Morning journal and courier., 1892-01-29

with deaths heads. I observed only ons really young man among the crowd of followers walking just behind the coffin. His youth, in comparison with the others. perhaps made me take special notice of him. He was dressed in what appeared to be black velvet, the whiteness of his ruffies standing out in marked contrast to the sombre nature of his general attire. He carried a sword, had diamond buckles in his shoes, and wore his powdered hair in queue. The face of this young man was deathly pale, as were also the faces of all the others accompanying him.
 Instead of the procession advancing to the gate at which stood, it turned sud denly and entered the burial ground by the one situated at a few yards distance As the coffin was borne through the gate all the blue spirit lights seem to rise from the graves as if to meet the cortege for the purpose of escorting the body to its last resting fplsce; these awful lights added considerably to the ghasrliness of the scene as they fioated over the coffin and heads of the mourners. Slowly the procession glided up the pathway, passing the main entrance of the church, and continuing its way in a straight line, finally disappearing at the back of the edifce.
 Where this most extraordinary funeral went ID UT WuaI Dtcatne oL iI GAllC tell: but this much I distinctly aver, that coffu, mourners and lights-even the pale, flickering moOnight-All disappeared as mysteriously as they came, leaving me standing in the darkness. trsnsfxed with sstonishment and fright. Upon gathering together my heels, and never stopped run ming until I found myself safely in my own house. In fact, I scarcely remember how I got home.
 After recovering a little from the shock, I immediately aroused 6 female rel stive who had retired for the night and re- lated to her the above particulars. She assured me that I must have been suffering from mental hsllucinAtion, but, seeing the great perturbation of my mind and ai the same time knowing my natural skep- ticism with regard to all so called super natural phenomena, she came to the con- clusion that after all I might possibly have seen what has been described above.
 The next day made inquiries at the neighborhoOd of Knntty Ash, and Ascer- tainrd from very old woman that she remembered story in her youth having reference to the mysterious and sudden death of an old occupant of ThingwAll hall, who was hastily and quietly buried, she thought, at midnight. in old KnOtty Ash churchyard. If sn, WAS this a ghastly repetition of the event, got up for my benefit, or was it portent intended to foreshsdow the coming of the dread visitor to myselfi
 Now, as I have before stated, am no believer in ghosts, but certainly this very remarkable experience of mine hss enierely upset all my previously conceived notions of the suEj-ct ,lraying me in 8 9uAndary of doubt On The evening upon which saw the mysterious midnight funeral al Knotty Ash I was exceedingly wide awake, had met several cyclists on the Prescott road, with whom conversed, and had likewise refreshed myself al the public drinking fountain placed at the top of Thoma lane Strange that a few hundred yards down the road I should encounter so ghastly an eIperience-one that l shall never forget to my dying day.