Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-02-16
AN ANTIQUARIAN's GHOST STORY.

&a4s AN4ASSA3shnN - SaSo4 okSRAs
The Rev. DIR. Augustus Jessop, who i
known In England as an eminent anti
quarian, publishes in the current AHen9un
| Uondon) an account of an extraordinary
apparition of which he affirms that he wal
the witness in Lord Orford's library, al
Warrington Hall, Norfolk, last October
He had dined at Warrington Hall on Ger
tain day in that month, and when the
party broke up at half-past ten he went
into the library to take notes of some Of
the rare books it contained. His expert
ence while there is related as follows:
By ii o'clock l was the only person
down stairs, and was very soon busily al
work and absorbed in my occupation. The
room in which l was writing is large one,
with huge fireplace and grand old chin.
ney; and it is needless to say that it is
furnished with every comfort and luxury.
The library opens into this room, and
had to pass out from where / was sitting
into this library and get upon chair to
reach the volumes l wanted to examine.
There were six small volumes in all. ]
took them down, and placed them at my
right hand in a little pile, and set to work.
sometimes reading, sometimes writing. As
l finished with book placed it in front
of me. There were four silver candle
sticks upon the table, the candles all burn
ing, and, as am chilly person, sat my.
self at one corner of the table with the
fire at my left, and at intervals, as had
finished with book, / rose, knocked the
feet. l continued in this way at my
fnc al 4 - Il H. l.
got on better than l expected, and
l had only one more book to
occupy me. l rose, wound up my watch,
and opened bottle of settler water, and
l remember thinking to myself that 1
should get to bed by two after all. 1 set
to work at the last little book. / had been
engaged upon it about half an hour, and
was just beginning to think that my work
was drawing to close, when, as I was
actually writing, l saw a large white hand
within foot of my elbow. Turning my
head, there sat the figure of somewhat
large man, with his back to the fire, bend
ing slightly over the table, and apparently
examining the pile of books that had been
at work upon. The mans face was turned
away from me, but saw his closely cut
reddish brown hair, his ear and shaved
cheek, the eyebrow, the corner of the right
eye, the side of the forehead, ard the large
high cheekbone. He was dressed in what
/ can only describe as kind of ecclesias-
teal habit of thick corded silk, or some
such material, close up to the throat,
and narrow rim of edging, of about
an inch broad, of satin or velvet, serv-
ing as stand-up collar, and fitting close
IN ho chin The y,nh{ h,nI NH h,I
first attracted my attention, was clasping,
without any great pleasure, the left hand /;
both hands wore in perfect repose, and the
large blue veins of the right hand were
conspicuous. l remember thinking that
the hand was like the hand of Velasquez
magnificent dead knight" in the Ma
tional Gallery. looked at my visitor for
some seconds, and was perfectly sure that
he was not a reality. A thousand thoughts
came crowding upon me, but not the least
feeling of alarm, or even uneasiness curl.
osity and strong interest were upper
most. For an instant felt eager to make
a sketch of my friend, and looked at
tray on my right for pencil then l
thought, Up stairs I have sketch book.
Shall fetch it ?" There he sat, and was
fascinated; afraid, not of his staying,
but lest he should 60 Stopping in my
writing, l lifted my left hand from the
paper, stretched it ont to the pile
of books and moved the top one
I cannot explain why I did this
my arm passed in front of the figure and
it vanished. was simply disappointed,
and nothing more. / went Oh with my
writing as if nothing had happened, per-
haps tor another five minutes, and / had
actually got to the last few words of what
| had determined to extract, when the
figure appeared again exactly in the same
place and attitude as before. | saw
the hands close to my own; l turned my
head again to examine him more closely,
and | was framing sentence to address
dare to speak. l was afraid of the sound
of my own voice. There he sat, and there
sat l. l turned my head again to my
work, and finished writing the two or three
words l still had to write. The paper and
my notes are at this moment before me,
and exhibit not the slightest tremor or ner-
vousness. l could point out the words /
was writing when the phantom came
and when he disappeared. Having
finished my task, shut the book and threw
it on the table; it made a slight noise as
it fell the figure vanished. Throwing
myself back in my chair, l sat for some
seconds looking at the fire with Curious
mixture of feeling. and 1 remember Won
dering whether my friend would come
again, and If he did whether he would
hide the fire from me. Then first there
stole upon me dread and suspicion that
l was beginning to lose my nerve. re-
member yawning; then / rose, lit my bed
room candle, took my books into the inner
library, mounted the chair as before, and
replaced five of the volumes; the sixth l
brought back and laid upon the table where
l had been writing when the phantom did
me the honor to appear to me. By this
time had lost all sense of uneasiness.
blew out the four candles and marched off
to bed, where slept the sleep of the just
or the guilty. know not whieh-but |
slept very soundly. This is simple and
narrative of facts Explana-
nation, theory or inference l leave to
others.