New-York tribune., 1901-05-10
PROPHETS OF DEATH.
A TROUPE OF GHOSTS OF ILL OMEN
THE WHITE LADY OF THE HoHENZOLLERNs
HERNE THE HUNTER AND THE
IRISH BANSHEE.

Queen Victoria that The Spectre had been seen
at the Tower, and that the speedy death of the
sovereign of England thereby foretold There
upon the Queen died There is no possible doubt
that the announcement of the appearance of THE
Spectre of the Tower made several days be-
fore the death of the sovereign On the other hand
there Is especial doubt that the announcement
was lie. One reason for supposing it to be a lie
is that. far 1t be traced the story orig
mated in this country Another reason is that
there is no legend established tale of any sort
concerning any spectre in the Tower whose appear
has anything to do with the death of
arch.
1t is probable that the originator of this particu-
lar story made 1t purely for the sake of producing
artistic and striking tale, but, although wholly
untrue IT was far from being original. 1t was COM
pounded of many simples. The author might have
had more or less In mind the White Lady of the
Hohenzollerns. Herne the Hunter. the ghosts of
Lady Jane Grey. Anne Boleyn Katharine Howard,
Queen Elizabeth. and goodness knows how many
more. The White Lady appears when any OF the
royal house of Prussia die the spirit of Lady
Jane has been seen at the Tower, though she does
concern herself with the deaths of kings; Herne
the Hunter has been said to foreteIl the death OF
sovereigns. but does not appear in the Tower, and
the others named have been testified TO as APP
pearing In palaces In England.
Let It be noted at once that in the course of this
article. when 1t is said that this that ghost has
done this or that the meaning is that sort Of
story has been told 10 that effect 1t is too much
trouble TO keep saying 1T is said" and There is a
legend and THE common report Is 1t will be
simpler to tell everything IL IT were established
fact The reader is at liberty to believe much
or little OF what is here forth he chooses.
and the writer's feelings will not be hurt by the
rejection of II all.
THE WHITE LADY.
The stories of the most OF these wandering spirits
have been pretty well aired from time TO time-as
the spirits themselves fond of being-but
the most the public oblIging enough 10 forget
such accounts with considerable rapidity, and
they bear repetition with reasonable frequency.
The present occasion may be proptious any.
The White Lady of the HohenzolIerns is, without
doubt, the most famous harbnger OF death in the
world. She appears. everybody knows. in
about the royal palace in Berlin other
royal palace. short time before the death Of any
member of the royal family. Her visits were faith
fully ChrOnCled just before the deaths of the last
two emperors. So much has been written about
her and she is on the whole. so well known. that
there is need of saying much about her, but a
few brief details may not be out OF place
She had a reputation a ghostly prophecies OF
death long ago 1923. and account of her
IS given in a work called "Frthllng's Relation,
dated 1929. In the former year she appeared at
time when the Electoral house of that day
threatened with death. and on that occasion she
spoke. a thing she seldom does. She said: "Veni,
tudica vivos et mortuos.' In 1913 she was seen sit
ting In the chair of Margrave Erdmann Phillip of
Balreuth and a few days after he was killed. by
a fall from his horse There Is little confusion as
to whether there are not really two of her. per-
haps three. and II there two II is likely that
the one who appeared In the Margraves chair was
the other one. But this probably the one who
appeared 10 General d'Espagne in the palace OF
Baireuth In 1909. He lying in bed. and the
White Lady tried 10 strangle him. He killed
in battle short time afterward And this was
why Napoleon I'm 1872 refused TO sleep In the pal
Of Baireuth. although it had been especially
rhEg
been seen at the Court of Austria, ia testified
by letter written by Marie Louise the wife OF
Napoleon and the mother OF that Duke OF Reich
stadt who has lately been so much given 10 seeing
stage ghosts.
But the warranted genuine White Lady OF the
Hohenzollerns concerns herself only with connec
tious OF the House OF Brandenburg She has ap-
peared many times. and death has always fol-
lowed Once she came In coach. and was seen
10 dismount from it in the courtyard OF the pal
ace. These few of her more recent appear
ances; In 1870 before the death of Queen Louise
Of Prussia: In 1870 before the death of Frederick
William III: In 1861. before the death of Frederick
William ".
WHO AND WHAT SHE WAS.
There are two stories TO who the White Lady
is and from the two taken together there is
evolved a theory. One says that when she lived
she was Agnes, Countess of Orlamjnde. She was
a widow with two children. and she loved Albert
Burgrave. OF Nurnberg who was a Hchenzollern.
She wanted to be married 10 him. but he said that
four eyes stood in the way. meaning that his par
ents watching him and objected She under
stood him TO that he objected 10 her children
so she ran a hairpin into their brains and killed
them This disgusted the young man that he
married somebody else. whereupon she founded
convent and formed the habit, after she died. OF
calling on his family whenever death was imm-
nent
The other story Is that the White LAZY was
Bertha OF Rosenberg who had much of his
tory except that her husband. John OF Iichten-
stein treated her cruelty. AS n ghost she is fond
of children. and has been rocking cradles
which neglected by nurses or mothers.
And from these two comes the theory which de-
lights the fokorists for 1t places the White Lady
az least as her origin, rather, perhaps. these
stories about her, In the ranks of the sun myths
For the name Bertha is but variant Of Perchta.
a Teutonic goddess. She Is the same person
as the Venus who beguiled Tannhauser and the
story OF the love OF Agnes of Oramjinde for AL
bert of NurpbCrg is but another form of the Tam
hHuser story. Moreover, Perchta the guardian
OF souls and used TO travel with train Of chill
drens spirits She drew children to her, and hence
the tale Of the love of Bertha for children yet II
was only the souls which followed her. and So
when children went with Perchta. 1t meant that
they died. hence the story of the murder of her
children by Agnes Possibly the hairpin with which
she slew them-so unusual weapon-corresponds
with Diana's arrows. which, of course. the
moonbeams Practical persons. II they choose. may
regard this whole discussion proving that tho
White Lady and everything about her are mere
ly moonshine.
HERNE THE HUNTER
Everybody knows something about Herne the
Hunter because Shakespeare turned the legend to
his own in THE Merry Wives of Windsor:
There is old tale goes that Herne the Hunter,
Sometime n keeper here in Windsor Forest.
Doth all the winter time. at st midnight.
Walk round about an oak. with great ragg'd horns
80