Animal Ghosts

dogs is related in an old Christmas number of the Review of Reviews,

ds to quote the account which he had from Mr. Kendall, and which I append ad verbum from the Review of Reviews. It is as follows: "I was night watchman at the old Darlington and Stockton Station at the town of Darlington, a few yards from the first station that ever existed. I was there fifteen years. I used to go on duty about 8 p.m. and come off at 6 a.m. I had been there a little while-perhaps two or three years-and about forty years ago. One night during winter at about 12 o'clock or 12.30 I was feeling rather cold with standing here and there; I said to myself, 'I will away down and get something to eat.' There was a porter's cellar where a fire was kept on and a coal-house was connected with it. So I went down the steps, took off my overcoat, and had just sat down on the bench opposite the fire and turned up the gas when a strange man came out of the coal-house, followed by a big black retriever. As soon as he entered my eye was upon him, and

others put this question to me: "Are you sure you were not asleep and had the nightmare?" My answer was quite sure, for I had not been a minute in the cellar, and was just going to get something to eat. I was certainly not under the influence of strong drink, for I was then, as I have been for forty-nine years, a teetotaler. My mind at the time was perfectly free from trouble. What increased the excitement was the fact that a man a number of years before, who was e

d) Jame

9th,

for believing that what James Durham experienced was objective psych

concise and sensible that I think it wi

ar, and, feeling hungry, was just going to get something to eat. Thirdly, if he was asleep at the beginning of the vision, he must have been awake enough during the latter part of it when he had knocke

old official of the North Road Station, informed him he well remembered the clerk-a man of the name of Winter-who committed suicide there, and showed him the exact spot whe

fter the high standard of the S.P.R. I do not know whether the S.P.R. published the case, and I certainly do not think Mr. Kend

the dog, which leads one to suppose cases of a

of -- House

s wife, on entering the sitting-room, was almost startled out of her senses at seeing, standing before the fireplace, the figure of a tall, stout man with a large, grey dog by his side. What was so alarming about the man was his face-it was apparently a mere blob of flesh without any features in it. The lady screamed out, whereup

es no less than nine times, and so distinctly that he was

y as 1885. Many theories were advanced as to its history, the one gaining most credence bein

ter the house in the company of the owner were never seen to le

ay very easily have been the phantom of the murderer's dog, or, w

was haunted in the manner described, and F. Grey, a Warwickshire C

in the

, which apparently emanated from within it. The dog, whilst appearing in all parts of the house, invariably vanished in a big cupboard at the back of the hall staircase. Miss Prettym

ome dog that had been cruelly done to dea

st of a Dog

Miss Lefanu, narrated to me an anecdote whi

even in the daytime. As she drew near to it, everything that she had ever heard about it flashed across her mind, and she was more than once on the verge of turning back, when the sight of the big, friendly-looking dog plodding behind, reassuring her, she pressed on. Just as she came to the gap, there was a loud snapping of twigs, and, to her horror, two tramps, with singularly sinister faces, sprang out, and were about to strike her with their bludgeons, when the dog, uttering a low, ominous growl, dashed at them. In an instant the expression of murderous joy in their eyes died out, one of abject terror took its place, and, dropping their weapons, they fled, as if the very salvation of their souls depended on it. As may be imagined, Miss Lefanu lost no time in getting home, and the first thing she did on arriving there was to go into the kitchen and order

evidence to show that dogs, as well as men, have spirits, and spirit

entor'

rrates the following, which by reason of its being witnessed by

to hear the anecdote the precent

man, the child, and the dog, instead of coming over the wall naturally one after the other, as would have been necessary for them to do, had come over with a bound, simultaneously leaping the wall, lighting on the road, and then hurrying on without a word. Leaving my two companions, who were too frightened to move, I walked rapidly after the trio. They walked on so quickly that it was with difficulty that I got up to them. I spoke to the woman, she never answered. I walked beside her for some little distance, and then suddenly the woman, the child, and the Newfoundland dog disappeared. I did not see th

as it had appeared. Mr. Stead's article ends here. Of course, one can only surmise as to the nature of the phenomena. No member of the Psychical Research Society could do more-and in the absence of any authentic history of the spot where the manifestations occurred, such a surmise can be of little value. Since the phenomena were seen by three people at the same time, it is quite safe to assume they were objective, but it is impossible to lay down the law as to whether they were actu

g seen on

akes, refers to certain strange phenomen

foothold, let alone walk. They watched the figures until the latter suddenly vanished, when Mr. Wren and his servant, thinking, perhaps, the man, dog, and horses had really fallen over the cliff, went to look for th

ve been the phantasms of a man, dog, and horses that at some former date

umpin

World Discovered, gives a detailed account of hau

t seeing, suspended in mid-air gazing at her, the head of an old man. She uttered some sort of exclamation, most probably a cry, and the apparition at once vanished. Some nigh

eatly alarmed by the sudden appearance of a large dog, which

plimentary to the ministers' powers of address, was scarcely as comforting to the Colthearts, who, unable to bear the strange sights and noises any longer, evacuated the premises. As no other tenants could be found, the house was eventually pulled down, and a row of fine modern buildings now

n before

ng lady named P--, who saw a big black dog twice suddenly appear an

ing on the bed of a Cornish child, doomed to die shortly afterwards, the same dog

eve all ghost-story tellers are liars, than there is to believe all parsons are liars-and this being so, additional proof is afforded of the continuation of the dog's life after death

ed by a Ca

tone kennel. Soon afterwards this friend came to me and said, "I have got a new dog-a spaniel-

ack), when carried to the entrance of the kennel, resolutely refused to cross the threshold, barking, whining, and exhibiting unmis

he mystery is easily solv

an cried, speaki

I retorted, "s

nt down and poked his

"You're having me on,

o you mean to say y

plied, "the

I said, and kneelin

see a dog's face and eyes lo

enter, and Morgan at last caught hold of him and placed him forcibly inside. Mack's terror knew no limit. He gave one loud howl, and flying out of the kennel with his ears hanging bac

thoroughly fumigated, and you'll have no more trouble.' At my wife's request she went into the yard to have a look at it, and the moment she bent down, she cried out like you did, 'Why, there's a dog inside-a terrier!' My wife and I both looked and could see nothing. The lady, however, persisted, and, on my handing her a stick, struck at the fig

om my work entitled The Haunted Houses of London, published by Mr. Eveleigh Nash, of

chshund of W--

1 my corresp

e at it, but all to no purpose-it came resolutely on; and I was beginning to despair of getting rid of it, when I came to X-- Street, where my husband once practised as an oculist. There it suddenly altered its tactics, and instead of keeping at my heels, became my conductor, forging slowly ahead with a gliding motion that both puzzled and fascinated me. I furthermore observed that notwithstanding the temperature-it was not a whit less t

read the name on its collar. There being no one near at hand, I could not obtain a second opinion, and so came away wondering whether what I had seen was actually a ph

ays, as her language is strictly moderate throughout, and because she does not s

tually superior to, most human beings. Still, notwithstanding this partiality, and consequent profusion of terms of endearment, which will doubtless prove somewhat nauseating to many, her l

ants complained that Robert ruled the house, and I believe what they said was true, for my sister and I idolized him, giving him the very best of everything and never having the heart to refuse him anything he wanted. You will probably scarcely credit it, but I have sat up all night nursing

s death, gave us every reason to feel sure we were not parted from him for all time, but would meet again in the great hereafter. It happened in this wise: I was walking along W-- Street one evening when, to my intense joy and surprise, I suddenly saw my darling standing on the pavement a few feet ahead of me, regarding me intently from out of his pathetic brown eyes. A sensation of extreme coldness now stole over me, and I noticed with something akin to a shock that, in spite of the hot, dry weather, Robert looked as if he had been in the rain for hours. He wore the bright yellow collar I had bought him shortly before his disappearance, so that had there been any doubt as to his identity that would have removed it instantly. On my calling to him, he turned quickly round and, with a slight gesture of the head as if bidding me to follow, he g

es or hours, or, again, but a few paltry seconds. He took the initiative from me, for, as

and as I foolishly made an abortive attempt to reach it with my hand, it vanished instantaneously. I searched the area thoroughly, and was assured that there was no outlet, save by the steps I had just descended, and no hole, nor nook, nor cranny where

n to entice stray animals. Resolving to interrogate the owner of the house on the subject, I rapped at the front door, but was informed by the manservant, obviously a German, that his master never saw anyone without

t all we can git here, we have nutting for de animals. Please go away at

obey. I found out, however, from a medical friend that No. 90 was tenanted by Mr. K--, an Anglo-German wh

cting in his private surgery, by way of practice, and-well, you see,

'It is horrible, monstrous that he

saw, and evidence of that immaterial nature is no evidence at all. No, you can do nothing except to

owever, namely, that there were no more pieces of meat temptingly displayed in the box, so it is jus

d the welfare of mankind cannot be advanced by any less barbarous system, why not operate on creatures less deserving of our love and pity than dogs? On creat

t reasonably add, on all those pseudo-humanitarians who, by their constant petitions to Parl

e sentiment in the closing paragraphs I must say I heartily a

ting of this type is t

in which one walks alone down a path sowing hempseed, and repeating some fantastic words; when one is supposed to see those that are destined to come into one's life in the near

notebooks. Within six months of this incident I was greatly astonished to find a dog, corresponding with the one I have just described, running about on the lawn of my house in Bath. How the animal got there was a complete mystery, and, what is stranger still, it seemed to recognize me, for it rushed towards me, frantically wagging its diminutive tail. I had not the heart to turn it away, as it seemed quite homeless, and so the forlorn little mongrel was permitted to make its home in my house-and a very happy home it proved to be. For three years all went well, and then the end came swiftly and unexpectedly. I was in Blackheath at the time, and the mongrel was in Bath. It was All Hallow E'en, but there was no hempseed sowing, for no one in th

cript I read that 'the mongrel' (we never called it by any other name) 'had been run over and killed by a motor, the accident occurring on All Hallow E'en, about eleven o'clock.' 'Of course,' my sister wrote, 'you won't mind very much-it was so extremely

tings by dog phantasms, was sent me many years ago by a

appearance of M

rge front lawn, good stabling and big kitchen gardens.

glittering eyes-replied, "Well, you see, it's a bit of a distance from the town,

"I don't. I've just seen about e

es! Pe

at

elle

g in good

st r

only thing peo

t is

You see, after being bottled up in a theatre all the afternoon and evening, one likes to get away somewhere where

ate now; wouldn't you prefer to see over it in the morning? E

"You haven't got any ghosts stowed away there, ha

ied. "Not that it would much matter to you if it

. I would as soon believe in patent hai

replied, somewhat reluctantly. "Here, Tim-fetch the keys o

tes the sound of wheels and the jingling of

ess inseparable from the demise of a long and glorious summer. Evidences of decay and death were everywhere-in the brown fallen leaves of the oaks and elms; in the bare and denuded ditches. Here a giant mill-wheel, half immersed in a dark, still pool,

of my companion, who continually cracked his whip as

and sometimes more so. You

of a change. Are you well versed

e, and the trees united their fantastically forked branches overhead. I thought I had never seen so dis

d. "An ugly sound, wasn't it? Beastly things, I can't im

lthough apparently not moving at more than an ordinary walking pace, was a man of medium height, dressed in a panama hat and albert coat. He had a thin, aquiline nose, a rather p

oice to a shout on account of the loud clatt

r. Baldwin sho

n walking al

no man!" Mr. B

e terrific speed we were going, to the difficulty of holding in t

an see no figure walking on my side of the

u. It's an hallucination caused by the moonlight through

t you have it

. "Don't you see it is as much as I can do to hold the bru

depended on it. From all sides queer and fantastic shadows of objects, which certainly had no material counterparts in the moon-kissed sward of the rich, ripe meadows, rose to greet us, and filled the lane with their black-and-white wavering, ethereal forms. The evening was

s a "thing" in white that made ridiculous groanings and still more ridiculous clankings of chains. But here was something different, something that looked-save, perhaps, for the excessive pallor of its cheeks-just like an ordinary man. I knew it was not a man, partly on account of its extraordinary performance-

e palm of my hand. The figure, however, was still there, still pacing along at our side with the regular swing, swing of the born walker. We kept on in this fashion till we arrived at

the horse evincing obvious antipathy to the iron gate. "And these are the keys.

now that the ghost, or whatever you like

is nervousness; had it not appeared to me I should doubtless have entered the house with the utmost sang-froid, my mind set on nothing but the condition of the walls, drains, etc. As it was, I held back, and it was only after a severe mental struggle I summoned up the courage to leave the doorway and explore. Cautiously, very cautiously, with my heart in my mouth, I moved from room to room, halting every now and then in dreadful suspense as the wind, soughing through across the open land behind the house, blew down the chimneys and set the window-frames jarring. At the commencement of one of the passages I was immeasurably startled to see a dark shape poke forward, and then spring hurriedly back, and was so frightened that I dared not advance to see what it was. Moment after moment sped by, and I still stood there, the cold sweat oozing out all over me, and my eyes fixed in hideous expectation on the blank wall. What was it? What was hiding there? Would it spring out on me if I went to see? At last, urged on by a fascination I found impossible to resist, I crept down the passage, my heart throbbing painfully and my whole being overcome with the most sickly anticipat

rtar. I liked the situation; it was just far enough away from a town to enable me to escape all the smoke and traffic, and near enough to make shopping easy. The only obstacles were the shadows-the strange, enigmatical shadows I had seen in the hall and passages, and the figure of the walker. Dare I take a house that kne

ded, as we slowly rolled away from the iron gat

"why, I thought you didn't bel

torted, "but I have children, and we

ake to stop the

e else has imagined anything there. Im

, no; leastways, I have

the las

remiah

id he

ot tired of being

g was he

three

is he

I can say. Why do

ctory to me to hear about the house from someo

d it's more than two ye

e has been empt

town houses-are frequently unoccupied for

e the landlord's house. I then said, "Let me have an agreement. I've

id on the spur of the moment, a mode of pr

ldren, servants, and I were al

passed by, and November was fairly in before anything

ad forbidden her to go out as she had a cold, ran to the gate one evening to see if I was anywhere in sight. Though barely five

er, suddenly espied what she took to be me, striding toward

it was not me, but a stranger with a horribly white face and big glassy eyes which he turned down at her and stared. She was so frightened that she fainted, and some ten minutes later I found her lying out there on the road. From the description she gave me of the m

did not like the house, but when pr

, ever since I've been here, but never saw anything till last night. I was then in the kitchen getting ready to go to bed. Jane and Emma had alread

'maybe he's forgot the key and

o more expression in them than a pig. As sure as I'm standing here, Mrs. B--, it was the face of a corpse-the face of a man that had died no natural death. And by its side, standing on their hind-legs, and staring in at me too were two dogs, both poodles-also no living things, bu

wife spoke t

od cause, and the description of what she saw tallies exactly with the figure that frightened Jennie.

of my own experience in the lane, and have consulted her before taking the house. Supposing she,

your mind! What is

er say, it was decided I should make enquiries and see if there was any possible way of getting rid of the ghosts. With this end in view, I drove to t

ngs continued for nearly three years, and then people suddenly began to comment on the fact that Mr. Dance had gone, or at least was no longer visible. An errand-boy, returning back to town, late one evening, swore to being passed on the way by a trap containing Mr. Baldwin and Mr. Dance, who were speaking in very loud voices-just as if they were having a violent altercation. On reaching that part of the road where the trees are thickest overhead, the lad overtook them, or rather Mr. Baldwin, preparing to mount into the trap. Mr. Dance was nowhere to be seen. And from that day to this nothing has ever been h

ter end ther

ce rumours got afloat that his ghost had been seen on the road, just where, you may say,

e ever spo

it, but, on its appearing suddenly, I confess I was so startled, that I not only f

your deduction

r. Marsden whispered, "only, lik

Dance a

ldwin's annoyance (everyone noticed this),

Ghosts! And to think I never believed i

sden said, a note o

I have an idea

k, then. May I

oined. "I would rat

, and though I was going at a great rate-for the horse took fright-they kept easy pace with me. Twice I essayed to speak to them, but could not ejaculate a syllable through sheer horror, and it was only by nerving myself to the utmost, and forcing my eyes away from them, that I was able to stick to my seat and hold on to the reins. On and on

y dismounted from the trap, the figures shot past me and vanished. Once inside the house, and in the bosom of m

t, came running up to us with a telegram, which one of the servants had asked her to give us. My wife, snatching it from her, and reading it, was about to scold her severely, when she suddenly paused, and clutching hold of the child with one hand, pointed hysterically at something on one side of

und, and my wife was in the same plight. With Dora, however, it was oth

eel very ill to look so

, isolated oak, and pointing with the index finger of its left hand at th

yone was silent, and

asn't been the means of solving the

hollow, and inside it

an extract fro

scovery in a Wo

human remains, the latter were proved to be those of an individual known as Mr. Jeremiah Dance, whose strange disappearance from the Crow's Nest-the house he rented in the neighbourhood-some two years ago, was the o

aken from the same

de at

Monday in the trunk of a tree, committed suicide by hanging himself with his suspenders to the ceiling of his cell. Pinned on his coat was a slip of p

s of Liv

gs. However, as space does not permit of this, I proceed to the oft-raised question, "Do anima

ading or writing, and on looking up have distinctly seen the dog lying on the carpet in front of me. A few minutes later a scraping at the door or window-both of which have been shut all the while-and on my rising to see what was there, I have discovered the dog outside! Had I not been so positive I had seen the dog on the ground in front of me, I might have thought it was an hallucination; but hallucinations are never so vivid nor so lasting-moreover, other people have had similar experiences with the same dog. And why not? Dogs, on the whole, are every whit as reasoning and reflective as the bulk of human beings! And how much nobler! Compare, for a moment, the dogs you know-no matter whether mastiffs, retrievers, dachshunds, poodles, or even Pekinese, with your acquaintances-with the people you see everywhere around you-fal

I can safely affirm that there are phantasms (and therefore spirits) of both living and dead dogs in jus

Properti

doomed and stands beside his, or her, couch. I have had this phantasm described to me, by those who declare they have seen it, as a very tall, hooded figure, clad in a dark, loose, flowing costume-its face never discernible. It would, of course, be foolish to say that a dog howling in a house is invariably the si

Haunte

o foot. Almost directly afterwards I heard the loud clatter of fire-irons from somewhere away in the basement, a door banged, and then something, or someone, began to ascend the stairs. Up, up, up came the footsteps, until I could see-first of all a bluish light, then the top of a head, then a face, white and luminous, staring up at me. A few more steps, and the whole thing was disclosed to view. It was the figure of a girl of about sixteen, with a shock head of red hair, on which was stuck, all awry, a dirty little, old-fashioned servant's cap. She was clad in a cotton dress, soiled and bedraggled, and had on her feet a pair of elastic-

ed, and Dick, my dog friend, who was apparently even more fr

same thing has occurred-the dog has made some noise indicative of great fear,

es of Dogs compare

of scent in dogs would seem to be more limited than that in cats; for, whereas cats can not only detect the advent and presence of pleasant and unpleasant phantoms by their smells, few dogs can do more than detect the approach of death. Dogs make friends nearly, if not quite

ose of cats; but, then, one must take into consideration the other qualities of the two animals, and when these are put in the balance, one may find little to choose-morally-between the cat and the dog. Anyhow, after mak

s, my friend Dr. G. We

cides and such-like-in olden times; but of K., venerable, illustrious K. of Ireland, few and far betwee

undergraduates), was about to commence his supper, when he heard a low whine, and looking down, saw a large yellow dog cross the floor in front of him, and disappear imme

brain,' he said to himself. 'Those rasca

nted by a dog, which was said to appear only before some catastrophe. The Dean had hitherto committed the story to the category of fables. But now,-now, as he sat all alone in that big silent room, lit only with the reddish rays of a fast-setting August sun, and stared into the gleaming eyes before him-he was obliged to admit the extreme probability of spookdom. Never before had the College seemed so quiet. Not a sound-not even the creaking of a board or the far-away laugh of a student, common enough noises on most nights-fell on h

ed to rise, but a dead weight seemed to fall on his shoulders and hold him back; and twice, when he tried to speak-to make some

w glazed and glassy like the eyes of a dead person. A cold shudder ran through the Dean, his hair stood on end, his blood turned to ice. Again he essayed to move, to summon help; again he failed. The strain on his nerves proved more than he could bear. A sudden sen

lolling head downward on the table. 'Merciful Prudence, the gentleman is dead! N

icture. It was bulging from the wall; it was falling! And, Good God, what was that that was falling with it-that huge black object? A coffin? No, not a coffin, but a corpse!

e had a fit, or what? And the picture? And-Anderson? Anders

-Bob Anderson-Bob Anderson with a stream of blood running from a deep incision in his back made with some sharp instrument, that had been driven home with tremendous force. He had, without doubt, been murdered. But b

s the door of a secret room, so neatly covered by the designs on the wall that it is not discernible. It was only by the merest fluke I discovered it. I was taking down the picture with the idea of "touching up" the face, when my knuckles bumped against the panels of the wall, touched a spring, and the door flew open, revealing an apartment about six by eight feet large. I at once explored it, and foun

med. 'And, what is more, I knew all about it. Anderson told me yesterday what he was going to do, and I wanted t

grimness of the moment, sev

ried, 'this is no time for levity. Mr. Anderson

u,' O'Farroll put in, 'I fancy the solution is right

, but not a few angrily, for Kelly, as I have said before, had made himself particularly obnoxious just then by his b

ize the situation. The dignity

ng of what happened to Mr. Anderson! Really, real

elly,' O'Farroll retorted coolly. 'It's only natural

t that date was very dear to all-the premises were thoroughly searched, and, no other culprit being found,

derer; and it was just as inconceivable to think O'Farroll had committed the deed.

arty of undergraduates were discussing the situation in Maguire's rooms, when the door burst open, and into

room all the evening, and I've just seen a queer kind of dog, that vanished, God knows how. I-I-well, you

t can't be poor Bob's ghost alrea

' Brady said. 'Loud pea

he undergrads observed, 'and faith, he succ

put in, 'with Anderson's dead body upstairs.

nd I,' the o

utside and listened. For some time there was silence; and then a laugh-low, monotonous, unmirthful, metallic-coming as it were from some adjacent chamber, and so unnatural, so abhorring, that it held everyone spell-bound. It died away in the reverberations

ard,' Brady said. '

re 'tis the devil, for no one but him could make such a noise. I've neve

ter, and are being repainted and decorated. These on the left-Dobson, who is, I h

them,' a student call

ady replied, 'but I doub

proved to be correct. Not a ve

nest interest in the proceedings, suddenly said, 'Who has the rooms over yours, Brady? Sound,

ry decent sort. He is going in for his finals shortly, and is sweating fea

elton hastily opened the door. He was a typical book-worm-thin, pale and rather emacia

ey felt constrained to accept his hospitality, and before long were all seated round the fire, quaffing whisky and puffing cigars as if

e said. 'It's strange you should all hear that noi

der me,' Brady remarked,

h job of it now we've once begun. Besides, I don't relish being in thi

ssages, vestibules, everywhere that was not barred to them; but they were no wiser at the end of t

e servants, on entering Mr. Maguire's rooms to call him,

and discovered he was dead, obviously stabbed with

days a general hue and cry was raised. All, again, to no purpose-the murderer had left no traces as to his identity. However

ed several of Maguire's most intimate friends if they remembered seeing the pencil-case in Maguire's possession, but they shook their heads. He enquired in other quarters, too, but with no better result, and finally resolved to ask Brady, who bel

aimed. 'By Jupiter, the beggar's asleep. Th

in, 'Brady!' and getting no reply, p

shook him heartily by the shoulder. The instant he let go the figure collapsed

Brady's face. It was white-ghastly white; th

or a moment or so he was on the verge of fainting. However, hearing voices in the quadrangle, he pulled himself together, approached the window on tiptoe, and, peering through the glass, perceived to his utmost joy two of his friends

ned. Again there came the laugh-subtle, protracted, hellish-and

e plaster had fallen, and whilst he still gazed, more fell. The truth

nd the dastardly nature of the crimes gave him more than his usual amount of courage. He

nce, twice, thrice,-sharply, and th

rrived in Brady's room. No one was there-n

gain and again they called, until at length, through sheer fatigue, they desisted, and

again the whole College, wild with excite

the whole building ransacked; but no one thought of the chimney till the search was nearly over, and half the throng-o

houted. 'Look! Blood! You may take it f

ow waited, and, after a few seconds of intense suspense, two helpless legs appeared on the hob. Bit by bit, the rest of

hurried to the scene pronouncing him still alive, there arose a tre

m the same way myself.' And before anyone could prevent him O'Farroll was up the chimney. Up, up, up, until h

sconcerted, 'that's a curious mode of making your ent

near the washstand, 'I followed you. Own up, Dicky Belton.

e Dean, and filled with indignation at the idea of such a trick being played on a College official-for he, Belton, was a great favourite with the 'Beaks'-he had accompanied Anderson on the plea of helping him, intending, in reality, to frustrate him. It was not till he was in the chimney, c

have to be continued, and he had then and there decide

t appeared immediately before the committal of each of the three murders I have just recorded (it was seen by Mr. Kelly before the death of Bob Anderson; by Brady, b

University, reported to me quite recentl

osts in the

s apparition, which is of a particularly terrifying appearance, c

it is called the "Trash" or "Striker"; Trash, because the sound of its tread is thought to resemble a person walking along a miry, sloppy road, with heavy shoes; Striker, because it is said to utter a curious screech which may be tak

ed the "Shuck," the local name for Shag-and is re

used to be a lane called "Shuck's

r, which was like a very big, white dog with no tail. It ran sometimes straight ahead, but usually in circles, and to see it was a prognostication of death. Mr. Barker, going home by the sea-coast, saw the Lamper in the hedge. He

ed Barguest, Bahrgeist, or Boguest; whilst in Lancashire it is termed the Boggart. Its most common form in the

ve a spring called the Oxwells, between Wreghorn and Headingley Hill, near Leeds. On the death of any person of local importance in the neighbourhood the

according to common report, had the power of appearing in the fo

Mauth

at of the "Mauthe Doog," once said-and, I belie

to come out and return by the passage through the church, by which the sentry on duty had to go to deliver the keys every night to the captain. These men, however, were far too nervous to go alone, and were invariably accompanied by one of the retainers. On one occasion, however, one of the sentinels, in a fit of drunken bravado, swore he was afraid of nothing, and insisted on going alone. Hi

nd I should think the chances of its being the actual phantasm of some dead dog or an elemental are about equal. I

ral H

packs of hounds, stories of them

frequently witnessed, on nights when the moon was full, scampering across forest and downs. In th

k," "Yesk," "Yeth," or "Heath Hounds"; in Wales as the "Cwn Annwn" or "Cyn y Wybr"; in Cornwall as the "Devil and his Dandy-Dogs"; and in the neighbourhood of Leeds as the "Gabble Retchets." They are common all over the Continent. In appearance they are usually described as monstrous, human-headed do

ts, accompanied by a pack of phantom hounds, is said to hunt a milk-white

e night in the King's Lynn Inn, owing to a violent snowstorm. Retiring to bed directly after supper, he tried to

of Aylesham. They are so steeped in hypocrisy that nothing short of violent denuncia

ise made hi

. "And at this time of

ous, white hounds. Instead of leaping the stone wall, they passed right through it, and the bishop then reali

, when he suddenly heard the baying of the hounds, and the hoarse shouts of the huntsman. The next moment the whole pack hove in view and tore past him so close tha

Pack of Hou

about half-past eleven one winter's night," he said, "and I was driving through a thick forest, when my coachman suddenly leaned back in his seat and called out, 'Do you hear

some way off

ight, but should they overtake us before we get there-' and he shrugged his great shoulders suggestively. 'Not another word,'

ould not outstrip the sound of the howling, which gradually drew nearer and nearer, until around the curve we had just passed shot into view a huge gaunt wolf. I raised my rifle and fired. The beast f

ast great fight for existence. Indeed I had ceased firing, and was already beginning to strike out furiously with the butt end of my rifle, when a new sound arrested my attention. The baying of dogs! 'Dogs!' I screamed, 'Dogs, Ivan!' (that was the coachman's name) 'Dogs!' and, in my mad joy, I brained two wolves in as many blows. The next moment a large pack of enormous white hounds came racing down on us. The wolves did not wait to dispute the field; they all turned tail and, with loud howls of terror, rushed off in the direction they ha