The state herald., 1891-07-24
FAMOUS BLOOD STAINS.
MYSTERIOUS SCENES OF vIo-
LENcE IN ENGLAND.
superstitions Oonosrnins Thsn--stlsnt,
Indelible Witnesses Of Tragic
Scenes Committed In the
Distant Past.

Connected with some Of our old
country-seats are romantic stories OF
strange blood stains still visible-the
silent indelible witnesses Of tragic
scenes committed In the distant past,
says the London Standard. Al Con-
dover hall Shropshire, there u said 70
be blood stain which has besn there
since the time Of Henry I'LL, and oan
not be efiaced. According 70 . local
tradition, which has long been current
in the neighborhood. 1t 10 the blood Of
Lord Knevett the owner Of the hall
and estate at this period, who was
slain by his son. But this story. which
is utterly at variance with facts bear
ing on the history Of Condover aud its
owners in years gone BY must be
classsd among the legendary tales Of
the country.
At Cothels, q mansion on the banks
Of the Tamar. the marks are still TO
be seen Of the blood split by the lord
Of the manor, whss. for some sup
posed act Of perHdy. he slew the
warder Of the drawbridGe. Nathaniel
Hawthorne. on one occasion. enjoyed
the hospitality Of smithills hall Lam
cashire, and was 90 Impressed with
the well.known legend OF the Bloody
Footstep" that In three separate In
stances he founded fctions upon IL
A curious story Is told by Miss
jackson In her Shropshire FOLKLORE"
OF blood stains at Plaish Hall, near
Cardington. This legend runs that a
party Of clergy were assembled one
night at Plaish playing cards. All the
doors were locked. when suddenly they
burst open without any apparent cause.
Again they were locked. 'but presently
they were burst open second time, and
u third. Then the old gentleman ap-
peared in the midst Of the company.
and they all rose and fled excepting
the host whom the others basely left
face to face with the enemy. None
ever saw that wretched man again,
either alive or dead Only great
stain OF blood, shaped like human
form was found on the floor Of the
room, and despite all efforts, the mark
could never be washed out" Ever
since this occurrence the house has
been haunted, and at midnight
ghostly troop OF horses are heard. with
such noise that none can sleep.
The Cornishman knows from the red
filmy growth on the brook-pcbblss that
blood has been shed there-a belief
still firmly credited. Thus some
years ago, writes Mr. Hunt In his
Popular Romances Of the West Of
England" "A Cornish gentleman was
craelly murdered and his body thrown
into a brook. ! have been shown
stones taken from this brook with
bright red spots OF some vegetable
growth upon them. 1t is said that
ever since the murder the stones In
this brook are spotted in gore. where
rs they never were so previously to
this dreadful deed" According to
another strange Cornish belief told OF
St Dennis blood, II Is related that at
the very time when his decapitation
took place in Paris blood fell on the
stones Of the churchyard OF St Denis.
Ever since these blood stains are re-
ported to be especially visible when n
calamity OF any kind is near at hand.
The red poppies which followed the
plowing OF the fields OF Waterloo after
the duke Of Wellington's victory was
said TO have sprung from the blood OF
the troops who fell during the engage
ment; and the fruit Of the mulberry.
which was originally white tradition
Informs us became empurpled through
human blood. notion which In cer-
tain parts OF Germany accounts for the
color OF the heather. Defoe speaks
Of a certain camp called Darrow Hill,
and writes: They say this was n
Danish camp, and the roads here
abouts being overgrown with Dane
weed, they fancy 1t sprung from the
blood Of Danes slain In battle. and
that II cut upon II certain day In the
year bleeds-" In Wales tho dwarf
elder IL nick-nnmed PLANT OF the
Blood OF Man. and the wall-hower is
known In Palestine Ms the Blood
drops OF Christ" Among other plants
which are said To owe their dark
stained blossoms TO the blood-drops
which trickled from the cross may be
mentioned the wood-sorrel, the spotted
poisicaria, the arum, the purple orchis
and the rod anemonc; while French
legend accounts In the same way for
the crimson. spotted leaves OF the rood
selken.