Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-12-17
ABOUT GHOSTS.
The Unexplained Experience of Sir
John Cope SherbrOke and Lieut..
George Wynyard,
And the Unexplained Dream Of Friend
OF Major in the British Army
Serving in Canada.


tive,says the London Spectator, but il is mol only
difficult, 1t is impossible, 10 disprove the ex-
istence of ghosts, or their occasional appsri-
ton to mortal eyes. Even If il were posi-
BILE, which 1t Is not, 10 prove that no ghost
has ever appeared on earth, science, whether
physical or metaphysical, supplies no cal
cuius for the diEproof of ghosuy spparitions
in the future. We may even go further,
and say that the progress OF physical science
has m ade belief in ghosts easier instead OF
harder. The most advanced conclusions in
regard to the laws of light and sound go 10
show the possibility OF innumerable sights
and sounds about us, which may be invisible
and iuaudible simply because we have no
organs sufficiently delicate to apprehend
them. /, is certain that come of the lower
animals lar suTpass US in this respect; so far,
indeed, in some cases, that their superiority,
did We not know it as q fact, would seem
quite as incredible as ghosts. The micro
scope has discovered world Of organized
existence close to Us, OF which the naked eye
knows nothing. Recent discoveries in the
sphere of sound are not less startling. To
put an arbitrary limit to these discoveries,
aud declare ogmaticaily that science has
reached the end OF its tether in aneh N aLlers,
Is NOT the marx of q seientirc, but rather OF
an arrogantly preiudiced, mind. What has
science to say against the existence OF beings
SO ethereal as to be incapable of apprehen-
sion BY the huu11n senses, save only under
abnormal condition., either by temporary
exaltation of the human faculties, or by
such modification of the normal laws of
spiritual substances shall bring them
temporarily within the cognizance of human
senses? Absolutely nothing.
We are not arguing in favor of belief of
ghosts, or in the manifestation of so-called
spiritualism. We are arguing against the
unscienti6c habit of mind which would for
bid, on priori grounds, any kind of rational
investigation. No doubt the vast majority
of ghost stories are myths, and we have never
seen any exhibition of "spiritualism" which
could not be explained by sleight-of hand.
Blu. the widespread belief 10 such a phe-
nomena is surely reason for inquiry rather
than for dogm attic tabooing OF the whole
subject. There is a residuum Of stories Of a
supernatural, or at least preternatural, char
acier, which cannot be easily explained
away. Take, for instance, the Wynyard ghost
story. Two brother officers, who were also
intimate friends, by name Sir John Cope
Sherbroke and Lieut.. George Wynyard were
with their regiment, the Thirty third, in
Canada. toward the end of the last century.
As they we're sitting one afternoon in Wyn-
yards room, in broad daylight, both OF them
saw tall and extremely emaciated youth
standing for few moments in the doorway,
and then passing slowly through the room
into an adjoining bedroom, out of which
there was no egress, except back through the
sitting room. "Great God, my brotherp ex-
claimed Vineyard, and both followed the
apparition into the bedroom, but saw no
more of it.. They took notice of the day
and hour, which happened, as the event
proved, TO have been the day and hour of
the death of a younger brother OF Lieut.
Vineyard, 10 whom he was fondly attached.
Sir John Sherbroke, however, was an un5e-
lever in ghosts, and persisted in hoping that
some natural explanation of the apparition
might eventually turn up. An incident be-
fell him some years afterward which prom
ised for a moment to justify his skepticism.
After his return to England he was one day
walking along PiccadilIy with two friends,
when his attention was suddenly arrested by
q man on the opposite pavement who was
the fac simile of the mysterious apparition
in Canada, except that he did not look
go emaciated. Delighted at this OPP
portunity of verifying his skepiicism,
he crossed the road and, accost-
ing the stranger, told the story of the Cana
dian aparition, and asked for an explana-
ton. II have never been In canada, re-
piled the stranger; "but am not surprised at
you mistaking me for my lamented young
friend, poor Wynyard, whose ghost is said
10 have appeared to yourself and his brother;
for we were 50 like each other that we were
constantly mistaken, the one for the other"
The point of the story is that Sir John Sher-
broke never saw the Wynyard whose appari-
ton he had seen in Canada.
The story is we'll known, and the present
writer once knew an old peninsula officer
who heard the story from Sir John Seer
broke's own mouth. A story of different
kind was related 10 the writer of this within
the last few weeks Maj. j., an officer now
in the Guards, and we'll known in London
society, was some years ago with his regi-
ment in Canada. Ooe day be received let
ter from a brother officer, then on leave at
home in Scotland, recommending TO his good
offices young friend then on his way TO
Canada. Accordingly, Mr.. -, the young
gentleman in question, was received hospi.
tably by Maj. -, and became frequent
guest at the mess of the regiment. He APP
peared at breakfast one morning with look
of extreme detection. aud explained, in an
swer to Inquiries, that he had seen in his
sleep that night his own tombstone, with his
name and the date of his death-namely,
June IL, 1867. "They have not given you a
long time to PREPARE remarked Maj. -,
seeing that this is April" This was said
for the purpose of rallying Mr.. s. out OF
his fl: of low spirits, Maj. = being then,
as he is now, en- unbeliever in ghostly visi-
tationa. Mr.. s. gradually recovered
his spirits, and in course of time started
for the United States. On taking leave
Of him, Maj. - jocularly observed:
"Look out, old, boy, for The 17th of
june" Some weeks afterward Maj. -
CHANGED TO read in a newspaper an &C.
count of his young friends death. He had
landed, together with other passengers, from
a river steamer at place which was infested
with Indians. An armed sentry wss placed
! on the banks to prevent a surprise by the
| Indians. Young Mr.. s. had returned
after dark, neglected to answer the chal-
lenge of the sentry, and was shot dead. Maj.
-, remembering the dream, was so struck
with the coincident that he m sde special in
| quiry into the circumstance and ascertained
| that the date of Mr.. SIS death was the
date on the tombstone OF his dream, June
18th.
| Now. assuming the veracity of Maj. s.,
which is, of course, uuquestioned, how is
this dream 10 be explained away? And is
it not wiser, and more in accordance with
| true science, TO examine the evidence for
every such story on its merits, than to dis
miss the whole subject with superciGo US
| disdain?