The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-10-07
A GREAT GHOST STORY.
SOME EXCITEMENT CREATED IN
ENGLAND BY SPLITS


A Newspaper Correspondent Witnesses
Funeral Train Received by the Spirits
Of the Dead In = Suburban Cemetery
he Was Wide Awake
/ was preceding leisurely on foot to
Broadgreen, when on passing the church
at Knotty Ash my attention was sud
denly arrested by the strange and ua-
csnny appearance Of its graveyard Inc
time was shortly after midnight Tbs
whole burying ground seemed alive and
Qlistening with q Thousand small blush
lights, which appeared 70 creep IN anc
cut Of the different graves. as II the De
parted spirits were taking a midnight
rarnble. ] stood petrifed, not knowing
what 10 make Of it. at the same time ex-
periencing feeling Of horror which sud
denly took complete possession OF me
Just at this moment the moon, which
had hitherto been more or less ObscuEed
BY moving panorama of passing clouds.
came. as il would seem, TO my assist
ance, giving me for very short time
the benefit Of her companionship,, And
now appeared the most startling phe-
pomenon Of ala phenomenon which
caused my hair to stand on end with
frAyht, a cold numbness Of horror para
living me in every limb, for, advancing
up the road directly opposite 10 me.
came a funeral train. the coffin borne
along with a measured tread, covered
with an immense black pail which hut-
tered mp in the midnight wind.
At first ! thought / must surely be
dreaming, and thereupon pinched myself
in the arm TO ascertain II this were real
ly the case. But. no; l certainly was
not. for distinctly felt the nip, and was
thereupon satisfied as TO my wakeful-
ness. ssWhat could it all meany" / asked
myself, as the cortege gradually ap-
proached me and began TO distinguish
the general outlines of the bearers
These appeared to be elderly men and to
have lived in bygone age
All were dressed in the costume OF the
latter part of the Eighteenth century.
They wore Tie wigs, and some had
swords, as well as walking sticks mount
ed with deathheads. | observed only
one really young man among the crowd
of followers, walking just behind the
coffin
A GHosTLY CoRTBGE
His youth in comparison with the
others, perhaps, made me take especial
notice of him. He was dressed IN what
appeared TO be black velvet. the white
ness Of his ruffies standing out IN marked
contrast 10 the som5 nature Of his gen
u n
diamond buckles on his shoes, and wore
his powdered hair in cue The face
of this young man was deathly pale, as
were also the faces Of all the others ac-
companying him Instead Of the pro
cession advancing TO the gate at which
/ stood, it turned suddenly and entered
the burial ground by the one situated at
a few yards distance.
AS the coffin was borne through this
gate all the blue spirit lights seemed 70
rise from the graves as if 10 meet the cor
tege for the purpose Of escorting the
body to It's last resting place. These
awful lights added considerably 10 the
rhastliness Of the scene as they hoated
over the coffin and heads Of the mourn
ers. Slowly the procession gided up the
pathway. passing the main entrance Of
the church, and. continuing its way IN
a straight line, finally disappeared at the
back of the edifice.
Where this most extraordinary funeral
went TO or what became Of it cannot
rel: but this much / distinctly aver,
that coffin, mourners and hghts-even
the pale. Pickering mOOnhght-an dis
appeared as mysteriously as they came
leaving me standing in the darkness
transfxed with astonishment and fright
Upon gathering together my somewha
scattered senses / took to my heels anC
never stopped running till / found my
self in my own house. In fact, scarce
ly remember how got home.
AFTERTHoUGHIS
After recovering a little from tbs
shock 1 Immediately aroused feInal,
relative who had retired for the nighi
and related TO her the above particulars
She assured me that must have beer
suffering from mental hallucination, but
seeing the great perturbation of ny
mind, and at the same time knowing M
natural skepticisIn with regard to all 81
called supernatural phenomena, she cam,
70 the conclusion that, after all, l might
possibly have seen what has been de
scribed above.
The next day made inquiries in tn:
neighbOrhOOd Of Knotty Ash. and ascer.
tanned from a very old woman that shl
remembered story in her youth having
reference TO the mysterious and suddeI
death Of an old occupant Of Thingwal
Hall, who was hastily and quietly buried
she thought, at midnight, In old KnottJ
Ash churchyard If SO, was this a ghast
Iy repetition of the event gotten up fol
my especial benefit, or was it porteni
intended to foreshadow the coming OF
the dread visitor to myself
Now, as have before stated. am nc
believer in ghosts, but certainly this re-
marka0le experience Of mine has entirely
upset all my previously conceived no
tions Of the subject, leaving me in a
quandary OF doubt. On the evening
upon which | saw the mysterious funeral
at Knotty Ash was exceedingly wide
awake, had met several cyclists on the
Prescott road with whom couversed.
Strange that few hundred yards farther
down the road | should encounter so
ghastly an experience-an experience
shall never forget to my dying day.
Liverpool Post.