The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-10
MEN, WOMEN
AND THINGS

to create so much interest," ana nave
been asked to make him walk.
This unexpected and unwelcome Wis
tor made it's first appearance early
in December, 1915, to enliven and ter
rify the rectors family at Epworth.
At the time the Wesley boys were
away from home.
1t was a gallant ghost~and not I'm
mindful of the fact that the Wesley
girls were under the parental roof,
for the seven daughters. Emilia, Su-
sannah, Marian, Mehitabel Anne and
Martha were at home. And then there
was Nanny. the maid servant. to VIII 7m
the ghost first paid his respects.
Now Nanny was 100 per cent woman.
and was greatly alarmed by series
of ood-curdling grvans that caused
the outstanding of her hair. and made
her ears prick forth at an unusual
testimony as she gave it in the par
lance of her times to the Misses Wes-
ley. She added realism to her story
by assuring them that the noises
sounded exactly like the groans of =
dying man
As this story develops, please keep in
mind that it took place in 171s. The
derisive laughter of the Wesley SIS
ters at THE recital of Nanny Marshall
changes to sympathetic fear. and they
too. gave way to alarm when, a night
or s. later, loud knocks began to be
heard in different parts of the house,
accompanied by sundry "groans.
squeaks and tinglings." Now he was
persistent ghost and kept up his
visits for period of six months
During this time the rectory was in
turmoil and strangely upset by vocal
noises raps on doors and walls
thumps beneath the floor. the smash
of broken croekery, the rattle of iron
chains, the juggling of falling coins,
the tread of mysterious feet."i The
story is told in letters. in amplest de-
tail, and by every member of the
/ family in turn. and all the tales were
collected by John Wesley himself, who
was then at Charterhouse when "Old
Jeffrey" was active. and published
in the Arminian Magazine in 1884,
nearly 70 years after the event.
L put in about John Wesley because
even though Mrs. Wesley tells the
story. after her practical fashion, with
Defoe-like simplicity, so far the visi-
tations were solely to the female mem
bers of the family. l know it's quite
easy for the superior male to dismiss
l. r.
Authorizations of a lot of hysterical
ard emotional women. You might get
| rid OF the daughters in such a way, but
| not the sane-minded Susannah. Clearly
the young ladies were badly ratified.
The ghost evidently tired of fright
| ening the women concluded he would
| try his hand on Robert Brown, a man
servant Now Robert witnessed pe-
culiar performance by the elusive ap-
| partition. Hear his testimony: Being
grinding corn in the garrets. and hap
pening to stop a little. the handle of
| the mill turned round and ground with
great swiftness." Robert had an ele-
ment of humor in his makeup, for
he remarked subsequently that moth
ing vexed him but that the mill was
| empty. II corn had been In it, Old
Jeffrey might have ground his heart
out for him: he never would have dis
turbe5 him"
| The record goes on to show that
| even the girls got to the point where
| they discovered that they could make
"Old Jeffrey angry by making per-
sonal remarks about it. ascribing its
| performances to rats, etc, whereupon
it would. like self-respectng ghosts
show it's disapproval of such doubt
| ing insinuations by humping the floor
and walls with great and huge indig-
| nation. oddly enough, the only mem
| Der or the family unvisited for a long
space was the Reverend Samuel. For
! this reason his wife and children made
| up their minds that his death was
| imm !nent, for local superstition had
| it that in all such cases of haunting
the person undisturbed is marked for
an early demise.
Il was in this frame of mind that
Susannah approached the austere head
of the house. for be it known that, ac-
cording to the manners of the time the
father was a despot in his home. Su-
sauna Wesley, in her letters to her
friend was accustomed to describe her
lordly husband as my Master" though
as It has frequently been observed IN
the case OF married life, the majestic
husband had much less authority than
he himself imagined. and discreet
wife can manage the .contrariest of
kmen. So the Reverend Samuel had to
stop and hear all about "Old Jeffrey"
At first he listened in silence to his
spouses recital. but as she proceeded
he burst into a storm of wrath. ]
can almost see him in my minds eye
and hear him cry out: "a ghost? Stuff
and nonsense! Not bit Of Only
some mischief-makers bent on plague
ing them" He perhaps even suspected
some of the SWANS playing tricks on
his daughters.
But the time came when it got upon
| his nerves and he was put to his wits
end to get rid of it. He went so far
as to send a messenger to the nearby
village of Haxey with the request
that the Vicar of Haxey, certain Mr.
| Hoole. would ride over and assist him
in "conjuring'' the evil spirit out of
his house Burning with curiosity, lie
came. but after a night of terror and
Samuel keyed up to shoot it diplomat
cally, said: "Sir. you are convinced
this is something preturnatural If
| so. you cannot hurt it; but you give
| it the power to hurt you. And the
peace-loving, spook fearing Mr.. Hoole
mounted his horse and galloped home
| leaving his friend full right to lay the
ghost without his help.
I told of his chivalrous conduct to
Mrs. Wesley. who asked him to leave
her alone at certain hours and when
engaged in her devotions. But it is
| set down that "Old Jeffrey" was A
ghost with pronounced political views.
II Ii oil