Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1922-09-29
THE SECRET OF CLAIMS CASTLE

AIlL OLSNLl Vt WIZ STS IL
THE grim walls Of CLAIMS castle, In
= Scotland, have concealed Il mystery
for a number Of centurics-ConCealed
It so well that no hint Of what it Is
or whence It's origin, has ever been
definitely brought to Hight. But that
the existence Of the secret Is well
known throughout the kingdom Is ap-
parent from Sir Walter SCOTS refer
enCe to a secret chamber in the castle
which by the law or custom of the
family, must be known only to three
perSons-the earl, the heir and the
third in the line Of succession - The
popular version adds the famous
novelist, rs that there IS some horrible
remembrance connected with the Sc
cret which has existed for the past
two or three hundred years"
one writer claims that the mystery
concealed in the secret chamber was
a human bcing-half frog and half
MAJ blii l'''bllo All' SUI Va NV
Countess of Glcnshirc, who finally sue
ceeded In penetrating to the hidden
room, only to die of horror at what
She found there. This story, while
apparently we'll authenticated by writ
erS of the period, has little foundation
In ~faCt-npart from the detail Of the
sudden and unexplained death of the
countess, who may have come to her
end In any one Of a number Of ways,
and, In order to cover up the manner
Of her assassination or accidental
death, 1t Is more than possible that the
story Of the chamber of horrors" was
spread broadcast through the sur
rounding country.
Another version of the secret Of the
castle appears In an old history Of
Scotland, where 1t Is stated that
there Is one chamber in the castle In
which, some centuries ago, two gam
hlers were walled In and condemned to
continue their ghostly play, and where
the rafting Of the dice Is still to be
heard. The earl of S~trathmOre and his
eldest son, Lord CLAIMS, must each
hear this once, and it is related that
the present lord has not forgotten the
effect it had upon him" But, unless
stage-managcd in n manner worthy Of
BelascO-with blush lights, skeleton
hands, and a dice box suspended In
mid-air-it Is hard to see how the mere
sight of a room where Il not unusual
torture was practiced centuries ago,
could have such a profound effect upon
those who visited 1t, nor how 1t would
lead to such extreme measures for the
preservation Of secrecy.
Still another story, and one which
appears to possess elements Of horror
and at least an approach of plausible
ity not to be found In the other
legends, Is that which appeared In
print in England only a few years ago
I'm the Castle of Glamis," stated
the writer, an eminent authority on
such subjects, SIS a secret chamber
which holds Cor IS reputed to hold) a
monster who Is heir to the title and
property, but who is so hideous that
it Is necessary to keep him out of sight
and possession. The secret IS known
to only three persons, because, as the
deformed man is the rightful earl OF
S%trathmore, he must be concealed II
order to safeguard the title Of the
present earl, but the same ~mlsshaper
aspect which renders his Imprisonment
essential has also prolonged his life
far beyond the appointed span.
"That there Is n secret room In tn,
castle Is Il fact well known, not only II
the neighborhood, but to all who hav,
made IN examination of the structure
Placed below the level of the ground
it Is apparently reached through
staircase, concealed behind the panele,
walls of one of the many large room
on the first floor. Those who retail
the story of the monster supposed still
to lnhabit this chamber declare tina
it is half reptile and half human, thu
accounting for the fact that 1t has SUI
vlved far more than the usual span q
a mans life-while others declare tina
the creature died years ago, but tina
its mummiiicd body remains as a war;
ing to the new heirs that their tenanc
of office is founded on deception, fo
the tales about the chamber agree |
only one particular, that It's occupan
Is the true earl Of ~StrathmOre."
The truth or falslty Of these suppC
sitlons has never been settled, but tn
fact remains that CLAIMS castle hide
n secret of some kind, which will neve
be disclosed until the old pile is tor
! stone from stone.