The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-04-25
MYSTIC APPAR|T|ONS,
The Weird and Puzzllng Enigma
of Ghostly Visions.
MESSAGES FROM THE DEAD.

The "Ghose" That Appears to Warn
Living Person Of impending Misfor
tune-The Strange Case Of 5ostoI
Man and His Deceased Sister,
In the Riddle Of Personality" tn
author, H. Addlngton Bruce, discuss
ing the proposition that human per
sonality persists beyond the grave
cites a number of instances Of appari
tons that were closely investigated b,
the Society For Psychical Research
and says:
In order to appreciate the nature o.
the evidence accumulated, let Us
glance at few typical instances, eacl
drawn from the sociey's records and
thus sufficiently authenticated TO merit
serious consideration. We may begin
with an old fashioned ghost story oi
the simpler sort. In this instance the
percipient, a Mr.. j., was personal
acquaintance of f. w. II. Myers, who
obtained first hand account of the
experience. In 1880 it appears Mr.
O., the librarian Of y. library, died
and Mr.. ]. was appointed his success
sor. Mr. j. had not known Mr.. O., nor
had he to his knowledge seen any
portrait of him when in 1884, or four
years after his death, he made the old
iihrarian's acquaintance under these
circumstances:
Il was sitting alone in the library
one evening late In March, 1884, fin
fishing some work after hours, when II
suddenly occurred to me that should
miss the last train to H., where / was
then living, if did not make haste.
/ gathered up some books in one hand,
took the lamp in the other and pre-
pared to leave the librarians room,
which, communicated by passage
with the main room of the library. As
my lamp illumined the passage l saw
apparently at the end of 1t mans
face. | instantly thought a thief had
got into the library. turned back
into my room, put down the books and
took revolver from the safe, and,
holding the lamp cautiously behind
me, | made my way along the passage
into the main room. Here | saw no
one. but the room was large and in
numbered with bookcases.
Il called out loudly to the intruder
to show himself several times more
with the hope Of attracting passing
policeman than of drawing the in
truder. Then / saw face looking
round one of the bookcases. I say
round. but it had an odd appearance
as if the body were in the bookcase, as
the face came so closely to the edge
and | could see no body. The face was
palIid and hairless, and the orbits OF
the eyes were very deep. advanced
toward it, and as did so saw an old
man with high shoulders seem to ro-
tate out of the end of the bookcase
HuU Will Ills DdOh lOn L1C anu W ANA
a shutting gait walk rather quickly
from the bookcase to the door Of a
small lavatory which opened from the
library and had no other access.
heard no noise. | followed the man at
once into the lavatory and to my ex'
treme surprise found no one there
Completely mystifed, | even looked
into the little cupboard under the
fixed basin. There was nowhere hiding
; for a child, and | confess began to
experience for the first time what nov
elists describe as an 'eerie' feeling.
left the library and found had missed
my train.
Next morning | mentioned what
had seen to local clergyman, who on
hearing my description said, Why
that's old or Soon after saw a pho,
tograph from a drawing) Of G., and
the resemblance was certainly striking
0. had lost all his hair, eyebrows and
all from, believe, gunpoWder acci-
dent His walk was aspeculiar rapid
high shouldered shuttle. Later inquiry
proved he had died at about the time
of year at which | saw the figure"
This is a capital illustration Of the
revenant type of apparition, the
"ghost'' that visits locality with
which it was familiar in life.
Then there is the ''ghost" that ap-
pears to warn living person Of lm-
pending misfortune. Take the strange
case of Mr.. F. G. of Boston, who
writes:
I'm 1867 my only sister, young lady
Of eighteen years, died suddenly OF
cholera in st. Louis. Ny attachment
for her was very strong and the blow
a severe one to me. A year or. so after
her death the writer became a com.
mercial traveller, and it was in 1876
while ON one Of my western trips, that
the event occurred.
Il had 'drummed' the city Of st. 10
geph, Mo-, and had gone to my room al
the Pacific House to send in my orders
which were unusually large ones, SC
that 1 was in very happy frame Of
mind indeed. The hour was high noon
and the sun was shining cheerfully
into my room While buSlly smoking
a cigar and writing out my orders
suddenly became conscious thai some
one was sitting Oh my left, with or;
arm resting on the table Quick as ;