Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1902-06-19
phantom Hoaads or Ens,aas,.

Phantom HoansIs or Engaansi.
Some Of the thousands Of readers
whose interest has been excited by
Doctor Conan DoyIe's enthralline
story of The Honnaof Baskervilles''
msy noi be aware that q phantom
dog Is numbered amongst the most
grisly and fearsome specters OF the
Fart Norfolk Coast.
This apparition, known rs Old
Shuck or Black Shuck, takes the
form Of huge black dog. which on
stormy nights may % encountered
prowlingsaloae eeriain narros lone.
some lanes IL thas sparsely.popula-
ted district lying between Yarmouth
and romer. The demoniac howl
gju<< Y 1his awful snonsser which
has Haaing teeth ania s0litary tIssy
eye in the middle OF its forehead
is heard above the roaring of the
wind and sen, and the fishermen
and farm hands, when they hear il,
take care TO hasten to their homes,
for 10 see Black Shuck is 10 receive
notice that You will die before the
end of the year. Stories are told in
some OF the coast hamlets OF persons
who have met this Norfolk Snarle-
VOW, and almost invariably, the
country folk win tell you, those per-
sons did not live more than twelve
months after the encounter.
There is, however, one way of es-
Gaping the penalty of intrusion on
Black Shuck's nocturnal prowling,
and that is you must preserve abso-
lutte silence about the monster for
twelve months after your encounter
with him. People who are fond of
cruising on the Norfolk Broads will
be Interested 10 know that Neatis.
head Long Lane. near the lovely
broad at Barton, and the roads lead.
ing TO Coltishall bridge, over the
Bure are Black Shuck 8 favorite
haunts: but he also frequents the
lanes in the neighborhood of Bacton,
where another Norfolk ghost, the
Long Cmstguardsman, takes a night
ly stroll at the witching hour.
Another canine phantom is the
Mauthe Doog, or 'Moddey Dhoo, ;"
which used 10 haunt Peel Castle, i'm
the Isle Of Man. This was q large
black spaniel, which for centuries
was able to obtain access TO every
room in the castle, no matter how
securely the doors might be locked
and bolted, but which never appear
ed before nightfall and always dis
appeared before dawn. At the time
when the castle was garrisoned
the Mauthe Dog became such a fa-
miliar phantom that little heed was
paid TO its appearances and move
ments, though most of the soldiers
carefully avoided doing anything TO
excite its anger.
But onone occasion one man, made
reckless by excessive drinking, de-
clared his intention Of discovering
whether the sO-called ghost were q
dog or demon" His companions
did their best to persuade him not
TO interfere with the apparition;
but on certain night when he was
alone to lock the gates of the castle
it was with the ayowed intention OF
settling forever the question in
dispute. Soon after his departure
a strange noise was heard, but no
one dared attempt to find out the
cause of it, though when the sold
Ter returned TO the guard room
there were many inquiries as to the
nature Of his experiences.
The man, however, had become
suddenly and strangely sober, and
notwithstanding his companions fire.
quent interrogations he preserved
absolute silence, three days later he
died, apparently in great agony,
but without revealing either the
nature or cause Of his fatal illness,
and from that time the Mauthe Dog
ceased 10 haunt Peel Castle. Some
Manx folk assert that it took up
fresh quarters on the Kirk Jarmyr
Mountains, but others affirm that
the bowling monster of those parts
was the ghost Of wolf.-RepHLiie.