The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-11-05
AND DOMESTIC
GHOSTS.


quantities of letters from ghost
seers. who relate their interviews
with ghosts, and from disoelievers,
who rfdicule both ghosts and CHEST
seers. Even that organ of Sad
duceeism, the Saturday ReOieao,
while casting 4derision upon the
ghosts of the daily press, cannot re-
Sist the temptation to describe a
private ghost of its own in which it
processes TO have some sort of belief.
What is remarkable concerning
all the British ghosts lately intro
duced to the readers of London
newspapers is the fact of their pur-
poseless and useless conduct. They
appear and disappear without ac-
complishing anything. One would
naturally think that if a ghost takes
the trouble to return to earth and to
make itself visible, it must have
some object in view, but
experience does not justify
this theory. The typical British
ghost shows itself to children or
nursery maids, and vanishes with
out saying a word; or it upsets fur
niture or knocks on the wall with
the aimlessnesS of utter idiocy.
There is, it is true, one exception to
this otherwise invariable law of
British ghosts. The ghost of the
House Of Airlie has been for many
years in the habit Of beating an in
visible drum in order to give warn
ing of the approaching death of a
member Of Lord Airlies house
hold. This was intelligent and even
praiseworthy conduct, but latterly
even this ghost has fallen into care
less habits. We are assured that on
the last occasion of the beating of
the ghostly drum the only result
which followed was that Lord Air
lie had an attack of the govt, of
which he quickly and easily recov-
cred. Also, there is reason to be-
lieve that the Airlie ghost has
joined a supernatural brass band
fer a recent visitor to Lord Airlie's
place distinctly heard a brass band
composed wholly of invisible ghosts
playing with much skill and taste.
But this one ghost is the only one,
so far as is known, who has any real
business, and whose visits to the
glimpses Of the British moon admit
of any rational defense.
There are precisely two reasons
which can justify a ghost in return
ing to earth. The one is desire to
help Or to injure persons who are
not yet ghosts, and the other is to
secure some personal benefit for
himself or herself, as the case may
be. 1t is quite possible that the lat
ter is really the object which many
apparently aimless ghosts have in
view, but an inability to explain
their wishes places them, IN the
opinion of mankind, in the category
Of entirely purposeless ghosts.
Were kind hearted people to make a
point Of asking ghosts if they are in
need Of any assistance, much good
might be done, and the reproach
that ghosts wander about merely
because they do not know enough to
go where they belong would be
taken away
Some years ago there was a house
in Dedbam, Mass, which was
haunted by small yellow ghost.
This ghost-a female-had been
seen by persons who slept in the
spare bedroom of this house. She
was TN alarming ghost to contem-
plGte, for she had been cut in two at
the waist, and made a point of
walking mp and down the room
carrying the upper part Of her body
under her left arm, with the head
hanging down and the eyes wide
open. Of course, this was very
trying to the nerves Of the specta-
tors, who were not frequently
frightened into fits. EXorciSm was
tried, but without effect, by a Metho-
dist and also by a Congressional
minister, and although the local
Episcopal rector asserted that
the failure of the exoreists was
owing to the fact that they were not
properly ordained, and said that he
was ready to exercise the ghost him
self, his services were not accepted
One night a young engineer of
much intelligence and great perl
sOnal courage called at the haunted
house and asked permission to sleep
in the spare bedroom. He exhibited
letters from several members of the
Adams family, and his responsibility
being thus established, his request
was granted. He went to bed early,
and slept peacefully until u o'clock,
when he suddenly aWoke. The
ghost was plainly visible-the full
moon shining directly into the
Toom-but the young mans nerves
were not in the least disturbed. He|
had made up his mind that the
ghost had a definite object in max
ing herself visible, and he had
guessed what that object was. Hell
inquired with much courtesy if
the ghost wished to be mended,
requesting her to nod if snchwas the
case. She nodded in the most I'M
miStakable manner. The engineer
thereupOn arose-and it should be
mentioned that, in defense to the
sensibilities a New England ghost, |
he had gone to bed in his clothes
and took from his handbag a bottle
of cement and a roll of bandages. |
Begging the ghosts pardon for theI
liberty he was about to take, he !