Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1881-05-13


scientific experiment and inductive
philosophy, tho tone Of the converse
tion was of decidedly skeptical tinge.
The lady OF the house, anxious appar-
emily that ghostly claims should be
fairly represented, appealed to hor
sister-in-law, who had lived for several
years in haunted house, and begged
her to say what the results of her expo
rience had been.
"Our house." replied the sister,
twas in bleak and lonely situation;
and many years before we en-
tered its walls, some disagreea-
bio associations had been woven
into its history. In spite of these,
the place did us no harm; though am
bound to say that during our sojo1rn
in it we heard sounds which supersti-
tiously inclined folks might have re-
garded with dread. Perhaps we were
not family likely to suffer from imagi-
native terrors, because we were more
accustomed to examine an unwonted
object than to run away from it, nor did
we conclude that every phenomenon not
clearly understood by us must be due to
supernatural causes. Often at night we
heard noises in uninhabited rooms, as IL
articles of furniture were being moved
or dragged across the floor; but these
we became used to, and assigned them
to such simple causes as mice, or pos
sibly rats. But once l recollect that
the clanking of u chain at midnight
wakened me from ahalf-dreaming state
to full consciousness.
81 thought must have been mis-
taken, and went quietly to sleep again;
but the next night at the same hour the
noise was distinctly repeated. My sis.
ter, who slept in the same room, heard
it also. and was as puzzled as myself
1t recurred from that time so often that
we became accustomed to it, also, and
were also ceasing to speculate on its
cause, when one day, standing in my
own room in broad daylight, 1 heard
the clanking noise loudly repeated. A
thought struck me. l ran downstairs
out of the hall door, and through gar
den-path to the stable-yard, whose wall
formed an angle with our side of the
house. AS / looked into the stable, the
horse shook his chain This was the
very noise we had heard so often-the
same thing which had happened night
after night, when the horse wakening
out OF his sleep, got up, shook himself,
and stamped in his stall, before
composing himself for another nap. If
l had not thus tracked the sound and
verified it for myself, l could never
have believed that it could have been so
clearly heard through thick walls at
such distance"
"Ahn' said n clergyman, who had
listened to this account with much
amusement, IL am persuaded that il
people would take the trouble of exam.
ming such mysterious occurrences, the
number of authenticated ghost-stories'
on record would be sensibly dimin.
ished. A curious circumstance hap
pened to my father when he was very
young man. He lived at some distance
from the dwelling OF the girl who aft
erwards became his wife and nv moth
er. He had to work and wait for her
for several years, and as for her sake
he applied very closely to his business,
they seldom met. But occasionally,
after his days work wes over. he took
a very long walk into the county, to
get glimpse of her fair face, and per-
chance the treat of quiet talk. On
one of these rare occasions he be-
thought himself of short cut through
q village churchyard. 1t was not very
easy of access, for the gate was locked,
and brook of some depth swept round
part of the outer wall; but he was
young and active, and eager to gain
time; so, after somewhat stiff climb,
he found himself within the limits of
the consecrated ground.
"It was clear moonlight night, and
the tombstones stood around him in
close and venerable array. Suddenly
he saw something which made him
start and pause. From beneath the
shadow of the church wall tall white
figure glided stealthily out in
to the light. My father quietly
retreated behind a tombstone and
watched. The figure advanced;
he scanned it carefully; and
beneath the white robes huttering in
the night air, he beheld very sub
stant al pair of boots!
"Said he to himself: DO ghosts
wear bootsp l wonder who makes
them;' and he decided on having q
closer inspection of this mysterious
churchyard apparition. The figure
moved on; my father quietly followed
keeping well in the shadow of the
} spent in this kind OF dodging, the ghost
l
looking the road and the stream, and
second my father came behind, and
with strong and sudden push, tipped
the unlucky ghost into the stream which
rippled below. He heard plunge and
shout, waited few moments to sec
that the fellow had struggled safely te
the other side, minus his white sheet
| l., SC,
} joicing at having hit on so novel ant
! expeditions a method of laying {
ghostn
Years passed away. My father
married the lady of his choice, and they
shared the usual course of life's vicissi
, tudes together. Long after her death
he took me to visit the scene OF his ear
, ly wooing and the home of her girl
hood. On our way from the railway
, station we drove through village from
which funeral procession was issuing
, in solemn pomp to the churchyard. Al
we returned, we stopped for an hour n
the inn and ordered luncheon. Lik,
most of his class, our host was chatt,
, and communicative, and at once enter
ed into conversation. Pleasant wealth
r er, gentlemen. We have had a large
funeral here to-day; the largest known
| in these parts for many year. We al
r wished to show respect to our oldes
t inhabitant, William Dawkins. A very
civil fellow was Bill. Many story o
the good old times he used to tell. Ant
r he had some queer adventures of hi
| own, too, to talk about. You'll scarce
: credit me, gentlemen, but It's fac
: that that man had seen ghost"
I "'A ghostr exclaimed my father
, whose natural skepticsm on that sub
ject had been long since strengthened
, by the incident | have related. H,
dreamed of one, | suppose, or an extr,
glass of ale had gone to his head
+" Nothing of the kind, SIR replied
| the landlord, with great seriousness
/ 'Billnot only saw ghost, but felt it, ant
: TINT pretty sharply, l can tell YOU. Thl