The herald., 1896-12-26
How One Family Kept OId-Fash
i0ned Christmas
SOME GHOSTS INTERVIEWED
They Gave the Straight Tip When
Waited
To a Doubling Enquirer, Who Made
Money-A Strange Story Retailed
Again About an English Divine.


Christmas is passing away, and it seems
as if it is only matter Of time until
Christmas will exist only as a tradition
of the past.
But there are yet many families who
pertinaciously cling to the old time Gus
toms, and take delight in keeping the
annual holiday with all the old time ac
cessories of holly and mistletoe-or what
in Los Angeles passes for such-plum
pudding and ghosts. There are those
who maintain that the connection be-
tween a rich and properly compounded
English plum-pudding and ghostly visit
ors is not very remote indeed, that the
latter result from an undue Indulgence
in the former and follow in natural and
logical sequence.
But it is of ghosts of the bona fide or
der that a certain party of friends Were
engaged in discussing on Thursday even
ing when most of them were scared
almost out of their wits in the most de-
lightful old-fashioned way.
They were nearly all young people,
and somebody suggested that they draw
around the fire, turn the lights low and
tell ghost stories. The suggestion was
enthusiastically received, it being
thought that the idea was peculiarly
well adapted for Christmas eve.
Several stories We're told, but they
were not of a particularly creepy" kind,
and only served to stimulate the mental
appetite of those present for something
more mysterious ard awe inspiring.
Then a gentleman present told a story
that did give most of those present the
shivers, and sent cold chill down the
vol 1f1 1,tr 1tctn,
ers. His fiancee, a society girl well
known about town, vouched for the
truth of the narrative as told by him.
He told how certain friends of his had
become interested in certain phases of
what are termed "spiritualistc phenom-
ena." They had attended seances galore
and had sometimes been amused, some
times bored, and not infrequently dis
gusted at the pretensions of so-called
mediums" But they were not simply
practically minded people; the gentle
man and his wife were broad minded
and we'll cultured folks. and. having
travelled widely. felt constrained to ad
nit that there was an underestimate OF
fact about the manifestations that was
sufficiently mysterious to be fascinat-
ing. Not that they for a moment con-
ceded that disembodied spirits had any
thing to do with these peculiar develop
ments of phenomena. That's where the
practical side of their mental equipment
made itself felt. Like many other per-
sons who have had many advantages in
| the way of education, and the broadness
| that travel gives, they had been quite
| content to conf1ne their attention to the
things of material life, and they sum 0 ed
up the matter of disembodied spirits in
| terfering in mundane affairs very sue
cinctly, if not very philosophically. In
. their simple creed a good spirit was en-
gagged in much better employment than
| in tipping tables. or materializIng for the
doubtful edification of the patrons of a
seance room. On. the other hand, they
| believed that the bad spirits are boxed
| up so tight and fast that they are not
| permitted the chance to revisit the scene
| of their earthly life, and do more harm
| than had been already credited to them.
This was the spirit that animated them
when they determined to do a littleIn-
vestigating into these uncanny phenom-
| ena in their own home.
The gentleman telling the story told of
some curious results that had been OBJ
tanned, and then, as grand climax. told
| of something that happened at the house
of his friend only a week ago when he
and his best girl, who was sitting by his
side, and several other close friends were
present.
1t had been determined to have a ma
for directness of allusion they were
so called, for that is not their names
had perfect knowledge of the fraudu-
lent manifestations OF many of the noted
| materializing mediums, and determine d
to take precautions.
They asked medium to their home,
and invited a party of eight-the party
including Notwithstanding ten peo-
pie present at the seance that took place.
| The medium first went upstairs and en-
| tirely disrobed, and then under the eye
of Mrs. Brown put on skirt and calico
dress provided for the purpose In that
guise she took her seat behind the cur
tain, stretched across one corner of the
room, which served to enclose small
space which answered the purpose of a
cabinet. The lights were turned low and
the manifestation began. From the
| time when the lights were down. to the
time when the first ghost appeared was
only a matter of about three minutes
Then the calico curtain was parted and
a slight form drapedl in flowing white
robes stepped forth. Gliding noiselessly
to the side of young lady the ghostly
visitor beckoned her toward the cabinet
She rose and followed her uncanny guide
behind the curtain, and as she herself
afterwards stated. felt somebody oil
something take her hands and lay then
upon those of the medium. The latter
| appeared to be asleep and While holding
her hands in this way she felt. andithost
on the outside heard, spirit (?) hand:
patting her on her head and body. In
moment or two they ceased and the
young lady was free to return to hel
seat. Other ghosts came forth, on one
occasion several being on the floor
one time, and while some preserved ST
, lence, others in low. sepulchral Voic,
spoke to the friend recognized.
Ae,N Of fha i,,f Il Of 1a
happened to be present a gentlema,
who is involved in a legal difficulty
, Without entering into lengthy eXpiana
: ton it may be stated briefly that in fail
! ing to find a certain legal document hi
mother, and after her himself. woul,
lose several thousand dollars. Durn,
the seance the form of a man came from
) the cabinet and drew him by the hant
: from his seat, and when close to tn
cabinet spoke to him in the subdueG
, hollow tones characteristic of thes
ghostly visitors. Suddenly the conver
sation was terminated by the spook dis
appearing behind the curtain. and TIL
gentleman resumed his seat. In a mo
nent, however, the same form agGi
, came forth ard attempted again to eros
the floor with outstretched hand as
. ! anxious to again converse. For wha
| reason 'deponent sayeth not" but Whe
, | ''he, she or it, reached the middle O
the floor it suddenly denlaterialized-
|, | ollapsed-evaporated into thin air. Th
| gentleman who was the subject of thi
curious experience maintains that he d
| that time received the inforna tio