The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-10-12
TALES OF GHOSTS
Lord Brougham's Curious Expert
enCe With a "Spook."
A COMPACT AND ITS SEQUEL.

raphy-Goethe Once Saw a Specter
of Himself-A "Ghost" Cuvier Saw.
There was a certain Pisander whose
name has been preserved In one of the
proverbial sayings of the Greeks be-
cause he lived in continual fear of see
ing his own ghost. Just that thing hap
pened to the German poet Goethe. One
day, when he was out riding In
spot somewhat removed from the usual
haunts Of men. he saw a horseman
approaching him. and as 1t drew near
he saw that the rider was no less a
person than himself-his other self
though dressed differently. Twenty
without forethought of the matter IN
the same place on horseback and dress
ed just as was the apparition Of him
self which he had met there two dec
AIDES before.
Lord Brougham pronounced Broom,
the English statesman, orator and au-
thor, after whom the well known
species of vehicles was named. had
remarkable experience with 'spook.'
He tells the story in his autobiography
published in 1871.
"A most remarkable thing happened
to me-" he says, $50 remarkable that
must tell the story from the beginning.
After left the high school lin Edin-
burgh) l went with c., my most init
mate friend, to attend the classes In
the university. We frequently in our
walks discussed and speculated upon
mans grave subjects, among Others
on the Immortality of the soul and
future state. This question and the
possibility, | will not say of ghosts
walking but of the dead appearing
to the living, were subjects Of much
speculation and we actually committed
the folly of drawing up an agreement.
written with our blood, to the effect
that whichever of us died first should
appear to the other and thus solve
any doubt we had entertained of the
life after death.
~
college G. went to India, having got
an appointment there In the civil serv-
ice. He seldom wrote me. and after
lapse of few years had almost for
gotten him. Moreover. his family hav
ing little connection with Edinburgh.
/ seldom saw or heard anything Of
them, so that all the old schoolboy in
timacy had died out and had nearly
forgotten his existence. had taken,
as have said, a warm bath. and while
In It and enjoying the comfort of the
heat after the late freezing | had I'M
dergone | turned my head round to-
ward the chair on which | had de-
posted my clothes as / was about TO
get out of the bath On the chair sat
G. calmly looking at me. How | got
out OF the bath | know not, but on re-
covering my senses | found myself
sprawling on the floor. The appari-
ton or whatever IL was that had taken
the likeness of G. had disappeared"
1t was afterward ascertained that G..
had died in India on the very day his
appartion was seen by Lord Brougham.
Very similar is an incident related
by Sir Walter Scott under date of 1918
A certain Mr.. Bullock had been en-
ployed by Sir Walter TO make improve
ments at Abbotsford. Mr.. Bullock
was called to London. and during his
absence the incident narrated in the
letter took place. Scott, writ
ing to a Mr. Terry, says:
THE night before last we were
awakened by violent noise like the
drawing of new boards along the new
part of the house. l fancied some
thing had fallen and thought no more
Of IL. This was about in the morn
ing. Last night at the same wltching
hour the same noise ocurred Mrs. s.
as you know. is rather timersome, so
got up with Beardy's broadsword
under my arm
"sat bolt upright
And ready TO fight
"But nothing was out OF order. Mel
Their could discover what occasioned
the disturbance" The strange thing
about this Is that Bullock died In Lon
don on the very day and as near as
could be ascertained at the very hour
that Sir Walter heard the "spooks" at
Abbotsford. In writing later to the
same correspondent he said: Were
you not struck with the fantastical co
incidence Of our nocturnal disturbance
at Abbotsford with the melancholy
event that followed? protest to you
that the noise resembled half dozen
men hard at work pulling up boards
and furniture. and nothing could be
more certain than that nobody was on
the premises at the time
These are Instances OF what may be
termed successful ghosts. The ghosts
that have failed are perhaps entitled
10 a brief notice. A ghost once IN
dertook to brighten the great natural
lst. Cuvier. This ghost appeared with
an ox's head Cuvier awoke and found
the fearful thing glaring and grinning
at his bedside
what do you wantT'
'To devour you" growled the ghost.
"Devour me" Quoth the great