The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-08
SOME GHOST STORIES.
Strange Visitors From the Unseen World Scientifically
Investigated.

st Louis Globe-Democrat st. Louis
is chock-full of ghosts The only Won
DER is that living persons have room
enough to move around within the
city limits. There are more dead
persons walking about the streets of
this town than living ones. by an i'm
mense majority. if the testimony
gathered up to date has any value.
But, perhaps, fortunately, they make
themselves visible only under extra
ordinary circumstances, and to a few
individuals who happen to possess the
exceptional faculty of seeing phantoms
at times. The whole question having
TO do with these phenomena is afioat,
scientifically speaking, at present 1t
IS being investigated patiently by an
association of gentlemen in England,
who call themselves the Society for
Psychical Research. The society has
branch in this country, which is
located in Boston.
For some time past the society has
been making a systematic study of
ghosts. If a house is said to be haunt
ed, committee is appointed TO sleep
in it. II spectral apparition is re-
ported as seen, witnesses are examined
case. Nineteen out of 20 of the al
legged Dhantoms are thrown out as
lacking authenticity, but from the
mass of stories a number of very strik-
ing ones, backed by thoroughly salts
factory evidence, have been selected.
1t is upon them that the adVocatus
Spectrum other words, the Society of
Psychica1 Research-rest the case in
behalf of the existence of ghosts, at
the 1OrpSGOf STAGE of the jTCl1j1.x-
Professor w. u. Barrett, of Harvard
has personal knowledge of a ghost
which appeared in a certain antiGuated
New England house in 1873 The
dwelling was occupied at the time by
two brothers. One of them, who tells
the tale, woke up about o'clock one
morning and saw before him the
figure of a woman. STOPPING down and
looking at him. He says: Her head
and shoulders were wrapped in a gray
wooden shawl, / looked a her in horror,
Sut dared not cry out, lest l might
move the thing to speech or action
Behind her head I saw the window and
the growing dawn, the looking glass
on the toilet table and the furniture
After 2 few seconds she raised her
self and went backward toward the
window, stood ut the toilet table and
gradually vanished. I mean that she
grew by degrees transparent, and that
through the shawl and the gray dress
she wore / saw the white muslin of the
table cover I did not mention the
circumstance afterWard either to my
brother or to oCr servants. because [
feared that the latter would leave US,
while the former would certainly ridi-
cuie the story. A fortnight afterward,
sitting at breakfast I noticed that nv
bF0T her seemed ont of
/ have had a horrid nightmare But
indeed It was no nightmare. I saw it
early this morning just as distinctly
as L see you. A MISUNDERSTANDING
hag, with her head and arms wrapped
in her cloak, stopped over me, look
ing like this He got up, folded
his arms, and put himself in the pos
ture l remembered so WELL
1t was learned afterward that a
woman had been murdered in the
house some years before, and that it
WAS said to be haunted. Other persons,
one Of them lawyer visiting at the
mansion, saw the same Specter, and
described it as glazing at them with
eyes of intense malevolence.
Mr.. F. C., of Boston. tells of an
apparition of his only sister. q young
lady Of Is, who died of cholera is 1867
at St. Louis. 1T was in 1876, he says.
q that Twas travelling in the west as a
commercial drummer. I had drum
med ST Joseph, Mo, and had gone
to my room at the Pacific house to
send an unusually large batch of
orders l was in q particularly happy
frame of mind. The hour was
high noon, and the sun was
shining into my room. While smok-
ong a cigar and writing out my or
ders, | suddenly became conscious that
some one was sitting on my left. Quick
as fash / turned and distinctly saw
the form Of my dead sister, and for a
brief second or 50 looked her squarely
in the face. So sure was I that it was
she that L sprang forward in delight
calling her by name. AS ! did SO the
apparition vanished. | ALMOST doubted
my senses, but the cigar in my mouth
pen in hand and ink still moist on my
letter satisfied me that had not been
dreaming. She appeared as if alive
Her eyes looked kindly into mine. and
her skin was so lifelike that I could
STE the moisture on its surface The
visitation 50 impressed me that / Cook
the next train home and related to my
parents what had occurred. My father
was at first inclined to ridicule me. but
he was amazed when I told them of q
bright red line or scratch on the right
side Of my sisters face, which / had
seen distinctly. When l mentioned this
my mother rose trembling to her feet
and nearly tainted away. With tears
streaming down her face she exclaimed
that I had indeed seen my sister. as nc
living mortal but herself was aware OF
that scratch, which she had accident
ally made while doing some little act
of kindness after my sisters death. She
said she well remembered how panied
she was To think she should have IN
intentionally. marTed the features Of hel
dead daughter, and that, unknown &c
ali she had carefully obliterated al
traces Of the scratch with the aid OF
powder. She had never mentioned the
matter to a human being from thai
day. and neither my father Flor any OF
the family detected the scratch. There
was nothing of a ghostly nature il
either form or dress of my sister She
Appeared perfectly natural, and dressed
~ the clothing she usually wore in life
= even had time 20 notice the collar and
little breastpin she wore, as well as the
comb in her hair"
Mr.. Ira SayIes of Washington, D. c..
states that one day in the spring al
1857 a certain Mrs. Stewart, an init
mate friend. told him that on the night
previous she had awakened her hus-
band with a scream. What's Fhe mat
ter?" said he. why, don't You see
Johnny there? He says to me, Mother
they've shot me. The bullet entered
right here and he pointed to a hole
right over his right eye" Mr.. Stewart