St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-14
A STRANGE GHOST STORY.
Experience ola British Judge as Related
by Himself.

by Himself.
The following curious taleis related in the
article on ''Visble Apparitions, by Messrs.
Edmund Quincy and Frederick w. H. Ny
ers, in the July number of the Nineteenth
| Century:
We will add but one further Casa case
so strange that it will need the high authority
in which it comes to satisfy the reader that
he has not passed unaware into the region
of romance. We received it from Sir Ed
mund Horribly, late Chief Judge of the SUI
preme Consular court of China and Japan,
who described himself as a "lawyer by edu-
cation, family and tradition. wanting In i'm
aginaton, and no believer in Miracles
| He first narrates how it was his habit al
Shanghai to allow reporters to come to his
house in the evening to get his written judge
ment for the next days paper.
They generally avaied themselves of the
opportunity, especially one reporter, who
was also the editor of an evening paper
He was peculiar man, reticent about him
self, and / imagine had history. In ap-
pearance he was also peculiar. | only knew
| him as reporter, and had no other relations
with him. On the day when the event &C.
Cured, in 1875 or 1876, went to my study
an hour or two after dinner. and wrote out
my Judgment 1t was then about 1880.
rang for the butler, gave him the envelope,
and told him to give it to the reporter who
| should call for it. was in bed before ~.
am very light sleeper, and my wife very
heavy one. Indeed, it is difficult to rouse
her out of her first sleep. The bed-a French
one-faced the Fireplace; on the mantel-
piece was clock, and the gas in the chan
delicr was turned down, but only so low as
to admit of my seeing the time at any time
of the night for-waking easily and fire.
| quently--I often smoked a cigarette before
l went to sleep again, and always desired te
know the hour.
81 had gone to sleep, when was awaken.
ed by hearing u tap at the study door, bu
thinking it might be the butler-looking tt
see if the fire were safe and the gas turned
off turned over with the view of getting
| to sleep again. Before l did so, / heard
| tap at my bedroom door. Still thinking il
might be the butler, who might have some
thing to say, said, "Come in" The dool
opened, and to my surprise, in walked Mr.
--. | sat up and said .sYou have
mistaken the door, but the butler has the
judgment, so go and get it," Instead Of
leaving the room he came to the foot edge Of
the bed l said, ''Mr.--you forget your
self. Have the goodness to walk out direct
| ly. This is rather an abuse of my favor
He looked deadly pale, but was dressed in
his usual dress, 81 was losing my temper
but something in the mans manner disin-
clined me to jump out of bed to eject him
| by force. So [ said, simply, ''This is toe
bad, really: pray leave the room at once. u
Instead of doing so he put one hand on the
footrail and gently, as if in great pain, sal
down on the foot of the bed. glanced al
the clock and saw that it was about twenty
minutes past one. I said, ''the butler has
had the judgment since half past eleven
go and get it." He said, ''pray forgive me
if you knew all the circumstances you
would. Time presses. Pray give me pre-
els of your Judgment, and will make note
in my book of it,' drawing his reporters
book out of his breast pocket. l said, 81
will do nothing of the kind. Go down stairs
| find the butler, and don't disturb me you
will wake my wife; otherwise l shall have to
put you out" He slightly moved his hand
l said, "Who let you in!'' He answered
''No one.'' 'sConfoupd it,'' I said, 'wha
the devil do you mean? Are you drunk"'
He replied quietly, ''No, and never shall be
again; but l pray your Lordship give me
your decision, for my time is short" said
''You don't seem to care about my time
and this is the last time 1 shall ever allow
reporter in my house," He stopped short
saying, ''Thls is the last time shall ever SET
you anywhere"
| WE'LL fearful that this commotion might
arouse and brighten my wife, | shortly gave
him the gist of my judgment in as few words
as l could. He seemed to be taking it down
in shorthand; it might have taken two OF
| three minutes. When | finished he rose
| thanked me for excusing his intrusion and
| for the consideration / had always shown
him and his colleagues, opened the door, and
went away. looked at the clock; it was on
the stroke of half-past 1.
| Nady Horribly now awoke, thinking she
had heard talking; and her husband told her
what had happened, and repeated the &C
count when dressing next morning.)
! went to the court a little before 10. The
usher came into my room to robe me, when
he said ga sad thing happend last night
| sir. Poor was found dead in hi.
room" l said, "Bless my soul dear me
| What did he die of and when!'' "Well, sir
it appears he went up to his room as usua
at 10 to work at his papers. His wife wen
up about IL to ask him when he would b.
ready for bed. He said: Il have only tie
| judges Judgment to get ready, then have
! finished AS he did not come, she went III
again. about 1915, to his room and peepet
in and thought she saw him writing, but she
! did not disturb him. AT 1 80 she again wen
to him and spoke to him at the door. AS hi
| did not answer, she thought he had falleI
asleep, so she went up to arouse him. Tt
her horror he was dead. On the floor wa!
| his notebook, which / have brought away
| She sent for the doctor, who arrived a little
after 2, and said he had been dead he con
| cluded. about an hour. / looked at the note
book. There was the usual heading:
@ In the supreme court, before the chic
judge.
The chief Judge gave judgment this
morning in the case to the following effect
and then followed few lines of indeci
! pherable shorthand.'
l sent for the magistrate who would act a.
coroner, and desired him to examine Mr.
Is wife and servants as to whether Mr.
had left his home, or could possibly
have left it without their knowledge, be
tween IL and the previous night The re
suit of the inquest showed he died of som
form of heart disease, and had not, ant
could not have left the house without The
knowledge of at least bis wife, If not his ser
wants. Not wishing to air my spiritual ex
periencen for the benefit of the press or tn,
public, | kept the matter at the time to my
self, only mentioning it TO my Puisne Judg,