The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-15


enough the black fellow died, and kept his
appointment with the ghosts to the very
day. Although Mr.. Fison does not give
them, he says that he could give many
similar instances which had come within
his knowledge.
''Such tales have survived in the modern
stories of 'death-wraiths,' of doubles or
of 'fetches.' European folklore is replete
with stories about 'fetches' coming to warn
persons of approaching disaster or death.
There is, for example, bit of folklore
concerning an ancient English family to
wrom ancestral ghosts always appeared
before the death of its head. In one case the
ghost of a murdered lady wanders up and
down the castle halls shortly before any
member of the family dies; in another case,
a supernatural light blazes from the lofty
battlements just before the noble owners
decease.
THE following is typical ghost story OF
this class:
MANY years ago, when an English ship
OF war was one night off the African coast,
the officer on the watch became deeply
affected in q manner he could not explain,
and became partially insensible, and could
not rouse himself before a cold hand
touched him. He then beheld white
figure walking away. 1t turned round,
and in the face he beheld the features of
brother in England. The specter, after re-
naming few seconds, vanished. On ar
irving in Great Britain, the officer discov-
cred that his brother died on the very night
he saw the apparition.'
Sometimes the double appears only to
warn person of some impending danger.
In the Memoirs of Georglana, Lady Chat
terton,' we have story of this class. Lady
lCbatterton had gone to bed, but awakening
in the middle of the night. she saw the face
of her mother-'the face deadly pale, with
blood flowing on the bedclothes.' In terror
she sprang out of bed and rushed to her
mothers room. There her mother lay just
as she had seen her, pale as death, and the
sheet covered with blood, and two doctors
standing by the bedside She was then
told her mother had passed through severe
crisis, but would not allow her daughter to
be called.
II notice in this connection that mysteri
Gus knockings and unaccountable noises are
taken by both uncivilized and civilized folk
to indicate a ghostly summons The Zulus
say that ghosts of this kind talk in low,
whist ling sort of tone. The same is told by
the New Zealanders According to Pere lie
Jeune, the Alonquins say that these ghosts
chirp like crickets. But squeaking is the
language of ghosts in Polynesia, where,
as Mr.. Ellis says, the natives are IN mortal
fear of the sound. All these different
savage ghosts seem to be related to the
Poltergiest of German folklore. Woe to
the unfortunate mortal who heard the rap
pings of this Geist at night round the
house, or in the forest, for his days were
numberedl
"As modern variants of this kind of a
ghost story are SO numerous, we content
ourselves with giving only one parallel
In the last century gentleman in England
was surprised one night by sudden knock
at the street door, so loud that he thought
an attempt was being made to break it
open. Springing from bed, he seized a
brace of pistols and was Fastening to the
door, when second knock was heard,
louder than the first. A third knock fol-
lowed just as he was withdrawing the bolt,
but on looking out not single person, was
to be seen, though it was clear moonlight.
Next post brought letter informing him
that near relative in London had died just
at tho time the knocking alarmed him and
his family, for they, too, heard the startling
sounds
"Now, do not suppose that the doors of
a bushman's hut are knocked by spirits,
because Australian black fellows have
houses without doors. But do suppose that
they have been warned by the ghostly
knockings; that they have received the same
kind of death messages, as have been re-
ported in the Proceedings of the Society for
Psychical Research
"Another kind of death wrath not only
does rapping, but speaking as we'll. A most
astonishing story of this class was first
printed by Messrs. Quincy & Myers in the
Nineteenth Century for July, 1884, after
ward reprinted in their volume on visible
apparitions. l give the tale for what it
may be worth. 1t was sent to the authors
by Sir Edmund Horribly. ex-chief justice of
the supreme court of China and Japan, and
localized in Shanghai. Sir Edmund begins
by telling how it was his habit to allow
reporters of the Shanghai press to come to
his house in the evening to get his written
judgments for the next days paper. He
writes:
az had gone to sleep, when was awak-
ened by hearing tap at the study door,
but thinking it might be the butler, turned
over with the view of getting to sleep again.
Before did so, heard tap at my bedroom
door. Still thinking it might be my butler,
said: Come in" The door opened, and to
nv surprise in walked Mr.. -. I sat up
and said: "You have mistaken the door,
but the butler has the judgment. SO go and
get it." Instead Of leaving. he came at the
foot of my bed. | said: "Mr. -, you
forget YOURSELF" He looked deadly pale, but
was dressed in his usual dress, and said: 81
know l am guilty of intrusion" After
some parleying with the phantom Of Mr..
- about coming in the room, the ghost
finally said ~ pray your lordship give
me the Judgment, for my time is SHORTY
and ended by saying: This is the last
time Ishall ever see you anywhere" Sir
Edmund gave the points OF his written
Judgment to the apparition. who took it
Gown in a note book. Then the ghost ex-
cused his intrusion, opened the door, and
went out. Sir Edmund says that his wife
was awake by this time on account of the
noise made by the interesting colloquy
above set forth. He told her then what he
had seen.
1.-THE next morning he went to court, and
one Of the first things he learned was the
death of Mr.. -. And it turned out
that his decease was some time about the
hour Sir Edmund was holding animated
conversation with the wrath. He OF course
talked over the astonishing coincidence with
his wife.
GAS I said then,' he writes, so say now
I was not asleep, but wide awake. After a
lapse of nine years my memory is quite
clear on the subject. l have not the least
doubt. I saw the man-have not the least
doubt that the conversation took place be-
tween u.s.
az have not the least doubt I saw etc.
In this way the philosophy of ghost seers'
is satisfied, and would thus impose its con-
illusions upon those who hold far different
philosophy. When the ghost-seer says:
Can doubt the testimony of my own
eyes" is not ''seeing believingw he is
apt to think that he has proved his case.
He is right and he Is wrong; right in hold
ing fast the evidences of his own senses;
wrong in trying TO make other persons