The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-25
ABOUT GHOSTS.
From Household Words.

come almost things of the past. While
this is SO. the subject of supernatural APP
pearances still possesses even for the most
practical and sensible people a certain
weird attraction.
What is a ghost? This is a question
much more easily asked than answered.
Perhaps as good definition as any other
is that ghost is a spirit of a person de-
parted this life. which is permitted or COM
missioned to revisit this earth-usually
upon some special errand. such as the
bringing to light of a murder or some other
heinous crime.
Occasionally, however. 1t would appear
to be the unquiet spirit of some departed
sinner, who during his mortal life had
been guilty of some cruel wrong or great
injustice, and who restlessly returns to his
former sphere of action in the vain hope
of repairing or explaining the evil done in
the body.
In former and more superstitious times
the spirits of persons whose bodies had
not been safely laid to rest in consecrated
ground were supposed to wander restless
ly about, and to continue to do so until
mains had been made.
AS to the causes which were supposed
to lead to the ghostly apparitions, some
times the ostensible reason was that the
appearance occurred in fulfllment of
solemn promise made by one friend to
another, that if he should first depart this
life, he would, if possible, return and
show himself to his surviving friend.
Ghosts were popularity supposed, as
rule, to make their appearance about mid
night but instances of alleged daylight
appearances are not by any means rare.
1t used to be seriously averred that no
one who had the good fortune to be born
on Christmas day could ever be disturbed
by any ghostly visitation in after life
Ghosts seem, as a general rule, to have
appeared habited in the same or similar
dress to that which the deceased person
had been in the habit of wearing when
alive. White garments are, however, oc-
casionally mentioned.
Dragging and clanking of chains and
letters has rarely been characteristic of
British ghosts, but has been usual enough
among their continental brethren. 1t may,
perhaps, be argued from this fact that,
dead or alive, British spirits never shall
be slaves"
One solitary passage in which a ghost
is described as being clothed in black
garment occurs in the writer. In the old
ballad of William and Margaret" occur
the words:
S"And clay-cold was her lily hand
That held the sable shroud."
Among the lower animals, dogs would
seem to possess, in special degree, the
faculty of seeing spirits, and to be pos
sessed with the most abject fear OF such
appearances.
In olden times there was an established
formula in which it was considered proper
oh Wis
1t was usual to conjure spirits in the
name Of the Holy Trinity to reveal their
names, and the reason of their appear
ance and when necessary, to repeat this
adjuration thrice.
When this was solemnly and reverently
DONE the ghost as a rule, replied in
forced and hollow voice, and instantly
vanished forever from mortal ken.
Occasionally, although rarely, a ghost
would condescend to converse upon the
affairs of this life, as in the instance
given by Glanvil of the apparition of the
deceased Maj. George Sydenham to Capt.
William Dyke.
In this case the ghost reproved the
captain for allowing sword, formerly
the property of the dead man, to become
rusty.
Captain! captainr cried this trucu-
lent ghost, this sword did not use to be
kept in this manner when it was miner
Ghosts have never, so far as the writer
is aware, seemed to be perfectly alert in
the transaction OF whatever business may
have brought them back for a time to
the world of mortal men.
Thus it seems remarkable that the
ghosts of persons who met their death
by murder have in single recorded in
stance carried the story of their wrongs
to any one in authority who would have
had the right or power to redress or
avenge them.
1t has always been believed and averred
that to whomsoever the unearthly visi-
tor might show himself it was by no
means safe to treat the appearance with
contempt, or fail to carry out its behests.
In certain cases where such Indifference
has been shown, the ghost so sighted has
appeared again and again in a very
threatening mood. When such means
have still failed to secure proper atten-
ton to their behests ghosts are even said
to have shown their high displeasure by
resorting to violence.
On some occasions, although rarely,
ghosts are said to have shown themselves
without having, or at least without ex-
pressing, any very definite object, or full
filling any purpose except that of disturb
ing, annoying or terrifying a household
In cases where ghosty malice was thus
shown, it was usual to call into requisi-
ton the services of one OF more priests
or ministers of the gospel to ''lay'' the
undesirable visitor
The ceremony of laying" the ghost was
invariably performed in the Latin tongue
which was popularity supposed to strike
terror into the heart of even the stout
est and NOSE truculent ghost. The lay
ing of a ghost was not expected to con-
tinue effectual for a longer period than
100 years, but the words used always ex-
pressly named the place to which the
spirit was to retire, and occasionally very
curious places indeed were indicated by
the exorcist. Thus, the solid heart of an
oak, the pommel of a sword, the interior
of a cask Of ale or of a hogshead of wine,
have all been the spots chosen for this
uncanny purpose, and in cases of special
ly troublesome and persistent ghosts the
Red Sea was usually named as the place
of their Punishment and confinement.
This locality was held in great dread by
the whole ghostly fraternity, so much so
that apparitions have been known TO beg
the exorcist in most urgent and moving
terms to name some other spot as their
place of retreat. And no ghost condemned
to Punishment there has ever been known |
to return to his former hunts.
A truly remarkable and not at all unu-