Fort Pierce news. (Fort Pierce, Fla.) 190?-1920, 1908-03-13
.THE HEADLESS COACH
A Waning Phantom That Roams
the County Cork.
QUEER IRISH SUpERSTITIONS.

the Scns OF the Fir Darrip,
No wonder strange superst,lous lin |
ger 10 the scattered ham,ets by the sea
or In the lonely cabins on the rocky is.
lands round the iron coast for on win.
ter nights when the mighty surgcs
break laundering against the towering
cliffs aud the storm wind walls weird
~ through the hollow cayerns and iyled
ruins, where the deserted fortresses Of
the powerful chieftains Of oygone days
look down on the foaming wave,
and the cry Of the gulls aud curlew
echoes over rock shores and across
wide loughs and estuares, one might
vel fancy that the sounds We're the
voice Of giants or wizards doomed for
their sins to wander forever round this
coast, the mOurnsul wall Of the ban
shee' or OF the White Lady Of the
CNffs"-a famous Munster appartion.
Women and children. crouchlng over
the fire Of driftwooi, peat or furZ2
branches flaming ftfully on the open
hearth, cross the9selves as louder
wall rings through the darkness or
rumblng sound is heard that to their
ears seems to be the rolling Of the
wheels Of 1.-The headess coach or
death coach, so called in the County
Cor; because horses and driver are
supposed TO be headless. The coach
man is the dullahan-that is a dark
or slllen person, goblin Of most
malignant disposition,
/ This phantom is sai0 TO follow
| many old Munster families the vehi-
che numbering heavily UP the avenue
and stopping at the front door when
/ ever a death is about 10 occur in the
house know numbers Of persons
and uot by any means merely unedu'
Gated peasants-who are persuaded
/ ia { they have heard the rumbling OF
! the headless coach. Needless TO say,
the noise Of a heavy cart at night
along an unfrequented road is sum
Gent 10 terrify superstitious people
into believing that they have heard the
death coach. They take good care not
|
TO sec It!
Another much dreaded apparition is
the phoo1a, or fairy horse, a yerv ma
ilclons spirlU tnat Is said to appear u
the shape of beautiful coal blacb
seed with Gre darting from bis eyes
and nostrils
( Occasionally be adopts the form oil
black bull or goat, and sometimes nc
appears as On awful compound OF soy
eral black animals-horse, bull goa'
and ram. In his equine form he Is
said to amuse himself by entiolng soil
tary travellers whom he meets after
dark into mounting him, and as he in
yariably looks like q mate cut OF 9
horse such as every Irshman appre
ctates. he is said to succeed very RE
ouently in his nefarious plan.
The instant the rider Is on his oacs
the elan steed dashes ofS modly through
snonm. lake and bog hole thicket aul
copuice hedge and ditch, marsh anl
ravine. till the terrified mortal, drepch
Ell. torn and bruised, shrieEs for mercy
or perhaps remembers to gasp OUT
nraver. when with Il furious bound th'
phooka filings him of, preferably into
muddy pool or a furze brake and daru
away, leaving the unhappy rider Z
pick himself up, Invariably hndlhg 'ua
he "a miles out of his way
sudden falls are attributed to thu
malignant sprite, and many a man "n'
! has lost his way or met with an acc.
! dent coming home from fair or luner"
, on dark night Is convinced tor tn
rest Of his days that he has been le,
astray by the phooka, although III
troubles were possibly due to ye
more potent spirit Dangerous rock
and crags are often called "carris'u u"
I phooka" trock Of the phooka', jus' Il
: deco pools or holes 10 river or 90
E are 'poul na-phooka." a beautiful wa
teffall M wicklow hears this name
The 'poukeen," as he IS solnet'nt
called IS also said TO adopt the tori
of n great black bird or q bat 10
attor is greatly feared by the coGnU
folks In the bat form he is suppns :
70 lure teople into climbing ivied wa"
md towers. from which he throw
them. an idea which seems TO Nea
come relation to the vampire STORIES
eastern Europe He Is the pouSe
snenser. ana from breaking the uech
Of tie unwary to spoiling Inc oaf.
berries on Mlclaelmas eve in order
yex the archaugel there are rev euo
mites nf which he Is not guilty ~
cording 10 popular belief
Puck, TIE household tairyl y ~ -.
lish legend dnds his irish 'oun'erpa .'
30 the 6r.darrls, OF red man 9 lue
~ goblin, very similar % tAe seo't
rs.a can or brownie He Is SAID 70
W. t"l'' rha atfirc of tho.