The Opelousas courier., 1889-01-19
Authentic Ghost Stories.

1t is when we turn to visions of living
persons, or to thoughts and suggestions
relating to living persons, at a distance
from the person affected by the vision
or impression, that We find evidence
most difficult to deal with, and the re-
cults not only difficult to explain, but
not altogether satisfactory for discus
sion, because the mum Der of those who
welcome the discussion of all such mat
tiers with ridicule enormously exceeds
the number of the more sensible.
TO illustrate the class of cases in
question, I will take a few very care
July selected examples from among
hundreds that might be cited.
Ia the following case we have the d.
rect evidence of the person affected,
who is we'll known, may yer be said to
be in some degree eminent---the Rev.
James N. Wilson, head master of Gilt
ton college, England, and senior wran-
gler that is, first in the honor examin-
alton for mathematics) in the year 1858.
I was at st. Johns college, Cambridge,
when he was there, taking my degree
only n year LITER. I was captain of
the boat club to which he belongeda
and have played in the ann gameIt
with hmm at football and at cricket.
He was q capital wi~cket-keeper, which,
though not in itself a proof that he
would not be liable to ~fanciful notions,
will suffice to show every one who
knows what cricket is that he was zsal-
Gus in open-air games, since nothing
but constant practice will enable any
one to keep wicket successfully. The
following narrative is in his own words:
7 was at Cambridge, in full health,
boating, football playing, andsthe like,
and by no means subject to halluci-
nations or morbid fancies. Oae even
ing ! felt extremely i'll; trembling,
with no apparent cause whatever, .1aor
did it seem to be q physical illness or
chill Of any kind. ! was frightened.
was totally unable to overcome it.
remember a sort OF struggle with my
self, resolving that ! would go on with
my mathematics; but it was in vain. /
became convinced that / was dying. I
was in d strange discomfort, but with
no symptoms that ] can recall except
mental discomfort, and the conviction
that / should die that night. Towards
eleven, after some three hours of this,
I GOT better and went upstairs, and got
to bed, and after d time to sleep and
next morning was quite well. In the.
next afternoon came ~aletter to say that
my twin brother had died the evening
before Ia Lincolnshire. I am quite
clear Of tho fact that / never once
thought Of him, mo- was his presence
with me ven dimly imagined
Let this story, 10 which moi only was
no apparition seen, but the presence Of
the relative who died at the time Of the
strango sensation was not even imagined
b compared with the following, which
Is ore Of the best authentR ated of a
class Of stories whose name is now BIS
coming legion:
IN September, 1857, Captain w, Of the
Sixth Dragon Guards, left England to
join his regiment ii India, leaving his
wife ct Cambridge. On the night be-
tween the i4th and 18th Of November,
1857, she dreamed that she saw her hus-
band looking very III, and she thereupon
woke IN great agitation. When she
looked up she saw the same figure stand
ing " her bedside. He appeared in
uniform and NJ If suffering intense pain.
he then gradually faded from her view.
IA First Mrs. Nv. supposed she must still
DO asleeps but rubbing her eyes and
listening 10 the breathing Of i child
beside her. she convinced herself that
what she had seen was 90 dream. In
December, 1851, 4 telegram from the
sent Of war appeared ia the morning
papers, stating taas Capt. N. had been
killed before Lucknow on the fifteenth
81 November. The family solicitor ap-
piled for further information as TO the
date Of Captain WIS death, which Mrs.
w. folt sure must have taken place on
the fourteenth. and not On the ffteenth.
But the date given III the telegram was