The enterprise-recorder. (Madison, Fla.) 1908-1933, 1910-12-15

natural phenomena, chemical IN char
acter
Why Is II that ghosts, since time
immemorial, have been so intimately
aesociated with grayoyards? Why il
II that the dead IN cemeteries are so
universally believed 10 walk" nt
night? Why, when spocters walk, are
they 80 generally accustomed On pop
ular belief to be Rhoeted- that is to
fay, clad IN winding sheets-though
nowadays people are nearly always
buried IN ordinary clothing?
These questions, and others equally
interesting, IN regard 20 phautoms, sci.
ence Is now for the first time prepared
10 answer. As TO the first point, the
reputation gravcyarls have for being
haunted ia attributable TO the fact
that ghosts, Of tho kind now recoEniz
cd as real, DO actually and not mfre.
Quently walk about IN such places.
They are seen at night (rathcr than
IN he daytime) because their chem.
zeal constitution IS such that they can
not be visible except IN darkness
Finally, they are cor rather appear to
bol "shccted' for the reason that The
gases OF which they are composed
here We begin to come TO the cyplana
ton flicker and wavcr in a fashion
suggestive Of garments.
For some reason not eaey 10 OK.
plain, the dead are supposed to be
hostile TO the living. Few people
there be who would not run. terror.
stricken, from a ghost, # they thought
they saw one, But, making all allow.
ance for this fact, and for the innu.
ence Of Imagination, It stin seems
strange that the conviction that
graveyard is a dangerous and dreadful
place TO venture into at night should
be 80 widespread even among eduCat-
ed persons Nobody objects TO enter.
Ing, or wandering through, a burying
ground IN the daytime-rather the
contrary, indeed, most cemeteries be.
ing attractive spots, But at night It
is different.
The real cause Of this fear lies IN
the circumstance that phantoms, for
reasons presently 10 be made clear,
are, and always have been, haunters
Of grayeyards People have been
frightened by them time and time
again, IN such places. Other persons,
who have not seen them, and who
have professed disbelief, have never
theless been influenced by testimony
Of the sort, Not often has anybody,
witnessing a phenomenon Of this kind.
attempted to investigate It. Much
safer does It seem under such circum-
stances TO take TO ones heels.
Nothing but the skeptcism Of sci
ence can forify man against the
terror Of such an experience. But, as
II CHANGED, some years ago, a govern.
mcnt HnthrOpologist, Of high reputa.
ton (now connected with the depart
mont Of agriculNre), Prof. w. j. Nc.
Gee, had an opportunity to study this
matter at first hand. He was living
at the time in a small town, in the
middle west. where, only a few weeks
earlier a burglar, engaged In the ex.
ercise Of his hazardous profession,
had been shot 10 death Hastily bur.
led he might have been expected to
refrain from disturbing the commu.
nifty further--instead Of which, he PRO.
ceedcd to walk his ghost being re.
peatedly seen by a number Of reliable
witnesses, stalking about the potters
field whore his grave was located.
Professor Niece, being appealed to
on the subject, IN his capacity of sci
cntihc investigator finally consented
TO look into It. lie went to the pot.
ter's field on n moOnless night, sat
down a short distance from the grave
(carelessly left only half filled up
which had been pointed out TO him as
that Of the late burglar, and proceed.
ed 70 wait for something TO happen.
Nothing did happen for quite a while,
and he was just making up his mind
that he had come on a fools errand
when he deserted dim light imme.
diately over the grave. As he gazed
It became steadily more vivid and dis.
tinct, appearing 10 hover in the air
u hdlH'.Nht, lcnAlchh NHiHB, uDOul NuS
height Of man and rather strikingly
resembling the popular conception of
a ghost
When he attempted to approach the
strange object 1t disappeared, He
went back to the place where he had
been seated, and It became visible
again. Every now and then a gust of
wind would seem to blow It out" and
It would vanish for the moment, pres.
emily reappearing Apparently its
movements were caused by the breeze.
Its wayering suggesting drapery. But
presently the professor saw another
ghost, Of similar aspect, not far away,
and then another and another. until
there were at least half a dozen. II