The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-09-17
TRUE GHOST STORIES.
An English Admiral Who Saw His
Sons ApparitiOn.

Sons ApparitfOn.
I know of a distinguished admiral who
was reading the paper one day when he
suddenly exclaimed, 81 have just seen
- naming his son, who was lieu
tenant in the navy on the West African
station Gle is on shore, being carried
by sailors He is very Ill or dying, and
he is wearing a marines cap" 1t was
afterward shown that his son, who was
on some expedition on shore, had been
suddenly struck down with fever and at
the time in question was being carried by
sailors and, what was more strange, he
had some time before lost his own cap
and was wearing such a cap as his father
had seen, which he had borrowed from a
marine.
OF these stories there are great many.
One of the best authenticated of them Is
the incident in which Captain Sherbroke
of the Thirty-third regiment, afterward
| General Sir John Cope Sherbroke, and
Lieutenant George Wynward Of the
same regiment were concerned. One aft
ernoon in 1885, when they were with the
regiment in Canada, they were both sit
ting together In Wynward's quarters.
1t was about 4 o'clock. They had both
dined, but neither had taken wine. The
room they sat in had two doors, one open
ing into a passage, the other into Wyn-
wards bedroom.
The only way into the sitting room was
the door from the passage, and the only
way into the bedroom was through the
sitting room The two officers were read
ing some military subject together, hav-
ing left mess early to pursue their studies.
Sherbroke, happening to look up from his
book, observed tall youth of about 20
years of age, whose appearance was that
of extreme emaciation. Struck with the
appearance OF a perfect stranger, he
turned t. MS friend and directed his at
tention to the guest who had broken into
their studies. AS soon as Wynward saw
the mysterious stranger he became very
agitated. 81 never" Sir John Sherbroke
used to say in telling the story afterward,
''saw living face assume the appearance
of a corpse except Wynward's at that
moment" Good God" Wynward ex-
claimed. at is my brother!" The stranger
seemed to go into the bedroom. They
followed him and found that there was
no one there. They took note of the hour
and day. When the mail came from
home, there was a letter to Sherbroke
from a mutual friend asking him to break
to Wynward the news that his favorite
brother was dead. He had died on the
day and at the very hour on which Wyn-
ward and his friend had seen his spirit
pass through the apartment.
There is one point that occurs to one on
reading this story. Did the young man
die in England at O'Clock in the after
noon on the day in question or did he die
at the hour that the clock would have
pointed to in England when it was p.
NJ in Canada? In a good many of these
stories the difference of time at different
parts of the world seems to be ignored.
The story, however. seems to have plenty
Of evidence to rest on. 1t was published
in 1923 by Mr. Jarvis in his Accredited
Ghost Stories" and there is a note to the
effect that a relation Of Wynward's had
read 1t and stated that in all important
circumstances it was strictly true. Then
the author says that Sir John Sherbroke
often told the story, and Sir John lived
for some five years after the book was
published. In a discussion In "Notes
and Queries" writer who seems to have
known the family bears witness to the
correctness of the story. One important
point is that after the apparition had been
seen and before the news had come out
Wynward and Sherbroke spoke freely to
their brother officers of what they had
seen.-Household Words.