle Ben, who was standing will
his back to the fire, said to his neph
ew:
'I think, Joe, we had better put OIL
another log of wood; 1 don't feel in
clined for bed yet, and suppose you
youngsters intend to sit up half the
night, as usual"
al don't mean to turn in yet, fol
one, uncle" replied Joe. ''Tell us one
of your ghost stories; a regular blood
curdler.n
"Ah, joe, said the old man, Gam
afraid you are thorough skeptie. You
disbelieve in all supernatural appear.
ances."
"Certainly," answered Joe, who
was secretary to the Literary Debating
Society in the little town Of Mudbor.
ough, and who had written an essay
to prove the non-existence of every.
thing, and that we are simply the ere.
ations of our wnthOughts. "Certain-
ly these impalpable. spectres are only
| illusions which the disOrdered condi-
ton of our unwell physical organs
bringsbefore u.s."
al own you are clever lad, Joe,
| but 1 don't care button for your ar
guInents. believe III ghosts because
I have seen them"
"Oh, i am open to conviction: il
you introduce me to bona-fide ghost,
I'll give in. believe only in the
things understand"
"JOe, you have as little faith as q
Jew, and if you only believe in what
you understand, your creed will be
shorter than that of any man whom
know"
Can you give us any proof? Can
you mention one instance in which
the spectre has appeared to any one
you know"
"a hundred, if you wish it, said
| the old man.
"One will do; give us one genuine
case and we will believe"
~ will; listen. The story that am
about to relate is an incident that hap
pened to myself some twenty years
ago, and for the truth Of which l can
| vOuch."
'Well, proceed"
81 would give you the history of the
spectre attached to this house, but that
only appears to a favored few, and !
have not yet seen it, although l have
often enough heard the noises it
makes"
ave should prefer a ghost-that can
be seen, if you have ever met with
one.n
"You must understand that the vii
lage in which lived, like many 9TH
ers possesses it spectral visitor.
About a hundred years ago, an ances-
tor of mine started for London in his
travelling carriage, one evening about
I.,Ea 4 60 L.
exceedingly irascible man, and as the
coachman was not sufficiently quick
i'm preparing the vehicle, he became
much enraged, and used exceeding
ly passionate language. For some
time the coachman bore his abuse pa
tiently, but, at last, he lost his temper,
and struck the old gentleman in the
face.
''In those days everybody wore q
sword; and my ancestor, who was al
ways ready to draw, snatched his
weapon from its sheath, and with one
blow severed the unfortunate mans
head from his body;
"Conscience-strick at this fearful
crime, and terrified by the dread of
its consequences, he gazed upon the
headless body for few moments, and
then being seized with Mt Ofapoplexy,
was carried into the house by his
servants, where he died in a few
houFs.n
"WelP' said Joe, ''although the sto-
ry is horrible, it has nothing of the
supernatural in It. It Is quite possible
that an angry old man may commit
murder and die of fright"
"Yes. you are right; If the tale en-
ded there, there would be nothing to
doubt; but what am going to tell
you, / am afraid, will be scoffed at by
my skeptical young friends who dis
believe everything they do not see or
| hear"
"That's meant for me, " said Joe, with
laugh. "Never mind, uncle, go on
with your story
ayes, my boy, now come to the
| marvellous part. Every year, as the
hands of the clock point to the hour
at midnight, q travelling carriage, with
four horses, driven by a headless
coachman, leaves that village, and
passes down the London road"
"He must be clever ifhe can see to
drive without his head" interrupted
the still skeptical Joe.
"That cannot explain; some ghost
seerssay that it is possible for people
| i'm a clairyQyant state to read from the
man may be possessed of facilities we
do not understand; for man becomes
considerably altered when he Is
dead.n
"He does, admit"
nApd if you allow that dead man
can drive at all, the small matter of a
head more or less is Of very little inn
pOrtance."
"Just sos
'sYou know that when a man dies
he becomes spirit"
"That's rum,n said Joe.
"No sir, it's not rum, nor whiskey,
either; and if you cannot listen to my
story without endeavOring to turn it
| into ridicule, i had better leave off, ~
replied Uncle Ben, who was as pep
perry as his ancestor.
"Oh! pray go on, uncle" exclaimed
all the listeners I'VE will try and
keep Joe in qrdeF."
| ''NVell, as ! was saying, this appari-
ton made its appearance once year,
as the clock was striking twelve,
| Many of the villagers had heard the
| tramp of horses and the rattling of
wheels as the ghOstly cOrtege went by.
/ Now and then some favored individu-
al witnessed the headless driver, as he
whippsd his horses on to London.
But, in ali cases, Inc rqach passed too
quickly for any one to see whether
the old gentleman was really inside or
| not"
"And did no one ever see him?'
asked one of the party.
HGoq shall heap. viii confess
| that, until the night when the incl
dent which am about to relate took
place. was as great an QQbelieyer as
any of you, and always treated the
whole accounts as an old woman's
tale, only tit to frighten children.
But, one evening, as l sat smoking
with some old friends, one of them, a
devout believer in everything super
natural, began to talk about the family
legend. /, as usual, threw ridicule
uDon the affair. Perhaps the good
wipe Dad ipspiFed me with more than
/ ordinary COLE s2so1tlifilee, peEbaps not; at all
events Mortified some of the comPa-
ny by stating my intention OF veptur-
ing ogt to wander down the road, and
see il could meet the phantom oaval.
cade. l swore that If IL did, / would
ask the gentleman to give me lift,
and offered to bet eI00 that the whole
legend was pack of lies"
1tAnd did you go?"
IYes; although some of the more
superstitious Gf LGe AaFty tried TO pre-
vent me, 1 persevered, saIid Wandered
I ,,f,rhf ready 70 Tnsaaf xrri n