The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-01-06
SOME Animal GHOST STORIES
WEIRD ACCOUNTS OF DEAD BEASTS RETURNING TO WARN OF
COMING DEATH OR DISASTER

foxes presented themselves. The
family crest Is a running fox and the
coat OF arms is supported by a SINH
lar animal.
TO whether there are live foxes drawn
from their dcns or mere apparitions.
NO one. II seems. has ever caught or
tried to catch any Of them. The fact
that the dogs in the neighborhood did
not annoy tho foxes would tend to
prove that the visitors were appari-
tions. not real animals.
Another story, from Ireland: The
family of Patrick Plunkett. a well-to-
40 stockman. rented a house in the
parish Of Donore, County Roscom-
mon. Mrs. Punkett was worried by
frequently finding the footmarks Of a
large dog on the floors. She lever
saw the animal. but her mother. an
old lady, said that she had seen him:
that he was brown in color with two
white feet, and that he walked with a
limp: hat lie smelled around a GER
tain old chair M the fireplace and
then left the room by a window.
Upon mentioning this apparition in
the ntighborhood village. an old wom-
an told Mrs. Plunkett that the late
Sir Greville Nugent, who had occupied
the house some 80 years previously,
had a dog Of such a sort: that the ami
NAL had been accidentally shot, and
hmped afterward. Sir Greviile had
used the particular % wherein Mrs.
Plnnkett's mother had seen the dog as
a sitting room. and the dog probably
had been much in it. There was an
other dog about the grounds. a black
hound, seen at night. and there are the,
usual legends of horses refusing to
pass the place where he was seen at
night. This. however. is in line with
the regular Irish ghost stories.
his n comes through an English
man who was travelling in India. Sir
Elston C%ruikshank was travelling with
q large party which included several
ladies. They camped one night near
a ruined temple and resolved to make
use Of IT to sleep In. The native serv-
ants with the party begged them not
to do so. that many travellers had tried
to rest there, but " succeeded in
getting sleep. The Englishman pooh
poohed the story and retired. About
dark three English dogs With the par
tH precipitately fled the place. bowling
dismally. Then members of the party
began to feel nervous and sleepless.
BY and by there was Il large tramping
as OF horses hoofs, but nothing could
be seen. No sleep was got that night.
and in the morning the hoof marks
Of a horse were plainly visible. The
natives took this as a matter of
course. They said that a black horse
was known to enter the temple every
night. 1T seems that his owner had
been very fond Of the horse and when
he died ordered that the animal be
put to death and buried on a hill
near him.
From London, England. not "a cred
ulous place, surely. this story comes.
a member Of the famous banking
house Of Coutts was very fond OF a
tame robin That came and fed off his
hand. The bird died before the
banker did. but Mrs. Coutts. who aft
erward married the Duke Of Devon
shire. held that the bird appeared at
had occupied, and when she was dy-
ing begged to be taken to the room in
question that she might again see the
phantom robin. Mrs. Coutts, how
ever. always thought the apparition
was her husband in bird form.
This story came under the observa-
ton OF the writer in Ireland. 4 mare
died when she had d colt about five
months old. A former servant of the
house came to visit after the mares
death and. not knowing that she was
dead remarked that he had seen her
with her colt. When told that she
had been dead for four months he ex-
pressed surprise, but adhered to his
story.
II event heard the colt whinny his
welcome" said the man. This en-
planned something that no one had
been able to account for. The colt
had, been in the habit of neiging n
welcome to something that no one
could understand. He seemed to re-
member his mother. He was moved
to another stable and the old one
painted and cleaned out, but tho other
horses refused to enter it for a long
time afterward.
At Umhayo. South Africa, John
letter. an English settler. had a very
fine hound run over and killed by a
train. For months after Mr.. letters
family was much annoyed by the wild
w'histling Of the passing engineers.
On complaining Of 1t the engineers
told HON that he should keep his dog
at home, that it was done only to
save the tracks. The men described
the animal with the utmost accuracy
and added that he refused to leave the
track until the engine was almost up
on him.
OF course all these stories cannot be
legally proved. but If everything in
life had to stand legal proof 'twould
be a dull and cynical and narrow
minded world.