The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-10
A CHOSTLY VISITANT.
Ii Always FOTetellS a Death in The
Family.

Comes in the Shape of a Mastiff-The
Dog Was Shot BY It's Master While
RescuinE the Latter's Baby From a
Burning Wigwam-Sinoe Then it
Has Always Appeared When ANY
Disaster Threatens Its Slayer's
Descendants.
From the Philadelphia Times.
Lexington, Miss, Aug. PA family
banshee is so commonly supposed to be an
old-world possession by a few favored,
or unlucky, ones, as you choose to look at
it, that the owning of such an attendant
by an American household has something
of the incongruous in it. But that they
have one is the fixed belief of the Merri-
weather family. of this part of the state
and many are the stories related by them
of this spirits appearances and warnings
Of approaching disaster 20 any member
and they produce as witnesses many of
the rest and most reliable persons in the
! the community This singular possession
takes the form of a snow-white mastiff of
stately carriage, who bays and bowls
about the house Just before trouble comes,
| of whatever nature it may partake.
Mrs. Merrlweather, lady of nearly 80,
and now the head of the family. tells of
her first experience of the phantom.
| 'When I married my husband he told me
something of this queer matter, but be-
| ing ofrobust mind and not given to fancies,
| least of all to supernatural fears,
thought no more of the thing, but dis
! missed 1t as an idle old wOman's tale, as
| perhaps you will in turn after you have
heard my story. I had indeed nearly
| forgotten it, and when one
night l was sitting in my cozy sit
ting room 1 saw the door open
! slowly.
l glanced up, expecting to see some of
| the children come in, but instead there
walked in as if perfectly at home large,
| tine-looking dog which proceeded to
stretch itself before an arm chair and lay
there looking at me with grave, sorrOwful
eyes. Ordinarily 1 would have put the
animal out, but somehow 1 could not help
| but be impressed by the creatures mien,
and, concluding it to be the valuable dog
of some neighbor, permitted it to remain
| where it was. at least thought / would,
until my husband came home. He had
been out of the state on business for sew
eral days, but was expecting him home
that night and had sat up for him after
the rest of the household had retired.
Presently heard the sound of his bug
| BY . NACCloi anu bAl1ONlLS n WI p dCAOSS
my shoulders, went out on the porch to
welcome him. I remember distinctly
| having closed the door of the sitting room
behind me and the only other door had a
heavy bookcase before it. The windows
were also closed and suffered. So that
l was utterly amazed on going back to
| the room with Mr.. Merriweather to find
| the dog gone.
"Why, where is the dog?" I asked
al 70 bo
What dog?" asked my husband and
| told him all l knew of the animal, adding:
cit was so unusual color and so fine a
| specimen that felt sure it belonged to
some one who could appreciate any kind
ness showed it."
What color was it'll said Mr.. Merri-
weather, and when l answered that it
was white, he uttered an exclamation
that surprised me-"
1T was the Merriweather watch dog,
MaryI" he cried. There's been death
in the family, or there will be. Hank to
| thatl' and l heard the mournful howl of
dog outside.
For moment l was impressed by his
evident belief in the thing and | asked
'But whose death does it mean? Not
yours, or mine, or the children's, hope. s"
Il can not tell,'' he said, looking ten
years older. Where did it lie down, did
| you say?"
/ told him, when he cried out, ut must
be warning of Brother Georges death.
| That is always his chair when he is here,
you know"
But by this time what boasted of as
my common sense asserted itself, and
declared that l did believe a word of it,
| though l could not help but admit to my
self that there were some pulling partic-
ulars about the occurrence. But in a few
! 10, H.. - Il
death, and the date given was that of my
vision. The letter also stated that he
had died at the hour of 10 lat night, which
was precisely that at which had seen the
maStih enter the room. My superstition
was aroused by the coincidence, for a
while at least, but my mother coming to
visit me about that time 1 Confided to her
I the story, and, as she was a woman of
more than usual intelligence and strength
of mind, she ridiculed me for my weak
ness in attributing the vision to anything
more than a curious chance, of which the
world is full. / acknowledged myself
foolish and tried in my turn to convince
my husband of a more natural eXplana-
of the matter.
But he answered that the dog had been
! seen in his family for more than a hun
dred years, and that in so great cloud
of witnesses there must have been some
reliable ones. He told me of how it was
supposed the phantom attached itself to
them.
1t is long story, but briefly it is this:
When the Merriweathers came over from
| England they first settled in Virginia.
where the founder of the American
branch became wealthy, and the owner
of much land, buying fairly enough from
| the Indians. But after a while the say
| ages became dissatisfied over the
| price paid them for it, or teal-
Gus of the thrift of the white man, and
made an attack on the mansion house.
This was repealed and the Indians retir-
ed. The following day rallying his neigh
bors they went down to punish the red
skins by burning their village. As they
drew near the place Mr.. Merriweather
saw his white mastiff running excitedIv
about the wigwams, and being man of
strong and rather cruel nature became
furious at what he took to be the animals
desertiou of him for the Migrants, as he
called the Indians, and leveling his mus
ket he shot the creature.
The poor animal, badly hurt as he was.
still dashed into a smoking wigwam and
reappeared with a bundle of clothes in
his mouth, which he proceeded to lay at
his masters feet. The bundle contained
cry also, and the man hearing it took
the cover off its face, and found his own
baby, which the Indians had evidently
stolen the night before, and on abandon
Z Il. -