The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1879-08-14

suddenly met him in tho garden. 81 was
never 30 surprised in my l,fe," said the
doctor; II hadn't left him an hour, and I
come to the conclusion that he was not
long for this world, poor fellow. So I
shouted: "Hallo, Dick-you don't mean
to tell me you're up and out!' He smiled
sad sweet smile, and, as stood trans
fixed, watching, he faded gradually into
thin air. I rushed into the house and
found that he had just died"
The doctor is one of these men who
pride themselves on the fact that nobody
can fool them, and hence his testimony
on this subject is the more extraordinary.
He AYERS, as has been already stated,
that he has seen at least fifty ghosts, If
ghosts these death-bed apparitlons can be
designated. Sometimes he has seen the
soul-form lowering directly over the dy-
ing person suspended in the air, as it
were, sometimes he had seen it standing
at the head of the bed; and other times
it has taken the form of duplicate Sleep
er, as in the case Of the venerable lady
already described. The physicians WIS.,
ion is remarkably keen, and he is per-
fcctly assured that he is not the victim of
any optical or other illusion. 1t is his
opinion that quite considerable pro-
portion Of mankind behold those spiritu-
al appearances, but that they arc pre-
vented from admitting the fact from
dread Of ridiculc. If this he SO, there
must be some popularity of constitution
and temperament which bcstows this
ghostlv vision.
A highly educated gentleman, who
formerly held responsible position in
New Jersey, recently related an instance
OF ghost-sceing in his own experience. A
few years since he was sitting at his desk
in Jersey City, when he suddenly beheld
his brother-who ought then to have
been in standing beside him.
He noticed his dress, his watch-ch in, his
scarf, his hat, his collar. his apparently
three days long beard. SPECIFICS with
establishment, he could hardly believe his
eyes, although it was broad daylight.
Finally, he stretched out his hands, cry
ing, "Why, Harry, my dear fellow, 1 y as
never SO surprised in my life. Wien did
you arrive?" No hand grasped his. The
vision faded away as mystcriously as it
had appeared. II was SO ovcrpowcred, -
continued the narrator, ''that l felt like
fainting. l pulled out my watch and
looked at the hour; and made a men,
orandum Of it and the date, for felt that
something had happened. Twelve days
after received letter announcing nv
dear brother death. Making allowance
for the difference OF longitude, the hour
OF his death conceded exactly with the
appearance of his soul-shapo in Jersey
City, Like the physician v hose exrer-
fences VIC have described, tits gentleman
has seen several other spirit forms-nota-
bly, that Of dis 'ased physician and former
friend of his, whose remains but fitfully
repose in the Catholic Cemetery, Jersey
City. Tho mystery Of the nature of the
foregoing notes t c present writer docs
not presume to define. 1t il sufficient to
state that the address of the medical
ghost-scer can be obtained by those in
tcrestcd ut this Office.
Further inquiry among intelligent peo-
pie reveals the fact that there are qnite
number Of otherwise shrcwd and reliable
persons WI o believe in and profess to
have seen the astral element or spirit Of
departed friends. In this connection the
remark of Lucrctius the cpicurean, is in
teresting: 1.-THE surfaces Of bodies arc con-
tinually thrown off by sort of ccntrifu-
gal force, and hence an exact image is
often presented to us by this surface
coming off as it were, entire like the cast
skin of rattle-snakc, or the shell of the
crystals; and thus the idea of our absent
or departed friends strike on the mind"
Francis Crosse, the antiqua1y immortalized
by Burns, has summed up many of the
wondrous attributes Of ghosts, in the cx-
1stence of which he appears to have been
a firm believer. The spirit of person
deceased" he writes, lis either commits
stoned to return for some special GRAND,
such as the discovery ola murder, to pro-
cure restitution Of lands, or money uniustly
withheld from an orphan or widow; or.
having committed some injustice while
living, can not rest till that is redressed.
Sometimes the occasion of spirits revisit
ing this world is to inform their heir in
what secret place or private drawer in an
old trunk they had hid the title deeds of
the estate. Some ghosts Of murdered
persons whose bodies have been secretly
buried can not be ut ease till their bones
have been taken up and deposited in sa-
cred ground with all the rites Of Chris
tan burial. The last illustration accords
with the experience of Gerald Massey,
the poet. He was pcrsistently haunted
by ghost at his house in Porto Bello,
near Edinburgh, until he dug under the
hcarthstonc and discovered human skel-
cton. On being transferred to sanctitied
ground, MIR. Massey has alleged over his
signature, the ghost troubled him no
more