Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-10-19
some Dreadful >cotchGhos's.

George Sinclair, professor Of mora
philosophy in the university of Glas
gov, and afterward minister of Eas
wood, Renfrewshire, by the publication
in 1865, OF his work. ''Satan's Invisi
BILE World Discovered, did much to adt
to the terror of Mary Kings close. 10y
his account of apparitions seen therein
and recorded ''by witnesses of undoubt
ed veracity"-a work long hawked about
the streets by the intinerats sellers OF
gingerbread. The last, or northern
portion OF the close, with its massive
vaulted lower stories, was in open ruin
in 1915; the south, or upper, had fallen
into ruin after a fire in 100, and was IL
that condition when portion Of the site
was required for the west side of the
royal exchange, three years after. Ii
would appear from the professors mar.
ative that Thomas Coltheart, a respec-
table law agent, whose legal business
had begun to flourish, took Il better
style of house in Mary Kings close.
Their maid servant was, of course, duly
warned by obliging neighbors that the
hoIse was haunted, and in terror she
gave up her situation and fled, leaving
Mr.. and Mrs. Coltheart to face whatever
they might see alone. Accordingly ii
came to pass that, when the lady had
seated herself by the bedside of her
gudeman, who, being slightly indisposed
on the Sunday afternoon. had laid down
10 rest. while she read the scriptures,
CHANGING to look up, she saw to her IN
tense dismay human head, apparently
that of an old man, with a gray floating
beard. suspended in mid-air, at a little
distance, and gazing intently at her
with elfish eyes. She swOoned at this
terrible sight, and remained insensible
till the neighbors returned from church.
Her husband strove to reason her out of
her credulity, and the evening passed
without further trouble but they had
not been long in bed when he himself
espied the same phantom head by the
freight, floating in mid-air, and cycling
him with ghostly eyes. He lighted q
candle, and betook him to prayer, but
with little effect, Tor in about an hour
the bodiless phantom was joined by that
of child, also suspended i'll mid-air.
and this was followed by an arm naked
from the elbow, which in defiance of al
Coltheart's prayers and pious mterlec
tons, seemed bent on shaking hand
with him and his wife, In the mos
solemn way the luckless lawyer con-
iured these phantoms to mtrust him
with the story of any wrongs they
wished righted; but all to no purpose.
The old tenants evidently regarded the
new as intruders. and others came to
their aid, for the naked arm was joined
by a spectral dog, which curled itselfup
on a chair and went to sleep: and then
came a eat and many other creatures,
but Of Grotesque and mOnstrOus forms,
till the whole room swarmed with them,
so that the honess couple were COM
PEELED to kneel on their bed, there being
no standing room ON the floor till, sud-
denly, with deep and awful groan, as
of a strong man dying in agony, the
whole vanished, and Mr.. and Mrs. Colt
heart found themselves alone.
In those days of superstition, Mr.. Colt
heart-if we are to belief Prof. Sinclair
must have been a man of more than
ordinary courage, for he continued to
reside in this terrible house till the day
OF his death, without further mOlesta-
ton; but when that day came, It would
seem not to have been accompanied by
the supernatural. At the moment he
expired, a gentleman, whose friend and
law he was, while asleep III bed beside
his wife, at Tranent, 10 miles distant,
was aroused by the nurse, who had been
terrified ''by something like Il cloud
moving about the room" Starting up
with the first instinct of Scot, III those
days, he seized his sword to defend him
self, when ''the something gradually
assumed the form and face of a man,
who looked at him pale and ghastly and
in whom he recognized his friend Thorn
as CoItheart. care You dead, and if SO,
what is your errand:" he demanded,
despite his fears, on which the appari-
ton shook his head twice and melted
away. Proceeding at once to Edinburgh
the ghosteer went direct to the house OF
his friends in Mary Kings close and found
the wife of the former in tears for the
recent death of her husband.