,ghosts in the ,great ,war and ,true ,tales of ,haunted ,houses ,thrilling ,experiences of 8,daily ,news0 ,readers ,edited by ,s4 ,louis ,giraud ,,london ,,fleetgate ,,publications 78,daily ,news0 ,books ,dept471 ,lombard ,lane1 ,bouverie ,street1 ,e4,c4#d4 ,the full list of books in this series is as follows3 ,no4 #a4 ,,true ,,ghost ,,stories4 ,told by ,daily ,news ,readers4 ,no4 #b4 ,,warnings ,,from ,,beyond4 ,signs1 ,visions and ,premonitions told by readers of the ,daily ,news1 con- taining3 ,strange ,warnings and ,premonitions4 ,inexplicable ,experiences4 ,remarkable ,stories of ,ghosts of the ,living4 ,visions of those who have ,passed ,over4 ,promised ,signs from the ,dead4 ,extraordinary ,experiences related by ,nurses4 ,strange ,visions of ,animals4 8,tall0 ,stories4 ,some ,stories with a ,sequel4 ,no4 #c4 ,,uncanny ,,stories4 ,weird happenings to ,daily ,news readers4 ,some ,ghostly things explained4 ,no4 #d4 ,,ghosts ,,in ,,the ,,great ,,war ,,and ,,true ,,tales ,,of ,,haunted ,,houses4 ,thrilling ,experiences of ,daily ,news readers4 ------------ ,on sale everywhere1 or can be procured direct from the publishers 3----,,fleetgate ,,publications 7,daily ,news ,books ,dept471 ,lombard ,lane1 ,bouverie ,street1 ,london1 ,e4,c4 #d4 999999 ,,introduction ,the subject of ,ghosts and ,ghostly happenings has always aroused a vast amount of interest1 much fear1 some amusement and varying degrees of ridicule1 but in recent years the names of so many prominent and influential people have been directly associated with it and used in support of the existence of spiritual intercourse that it has become worthy of a careful examination4 ,this fact1 and the reported reappearance of the 8brown lady0 of ,raynham ,hall1 the home of the ,marquis ,townshend1 in the latter part of last year1 led the ,editor of the ,home ,magazine ,page of the ,daily ,news1 in co-operation with the ,publishers of this book to invite readers to give their experiences in this matter4 ,in extending this invitation the ,daily ,news1 in its issue of ,november #fth1 #aibf1 stated3 8,a vast number of people do believe in ghosts--many on the most inadequate evidence4 ,but up and down the country1 in lonely farms1 in quiet suburban roads1 in ,london flats--in fact1 wherever the living dwell and the dead have dwelt1 there are people who fully believe that they have seen mysterious apparitions1 sometimes uncanny1 sometimes not even uncanny1 strange noises unaccountable by any human agency known to the witness4 ,and these agencies they believe to be ghosts4 ,let us find out what these occurrences amount to4 ,we ask our readers1 in the interests of sober truth1 to tell us of the stories which are authentically within their own knowledge--not the feverish traditional stories of the countryside1 but the sights and sounds which they themselves have seen and heard1 or which their friends and neighbours have seen and heard1 and which have convinced them that ghosts really exist4 8,many will hesitate because the story they have to tell1 though inexplicable1 seems so futile2 but futility is often characteristic of the real living contemporary ghost story as distinguished from the blood-curdling romance handed down from the past1 with dripping hands and clanking chains4 ,as a small recognition of the service rendered by the writers of these experiences1 a daily prize was given by the ,daily ,news for the first ghost story published each day during the appearance of the correspondence4 ,it was also announced that it was felt that this important body of evidence on a subject of continual controversy should not be lost1 and1 therefore1 the ,publishers of this book undertook to gather into book form the best of the stories1 and to equally divide a further sum of #bj in prizes to the authors of the ten best stories used in this way4 ,it was then thought that one book would be adequate for the presentation of these selected stories1 but the response to the ,daily ,news invitation was so enormous1 that no less than four books of most extraordinary stories are now completed and published1 and the awards have been increased to #dj4 ,the ,editor of these books has read through every story received--some three thousand in all--and endeavoured to classify them and then group the various phases of the subject under appropriate titles4 ,it has been a tremendous undertaking1 and the work has occupied several months4 ,every selected story has been reproduced without alteration of fact1 and in almost every case the actual wording of the stories has been adhered to4 ,the task of scrutinising this vast amount of matter could be done by only one person where the merits of each story were to be judged for the purpose of awarding prizes4 ,and that single-handed task had its compensations as well as its trials1 because it yielded a comprehensive survey that could not have been accomplished by collaboration4 ,the outstanding feature of this examination was the total absence of the really horrible stories of ,ghosts that have been served out to the public from time to time4 ,there was no lack of extraordinary incidents1 as the stories which we now reproduce will show2 and generally there was a wholesome respect for the nature of the great subject under consideration4 ,most of the stories prove honesty of purpose on the part of the narrators1 and the fact that the writers of some of the most striking occurrences represent every class1 from the poor and unlettered1 to those well-placed in the world1 is an indication that the subject of ,ghosts or ,spirits has an amazing interest for the public4 ,reverend ,gentlemen1 ,magistrates1 ,professional ,men1 ,nurses1 all figure in the list of those whose stories we reproduce1 and the nature of the great majority of the letters received indicates a desire for serious inquiry rather than a mere relation of something to excite or frighten4 ,all those stories which showed abnormal temperament--and there were many of those--have been carefully excluded in the preparation of these books1 but full advantage has been taken of the stories which were sent to explain away strange happenings and to relieve the ghostly atmosphere with healthy humour4 ,we make no claim to attempt to answer the question 8,do ,ghosts exist8 02 we simply present in the most careful manner the best incidents out of the many sent to us in support of the ,ayes and ,nos1 and to the many who have experienced inexplicable manifestations and await an explanation1 we can only say that unless such can be gleaned from the sequels to supposed ,ghostly happenings with which this collection of stories is interspersed1 we are afraid this great subject has not yet been sufficiently investigated to yield them complete satisfaction4 ,one thing this vast amount of correspondence has proved is1 that while the least temperamental of us may scoff at the idea of ,ghosts1 and the humorously inclined may find it a happy sporting ground for the exercise of wit1 there is something which surrounds the lives of a large number of apparently sane and decent-living people1 that cannot be analysed as we are used to analysing things in this modern age4 ,and this something is sufficiently diversified to arouse in those who are not immune from it feelings varying in degrees between the two extremes of uncontrollable dread and deep reverence4 ,to have accomplished this alone would have been a complete justification for the preparation and publication of these books1 but we hope something further will be accomplished1 namely1 to prove the futility1 if not the danger1 of putting on the market literature on this subject of such an extravagant nature that it not only injures in its undue infliction of terror those who read it1 but detrimentally affects the merits of a subject which1 to those who are interested in it1 has as many claims to investigation as ,wireless or any other subject of equally uncanny surprises and possibilities4 ,having thus dealt with the main aspects of this correspondence1 there are two matters which must not be overlooked3 one is a protest that was included in the correspondence--a protest against the publication of these ,ghost stories1 and the other the very emphatic 8,no0 which is given by several writers to the question 8,do you believe in ,ghosts80 ,below we give in full the protest referred to1 and also the principal 8,nos40 ,the former1 we believe1 is sufficiently answered in the foregoing remarks1 and the latter constitute another interesting phase of this very interesting subject4 ,for the information of those who may desire to secure the whole of the four books in this series or any particular one dealing with a special phase of the subject1 a full description is given on the back of the title page of this book4 ,the fact that the names and addresses of the writers of these stories have been withheld1 and also names of people and places mentioned in the stories1 must not be regarded as a reflection upon the truth of the story or the honesty of the writer2 it is essential in the best interests of everybody4 ,it should also be mentioned that in the case of those stories which are set out under headings of ,counties or ,towns it does not follow that the incidents related always apply to the ,town or ,county under which they appear2 they mostly indicate the place from which the story was received4 ,,the ,,editor4 ,the stories for which prizes have been awarded are as follows3-- ,book ,no4 #a4 ,,true ,,ghost ,,stories4 ,old ,mother ,bishop4 ,out of the ,everywhere4 ,a ,strange ,s4,o4,s4 ,jeanie ,passes ,by4 ,saved by the ,supernatural4 ,a ,child's ,vision1 and ,experiences in ,later ,life4 ,a ,convincing ,experience4 ,a ,horrible ,end4 ,the ,wail of a ,snail4 ,late ,news4 ,book ,no4 #b4 ,,warnings ,,from ,,beyond4 ,strange ,warnings and ,premonitions4 ,saved by ,his ,child4 ,a ,persistent ,warning4 ,a ,startling ,vision4 ,why ,i ,am ,convinced4 ,inexplicable ,experiences4 ,an ,unseen ,menace4 ,the ,phantom ,organist4 ,remarkable ,stories of ,ghosts of the ,living4 ,a ,strange ,vision4 ,a ,life-saving ,vision4 ,grandmother's ,call4 ,extraordinary ,experiences ,related by ,nurses4 ,the ,white ,friar4 ,a ,wandering ,spirit4 ,tall ,stories4 ,the 8,tallest0 of the 8,tall40 ,that ,was a ,good ,race4 ,the ,musician's ,ghost4 ,strange ,visions of ,animals4 ,the ,dying ,sealyham4 ,book ,no4 #c4 ,,uncanny ,,stories4 #8,one ,tid ',e ,get ,out8 ,in the ,quiet of the ,night4 ,a ,gruesome ,treasurer4 ,the ,butterfly ,ghost4 ,saved by ,his ,own ,ghost4 ,a ,photographic ,mystery4 ,the ,flying ,dutchman4 ,a ,strange ,vision and ,its ,sequel4 ,book ,no4 #d4 ,,ghosts ,,in ,,the ,,great ,,war ,,and ,,haunted ,,houses4 ,a ,pal in ,life and ,death4 ,the ,morning of the ,ypres ,big ,push4 ,is there an ,explanation8 ,a ,dream or a ,ghost8 ,an ,evil ,presence4 ,a ,strange ,story4 ,was ,it a ,curse6 ,,letters ,,referred ,,to ,,in ,,introduction4 ,dear ,sirs1--,noting that this correspondence is transferred to you1 ,i venture to think that ,i can subscribe interesting matter for the subject4 ,born seventy-three years ago and passing my early youth in the country1 it will be understood that story telling was a regular feature of spending evenings1 and the 8ghostly0 variety was very prevalent1 so much that my young mind was saturated with that nonsense1 and to such an extent that life for me after the passing of daylight was a burden4 ,in the dark ,i fancied seeing ghostly shapes and hearing ghostly sounds everywhere4 ,an elder sister who was similarly affected and1 to some extent1 my mother1 were the only persons who knew of my sufferings1 as ,i would have been subject to ridicule from others1 who1 however1 no doubt had a touch of the disease themselves4 ,i remember my mother hushing the 8entertainer0 when children were present1 and trying to divert the talk into other channels4 ,then happily came the cure4 ,somehow a book came into my hand 7probably borrowed by me or for me74 ,i do not remember its title4 ,it may have been 8,ghosts ,laid ,bare10 8,the ,inexplicable ,explained10 or 8,common ,sense ,versus ,superstition40 ,it was ghost stories again1 just as ,i had heard them 7with variation7 and quite in line with what the otherwise generally intelligent ,daily ,news has been serving us1 but with this difference1 that after each tale a natural explanation of it was given4 ,it must have been done very well1 fully intelligible for my about thirteen years' mind4 ,the effect was remarkable4 ,i saw how ,i had been fooled1 and to my intense relief was cured of all fear4 ,you will therefore understand that unless your intended book of ,ghost ,stories or ,uncanny ,incidents is to be on the same line1 that is an anti-dose after each dose of poison1 ,i for one condemn it in advance4 ,i note that it is not all 8real0 ghost stories1 8,the ,silken ,ghost10 for example1 with its explanations on the line of what ,i have said of the cure book4 8,the ,picture in the ,fire0 also1 but that is so evidently 8made up0 that it has no place anywhere1 least of all among the prize winners4 ,as to footsteps on the stairs and 8mysterious0 slamming of doors1 ,i have heard that often as it happens in my own house1 but prefer to believe they come from the adjoining house and in a natural manner rather than in the ghost inventor's ways4 ,and why should ghosts necessarily make noises--and ordinary1 natural1 commonplace noises to boot8 ,so please stop frightening our children4 ,leave the ghost culture to the savages1 where they originate1 and if occasions occur give them a hand to get over that damned superstition4 ,yours truly1 ,w4 ,c4 ,this was not meant for publication1 but why not8 ,i am sure it is far superior to anything else that will appear in your book and ought to have first prize4 ,the following story is true1 down to the minutest detail4 ,one night ,i had a dream and saw an angel bending over me and folding his wings in a protective manner about my sleeping form4 ,so vivid was the dream that ,i awoke--not altogether in dread because the face and posture of the angel held nothing but kindness1 love and protection4 ,when ,i awoke1 however1 the vision did not fade just at once1 and ,i made a cry of awe and1 probably1 of fear4 ,this awoke my husband and he gently reassured me and soothed me1 and1 not to disturb him further1 ,i calmed myself to sleep1 determined to say nothing of my dream till next day4 ,after lunch on the following day1 therefore1 when we were having our customary half-hour's rest and chat1 ,i opened the subject of the dream1 and was about to relate it when he stopped me1 saying he was sure he had seen my dream1 and begged me to let him relate the dream first4 ,i did so1 and was much amazed that he had seen my dream exactly as ,i had done1 and could relate the appearance and attitude of the angel in every particular4 ,did either of us think we had seen a ghost or apparition8 ,neither of us thought so4 ,the truth of the matter was that my dream had been so vivid and real that even after ,i awoke the impression of the vision was still on my brain and took a little time to fade away1 and my husband's sympathy was so alive to my distress1 and his mind as much in tune with mine1 that my mind1 as it were1 photographed to his mind the vision which ,i saw4 ,such happenings as these are merely scientific1 not supernatural2 but in this case both my husband and myself would probably think we had seen a ghost had it not been that our education had led us into scientific studies in face of which we knew we had not seen a ghost4 ,the present day vogue in spiritualism and kindred subjects1 which shows the ,god of ,love and the ,creator of the ,universe as a small-minded creature who amuses ,himself frightening us poor mortals1 is nothing but pure ignorance1 and deserves to be put down as such4 ,to try to get into touch with the ,almighty by such trickery1 for instance1 as table-rapping1 is simply blasphemy4 ,i do not believe in ghosts1 except as the result of our own imaginations4 ,in 8,hamlet0 7,act ,,iii41 ,scene ,,iv471 when the ghost enters1 only ,hamlet sees it4 ,his mother1 the ,queen1 not seeing it1 thinks him mad4 ,that ghost is merely one conjured up by ,hamlet's imagination4 ,by continually thinking about1 and brooding over1 the fact that he has not yet avenged his father's murder1 the accusing ghost appears to him4 ,after he has explained matters to his mother1 she rightly says3 8,this is the very coinage of your brain1 this bodiless creation40 ,similarly1 ,brutus alone is visited by the ghost of ,caesar4 ,only ,macbeth sees the ghost of ,banquo in his place at the table1 and says1 8,the table's full40 ,lennox1 with surprise1 replies1 8,here's a place reserved1 sir40 ,during my lifetime ,i have seen only one of these ghosts of the imagination4 ,during the last year of the ,great ,war 7,i was only eight years old71 there were many horrible stories in circulation among my schoolfellows about the ,kaiser4 ,what an effect they had on my imagination6 ,i could go nowhere in the dark alone4 ,even when accompanied1 ,i saw awful phantoms3 sometimes bold and prominent1 sometimes misty and indistinct1 but always with spiked helmets--and always ,kaisers6 ,as soon as it grew dark my life was a perfect misery4 ,i was thankful ,i did not sleep alone4 ,when the war ended these ghosts gradually faded and1 again1 ,i could venture in the dark alone6 ,i am sure that people imagine the ghosts they see in lonely woods and on lonely heaths4 ,the weird noises they hear are natural--perhaps magnified by their imaginations4 ,even when not magnified1 the sighing and shrieking of the wind in the trees and the mournful hootings of the owl are very eerie6 ,i am only a working woman1 and not highly educated1 but ,i feel ,i must put a pen to your ghost problem4 ,well1 ,i don't believe in them2 there are none4 ,would any sensible person1 having lost their dearest and best1 like to feel their spirits were not at rest8 ,why1 ,flanders field would be white with ghosts4 ,i believe that nervous people often fancy they see things1 as ,i have proved1 having lost a dear sister1 whose mind became unbalanced through a nervous breakdown4 ,she used to tell us all sorts of things she saw1 but1 thank ,god1 we have never seen her ghost4 ,but ,i believe there are times when we are downcast and warned by a kind of telepathy of impending illness or death among dear ones1 but only at times4 ,i have proved this also4 ,no1 sir1 no ,christian people believe in ghosts4 ,many years ago ,i was helping my father to build a house1 on the side of a main road1 near a large village in ,lincolnshire4 ,it was early autumn1 and the house was nearing completion4 ,a workman was left in charge during the night1 but on one occasion1 owing to the sudden illness of his wife1 he was unable to fulfil his duty1 and ,i elected to remain and take charge4 ,it was a beautiful night1 and the moon was in full4 ,i had made a fire in a middle room1 and by the light from a candle1 ,i read through an interesting novel by ,harrison ,ainsworth4 ,i looked at the time3 it was close on midnight4 ,i blew out the light and closed my eyes1 the happenings which ,i had just read in the novel rapidly passing through my mind4 ,the silence was intense3 the loneliness complete4 ,suddenly ,i was startled by a crash and the sound of falling glass on the front-room floor4 ,feeling sure that someone passing had hurled a broken brick through one of the large bay-window panes1 ,i rushed upstairs1 and from one of the windows which overlooked the road1 and from which a long distance could be seen both ways1 ,i looked to see in which direction the culprit had gone4 ,not a soul was to be seen2 not a sound was to be heard6 ,then ,i went to inspect the damage4 ,every pane was intact1 and there was not a fragment of glass on the floor6 ,later in life1 ,i have found1 on more than one occasion1 what tricks one's imagination and thoughts can play2 how they can conjure up pictures1 and faces and forms1 not only of those we know1 but of those we have known1 which the eyes1 acting in unison1 will1 under varying circumstances1 place momentarily before you4 ,the writer 8,norfolk10 in your issue of the #agth inst41 had this experience when he saw the face at the window4 ,no1 ,i do not believe in ghosts6 ,ghosts ,in ,the ,great ,war ,a ,pal in ,life--and ,death ,my pal and ,i joined the ,army on the #bast day of ,september1 #aiad4 ,my mother's last words to me were1 8,be a man2 do your duty4 ,if ,god spares you to come back to me ,i will be proud of you1 my lad60 ,i was the only son4 ,my pal heard her words and said3 8,cheer up2 we will come back4 #8,england expects every man to do his duty4'0 ,my pal was a soldier from head to foot4 ,when duty called he was always ready2 fear never entered his head4 ,night and day we were never parted2 side by side we fought for two long years1 and ,i am sure his thoughts always were that ,england did expect every man to do his duty4 ,he was shot dead at my feet on the #eth of ,october1 #aiaf4 ,if he could have spoken to me ,i am sure his last words would have been1 8,thank ,god1 ,i have done my duty40 ,broken-hearted through the loss of my pal ,i did my best to carry on1 although my nerves were shattered1 and fear was always in my heart4 ,i was a messenger and had to carry messages from the firing line to headquarters4 ,three weeks after the death of my pal we were on the ,somme4 ,our division went over the top2 we fought our way forward all day until darkness stopped our advance4 ,my captain handed me a message and said3 8,go back to headquarters with this as quick as possible40 ,it was a lovely moonlight night4 ,as ,i ran forward bullets and shells were flying everywhere4 ,i don't know whether it was the sight of dead men that lay around or the noise of the battle1 but fear got the better of me4 ,i dropped into a shell hole4 ,the longer ,i sat the worse ,i got4 ,the message which meant so much to my comrades in the firing line was now getting delayed4 ,shell after shell burst around me4 ,i made one more attempt to go on1 and1 as ,i crawled out of the shell hole1 the sight ,i saw ,i shall never forget4 ,there was my pal standing not two yards away1 not in white as most ghosts are1 but dressed in his soldier's clothes4 ,i stood there3 the shock was too much for me2 ,i could not move4 ,but the ghost 7,i am sure it was my pal7 kept waving me on and pointing in the direction of the headquarters1 which were about a mile away4 ,i don't know how1 but ,i moved on2 the ghost moved also4 ,if ,i stopped it stopped and waved me on4 ,this went on until ,i was about ten yards off my destination4 ,the ghost then waved its hand as if to say 8good-bye10 and disappeared into the air4 ,terrified1 ,i ran on4 ,with the help of my pal1 the message was delivered4 ,he had helped me do my duty in life and he had still aided me--though dead4 ,the ,morning of the ,ypres ,big ,push ,,the following remarkable experience befell me in ,france4 ,it is true in every detail and1 although ten years have elapsed since then1 still the memory of it remains4 ,it was the morn of the ,ypres big push1 ,august #afth1 #aiaf4 ,after a night of almost unendurable suspense1 fed with the knowledge of the coming storm1 how unusually quiet everything seemed4 ,there had been nothing to disturb the serene tranquillity of that summer's night1 save an occasional ping1 ping1 of the hidden snipers' bullets1 and a stray enemy shell4 ,it was an ominous calm--the prelude to the approaching storm4 ,in the small hour of the morn1 ,i left my dug out1 as shortly ,i was due for duty on the fire step4 ,as ,i proceeded on my way along the trench ,i suddenly became aware of the form of a woman barely a dozen yards in front of me4 ,now ,i wasn't half asleep1 neither had ,i been having an extra rum ration4 ,i stood there astonished1 all manner of thoughts coursing through my mind4 ,could it by any chance be a kilted ,highlander8 ,impossible4 ,they were miles away on our left4 ,in my anxiety to discover who it was ,i exclaimed1 8,hello ,jock10 and it vanished immediately in front of my very eyes in a straight run of trench and in very good light4 ,i was bewildered1 and proceeded on my way1 scarcely able to credit my senses4 ,arriving at the post ,i joined my pals there1 and we struck the usual conversation4 ,after a few minutes a strange feeling of uneasiness crept over me--a sense of impending danger2 a presentiment that something was about to happen4 ,i thought of the form ,i had seen1 and an irresistible desire to leave the post took complete possession of me4 ,in desperation ,i turned to my pal named ,stewart1 exclaiming3 8,come on1 let us go to the latrine and have a smoke40 ,after much persuasion he eventually came away1 and1 together1 we made a bee-line for the latrine4 ,arriving there we lit our 8half-a-mo's0 cigarettes4 ,scarcely had we done so when we heard a resounding crash and1 together1 we rushed along the trench in the direction of the sound1 grave fears filling my mind4 ,at last we reached the bend in the trench leading to the machine gun post1 and there a grisly sight met our gaze--a head lying on the broken duck boards4 ,a trench mortar had made a direct hit on the very spot on which ,i had stood scarcely five minutes previously4 ,three poor fellows were blown to atoms4 ,a narrow shave truly4 8,luck10 some would say2 others would say 8,chance40 ,but1 in my honest opinion1 it was direct spiritual intervention4 ,the following sequel convinced me of that4 ,some time afterwards1 in writing to a sister of mine1 ,i related the remarkable vision ,i had seen in the trench1 and1 in her reply1 she informed me that it was in the small hours of the morning of ,august #afth1 nine years previously1 that my mother died1 about the same time as ,i saw the vision or form of a woman in the trench4 ,she reminded me of a fact ,i had quite overlooked4 ,in summing up the whole thing1 ,i am convinced that the form ,i saw was no kilted ,highlander1 but the spirit of my own dear mother come to warn me of impending danger4 ,how else can ,i account for that feeling of uneasiness1 that sense of impending disaster1 that strong presentiment of something about to happen1 and1 above all1 that irresistible desire to leave the post8 ,thank ,god1 ,i did2 for through the instrumentality of that spiritual warning1 not only was my own life spared but my friend ,stewart's as well4 ,is ,there an ,explanation8 ,i don't know if the thing ,i saw could be called a ghost4 ,i've never really made up my mind about it4 ,it may1 for all ,i know1 have a perfectly proper scientific explanation1 but it struck me as remarkably eerie at the time4 ,it was a ghostly place anyway--the ,somme1 in #aiah1 when for the last time 8,jerry0 was being followed back across the old familiar ground4 ,it was daylight--a day of sunshine--and ,i was reporting to company headquarters from one reserve line to another1 across the open1 when the shells began to fall4 ,in appropriate rabbit-fashion ,i dived for the nearest shell hole4 ,there was a dead man in that shell hole1 lying on his back1 staring up at the unquiet sky4 ,an unpleasant neighbour1 no doubt2 but when shells were about one stayed where one was reasonably safe4 ,naturally enough ,i stared at the dead man1 and then ,i noticed a peculiar thing4 ,i have said that the man was lying on his back1 but that was not exactly the case4 ,the shell hole was a very large one and very old4 ,in the bottom there was a coil of rusty wire4 ,the face1 and upper part of the body--for that was all ,i noticed--was pillowed upon the wire and the spear points of the grass that had grown under and about the coil4 ,the face struck me as the most ethereal and delicate ,i had ever seen4 ,i don't know exactly how to explain it2 the dead man's face appeared as though woven of some ethereal flesh-coloured cob-web1 spun on the points of the grass and wire1 and the light seemed to go right through the delicate skin4 ,i stared at it quite fascinated1 and1 after a while1 the fascination overcame me4 ,i simply had to touch the face to see if it was real4 ,i plucked a piece of coarse grass that was growing in the hole and1 stretching across1 stroked the face--and1 immediately1 it vanished4 ,now was that a ghost1 or can science explain8 ,for instance1 can the mere shell of a human face and body exist 7below ground1 it is true1 but open to the air7 and yet be so easily dispersed4 ,for myself1 ,i don't know4 ,it is1 in any case1 the nearest approach to a ghost that ,i1 personally1 have ever seen4 ,i did not make a search1 but1 after the body and face disappeared1 ,i looked round but could see no trace of any equipment1 boots1 entrenching tools1 and such like things4 ,a ,dream--or a ,ghost8 ,i ,,know nothing of the occult1 and claim no great belief in it1 yet an instance occurred in which ,i was undoubtedly assisted by what appears to be the occult4 ,it was just after the signing of the ,armistice that ,i was at ,dobritch 7in the ,dobrudja7 running a ,y4,m4,c4,a4 centre there4 ,the goods for the boys used to come by ship to ,varna4 ,they were placed on rail at ,varna by another ,y4,m4,c4,a4 officer stationed there4 ,they were locked1 and sealed1 and a guard placed over them by the ,british ,r4,t4,o4 at ,varna1 before being transported to ,dobritch by the ,bulgar railway authorities4 ,these stores always arrived locked1 and1 yet1 invariably1 with quantities of goods missing4 ,both my colleague at ,varna and the ,r4,t4,o4 thought ,i was mistaken1 and the ,bulgar railway official said 8,nothing could have been stolen40 ,i was puzzled4 ,then1 one night as ,i lay in bed1 there passed before me--as in a panorama or a moving picture1 so vivid and real was it--a vision of a train drawing up in the night1 to a small station4 ,i distinctly saw a stout1 middle-aged ,bulgar station-master 7as proved by his uniform7 go to a coach1 unlock it1 creep in1 and roll out some crates marked ,y4,m4,c4,a41 lock it again1 and then whistle for the train to proceed4 ,vivid as the vision was1 ,i paid little heed to it4 ,as the next two or three consignments all revealed goods missing again1 ,i decided to act ,sherlock ,holmes myself1 next time4 ,i went down to ,varna4 ,after the goods were loaded1 ,i allowed the ,r4,t4,o4 to lock the doors with me inside1 and seal them4 ,only we two knew ,i was there4 ,the train rumbled along in the night1 for some considerable distance1 and then drew up at a wayside station4 ,it was midnight1 and very dark1 but ,i heard heavy footsteps approach and stop at my coach4 ,then a heavy breathing and a fumbling at the lock--and the door was gently slid back4 ,a bull's eye cast a gleam inside1 and1 by it1 ,i saw the burly form of a ,bulgar station-master begin to creep in4 ,his lantern shone right on his face4 ,it was the exact face ,i had seen in the vision--even to a scar on the cheek4 ,i waited no longer for the vision to be further fulfilled but jumped down off my bed and planted a running kick1 square on his jaw4 ,he fell back1 outside1 with a groan1 mumbling 8,anglaise dobra1 dobra0 7,english1 it all right74 ,i closed the door again1 the train proceeded4 ,goods were never missing again4 ,instinct or--,what8 ,,what is instinct8 ,is it some indefinable extra sense which now and then comes into play1 at much needed moments1 and guides us into correct lines of conduct1 when otherwise rational thinking would only leave us confused8 ,or is it the operation of some external force1 perhaps spiritual1 which recognises our incapability1 takes the helm1 guides us through rock strewn seas1 with or without our approval1 and1 finally1 leaves us safely in the calm8 ,listen6 ,during the ,war ,i was a stretcher-bearer and1 on the occasion in mind1 ,i was one of a squad who were carrying from a certain aid-post4 ,when things were quiet it was our custom to make ourselves comfortable in a deserted wayside cottage4 ,the comforts we improvised in that billet were wonderful to us1 and it was1 naturally1 an object of our 8,tommy's0 pride and affection4 ,one evening1 returning from taking a casualty down to the advanced dressing station1 ,i don't know why1 but ,i became obsessed with an intense feeling of distrust for our cottage4 ,call it what you like2 ,i felt fear1 funk1 nervousness1 insecurity and an unmistakable impression that something was going to happen4 ,strangest thing of all1 all my distressing symptoms were centred on that beloved billet--nothing else--not even on the shell swept track along which we carried our wounded4 ,sensible men never turn a deaf ear to such a pointed warning4 ,i persuaded my pals to leave the cottage and 8dig in40 ,for a couple of hours we worked hard forming a little trench to hold four1 and we completed our earthwork by covering the top with doors on which we loaded earth to act as a protection against falling shrapnel4 ,this was our billet for that night4 ,and now for the sequel4 ,at midnight the enemy1 instead of 8searching0 here and there with his shells1 as was usual1 suddenly developed the dreaded creeping barrage1 and within five minutes of the commencement of that bombardment our cottage sustained a clean hit and collapsed in flames4 ,furthermore1 when we crept out of our trench at dawn we found the surrounding fields ploughed up with shells1 the nearest four hits being within twenty yards of our little trench4 8,luck10 some say4 8,instinct10 ,i argue4 ,but what is 8,instinct80 ,saved by an ,apparition ,,during the ,war ,i drove a ,sunbeam ,ambulance and at one time was attached to the #ibnd ,field ,ambulance4 ,the division was in action at ,ypres and the first-aid post was in a dug-out on the canal bank4 ,as soon as darkness fell it was our duty to drive from ,flaniatyage to the first-aid post1 pick up the wounded and convey back to ,poperinghe clearing station4 ,one very dark night ,i had just arrived at the first-aid post behind ,essex ,farm1 where ,i was told to return immediately with a very bad abdominal case1 and was given instructions to get to ,poperinghe as quickly as possible4 ,i had gone about #ejj yards when the light of a star shell revealed what seemed to be a lady standing in the middle of the road4 ,i had to pull up4 ,consider my surprise1 as the next star shell went up1 to find no one there4 ,first1 second1 top gear1 then another star shell and the lady was just in front again4 ,i pulled up to find no lady4 ,just as ,i approached ,salvation corner1 ,i saw1 by the light of a star shell1 a sentry standing at the challenge--his bayonet gleamed4 ,i gave the customary shout 8#ibnd ,field ,ambulance40 ,he didn't move again4 ,i pulled up and1 to my astonishment1 there was no sentry1 but1 immediately in front1 was a shell hole large enough to bury a ,london bus4 ,it took a long time to get past1 but ,i got my patient to ,poperinghe alive4 ,should ,i have done so had those apparitions not appeared8 ,a ,field of the ,dead ,,perhaps the most unique of many ghostly experiences--both personal and those of friends--was one which took place on the fateful night between ,august #crd and #dth1 #aiad4 ,my brother 7who though strong and unimaginative is somewhat psychic7 and ,i had sat up till about midnight1 and ,i was amazed to hear him suddenly declare1 as he shut his book and rose1 that 8no one could sit and read with that noise going on40 ,i asked what noise1 and1 on being bidden to listen 7our house is on a quiet hill off an old ,roman road going to the coast7 noticed the sound of a great crowd1 a confused1 soft sound4 8,why10 ,i said1 8,i don't understand you--it's no worse than any ,bank ,holiday4 ,quieter1 indeed4 ,you can well understand their being about to-night2 they want to know whether it will be war or not40 ,he maintained that it was impossible to do anything but get quickly to bed4 ,more and more amazed--this was so unlike him--,i went to the front door with him1 and there1 clear and distinct1 the sound of thousands of footsteps1 of people shuffling1 treading1 moving about1 but without uttering one single word1 came from the road at the foot of our hill--about four houses' distance4 ,nothing whatever could be seen4 ,my brother declined absolutely to let me run down to look1 or to come with me4 ,next day we heard that war had been declared at midnight4 ,we live five miles out of ,london and it is not a place where people would gather for news4 ,subsequent inquiries made of a friend who lived on the road where the silent crowd had moved and passed about 7remaining in the one place so far as ,i could judge71 revealed nothing in the way of explanation4 ,to his knowledge there had been no crowd4 ,it was as if the ghosts of those who were to fall during those coming four years of blood had 8projected0 themselves1 eerily1 at the hour of the declaration of the ,great ,war1 upon the ancient road where ,roman soldiers1 long ago1 must have marched4 ,or were they the spirits of the long-dead soldiers of the centuries1 welcoming the heroes of #aiad--aiah8 ,a ,mother's ,vision ,,during the ,war my two eldest sons were serving with the ,forces in ,mesopotamia4 ,one day1 while occupied about my usual household duties1 there suddenly came to me the following mental vision 7,i can call it nothing else73 ,i saw my eldest boy in a half-reclining position1 quite alone1 in a wild desert sort of a place with one hand stroking his forehead in a dazed kind of a way4 ,so vivid and clear was the vision that ,i could not shake it off4 ,again and again it repeated itself1 always exactly the same4 ,at tea-time ,i spoke of it1 and said ,i was afraid something had happened to ,f41 but they only laughed at me and said ,i was getting fanciful in my old age1 and so ,i tried to forget it4 ,about six weeks later 7the usual time for news to get through then7 ,i received a letter from him and1 to my great surprise1 it contained these words as near as ,i can remember them3 8,i must tell you1 mother1 of a little incident that happened the other day4 ,i had a fancy to take my horse and go off alone for a long-stretch gallop4 ,when some distance from camp ,i suppose he must have put his foot in a hole and stumbled2 anyway he threw me4 ,i don't know how long ,i lay there but1 on coming to1 ,i discovered ,i had still got the reins tight in my hand with bridle attached but1 alas1 there was no horse2 he had quickly made tracks for the camp1 leaving me to get there the best way ,i could40 ,i shall always think that this accident happened just at the time my vision appeared to me4 ,then again1 about three days or so before ,christmas1 #aiah1 ,i had another presentiment that something was wrong4 ,this time it was the younger son4 ,there suddenly came to me a vision of a hospital bed and ,i found myself looking down on my boy1 who appeared to be very ill4 ,i had not the remotest idea at the time that there was anything wrong with either of them4 ,but1 as before1 the vivid reality of it seemed fixed on my mind4 ,but1 this time1 ,i kept it to myself until the arrival1 in a few days1 of the ominous official envelope with the news that he was in hospital at ,bagdad1 seriously ill with dysentery4 ,he lived to return home4 ,he then told me that1 just at the time when ,i had seen him in that remarkable vision1 his life would not have been worth much4 ,saved ,husband's ,life ,,one morning1 during the ,war1 ,i had a most vivid dream of being chased by two ,germans with fixed bayonets1 and ,i'd almost reached safety when one of them stabbed me in the right shoulder4 ,the shock woke me1 and1 on looking at the clock1 ,i found it was about #f3de a4m4 ,when ,i got downstairs ,i remarked that something had happened to my husband and related my dream1 only to be laughed at4 ,i heard nothing at all from1 or of1 my husband for fifteen days2 then ,i had the usual official notification1 saying that he was in hospital with severe gun-shot wounds to the head and left shoulder4 ,some few weeks later ,i went to see him in hospital and found that it was his right shoulder that was in bandages1 and1 of course1 told him my dream4 ,he looked at me in such a queer way that ,i asked him what was the matter1 and this is what he told me3 ,the morning he was wounded1 they were ordered to attack at #f3cj1 and they hadn't got very far from their trenches when he was hit in the right shoulder with a piece of shell which sent him spinning into a shell hole1 where he lay unconscious for two or three hours4 ,when he recovered consciousness he saw me standing on the edge of the shell hole1 beckoning him1 and1 with great difficulty 7for his right arm was quite useless7 managed to scramble out and follow me4 ,he was joined by two wounded ,germans4 ,when ,i'd gone some distance1 ,i stopped1 so did he and one of the ,germans2 the other one went on and was blown to bits by a shell which exploded just in front of us4 ,then ,i went on and took him safely to the dressing-station1 where he collapsed4 ,to this day he declares ,i saved his life4 ,the ,shell-wrecked ,church ,,the experience ,i shall never forget happened to me while serving with the ,dublin ,fusiliers in ,france4 ,my battalion had just come out of the trenches and we were billeted in different villages near at hand--my company in the village of ,courcelles4 ,in this village was a shell-wrecked church1 and my billet was a broken-down cottage just opposite4 ,one evening ,i took a stroll through this church and1 to my amazement1 ,i heard the sound of deep and heavy breathing4 ,thinking someone was asleep1 ,i had a good look round but found nothing4 ,looking across the road ,i saw my chum talking to an officer and ,i went over and asked them to come over and listen4 ,when they heard the noise my chum turned deathly white1 and they asked me what it was or who it was4 ,i was just as wise as they were4 ,we searched about the church1 even to moving about the stones and bricks1 but found nothing4 ,the same night1 when asleep in the ruined cottage opposite1 my chum woke me up with a startled cry1 8,cyril1 look quick1 the ,virgin ,mary60 ,looking up1 ,i was astonished to see a white figure gliding through the room and out of the broken window across to the church and into it4 ,we went all about the church the next morning but all was quiet4 ,what could it have been8 ,vision of ,brother ,,do ,i believe in ghosts8 ,i did not until the ,war was on and my favourite brother was in it4 ,he was stationed at ,salonica4 ,one day ,i was making cakes and had just stooped down to take a tin from the oven when it seemed that my brother bent over me and snatched one4 ,at the same time there was a whisper 8,i am so hungry40 ,i dropped the cakes and turned round with 8,oh1 ,ron60 but my hands met the empty space4 ,a few days after we heard of my brother being killed in action4 ,vision of ,wounded ,son ,,one night during the year #aiae1 whilst waiting up for my son who worked on the trams1 and1 in consequence1 was often late1 ,i thought ,i would while away the time by reading4 ,when he came in and had supper and we were preparing for bed ,i suddenly became aware of a pair of muddy boots on the hearth rug4 ,i looked at them again and again4 ,then ,i looked up and saw putties1 then pants and belt2 then there was a space where the body should have been4 ,still looking higher1 ,i distinctly saw the head and face of my son ,george1 who was then serving somewhere in ,france4 ,all about his head were white bandages1 and just by his ear was a large spot of blood4 ,i believe ,i fainted1 or something like it4 ,my young son was frightened and called his father who had gone to bed4 ,i told them1 8,if ,george gets hurt it will be in the head40 ,five weeks later1 on the #ast of ,june1 word came that he was in hospital with a bullet wound in the head4 ,the wound was exactly in the same place as ,i had seen the blood4 ,my son ,george is still living and most happily married4 8,his ,spirit ,took ,this ,chance0 ,,the following incident happened one afternoon during the ,war1 when ,i went to visit my husband's mother4 ,we were sitting in a room talking to some other members of the family when1 suddenly1 my husband's favourite sister came running downstairs calling out1 8,mother1 ,dick has come home60 ,we rushed into the hall1 expecting to see my husband1 and were naturally very surprised1 as we had had no intimation of an intended leave4 ,however1 the hall was empty except for my sister-in-law1 who had just reached the foot of the stairs4 ,she seemed quite convinced that she had seen him standing there1 in full field equipment1 and we searched the house to satisfy her that he had not come home4 ,we did not hear from my husband for many weeks after this and were very distressed1 as we felt1 after this strange event1 that something very serious must have happened to him4 ,at last1 we had news that he was a prisoner of war4 ,when he returned after the ,war we told him of this strange incident and gave him the exact time and day on which it happened4 ,just at this time1 it appears1 he was captured by the ,germans1 one of whom struck him with a rifle1 rendering him unconscious4 ,i sometimes think that his spirit took this chance of leaving the sickening horror1 and1 if only for so short a time1 being near those he loved4 ,walked with the ,dead ,,during the ,great ,war my sister was employed as nursery governess with a family living in ,m------4 ,one of her duties was to meet the oldest child returning from school--and she was very frequently joined by her fianc1 whose regiment was stationed quite near4 ,eventually 8,dick0 was called to the front4 ,six months passed1 and1 one day1 my sister came to see me1 looking terribly distressed4 ,she informed me that she knew 8,dick0 had been killed4 ,i advised her to get a good nerve tonic1 thinking she was overwrought through not having heard from him for two weeks4 ,she proceeded to tell me that during her usual walk to the school 8,dick0 had walked with her all the way4 ,however1 little over a fortnight after this1 my sister again came to see me4 ,this time she handed me a letter she had just received from one of 8,dick's0 brother officers1 stating that he had been killed4 ,the date and hour given of 8,dick's0 death corresponded exactly with the day and hour that my sister declared he had walked with her4 ,the ,phantom ,soldier ,,while my husband was serving in ,france during the ,great ,war1 ,i carried on our business as job master1 and it often used to fall to my lot to drive the brave lads to and from the station4 ,one lovely summer night ,i was driving a young lad to catch the midnight train which used to arrive at ,waterloo about #d a4m4 ,he had come over from ,new ,zealand when the call came 7he emigrated a few years before the war7 and he had just been home on leave to see his parents4 ,i was driving an extremely quiet little pony in a governess car1 and the young soldier and ,i were sitting opposite one another talking4 ,i had just asked him if he intended settling down with his parents when the war was over or go back to ,new ,zealand1 and he replied he thought he would stay at home until his parents died4 ,no sooner had he said this than the pony gave a most violent swerve1 and1 there1 by the side of the soldier1 outside the trap1 was another soldier in the ,new ,zealand uniform4 ,the one ,i was driving shouted out3 8,that's a dirty trick to play1 mate1 the pony might have had us out4 ,do you want a lift to the station80 ,but the figure had vanished4 ,a week later1 the young fellow had paid the ,great ,sacrifice4 ,now1 all three of us saw the figure1 and ,i think the pony saw it first4 ,when ,i got the pony to the station1 he was trembling and sweating1 yet ,i had not driven him hard4 ,i often wondered if he saw more than the soldier and ,i saw4 ,an ,unknown ,visitor ,i ,,wish to record an experience that befell me while ,i was on active service in ,france4 ,it was during the ,battles of the ,somme in #aiaf4 ,i was attached to a ,lewis gun team in my regiment during the attacks on ,ginchy and ,guillemont4 ,one night ,i was on my post1 between the hours of ten and twelve1 when ,i was relieved by the next sentry4 ,i retired to an unoccupied dugout fifteen yards away to grasp a few hours sleep4 ,i had just crawled in and dropped down to sleep when ,i was awakened by a voice calling me by my christian name4 ,i sat up to ponder over it and1 when ,i convinced myself that ,i was alone in the dugout1 and no one within fifteen to twenty yards1 ,i considered it was only imagination1 so ,i dropped down again and1 after a space of two minutes1 ,i was called again by my name4 ,once more ,i took it to be sheer imagination1 and again ,i lowered my head to sleep when1 to my amazement1 ,i was called the third time in a more distinct voice4 ,this time ,i sat up and plainly saw a dim blue light going out of the dugout door4 ,i immediately arose and followed it outside1 but no one could ,i see--only the occasional burst of the ,german shells4 ,i shrugged my shoulders and went up to my sentry post to ease my mind of the matter4 ,i had just walked about fifteen yards away when a ,german #e4i shell landed in the dugout and blew it to pieces--a grand escape1 and ,i attribute it to the warning of a friendly ghost4 ,on another occasion when my life was in danger the same voice called again three times4 ,a ,lover and a ,sister ,,one day during the ,war1 ,i was sitting reading1 when suddenly ,i heard my fianc 7then in ,france7 calling my name4 ,i looked up and beheld him walking towards me1 in a white shroud4 ,i was horrified and called to him to go away1 but his ice-cold hands touched my face and ,i fainted4 ,he was killed that day1 and his comrades said he was calling my name as he died4 ,again1 in a vision1 ,i saw my beloved sister 7a nurse7 lying dead in a ward4 ,a few days later we met at our home4 ,during tea ,i related my vision to her1 describing the ward and even the flowers and ivy they had put on her4 ,everyone but mother laughed4 ,my sister laughed till tears rolled down her cheeks and said 8,oh6 my dear1 ,i'm too healthy to die2 look at me40 ,and1 indeed1 she was a picture of health and happiness1 and she was beloved by everyone4 ,but1 six weeks later1 she lay dead exactly as ,i had seen her4 ,why ,i should see the two people ,i loved best like that ,i cannot say1 but ,i cannot but believe in the supernatural4 ,a ,brother's ,smile ,,in ,august of #aiag my brother was fighting in ,france for his ,king and country4 ,one ,sunday night ,i had gone to bed and just turned out the light and made a prayer for the safe-keeping of my brother who was fighting for us4 ,when he appeared before me1 bent over me and gave a lovely smile1 and disappeared again4 ,two days afterwards ,i received a letter to say he was killed in action at the hour he appeared to me4 ,her ,soldier ,boy ,,one night during the ,war1 ,i had seen all the family into bed and returned downstairs to put things right for the morning1 and to pack the food for the workers4 ,it was well on into the night as ,i sat at the table cutting the food4 ,the lobby door seemed to open and my soldier boy stood there and said 8,mother0 in such a sad voice1 then vanished4 ,i could see him so plainly and he looked so sad that ,i felt upset and went to bed1 but not to sleep4 ,i felt he was in trouble4 ,i came to know in a short time that he was that night lying out on the battle-field at ,passchendaele seriously wounded4 ,he received a ,m4,m4 ,we have the ,testament that saved his life2 it is shot through1 but there happened to be a steel looking glass at the back1 and this stopped the bullet4 ,a ,war ,worker's ,experience ,your ghost stories have prompted me to write and tell you of an experience which ,i had some years back and which ,armistice ,day has brought back to me very vividly4 ,in #aiaf1 ,i1 like many more young women1 felt the call of my country1 and ,i gave up a position ,i held in an office in ,leicester and offered my services at the ,glen ,parva ,barracks1 ,wigston4 ,i was accepted as a clerk1 but1 when it was found that ,i was a typist too1 ,i was sent into an office to release a young soldier for foreign service4 ,he took it very well and showed me my new work very willingly4 ,there were also two soldier clerks and two civilians1 but ,i was the only female in the block of buildings4 ,he was very friendly with all the clerks and often came into the depot to see us whilst he was training4 ,he eventually went to ,france1 and ,i thought no more about him1 until one night ,i was awakened out of my sleep by hearing someone move in my bedroom4 ,in the dim light ,i could see this soldier standing by the chest of drawers and feverishly turning over the contents of the top left hand drawer4 ,my mother used to call it my 8chaos0 drawer1 because it was always in such a chaotic state--filled with all my odds and ends4 ,my blood ran cold and ,i could not speak4 ,i sat and watched him raking about in that drawer until1 after what seemed an eternity to me1 ,i managed to gasp 8,tyers1 what do you want80 ,never shall ,i forget his face as he turned from the drawer and looked at me4 ,it was truly poor old ,tyers1 but his face was all drawn with pain1 and ghastly4 ,in a moment1 he vanished1 and it was a long time before ,i dared look at my watch to see what time it was4 ,it was ten minutes past two1 and ,i did not fall asleep again until it was almost time to get up4 ,i missed my train next morning and was very late4 ,in the usual rush ,i did not get a chance to tell the other clerks until quite late in the morning4 ,they all listened anxiously and hardly had the words left my lips when we heard footsteps coming quickly up the wooden staircase outside4 ,the next minute1 the ,lance-,cpl4 who was on duty in the guard room rushed in and said3 8,have you heard about poor old ,tyers8 ,he's dead4 ,his father has just telephoned to tell me that he died in the early hours of this morning at a hospital in ,england40 ,why he appeared to me as he did ,i do not know1 nor do ,i know what he was looking for in the drawer1 but ,i have always chided myself that ,i took his place1 for ,i feel somehow that ,i was partly responsible for his untimely end4 ,the ,sinking of the 8,aboukir0 ,,on the night of ,september #bbnd1 #aiad1 ,i was sleeping with my daughter1 whose husband was serving on ,h4,m4,s4 8,aboukir40 ,during the night we heard a noise such as would be caused by the dragging of heavy chains4 ,i sat up with a start and my daughter gasped4 8,oh1 mother6 what is it80 ,i got out of bed and called the only man in the house4 ,he searched all over the house and the yard outside1 from whence the sound appeared to come4 ,but all was silent4 ,we all went back to bed and1 within a few minutes of our return1 we heard again the dreadful clanking--weird and unmistakable4 ,again a vain search was made4 ,the following morning the papers announced the sinking of the 8,aboukir0 and my son-in-law went down with it4 8,on ,leave0 ,i was engaged to a soldier1 during the ,war1 and received notice that he was coming home 8on leave40 ,the day before he was expected ,i was 8spring-cleaning0 a bedroom1 with a friend1 when she suddenly exclaimed3 8,look1 there is ------ on his bicycle10 and pointed out of the window4 ,as ,i was busy at work 7and not too clean7 knowing that ,i should see him within an hour1 ,i drew back1 that ,i might not draw his attention to me1 and told her to do the same1 until ,i had dressed properly4 ,i was not surprised he was a day early4 ,we watched him from the window1 and saw him speak to the gardener1 who was sweeping1 and then we hurried up4 ,having dressed1 ,i went to the gate1 but saw no sign of him1 so ,i asked the gardener which direction he took4 ,the man said he enquired if ,i still worked at this house1 but he did not notice which way he went4 ,thinking he had probably gone to my home 7ten minutes distant71 but wondering he had not called for me1 ,i went home4 ,no one1 excepting my friend1 myself and the gardener had seen him4 ,next day ,i learnt that on the day1 at the actual time ,i saw him1 and the gardener spoke to him1 he was killed in ,france4 ,the ,three ,figures ,,it was during the ,great ,war1 ,march1 #aiah1 my only brother was in ,france2 he had just returned after fourteen days' leave4 ,i was awakened one night by three figures entering the bedroom--one in white between two soldiers in khaki4 ,i drew my husband's attention to it1 but he could not see anything1 and said3 8,now1 it's just fancy2 try to get off to sleep40 ,i was going over when they entered a second time4 ,i shall never forget it1 for ,i knew there must be something coming concerning my much-loved brother4 ,three weeks later1 ,i had a letter from his officer saying my brother had been killed in action on the night of my vision4 ,to-day 7,armistice ,day7 recalls sad memories4 8,good-,bye0 ,a ,,few years ago ,i was spending a holiday with a friend who lives in a quiet village in the ,lake ,district4 ,we were returning home one evening from a neighbouring village1 and our path led us across an old stone bridge spanning a swiftly-flowing stream4 ,here ,i could not hear the voice of my friend because of the deafening roar of the waterfall which was only a short distance from the bridge4 ,by the side of the waterfall was a powder mill1 where most of the inhabitants of the village earned their livelihood4 ,after we had passed through the avenue leading from the bridge1 my friend related to me a very strange experience she had whilst passing over the same bridge one evening during the ,great ,war4 ,looking towards the waterfall1 she saw1 to her amazement and fear1 the figure of her husband1 dressed in white1 and waving his hand to her as if in farewell4 ,almost at the same time her husband's father1 who was then at work in the powder mill1 saw the same figure of his son at his old place1 but waving his hand to him in a similar manner4 ,the following week my friend received the sad news that her husband had fallen in action1 and1 on making inquiries1 discovered that he had been killed on the same day and at the same hour that she had seen him standing on the waterfall bidding her 8,good-bye40 8,hello1 ,daddy60 ,,this is a most curious incident ,i now relate1 unexplained1 and ,i think that nobody will ever be able to explain it4 ,i can vouch for the truth of every word of it4 ,during the morning of a day in the early part of ,july1 #aiae1 ,i was busily engaged hanging out the clothes to dry in my back garden1 when1 suddenly1 ,i heard footsteps coming up the passage4 ,i thought that they sounded familiar1 so ,i turned round and watched the gate4 ,you can realise my astonishment when ,i saw the gate open1 my late husband walk in1 shut the gate after him1 open the kitchen door and enter the house4 ,i immediately set down my washing basket and ran down the back garden to the house1 being so excited at seeing him back1 as ,i thought1 from ,egypt1 where he was serving in the ,great ,war4 ,i entered the house and1 seeing nobody about in the kitchen1 ,i looked behind the kitchen door1 expecting that ,i should find him there1 as he often used to hide there when he came home1 and then jump out so as to give me a surprise4 ,seeing that he was not there1 ,i thought that he must be in the living-room1 so ,i went in there1 exclaiming as ,i entered1 8,hello1 ,daddy40 ,imagine my surprise when ,i found the room empty1 and also that no one had entered the room at all4 ,what did ,i see and hear8 ,i can swear that ,i heard my late husband's footsteps1 and that ,i saw him in his khaki uniform1 complete with everything that a soldier has when he comes home on leave4 ,i also saw and heard the gate open and close1 as also ,i did the kitchen door4 ,a few days later1 ,i received from my husband a letter stating that he had just arrived at ,netley ,hospital1 ,southampton1 having been wounded and1 therefore1 drafted home4 ,therefore1 at the time of my experience he must have been on his way to ,england from ,egypt4 ,the ,robin's ,warning ,,when each of my four brothers was killed in the ,war a robin came and hopped through the house4 ,the last time this happened mother went to bed in a worried state as1 having three previous visits from the robin1 she knew what to expect and dreaded the morning post4 ,waking up at midnight she saw ,will leaning over the bed-rail in his uniform1 with his head in bandages4 ,she called him by name and he came towards her but1 when she put her hand out to touch him1 he vanished4 ,news soon came that ,will died on that same midnight from head wounds4 ,mother has never really recovered from this vision and the visits of the innocent robin4 ,a ,remarkable ,story ,,it was at a base hospital in ,france1 ,january1 #aiaf4 ,my brother1 who had previously been partly buried by a shell bursting near him1 was now dying from pneumonia4 ,i sat by his side through the night1 having travelled across the ,channel to see him1 as the authorities had arranged for the same in serious cases4 ,he was a bootmaker by trade1 as was his father2 both working the business4 ,in his delirium he was back home in the shop4 ,his bed was close to the boards of the ,army hut4 ,he would fix his gaze on these boards and then swing his fist with three distinct knocks1 after which he would push the palm of his flat hand up the boards1 thus producing a peculiar squeaking noise4 ,my father1 home in ,england1 was working late in the shop2 there came three distinct knocks on the window1 followed by the peculiar sound of someone pushing their flat hand up the window4 ,thinking it was somebody playing a joke he shouted1 but got no answer4 ,after a little while1 it was repeated2 he went outside to see who it might be1 but there was no one visible1 and1 although by no means a nervous man1 or superstitious1 he felt a something1 and could not proceed with his work4 ,on my arrival home1 after ten days' absence1 he related his experience to me4 ,then everything seemed linked up4 ,no wireless could have been more direct4 ,my brother's hand on the board in ,france had produced its effect on the shop window in ,north ,bucks4 ,other ,stories ,in ,brief 8,,we ,,do ,,not ,,comprehend0 ,i am not superstitious nor a believer in spiritualism1 and yet ,i believe there is something connected with the after life which we do not comprehend4 ,in far-away ,co4 ,roscommon1 is the town of ,frenchpark and1 close to the town1 a very ancient residence--the family seat of the famous ,frenches--occupied by ,lord ,de ,freyne4 ,one night1 accompanied by my brother1 ,i walked along by the demesne wall1 and came face to face with old ,lord ,de ,freyne 7who had died long years previous7--a tall thin figure1 as we knew him in life4 ,he appeared to pass through the closed gates and walk up the drive towards the house4 ,the following morning brought the sad news that young ,lord ,de ,freyne and his brother1 the ,hon4 ,george ,french1 had both been killed in action out in ,france4 ,,the following experience occurred towards the end of #aiah4 ,during the ,armistice ,i was released from internment at ,ruhleben and went to stay for a few weeks with my sister at ,evesham4 ,at that time1 my fiance 7since become my wife71 whom ,i had not seen for the whole course of the war1 was still in ,italy with the ,american ,red ,cross4 ,on getting up one morning1 ,i happened to look out of the window and1 to my astonishment1 saw my fiance walking along the pavement towards the house where ,i was4 ,the figure was so real that1 although to my certain knowledge she was still in ,italy1 ,i imagined that1 by some means or other1 she had come on a flying visit to see me1 even though1 as far as ,i was aware1 she did not know my present address4 ,i watched her coming along1 and saw her open the gate and walk up the path1 and then ,i distinctly heard a rap with the knocker on the front-door4 ,i hurried up with my toilet and rushed downstairs1 thinking to find her in the breakfast-room4 ,however1 there was no one there1 but1 thinking that she might have been shown into the drawing-room1 ,i looked in there too1 only to find it empty also4 ,perplexed as to what had become of her1 ,i made inquiries1 but was informed that no knock had been heard1 and no one had been admitted4 ,as it afterwards turned out1 my fiance was still in ,italy4 ,a ,,lover',s ,,vision ,i ,,had a lover1 whose love had a quality that seemed to disregard entirely the ordinary separation imposed by distance or stone walls4 ,during the years that we were lovers1 ,i often felt his invisible presence1 although we were miles apart4 ,during the war1 we were both in ,france4 ,one morning early1 ,i was preparing in my room to go on a train journey to meet him4 ,he was a hundred miles away4 ,i was hurrying1 thinking of nothing but the necessity of catching the train1 and answering the girls who were calling to me from other rooms to make haste1 when ,i suddenly turned to the door as though impelled to do so4 ,my lover entered with the quick eager impulsiveness which was his outstanding characteristic2 straight up to me he came1 put his hand on mine with a close1 warm clasp1 and was gone again--vanished in the same moment4 ,i learned later that he had been taken prisoner that morning4 ,his appearance had been absolutely natural1 and had caused me not the slightest sensation of fear2 my heart leapt to meet him1 only ,i felt him to be disturbed and unhappy and that troubled me4 ,he had not been injured and still lives4 8,,in ,,the ,,lengthening ,,of ,,the ,,days0 ,my youngest brother joined up in #aiad1 and was sent to ,salisbury ,plain4 ,not long after his leaving home1 very early one morning1 somewhere between half-past one and two o'clock1 ,i lay wide awake1 and1 to my astonishment1 ,i saw him walk into our bedroom and go to the side of my invalid sister's bed1 face her1 turn1 give a step towards the foot1 turn again and salute her1 and then lay down by her side4 ,i screamed with fright1 a most horrible scream1 and as ,i did so1 the vision vanished4 ,i also awoke all the household to whom ,i had to tell what had frightened me so terribly4 ,my people would have it that it was only a dream1 although ,i knew it was not4 ,shortly after that1 my mother received a telegram saying that he was ill and coming home4 ,i am glad to say that to-day1 he is alive and well4 ,at the time ,i spoke to my mother again about the vision and she told me that ,i had seen my brother in the lengthening of the days1 which meant he would live to a very old age4 ,a ,,passionate ,,longing ,,during the ,egyptian ,campaign1 my mother had an experience which ,i have never been able to explain with satisfaction to myself4 ,one night she was lying awake when she saw the bedroom door open and my brother1 who was serving with the forces in ,egypt1 walk up to the bedside and gaze at her with an intense wistfulness in his expression4 ,after both had remained motionless for some moments1 my brother retraced his footsteps1 and vanished through the doorway4 ,my mother was so impressed with the apparition1 that she took note of the date and the time1 feeling sure that some fatality had occurred to my brother4 ,when the war was over1 and my brother returned home again1 he dressed up in his uniform with sand-goggles1 etc41 and my mother at once recognised the dress as that worn by the apparition4 ,on comparing notes1 it was found that my brother was seriously ill of dysentery at that particular time and1 fearing a fatal termination1 was controlled by a passionate longing for the presence of his mother4 ,,an ,,unbeliever',s ,,doubts ,,ghosts1 ,i personally do not believe in1 but this is perfectly true4 ,during the war1 ,i was stationed for a short period at an empty convalescent camp1 bordering the sea on the ,french coast4 ,our duty was to guard this1 and1 at night1 we were a double guard--one held the main entrance1 the other paraded the whole camp--a most desolate and wild affair amongst sand dunes and fir trees4 ,my duty fell for this roving commission1 and1 wandering around1 ,i felt compelled to enter the wood1 and gaze at the camp from outside4 ,the night was fair1 with a moon casting long shadows1 and1 imagine my astonishment to behold a most weird apparition gliding effortless before me4 ,i was struck dumb with surprise mingled with fear1 but1 remembering my loaded rifle and bayonet1 ,i pulled myself together and investigated4 ,it appeared to vanish1 and1 to my great surprise1 straight through one of the hospitals4 ,i searched1 but in vain1 and saw nothing more4 ,whether ,i was wrong1 whether ,i saw something1 ,i know not to this day4 ,,the ,,woman ,,by ,,the ,,grave ,,this is an account of my experience whilst in ,germany as a prisoner of war in #aiad1 at ,sennelager1 near ,paderborn4 ,i was captured at ,mons1 on ,sunday1 ,august #bcrd1 #aiad4 ,i belonged to the #bnd ,battalion1 ,royal ,irish ,regiment1 and one of my comrades died from exposure early in ,october of that year4 ,volunteers were asked to attend his funeral1 and of these ,i was one4 ,the place where he was buried was a wild1 desolate moor4 ,the morning of the funeral was very cold and sleet was falling4 ,we were a very miserable crowd as we stood by the graveside whilst the ,english chaplain read the ,burial ,service over our dead comrade4 ,suddenly1 there stood with us a woman who remained until the service was over4 ,there is nothing strange in that you will think1 but the point is that none of us saw her until she stood with us and none saw her go4 ,our comrade was a married man1 and what we all want to know is have we ever seen a ghost8 ,p4,s4--,we received a letter from his widow some months after1 dated before his death1 imploring him for ,god's sake to write to her4 ,she had a child very ill in ,st4 ,thomas's ,hospital4 ,,mansfield ,in ,november1 #aiaf1 my son1 eighteen and a half years old1 went to the war1 being sent out to ,france4 ,the scene ,i wish to relate happened a week before the ,easter of #aiag4 ,it was a ,friday4 ,i spent a most miserable1 uneasy day4 ,when dad came home at tea-time ,i was nearly frantic4 ,however1 he assured me all was well1 and1 retiring about eleven o'clock1 ,i put the bedclothes over my shoulders expecting to sleep1 when three sharp jerks pulled the clothes right off my shoulder4 ,this was repeated twice4 ,the third time1 ,i tucked them under my arm and held them tight and waited to find out the cause4 ,then my son walked into the bedroom and came up to me4 ,he was in uniform1 excepting cap4 ,his left hand was in his pocket4 ,with the other he snatched my hand1 gripped it twice and shouted1 8,mother1 ,mother60 ,the following week ,i heard from him4 ,he went into battle about the time of my vision and was wounded4 ,the same thing happened each time he was wounded--four times4 ,it has always been a mystery to me4 ,each time the vision was so realistic and he always had the wounded part bandaged4 ,,portsmouth ,,when war broke out my brother was amongst those who answered the call4 ,one night ,i saw my mother 7who died just before the war7 standing at the foot of my bed holding out her arms and looking straight past me4 ,i turned my head and saw my brother come through the closed door and walk into my mother's arms1 and they both disappeared4 ,at the time ,i thought1 8,how could a living being walk through a closed door40 ,the next morning ,i got the news that my brother had been killed in action4 ,,walsall ,a ,,close friend of mine fought throughout the greater part of the late war without receiving a scratch4 ,some few months previous to the end of hostilities1 he was selected for a commission1 and was subsequently transferred to ,england to undergo the necessary training for a second-lieutenant4 ,he was granted the position and1 very shortly after1 was drafted over to ,france4 ,one night1 when going into action1 he was suddenly taken seriously ill and was carried back to hospital4 ,during one evening1 ,i1 for some reason had to go to my bedroom1 and1 when about half-way on the stair-case1 ,i distinctly saw1 on the landing1 a military officer standing to attention4 ,i thought at first it was mere fancy1 but1 on going a few steps farther1 ,i was thoroughly convinced that at no time had ,i seen a soldier so real4 ,then the vision vanished1 as quick as thought1 into the bedroom4 ,i followed1 but1 after switching on the light1 ,i failed to find anyone in the room save myself4 ,next day we received the sad news that this young officer had died from sickness1 three days after ,armistice was signed4 ,,port ,,erin ,,in ,october1 #aiaf1 ,i returned from ,liverpool 7where ,i had been working71 for a few weeks holiday at my own home4 ,early one morning 7between two and three o'clock71 ,i was awakened by hearing singing in my bedroom4 ,i knew the voice quite well--it was that of a young man who had been brought up in the same street as ,i1 and had been educated at the same school4 ,he was singing a verse of a hymn1 quite loud and heartily4 ,i got no more sleep that night and was very upset1 as ,i knew this boy was fighting in ,france4 ,a few days after1 ,i met his sister and she told me they had had word to say that her brother was missing4 ,a couple of weeks went by and word came to say that he had been killed4 ,,norwich ,,in ,october1 #aiag1 ,i was staying with my four little children in a village near ,lowestoft4 ,my husband1 a skipper of a steam drifter1 was at sea4 ,on the night of ,october #gth1 ,i was awakened by a loud bang4 ,at the same time the bed seemed floating on water4 ,i looked up to see my husband bending over me1 and he seemed to put cold1 wet hands on each side of my face1 then disappeared4 ,two days afterwards1 ,i was informed that his vessel had struck a mine and was lost with all hands1 about the time he appeared to me4 ,three or four months after1 ,i again saw my husband1 this time looking through the window4 ,he had with him another man who was a great chum of his4 ,he also was a skipper4 ,a few days later1 ,i was told that at the same time as ,i saw them this man went down with his ship in the channel raid4 ,,bolton ,,at #f3cj on the evening of the #aeth ,april1 #aiag1 during a ,german raid on our trenches on the ,ploegsteert ,front1 my chum was killed at my side4 ,as mutually arranged in case of such an event1 ,i wrote his people4 ,ten days afterwards ,i received a letter from my chum's sister1 in which was stated that her mother died the same evening that he was killed4 ,she died at #aj p4m4 ,at #h p4m4 the mother had called the family to her room4 ,she then told them that ,billy 7the son7 had appeared to her and told her that he had been 8knocked out10 but would meet her very shortly4 ,,oldham ,,one evening during the late war ,i sat reading when ,i felt someone blow in my neck4 ,i was just about to turn round when ,i heard a scream coming from upstairs4 ,i went to see the reason1 and1 to my surprise1 ,i saw my little girl sitting up in bed terrified4 ,i took her in my arms and asked her what was the matter4 ,she still looked afraid of a something1 and said1 8,look1 mama10 and1 pointing to a corner of the room1 added1 8,there's daddy2 a man up that tree has shot him2 ,i saw him do it1 and now my daddy is dead40 ,she fainted in my arms as she repeated 8dead40 ,i ran to give her a drink to revive her1 thinking it was just a nightmare she had had4 ,eventually1 she fell asleep4 ,the following week1 ,i had news that my husband had been killed in action4 ,on making inquiries1 ,i found he had been shot by a sniper who was posted in a tree1 and at the same hour as he had appeared to my little girl4 ,,barnstaple1 ,,devon ,,in ,august1 #aiaf1 my husband was sent to ,france4 ,the following year ,i received a letter from him saying he would be home on leave1 and ,i was to expect him any day4 ,this was ,august #ajth1 #aiag4 ,i started to get in extra things and to prepare for his home-coming4 ,i heard nothing more1 but three nights after receiving his letter1 ,i went to bed as usual1 and about midnight1 ,i heard my husband call my name4 ,i sat up in bed1 and there he was standing at the foot of the bed in his uniform with his arms outstretched in welcome4 ,i couldn't sleep afterwards4 ,in the morning ,i went home and told my parents what ,i had seen4 ,i saw them look at each other4 ,then my mother said he had come to her the same night and asked her to look after us 7,i had one little girl74 ,four days later1 ,i had a letter from the ,war ,office saying my husband had been missing since midnight on the #bbnd of ,august 7later1 presumed killed on that date74 ,i can't understand it1 but the vision is as clear to me now as it was nine years ago4 ,you see1 he came home to see us before going to a better home1 and ,i've kept the memory of it to this day4 ,,kent ,i ,,always doubted if people really saw ghosts or apparitions till my experience during the war in #aiaf4 ,my son was in ,france and ,i was awakened one morning between one and two by a terrific noise like an explosion4 ,i thought it was an air-raid1 and1 as ,i glanced towards the foot of the bed1 ,i saw the image of my son looking very ill and begrimed with mud4 ,he quickly vanished1 and the next moment ,i heard his footsteps coming towards the house1 and his voice distinctly calling me4 ,i hurried down to let him in1 but no one was there4 ,i heard1 a few days later1 that my son was missing after an engagement when the wood was blown up and only a few survived2 and it happened on the same date and about the same time as ,i had my awful experience4 ,,surbiton ,,in ,december1 #aiag1 my aunt1 who lives in the country1 stood looking out of her window1 when she saw1 walking up the path leading to her house1 the figure of a man in khaki1 with his kit on his back4 ,she instantly decided that it must be the husband of her next-door neighbour1 home on leave1 and wondered why the lady had not mentioned the matter4 ,however1 as the man approached1 it was with a feeling of great shock that she recognised her own young brother1 who was an ambulance bearer at the front4 ,his face was drawn and ghastly1 as though he were suffering agonies4 ,on seeing my aunt1 he stretched out his arms1 and she saw1 as he got nearer1 that he was a shadowy figure1 and not flesh and blood4 ,thoroughly unnerved1 she backed into her sitting-room1 followed by the form of her brother4 ,right around her table she walked--still followed2 then1 gradually1 he disappeared from sight4 ,shortly afterwards1 a telegram arrived1 announcing the death of this brother1 which occurred on the battlefield just before he appeared to my aunt--his favourite sister4 ,,warwick ,,one night during the ,great ,war1 my mother saw her son1 who was at that time out in ,france1 standing some distance away from her4 ,he seemed to be in some terrible trouble4 ,my father1 who is rather superstitious1 said bad news would follow4 ,a few days later1 we received a letter from the chaplain1 to say my brother had died from severe wounds a few days before1 and we feel sure it happened the night he appeared to mother4 ,,oxford ,,during the war1 my husband was serving in ,france with the ,tank ,corps1 and it was during this time that ,i had my one and only experience of the 8uncanny10 although ,i actually saw nothing4 ,i awoke one morning1 just at dawn 7three o'clock7 with the feeling that someone had entered my room1 and said to me 8,will is in danger40 ,i thought ,i must have been dreaming4 ,i tried to go to sleep again1 but found it impossible4 ,each time ,i shut my eyes1 ,i seemed to feel a presence in the room1 and to be conscious of the certain deadly peril of my husband4 ,i got up1 after a time1 and made myself a cup of tea1 and1 by the aid of a book tried to get some more sleep4 ,things were no better1 however2 my mind refused to dwell on what ,i was trying to read1 so ,i gave it up and lay just thinking until five o'clock4 ,at that time1 quite suddenly1 the weight seemed to be lifted from my mind1 and ,i was quite convinced that all was well4 ,i just turned over and went to sleep quite happily4 ,a few days afterwards1 in my hubby's next letter1 ,i read that on that particular morning1 he had been 8over the top0 for just those two hours 7in a before breakfast stunt1 he called it71 and they were the worst two hours he had experienced since he had been out there4 ,,yorkshire ,,during the war1 in the year #aiaf1 ,i was in the fighting line round ,armentiers in ,france1 and on the #acth ,february in the same year three of our gunners were killed1 including my devoted pal whom it was my painful duty to bury4 ,time passed on and one night1 after ,i had been relieved from sentry duty1 ,i went into the dugout1 lit the candle1 and prepared for a sleep4 ,i was getting into my bed1 which ,i had made of sandbags1 and was going to light a cigarette1 when the vision of my pal came and sat beside me and said1 ,i am not dead yet1 ,jack40 ,the candle was still burning and he was life itself4 ,i could see his lighted cigarette as the vision faded away in the corner of the dugout4 ,i called out to my sleeping pals and told them all about it and they said ,i looked like somebody scared4 ,i should not like to have such an experience again4 ,i was wide awake1 and the light was lit all through the experience4 ,,kent ,,in the late war ,i was working with a married friend who had a small son1 three years of age4 ,her husband was in the ,navy4 ,we were working in a ,t4,n4,t4 shell factory in ,kent4 ,her husband had been on leave and had returned to his duty4 ,she was very depressed because she had a feeling that something was going to happen4 ,i cheered her as best ,i could4 ,one night 7we were working nights71 ,i was put to work in a large shell store by myself4 ,i heard the door open1 as ,i thought to admit the night foreman1 but as no one came in1 ,i looked round1 and1 to my horror1 ,i saw my friend's husband in full naval clothes1 with no hat on1 and his little son in front of him with arms held out4 ,i rushed to the door1 thinking something had happened1 but ,i found no one there4 ,sixteen hours later my friend had news to say her husband had been drowned off the ,irish ,coast1 and1 two days later her little son caught his night clothes alight in front of the fire and died in hospital from the shock of the burns4 ,,derby ,,one night in ,april1 #aiag1 ,i was in bed asleep when ,i woke with a start and distinctly heard my fianc call in a distressed voice3 8,frank6 oh1 ,frank60 7my nickname74 ,it was so real1 ,i jumped out of bed and1 going to the window1 ,i saw him1 sun helmet1 kit1 and all equipment in the garden beneath my window1 as clear as ever ,i had seen him in reality4 ,i turned to go back to bed and have a good cry1 feeling sure something tragic had happened4 ,my sister came from another room and said1 8,i felt certain ,i heard ,charlie call you4 ,what can it mean80 ,there was not much sleep for either of us that night1 and1 not hearing from him for several days1 ,i feared the worst4 ,however1 one day at the office1 ,i received a wire asking me to meet him on the ,london train due in that evening4 ,when ,i had an opportunity ,i asked1 ,what were you doing on the --rd ,april80 ,he took out his diary and gave it to me to read1 and this was written at the date of my experience3-- ,submarine sighted1 lifebelts--what luck if we go under without a fight after two and a half years away from home4 ,frank6 oh1 ,frank1 ,god bless you60 ,and he admitted what a narrow squeak they had that night in the ,mediterranean4 ,,true ,,tales ,,of ,,haunted ,,houses ,an ,evil ,presence ,,during the recent ,september my husband and ,i went for a motoring tour in ,scotland4 ,the weather was wonderful1 and ,i had never felt better in my life4 ,towards the end of our week we made for a certain hotel in the ,highlands1 where my husband hoped to have some dancing4 ,at the close of a perfect day--from every point of view--we neared our destination4 ,on entering the hotel ,i became conscious at once of an extraordinary sensation which ,i can only describe as a soul chill6 ,this remained with me as we went to our room to dress for dinner4 ,after that meal my husband went to the ballroom and ,i1 who do not dance1 cowered over the fire in the lounge and tried to get warm4 ,telling myself that ,i had caught a chill1 ,i sought out my husband and told him ,i was retiring4 ,he decided to remain until the dancing was over4 ,the instant ,i got into my bedroom ,i was seized by a sensation of appalling panic4 ,i saw nothing1 but ,i was perfectly aware that the small room was filled with uncanny and evil beings6 ,i undressed and got into bed1 but the obsession became too terrible to be endured4 ,i endeavoured to make the ,sign of the ,cross1 but found that ,i could not raise my hands4 ,i then fell on my knees and tried to pray1 but ,i could not2 even to utter the ,divine name was an impossibility4 ,this seems cold written down as it is1 but words fail to describe the awful atmosphere4 ,i can only say that the room was crowded to overflowing with some evil presence4 ,i could stand no more2 ,i put on a dressing-gown and went in search of my husband4 ,i found that he had foregathered with some men he had known during the ,war4 ,he was angry at the interruption1 but1 as soon as he saw my distress1 he at once came to my room4 ,his presence seemed to help me somewhat1 but all that night ,i tossed about1 sleeping only to dream the most awful dreams4 ,in the morning my husband1 believing that ,i had caught a chill1 wished to get a doctor1 but ,i knew that my ailment was not physical4 ,we went out for a long day trip1 and no sooner was ,i out of the house than ,i became perfectly normal4 ,some of my fears returned as ,i came back that evening1 but as we were going south in the morning1 ,i made up my mind to brave it out4 ,the second night was not quite so bad1 probably because my husband1 who was now rather infected by the condition1 remained with me4 ,i did not sleep at all2 the whole night through ,i was aware that the evil thing was crouching and waiting to spring upon me4 ,we left the place immediately after an early breakfast next day4 ,my only sensation when about half a mile from the place was as if ,i had had a serious illness--intense weakness both of mind and body4 ,i have never seen a ghost1 but ,i have felt things more than once4 ,i am very psychic4 ,i have told this story to several people1 and the only explanation offered has been that something must have happened in the hotel or in that particular room4 ,this explanation does not satisfy me4 ,i want to know why it is that when we drove up to that beautiful place in the majestic scenery of the ,highlands my soul seemed to shiver and to shudder within me4 ,in a covering letter1 the writer of this story says3-- 8,i do not know whether this is1 strictly speaking1 a ghost story1 but it was a recent and very terrifying experience1 and ,i feel that ,i cannot do justice to it in the telling4 ,for obvious reasons ,i do not give the name of the place in the article1 but it was the ------1 a lovely spot and an excellent house4 ,perhaps some of your readers may be able to help me to a solution of the mystery4 8,i may add that ,i am a perfectly sane and normal woman2 a journalist by profession4 ,my husband is a ,highlander1 so if the experience had been his there might have been less to wonder at4 ,i am ,english and ,irish and more remotely ,scottish by descent1 but ,i have no connection ancestral or otherwise with ,perthshire4 8,hoping that perhaps some light may be thrown on this40 ,a ,strange ,story ,,when ,i was a child of twelve my parents moved to a new neighbourhood4 ,we had lived in our fresh house about a month when ,i was awakened one night by very heavy footfalls4 ,i sat up in bed and was amazed to see a bent and dirty nun stumping beside my bed4 ,she wore a nun's habit1 very roughly made of coarse material4 ,she was wringing her hands1 which were tied at the wrists1 and on her feet were heavy wooden shoes4 ,as ,i gazed at her she turned her face to me1 and her look of anguish was terrible4 ,over her face hung wisps of hair1 and on her face were blood marks4 ,i looked at her quietly for a second or two before ,i realised that the whole room was changed2 it was much smaller1 the walls were rough enough for barn walls almost1 and there was no wainscotting4 ,to my horror ,i saw that a door was open by the side of my bed where there was no door4 ,this really frightened me and ,i screamed loudly1 but1 after my first screams1 the room became ordinary1 and when my father entered ,i told him what ,i had seen4 ,he got very angry with me1 banged down the candle1 and left me much comforted by its tiny glow4 ,in the morning ,i told my parents what ,i had seen1 but they both told me ,i was a foolish child1 and forbade me to mention my 8nun10 as ,i called her1 but they allowed me to have a candle for a few nights until ,i forgot my visitor4 ,soon after this ,i went to school and quite forgot my experience1 as a healthy child would do4 ,about three years later1 ,i was again sleeping in the same room1 when ,i was awakened by heavy footsteps4 ,i felt too frightened to cry out1 and all the same scene was enacted4 ,i dared not tell my parents this time1 but confided in a dear old farmer who lived at 8,the ,priory0 next door4 ,he listened to me with respect1 and told me that our house was some hundreds of years old and had been a monastery in earlier days4 ,he knew that my bedroom had been altered from two small ones to one large one4 ,he also advised me to tell my parents of my fright1 as he was sorry for me4 ,after this ,i slept in the attic for some time but1 later1 ,i was taken ill and1 to save steps1 ,i was put into my 8nun room0 again4 ,my fright had worn off by then4 ,however one night1 as ,i lay tossing on my bed1 ,i again heard the heavy footfalls4 ,i screamed loudly1 and when my mother came in she found ,i had fainted from sheer fright4 ,i have had many experiences of ghosts1 though ,i am far from hysterical1 and have been laughed at when ,i have spoken of them1 so ,i usually keep silent about them4 ,but my 8nun0 was so real that1 on cycling by the house recently ,i felt shivery at looking up at the old bedroom window4 ,and why a nun should appear in a monastery is a thing unexplained4 ,was it a ,curse8 ,i ,,well remember when ,i was a schoolgirl1 my father taking an old farm which had been uninhabited for years4 ,it was a quaint old house with three stairways1 and the best bedroom had queer little knobs and ornamentations all over the ceiling1 and the date #afdc or #hc let into the wall--,i forget exactly1 it was so long ago4 ,it was pleasantly situated1 but bore a bad reputation1 for it was said that the old lady who owned it in bygone days had come by it through fraudulently altering a will2 then1 towards the end of her days1 it was unlawfully wrested from her for some paltry debt4 ,this preyed on her mind and she died soon after1 vowing that she would haunt the spot1 so it was said1 and anyone who took it would rue it4 ,my mother was very averse to taking it and so was my grandmother1 who1 indeed1 begged and prayed father to have nothing to do with it1 saying there was a curse on the place1 and no good would come of it4 ,however1 father1 not being at all superstitious1 but an honest1 ,god-fearing man1 laughed at such predictions4 ,he had the farm put in repair1 and we went there to live4 ,from that day our modest prosperity vanished2 we lost money steadily4 ,in a few months my father was brought home seriously ill4 ,he got up at last from his bed a wreck of his former self1 only to linger for two years a semi-invalid1 then a recurrence of his illness took him from us within a few days4 ,my mother's mind broke down under the shock and worry1 and she had to be taken away1 and we girls were left fatherless1 as bad as motherless1 and penniless into the bargain4 ,our home was sold up1 we paid our debts and got out of that disastrous house as soon as we could4 ,as for our uncanny experiences there--we were awakened more than once by sounds as if all the heavy furniture we possessed downstairs was being dragged about1 also by footsteps coming up the flagged path that led to the front door1 and by raps at the window4 ,also1 one evening1 ,i remember distinctly we four girls were all sitting quietly sewing1 when1 all at once1 we jumped nearly out of our skins at a loud rat-tat-tat at the front door4 8,whoever can that be at this time of night80 we said4 ,my eldest sister snatched up a light and ran to answer1 and came back saying3 8,there's no one there40 ,at this moment1 our dog1 chained in the back yard1 snapped his chain and ran round the house howling piteously4 ,who it was1 or what it was1 ,i know not2 we saw nothing1 but ,i don't think anyone would have played a trick on us at such a time when we were in deep trouble4 ,then1 too1 it was a lonely place1 and the house stood back from the road enclosed with high garden hedges1 and in those days country folk were not wont to travel the dark lanes at nine or ten at night to frighten their neighbours or1 indeed1 for any purpose unless necessity compelled them4 ,only once during our stay there did we see anything4 ,one night my second sister was awakened by the feeling that someone or something was in the room1 and was horrified to see the figure of an old woman1 with thin grey wisps of hair1 bending over the bed4 ,as she lay1 too frightened to call to the rest of us1 the figure gradually retreated in the direction of the door1 which led into the best bedroom4 ,i don't care to recall these things1 for even after the lapse of many years their remembrance both saddens and terrifies4 ,was there some sinister influence surrounding this spot8 ,or were our misfortunes just the chances and changes of this mortal life which might have occurred anywhere8 ,who can rightly say8 ,what happened to the next tenant 7if there was one7 ,i do not know4 ,we removed to a distant county1 and ,i have long lost touch with any ,i used to know who might give me news of it4 ,the ,lady with the ,thimble ,,my aunt has often told me that1 when she was staying with her mother at a friend's house in the city1 at night time a curious tapping1 as if with a thimble1 on the door of her room used to awaken her1 and then something seemed to appear at the bottom of the bed which was one of the old-fashioned four-post type4 ,then she would feel the bed shake beneath her1 the shaking increasing in volume4 ,the tapping was heard about a quarter to twelve1 and everything ceased on the stroke of midnight4 ,her mother used to think she was dreaming1 but1 as she was so emphatic in her story1 they agreed to change rooms1 my grandmother sleeping in her daughter's room4 ,soon after twelve o'clock my grandmother entered my aunt's bedroom1 looking very frightened4 8,you are quite right10 she said1 8,i can't sleep there another night2 ,i don't know how you managed to sleep there so long40 ,the next day my aunt inquired as to the occupants of the room who had preceded her4 ,the host looked rather anxious4 8,why10 he said1 8my mother used to sleep there2 she died rather suddenly a year or two ago1 and ,i don't think anybody has ever occupied it since40 ,my aunt told him of what had happened1 and he said that his mother was always accustomed to wearing a thimble1 and1 on entering a room1 used to knock on the door with it4 ,he was unable to give an explanation of the shaking of the bed1 so that must be put down as an unfathomable mystery4 ,a ,reverend ,gentleman's ,story ,,my grandparents1 with their two sons1 lived at a lone farm about a mile from the village4 ,in my early days ,i spent much of my time with them1 and often heard them speak about the visitations of 8the ghost40 ,they quite believed the place was haunted1 and1 taking into account my own experiences1 ,i was led to believe the same4 ,it was no uncommon thing1 as we were sitting round the fire in the evening1 to hear three distinct knocks at the top of the chimney1 which would gradually descend to the back of the fireplace4 ,so used were they to these rappings that they would be dismissed with just a passing reference4 ,on moonlight nights my uncles would often go out to shoot rabbits4 ,on one occasion1 when they came back1 they said they had seen a man sitting on the branch of a tree4 ,they challenged him to come down1 thinking he was a poacher in hiding1 but1 as they were looking at him1 he suddenly disappeared4 ,on another occasion1 one night1 when the snow was on the ground1 one of my uncles came in from the village1 and said there was a man sitting astride the wheat stack at the back of the house4 ,my grandfather took his gun and went up to the back bedroom window1 and1 looking out1 sure enough there sat the human form4 ,my grandfather shouted3 8,if you don't come down1 ,i'll shoot you40 ,but before he had time to raise his gun1 the figure vanished4 ,next morning they got a ladder and examined the roof of the rick to see if they could find any footprints1 or if the snow had been disturbed1 but not a trace could be found6 ,sometimes the ghost would appear in different shapes and forms4 ,in the winter the cattle were kept up in the yard and cow-sheds4 ,my grandfather's brother1 who lived in the village1 used to come up early to feed them4 ,one morning1 when he had finished his work1 he came in and said3 8,the thing was in the manger again40 ,the 8thing0 referred to was a white calf1 which he had seen more than once in the same position1 but it always disappeared when he went up to it4 ,my mother often referred to her experiences with the ghost when a girl at home4 ,it would come when she and her sisters were playing around the ricks4 ,it took the shape of a round log1 covered with long black hair1 full of bright spots4 ,after rolling about for some time1 it always finished up by going into the pond at the end of the barn4 ,on one occasion a girl with long black hair joined them at play4 ,at first they thought it was a girl from the village1 but when they gathered round her1 she vanished4 ,it was in this rick yard that my cousin and ,i had a hair-raising experience4 ,one evening as it was getting dusk1 we were romping in a heap of straw2 then we sat down and covered ourselves up to the neck4 ,sitting there1 we heard a panting noise1 like a horse trying to get its breath after a race4 ,looking up we were horror-struck to see a huge animal like a lion1 with long1 shaggy hair1 coming towards us4 ,we sat breathless4 ,it then passed over our legs and disappeared through the bushes into the pond4 ,terrified1 we ran into the house and told what had happened4 ,i had another experience later on1 early one morning on the road leading up to the farm4 ,just before me ,i saw a white calf's head projecting from the corner of a heap of stones4 ,it was motionless1 so ,i went to see what was the matter with it1 but as ,i came up to it1 it vanished and appeared at another corner6 ,i then thought of the white calf in the manger1 and started to run4 ,on another occasion my brother and ,i were driving along this same road one dark night4 ,as we got to a very narrow part of the road we saw before us two large lights4 ,thinking it was a carriage with lamps we wondered how we should pass4 ,i pulled in to the left and waited4 ,we could hear nothing4 ,as the lights drew nearer they seemed to grow larger4 ,at last we saw the outline of some monster beast1 and these lights were its eyes4 ,i could have touched it as it passed4 ,neither of us spoke a word till we got to the village4 ,the horse did not seem to have seen it4 ,in the course of time my grandfather gave up the farm and came to live in the village1 but1 strange to say1 the family ghost followed him6 ,many weird and uncanny things happened about the house1 some of which ,i could speak of from personal experience4 ,my grandparents have long since passed away1 since when nothing more has been heard of the family ghost4 ,whose ,eyes8 8,i ,,shan',t be a minute2 ,i'm going to fetch a book from my bedroom40 ,so saying1 ,i got up and smiled across the table at ,mr4 ,p41 the gentleman boarder4 8,let me go10 he said4 8,certainly not10 ,i answered1 and lightly ran out of the room and up the inky black stairs4 ,there was the awful soundlessness and stillness of impenetrable darkness1 and ,i had to slacken my steps to feel for each stair4 ,when ,i was about half way up someone pushed against me from behind and tried to tread on the same stair as myself4 ,i gasped and instantly thought it was a practical joke that ,mr4 ,p4 was playing on me1 and ,i said fiercely3 8,go away1 ,mr4 ,p46 ,you ought to be ashamed of yourself1 frightening me like that40 ,as he didn't answer me1 ,i turned round to push him away1 and found ,emptiness4 ,the horror of this was so great that1 regardless of the danger of missing the stairs1 ,i literally flew up the remainder and opened my door and rushed inside4 ,as ,i was in the act of banging the door a pair of eyes gazed at me out of the darkness4 ,oh6 it was awful6--,eyes without a body1 gazing at me4 ,i flung myself against the door to shut them out1 at the same time covering my eyes with my hands4 ,my bedroom was pitch dark4 ,outside1 ,i knew ,i had to face unknown terror--what was ,i to do8 ,not a sound to be heard1 and the only living people in that house were at the bottom of all those stairs4 ,if ,i moved from the door those eyes might come in2 if ,i remained where ,i was1 what unseen thing might touch me8 ,at last ,i remembered a bit of candle and matches that were in a certain drawer4 ,could ,i find the chest of drawers8 ,at least it was worth trying4 ,how ,i got across that room ,i don't know1 but ,i did1 and ,i found that bit of candle and matches and lit up1 and ,i gazed all round that room4 ,i saw my face in the glass--it appalled me1 for my eyes were fairly bulging out of my white face4 ,with the comfort of the lighted candle ,i got downstairs4 ,the landlady1 ,mr4 ,p41 and my sister all remarked upon my appearance and asked why ,i had been so long4 ,when ,i told them they were very excited1 and all went with lamps to hunt for the ghost4 ,to them it was a most exciting event2 to me it was a nightmare4 ,of course1 they found nothing4 ,some weeks later1 when the ghost was forgotten1 my sister and ,i were sitting in a room on the first floor1 the door of which opened straight off a tiny landing of the staircase4 ,my sister was playing the piano1 and ,i was sitting by the fire sewing4 ,looking towards her1 ,i noticed the door opening ever so slowly and silently until it was wide open--and no one was there4 ,thinking1 sensibly1 it must be the draught1 ,i got up to close the door and1 there1 in the doorway1 on a level with my own1 were the pair of eyes1 luminous4 ,i stood stock still and said to my sister3 8,look at the door60 ,to do so1 she had to look up and over the piano1 and by so doing she looked straight at those eyes4 ,she rushed to my side shrieking4 ,up the stairs pelted ,mr4 ,p41 with the landlady following1 shouting up1 8,what's the matter80 ,he walked right under those eyes1 and1 brushing back his hair with his hand1 he said3 8,great ,scott6 ,aren't you cold up here8 ,did one of you shriek or call out80 ,i was standing petrified with fright1 with my sister clinging to me4 ,it was a moment or two before ,i could tell him1 and then he was off in hot chase--he was going to catch the ghost with his gun4 ,he went and fetched a chum1 and1 together1 they made enough noise to frighten an army of ghosts2 but they did not catch one4 ,we all felt a bit eerie1 and ,mr4 ,p4 persuaded his chum to sleep with him a few nights4 ,it was just as well that he did1 for one night1 about two a4m41 we were all awakened by the most blood-curdling screams it is possible to imagine4 ,my sister and ,i sat up at once and clung tight to each other4 ,mr4 ,p4 and his chum were soon hammering on our door asking were we all right4 ,the landlady was wandering about her landing in a voluminous dressing gown and night cap1 with a candle3 a little girl was sobbing in bed1 and a boy slept through the lot4 ,the men were determined to put an end to the matter1 so down the cellar they went with lamps and pistols1 and all over the house1 and right up into the unused attic1 but nothing could be discovered4 ,should any reader want to think of a reasonable clue1 ,i can only tell them that the house was built in such a way that no sun could get into it2 it was very old and appeared to have been wedged in to block up a passage way between the backyard of a grocer's shop and the road4 ,the front and back of the house were built away back from the level of the other houses3 the houses on both sides of it seemed to squeeze the very air out of the house--it was a deadly house4 ,as soon as ,i walked into the front door ,i used to shiver and stare straight ahead of me1 as if expecting things to happen4 ,even in the daytime it was always dark as compared to other houses4 ,a ,ghostly ,carpenter ,,about twenty years ago my brother ,d went to live in a fairly large house in ,north ,london--wife and two little children with him4 ,there was no basement2 dining and drawing rooms faced each other from the hall1 and1 farther along1 was a large1 square room entirely panelled1 with oak ceiling1 also1 save for one corner not quite finished4 ,upstairs a back room had evidently been used as a carpenter's workshop2 so my brother1 a keen carpenter1 decided to use it himself1 similarly4 ,they were only just settled in when every evening a noise of wood sawing began about seven o'clock--loud and distinct1 with every now and then the 8whop0 as the sawn piece dropped4 ,many friends and relatives heard it4 ,then1 in the room overhead1 began sounds of carpentering2 loud noises as if wooden boxes were dropped and pushed along2 and1 every night1 tools1 which had been carefully put back in the racks1 were found in the morning scattered about the room4 ,in the oak room a swing was hung from a beam1 and my brother had this room as a nursery4 ,in broad daylight1 on a summer afternoon1 would come the sound of the swing1 then a sound as if someone jumped from it1 and the swing would go to and fro violently4 ,many times there have been sounds of someone running quickly downstairs4 ,a previous owner of the house was an old man who did the oak panelling himself1 but died ere it was finished4 ,my brother and family still occupy the house1 and have grown so accustomed to 8,bill1 the carpenter10 as they call him1 that the noises do not trouble them at all4 ,sometimes these noises stop for a while1 and then go on again louder than ever4 ,there is absolutely no earthly explanation1 but ,i do know it is perfectly true1 and many have heard the noises4 ,another ,reverend's ,story ,a ,,reverend gentleman tells the following story3-- ,in an old house in a cathedral town the ghost of a tall1 elderly woman dressed in black recently gave much trouble to the inmates4 ,the ladies living in the house saw the apparition constantly1 and got quite accustomed to it1 but very few servants would stay in the house4 ,the climax came when the cook was found in a fainting condition and said that the ghost had tried to strangle her1 and showed the marks of fingers on her throat4 ,something had to be done4 ,a clergyman from the cathedral was called in and exorcised the ghost1 whereupon the trouble instantly ceased4 ,investigation showed that a woman1 answering to the apparition1 had committed suicide in the house about fifty years previously4 ,an interesting point is that the ghost was seen in every part of the house except the room in which the tragedy had taken place4 ,the ,girl in ,white ,,some three or four years ago ,i was present at a ,christmas party1 when the talk turned on ghosts4 ,a gentleman present remarked that ghost stories were almost always second-hand4 ,he had never1 he declared1 met anyone who could say that he or she had actually seen a ghost4 ,a lady--a great friend of my own--at once replied1 and1 as nearly as ,i can remember it1 ,i will give the story in her own words3-- 8,well1 then10 she said1 8you have now met one who has really seen a ghost4 ,my husband here1 and others1 are well acquainted with the story4 ,i was1 at the time1 staying with my aunt in an old house1 three flats up1 in ------ ,edinburgh4 ,the beautifully carved mantelpiece1 and peculiar markings on the walls1 supposed to have been caused by cannon ball1 showed that the house had once been occupied by some of the old ,scottish nobility4 8,it was in the gathering dusk of a summer evening that ,i tripped merrily down the stairs to meet ,george4 ,we were not married then1 but courting4 ,near the foot of the first stair ,i was surprised to see a girlish figure1 clad in white1 come gliding up the stairs4 ,her face was in shadow1 but her dark hair floated over her shoulders4 ,as she came nearer1 something impelled me to lay my hand on the railing and go backwards step by step4 ,she came on slowly1 and1 retreating so1 ,i had time to see her figure quite distinctly though her face and feet remained in shadow4 ,her white dress was filled with tiny frills right up to the waist4 ,she wore a girdle of narrow black velvet that fell in loops on the left side4 ,there was black velvet at her wrists1 and1 ,i think1 at her throat4 ,also ,i distinctly saw red strands of hair amongst the brown4 8,i felt no sensation of fear--only a sort of fascination--till ,i reached the top of the stair4 ,i turned my head to see if my aunt's door was open1 and found it was4 ,then1 somehow1 such terror seized me ,i could not look round again1 but1 screaming loudly1 ,i ran inside and shut the door4 8,my aunt1 who had been chatting to a neighbour1 came rushing in1 and she and others were enraged to think that someone had so frightened me4 ,the stairs1 back court1 and everywhere about was searched1 but ,i knew they might have saved their pains4 ,the girl ,i saw was no ordinary being of flesh and blood4 ,nothing happened afterwards2 no warning had been conveyed1 nor could anyone identify my girlish ghost with any known celebrity who had lived there4 ,i do not know why she came1 nor why she appeared to me1 but she was there and1 for the moment1 was as real as myself40 ,this lady knows nothing about clairvoyance1 had never attended a ,spiritualists' meeting in her life1 and her simple narrative impressed all present as an absolutely true statement4 ,she died last summer1 but her husband could1 ,i am sure1 testify to the truth of what is here related4 8,the ,old ,master0 ,,in the eventide of a busy life ,i find a pleasant relaxation from my little daily duties in reading different items in the ,daily ,news1 and have been especially interested in those letters on 8,visitants40 ,these have brought to my mind incidents which have taken place during my lifetime4 ,in my young days ghosts were much believed in1 and some were seen which afterwards were proved to be the work of foolish young fellows4 ,but a short distance from my father's house was a nice old farm where a well-known family had lived for several generations4 ,the grandfather of the then resident family had been quite a unique character in the district1 and had been known as 8the old master40 ,a grandson1 who had been abroad for a considerable time1 returned to the old home1 bringing a manservant with him4 ,a spare room not being available for the man1 a comfortable bed was made for him in the big farm-kitchen4 ,the house had for some time had the reputation of being haunted1 but of this the man knew nothing4 ,however1 in the early morning he suddenly woke up to see a stout old gentleman walking down a long passage which was opposite the bed4 ,he came noiselessly into the kitchen1 and the old sheep dog that lay on the mat by the fireplace at once jumped up1 wagging its tail1 and ran to him1 when he vanished from sight4 ,in the morning the man related his experience to the family1 and1 on being questioned1 gave an exact description of 8the old master40 ,the ,little ,grey ,lady ,,within three miles of my native city1 on the outskirts of a little village1 rather isolated by its grounds and its position on a slight eminence1 stands a picturesque verandahed dwelling1 which at one time was inhabited by elderly cousins of mine4 ,their father lived with them1 and when very occasionally they left him in the house alone for a time1 he invariably remarked that they need not mind1 for he always had someone near him4 ,this was his only reference to the spirit which haunted the place4 ,later1 the house passed into the possession of townsfolk1 who removed to it on account of the failing health of their only child4 ,they had been there only a few days when a frightened scream from the child's room made them both rush to it1 to find her sitting up in bed1 with eyes protruding and cheeks blanched4 ,on seeing them1 she wildly shrieked3 8,the little grey lady1 the little grey lady6 ,she has gone through the wall40 ,they soothed her1 but could not persuade her that it was merely a nightmare4 ,within a week of this1 the father chanced to be absent from home for a few days1 and the mother shared the child's room4 ,again the wild cry arose1 suddenly wakening her1 and she1 with the child1 beheld the figure of a little old woman1 garbed in a grey shawl and apron1 who moved with the aid of a stick1 making a strange little stumping noise4 ,she paused by a dressing chest1 and appeared to search anxiously for something1 then just faded out4 ,for some little time these folk stayed in the house and frequently heard the tap of her stick1 but did not see her again4 ,the strain of the possibility of doing so1 however1 so told upon them that they moved4 ,before doing so the lady approached another relative of mine who had lived many years in the neighbourhood1 and asked her if she could in any way account for the apparition4 ,she was able to tell her the story which she had heard from an old nurse1 who had attended the 8little grey lady0 in her last illness4 ,it appears that she had sorely wronged her children1 misjudging them and leaving her worldly goods to others4 ,at the last she was quite unable to speak1 but made pathetic efforts to communicate something which was evidently very much on her mind1 at the same time pointing in the direction in which the lady and her child had seen her searching4 ,nothing was ever found1 but one cannot help thinking that the little grey lady had made an effort to right the wrong by trying to tell where some document was hidden4 ,this story has been known to me for many years1 and ,i always look curiously at the old place as ,i pass1 and wonder if the restless spirit has at last found peace4 ,a ,convincing ,experience ,,as children we were taught that only ignorant people believed in ghosts1 and at twenty-one years of age ,i would have slept1 without a tremor1 in any room reported to be haunted4 ,at that age ,i went to stay with a recently-married brother in a modern and comfortable house near ,manchester4 ,on the first night1 at about twelve o'clock1 ,i was still awake4 ,a dim light came from the street gas1 and the fire that was nearly out2 but it was too dark to see anything distinctly4 ,suddenly something leant over me1 and fear that no words can describe possessed me4 ,my hair seemed to prick me1 and intense cold seemed to penetrate to my heart4 ,i thought if it went on ,i should die4 ,no thought of burglar or any physical danger entered my mind4 ,from the first instant ,i knew that this was something from outside normal human life--something 8ghostly40 8,who are you8 ,what do you want80 ,i gasped to the vague form leaning over me4 ,there was no answer4 ,suddenly it was gone4 ,i jumped out of bed1 lit the gas1 and left it full on4 ,in the daylight ,i dared not tell my tale and ask to change my room2 ,i knew how ,i should have regarded such a tale the day before4 ,when ,i went to bed the second night ,i left the gas dimly alight4 ,towards midnight ,i felt suddenly cold1 and my hair began to prick4 ,i jumped up and turned the gas on full4 ,the fear and cold passed away4 ,the next night ,i left the gas full on4 ,towards midnight ,i was aware of a little sudden cold1 a little sense of panic1 but both passed quickly4 ,after that third night nothing happened4 ,some weeks later1 when ,i was no longer afraid1 ,i told my brother that something had leant over me in bed4 ,he looked amazed2 and1 with a sort of horror1 ,i saw that something he knew would give reason for the terror ,i had felt4 ,he said the house had been untenanted for some years because the room ,i slept in was reported to be haunted4 ,a woman had either fallen or thrown herself from the window and had been killed1 and she was said to lean over the bed4 ,my brother utterly disbelieved the tale1 and forgot it4 ,had he mentioned it to me ,i should have laughed at it and gone to bed in that room without a tremor4 ,those are the facts4 ,i cannot explain them1 but in ,hudson's ,psychic ,phenomena0 there is a very possible explanation of such apparitions4 ,the ,hooded ,lady ,,my father was a ,nonconformist minister4 ,in the autumn of #ah-- he went to reside in the country town of ,w----1 which has the distinction of possessing a large county gaol4 ,going down1 as a schoolgirl1 to spend my first ,christmas holidays there1 ,i was astonished to find such a palatial 8manse40 ,it was situated a mile out of the town1 had a square turreted tower1 an old moat 7then the channel for a running stream71 an encircling verandah1 stabling for four horses1 and a long carriage drive1 at the gates of which was an old1 ivy-covered1 uninhabited lodge--an altogether unusual dwelling for its modest tenant6 ,the only room in the turreted tower was occupied by my father as his 8study10 but he rarely made his sermons in it1 we children observed1 and when asked why1 he would reply evasively that he always felt chilly and uncomfortable there4 ,on the night of ,christmas ,eve1 ,i was restless and fidgety4 ,a younger sister occupied another bed in the same room1 but she soon dropped off to sleep4 ,it was a moonlight night1 so ,i drew up my blind and lay watching the fitful shadows of a tree outside as they played over my walls4 ,at last ,i had an uncanny feeling that another presence was added to the occupants of the large old bedroom4 ,i looked towards the door and saw a dark figure gliding through it1 apparently in a cloak1 the hood of which encircled the small white face of a woman4 ,i sprang up frightened4 ,the dark figure walked slowly towards me1 then deviated to the window1 and1 without opening it1 went through to the verandah4 ,i ran across to my sister's bed1 thinking she was playing a trick on me1 but1 no1 she lay there fast asleep4 ,i had no sleep that night1 you may be sure4 ,on telling my story at the breakfast-table next morning1 ,i was merely told that ,i had been reading too many ,christmas ghost stories and had doubtless had a bad nightmare4 ,though hardly convinced1 ,i dropped the subject4 ,a few weeks later my father sent me with a note to the office of a solicitor in the town1 an elderly man who was deeply versed in all the topographical1 historical and social knowledge of the place4 ,he was a ,celt1 and the custodian of half the human secrets of the district1 which may or may not bear on the rest of my story4 ,as ,i was leaving1 he asked in a friendly fashion3 8,how do you like the manse80 ,taken aback somewhat1 ,i replied3 8,oh1 very much1 but--er--0 ,his spectacled1 curious eyes seemed seeking some private confidence4 8#8,but' what8 ,you haven't seen the manse ghost1 ,i suppose8 ,you have6 ,i can see it in your face4 ,well1 did it frighten you80 ,seeing that evasion was impossible1 ,i replied3 8,yes1 it did--but father--0 8,oh1 never mind your father4 ,he pooh-poohed it1 no doubt4 ,not psychic enough to see it himself1 of course4 ,tell me about it40 ,half ashamed1 ,i told my little story4 ,when ,i had finished1 he pulled up his office chair confidentially and said in a low voice3 8,the stewards of my church bought the manse some ten years ago very cheaply on account of its reputation for being haunted4 ,most of its tenants since1 being religious men1 like your father1 have never been troubled by the story and never see anything spectral2 being temperamentally unable to1 probably4 ,but you1 young lady1 are doubtless psychic and therefore have been privileged4 ,i'll now tell you the story its reputation is founded on4 8,fifteen ,christmases ago a young lady visitor came to stay at what you now know as the manse4 ,a wealthy1 rather profligate young bachelor in the town fell in love with her and persecuted her with his attentions4 ,she rejected his suit4 ,on ,christmas ,eve he accompanied her home from a local party4 ,as she did not return1 her friends set out in the early morning to look for her and found her lying dead in her evening cloak and hood just outside the little lodge at the gates4 8,suspicion fell on her rejected suitor4 ,he was tried for murder and hanged in the local gaol here1 the last execution1 by the way1 that has taken place4 ,it is said that every ,christmas ,eve this poor girl's spirit comes back and haunts the place of the tragedy40 8,so you think the hooded lady ,i saw was the spirit of that poor young girl80 ,i questioned1 horrified4 8,undoubtedly1 and it interests me exceedingly that you have had this experience before either hearing the story or the traditional reputation of the house4 ,probably ,i ought not to have told you1 but1 as every ,christmas comes round1 ,i1 as a believer in psychic phenomena1 look expectantly for someone to corroborate this tradition4 ,do not be troubled2 the ghost will not appear again this year4 ,good morning60 ,i spent several more ,christmases at the manse1 but never again saw the ghost4 ,i leave it to my readers to decide how much my youth and temperament and my old friend the solicitor's ,celtic bias towards the romantic and the occult had to do with my sincere belief in the objective reality of that hooded lady whom ,i saw twenty years ago4 ,uncle's ,story ,on special occasions1 a great-uncle of mine regales the family with the story of the ghost he saw4 ,how he awoke1 one night1 with the uneasy feeling that someone or something was near1 and how he saw a little lady clad in brown at his bedside2 how he thought it was his wife because she1 too1 was small1 but1 on second thoughts1 knew her to be asleep at his side2 how he saw the 8little brown lady0 walk--not glide--into a large cupboard at the end of the room2 how he roused his wife1 and how she1 not he1 went to the cupboard1 only to find no trace of the 8little lady40 ,all this he recounts1 and1 on his word as a ,christian1 swears it to be true4 ,he appeals to his wife1 who nods1 and tells us of the colour of his face1 of the beads of perspiration on his brow1 and emphasises how terrified he was1 and that it was she who investigated4 ,if a member of the circle ventures to suggest that it was the after-effects of a good supper1 my uncle has his answer ready1 and recommences3 ,how a special organist1 playing in the village1 stayed at his house for the night2 how1 next day at breakfast1 on being asked how he slept1 he replied1 #8,very fair1 but ,i have had a disagreeable nightmare1' how the organist had seen a 8little lady0 enter his room1 walk to his bedside1 and then disappear into a cupboard4 ,this is the final point in the narrative1 and my uncle sits up straight in his chair and exclaims1 8,here's his address1 go to him and ask him2 he is still alive60 ,and the doubting one does not move--my uncle's ghost story has another believer4 ,we of the family know that our uncle would never have told of the incident if he had not actually experienced it1 and are1 thus1 bound to believe in ghosts4 ,yet this ghost signified nothing--no one died1 neither misfortune nor pleasant surprise occurred1 and we have no family tradition4 ,the ,ghost ,horse of the ,derbyshire ,moors ,,some years ago a friend of ours bought a house which was spoken of for miles around as 8haunted02 one family after another had at various times lived at the place1 but each of them1 in turn1 abruptly gave up the tenancy1 declaring the house was indeed haunted4 ,all round the house was a wide drive1 and the story ran that every midnight at certain periods of the year a horse was heard to gallop round the drive1 and1 at times1 reared itself so high as to touch the bedroom windows4 ,though the horse itself was not visible1 it was known to be a white one1 and sometimes sent out flashing lights4 ,as soon as our friend was settled in the place1 he invited my husband and ,i to go and stay with him4 ,we readily accepted1 just laughing at the ghost story1 and1 up to the moment of going to bed1 we joked about the whole thing4 ,we had been in bed only a short time when we heard the regular gallop1 gallop1 of a horse going round the drive4 ,it was too real to make any mistake1 and we both seemed to freeze with fear and1 for a few minutes1 were unable to speak4 ,when my husband had gained a little self-control1 he struck a light1 and we saw the fingers of his watch pointed to a few minutes after midnight4 ,the galloping had now ceased1 but there was no sleep for us4 ,as we lay awake1 each resolving inwardly that1 so soon as morning came1 we would with all speed make for our own home1 another terrifying thing happened4 ,it was as though someone had given the shutter of our bedroom window a heavy blow4 ,being1 by this time1 quite unnerved1 ,i gave a low moan of despair1 but my husband made one big leap for the window1 and through the light that was just breaking1 he saw the outline of a huge bat1 just flying away from the shutter4 ,evidently it had hit the shutter in its flight1 and had caused the rattle which had so upset us4 ,so that was one ghost accounted for6 ,but that did not explain away the gallop of the horse1 as by this time we neither of us had any doubts regarding its presence in the grounds4 ,as the house was walled in on all sides it was obvious no stray animal could have entered1 and we felt1 as morning drew near1 we should have no option but to join in the general belief that there really was something uncanny about the place4 ,as we sat down to breakfast the following morning our host greeted us with--8,well1 did you see or hear the ghost80 ,he laughed merrily as we replied1 8,we did1 and have had no sleep1 and there are two people here who are clearing out as soon as possible--without breakfast for preference40 ,he then said1 8,well it may interest you to know ,i have laid the ghost horse1 but thought ,i'd let you have one night before ,i explained40 ,he said1 8,the first night my wife and ,i slept here we heard the gallop1 gallop1 quite clearly1 just at the time we had been told we should hear it4 ,my wife became angry as well as frightened and laid the blame on me1 saying1 #8,why did you buy such a place--you might have known all the people who have tried to live here could not have been mistaken4 ,i shall not stay in the house another day1 and if your money is lost1 it's lost4' 8,she left the house the next morning4 ,i determined ,i would fathom the matter1 for1 truth to tell1 my own confidence had been somewhat shaken4 ,so1 the next night1 instead of going to bed1 ,i decided ,i would walk out into the country1 returning at the time the phantom horse was supposed to appear4 ,i walked about half a mile and came to the turnpike road where ,i saw and spoke to a policeman4 ,whilst ,i was talking to him a high dog cart passed us1 carrying two brightly burning lamps4 ,i made some remark to the policeman about the driver's lonely drive1 when he said1 #8,yes1 ,lord ------ is in residence at ------ ,hall1 and he sends his groom to town every night with his letters1 in time to catch the midnight mail2 he always returns about this time4 ,i know exactly when he is returning1 even if ,i am by that house on the hill there 7my house71 nearly a mile away4' #8,why1 how is that8' ,i queried4 #8,well1' he replied1 #8the echo of his horse galloping is so clear in the still of the night1 and1 as he passes certain gaps in the hedges1 his lights shine more clearly than any other lights that pass this way4' ,i then told him why ,i was out at that time of night and asked him if ever he had heard the story connected with my house1 to which he answered1 #8,no2 ,i have been in this part of the country only a few months1 and it is only within the past month that ,i have noticed the echo4' ,well1 the next night we tested his explanation together1 and that was how we laid the #8ghost horse of the ,derbyshire ,moors4'0 ,a ,ghost ,story from ,wales ,,the following is an authentic story which ,i obtained first hand from a fellow traveller whilst waiting for a train on the small station of ,ferryside1 ,carmarthenshire 7,wales74 ,he had1 it appears1 unfortunately missed the earlier train of the day and1 to pass away an idle hour or two1 had visited the old castle in the district4 ,he had some difficulty in obtaining the key1 and1 so1 on reaching the castle1 was not surprised to find that the door was not to be opened easily1 as it was obvious that the castle is seldom visited these days4 ,at length1 when the door did open1 imagine his surprise at finding an apparently well set up woman staring at him4 ,thinking it must be some sort of caretaker1 he essayed to speak to her1 but1 to his great consternation1 she disappeared4 ,this so startled my companion that he returned at once to the station1 where ,i met him very much shaken by his experience4 ,we1 later1 got into conversation with a resident1 who informed us that the castle had the reputation for being haunted1 and this was the generally accepted story3-- ,many years ago1 when knights1 maids and dragons ruled the romantic world1 there lived a maid within the castle who was betrothed to a young knight of a neighbouring domain4 ,the day of the wedding was fixed and all would have ended happily were it not for a great tragedy which overcame the proceedings4 ,one day1 just after paying his court to the young lady1 the knight was set upon by robbers1 killed1 and his body flung into the moat4 ,his fiance could see all this1 but was unable to help1 but she was so overcome that she threw herself over the parapet into the moat after him4 ,the body of the knight was found some time later washed up on the sea-shore1 but that of the maid was never discovered1 and the belief is that she still haunts the castle awaiting the arrival of her beloved4 ,a ,daylight ,ghost ,story ,,some years ago1 some friends took a house for three months at the seaside4 ,in ,august1 ,i went to stay with them arriving about three on a sunny afternoon4 ,coming downstairs from the bedroom1 ,i had to pass the open door of a room immediately at the foot of the stairs4 ,standing just inside1 with her back towards me1 was a woman dressed in drab1 and with her hair arranged in an old-fashioned way2 she was looking out of a window1 and ,i paused a moment wondering who it was4 ,i continued my way down and1 when within three yards of her1 the figure vanished4 ,i went into the room1 looked all round--no one there4 ,then ,i realised it was a ghost4 ,next day ,i saw a coloured photo of a woman with dress and hair just like the apparition's4 ,it was not until some weeks later that we were told the portrait was of the owner's first wife4 ,the house had been left her by a relative1 and she had planned to have the window1 at which ,i had seen her standing1 changed into a bow4 ,sudden illness seized her and she died1 trying to say something about the window4 ,some other friends who had the house lent them before this time1 saw the figure of a woman going before them up the stairs1 but there was no one4 ,another friend was sitting on the lawn facing that window when the house was empty1 and saw the figure of a woman pass across it4 ,she went into the house--no one there--all doors locked4 ,it was not until months later that we told each other what we had seen4 ,are not these apparitions what ,mrs4 ,besant calls 8thought-forms80 ,this woman knew nothing of me2 her thoughts came back to the familiar spot and the familiar dress4 ,when ,i came too near this 8form0 apparently so solid1 but as evanescent as a soap bubble1 it broke and vanished4 8,the ,very ,same ,ghost0 ,,as a young medical student on holiday ,i used often to stay with a doctor uncle1 and even now1 looking back after all these years1 ,i feel grateful for all ,i learnt while accompanying him on his rounds4 ,uncle ,will was a bachelor1 too matter-of-fact and prosaic ever to fall in love1 ,i thought4 ,the more surprised1 therefore1 was ,i one day to hear him recount his treatment of a patient1 a young lady suffering only from what to me seemed an acute attack of hysteria1 nothing more4 ,this patient was one of those highly-strung young ladies who easily develop hysteria1 and the story she narrated to ,uncle ,will of what had brought her to the pitiful state she was in seemed to me a tissue of rubbish4 ,she vividly described her meeting with a real ghost on her way home late from a party1 alone1 through some accidental misunderstanding4 ,her way lay past a lonely mansion infrequently occupied1 rich in historical associations1 but so far unclaimed by any ghost4 ,miss ,s------1 however1 succeeded in describing the one she saw in great detail1 from his cavalier hat to his buckled shoes4 ,he was leaning against a gate through which she had to pass1 and he moved aside courteously to make way for her4 ,she thanked him1 and to her horror1 he vanished into thin air4 ,the clear moonlight and the snow combined to make any rational explanation impossible4 ,that was her tale4 8,a silly fanciful girl1 over-excited by the evening's pleasure10 was my comment4 8,yet this girl came a distance of three miles through the worst thunderstorm we've had for years1 in the dead of night1 to fetch me to her sick mother a short while ago10 answered ,uncle ,will1 and then added3 8,good thing ,i'm her medical man and not a raw fellow like you1 laddie2 ,i can understand her1 because 7,i have told no one else7 ,i myself have seen at the very same place the very same ghost40 ,the ,phantom ,carriage ,,some years ago1 whilst staying at a little town in ,somerset1 ,i became acquainted with the chauffeur of a family who resided in a stately old mansion1 standing in a large and well-kept park4 ,one evening1 as the family were away1 ,i was invited to pay my friend a visit4 ,the walk of two miles brought me to the drive gates1 and from there to the house was about three-quarters of a mile across the park1 which was divided in several places by iron railings1 having white gates across the drive4 ,these were always kept closed when the family were away4 ,after a chat and smoke with my friend1 ,i started my homeward journey about #i3cj1 it being a beautiful moonlight night4 ,i had got about one-third of the way down the drive when a pair of carriage lamps loomed out ahead1 and knowing the people were away1 ,i was surprised to meet a conveyance coming to the house so late at night4 ,the lights came nearer and ,i could distinctly hear the horses' hoofs on the drive4 ,i had just reached one of the gates and decided to stay and hold it open for the vehicle to pass4 ,on came the two-horse carriage which was now quite visible1 and ,i shouted to the driver that ,i would hold the gate open for him1 but ,i got no reply4 ,the carriage was now within about ten yards1 when1 suddenly1 the whole lot disappeared4 ,one can quite imagine my feelings as ,i clung to the gate1 not knowing whether to go forward or back to the house4 ,i learned afterwards that this conveyance had been seen several years before by some of the old servants4 ,london ,,crypts have always held a strange fascination for me4 ,although a staunch sceptic1 ,i am deeply interested in psychical research1 and ,i have systematically sought out crypts on the supposition that if there are such things as ghosts they would surely prefer to manifest themselves in those creepy vaults4 ,but only once has a ghost appeared to me1 and that was in the crypt of a hoary old church in ,lincolnshire4 ,i was quite alone2 the verger was away from home1 and ,i had to borrow the keys from the rector4 ,it was late on a ,september afternoon and the light1 even with the aid of my bicycle lamp1 was very dim4 ,i wandered around1 examining dates on tombs until1 passing behind a pillar1 ,i was scared to see a man dressed in black leaning against the recumbent effigy of some medieval worthy4 8,that must be the verger1 after all10 ,i thought2 8but how strange6 ,he must have duplicate keys40 ,so ,i approached him--cautiously1 ,i admit--and1 as ,i did so1 he rose slowly1 raised a deprecating hand1 as though to stop my advance1 and then gradually vanished into space6 ,the dark eeriness of the place rather got on my nerves1 and ,i slipped out quickly to tell the rector of my experience4 8,ah60 said he1 8you've evidently seen ,black ,robert the ,monk4 ,there's a legend here that in the fifteenth century the poor fellow was locked in the crypt for some offence2 but they forgot all about him for a time and when they went to release him1 he was stark dead4 ,his ghost appears occasionally1 and the visitation1 strange to say1 is said to bring the church good luck4 ,one would have expected him to cherish a grudge4 ,anyhow1 last time1 a wealthy patron gave #ajj to our fund4 ,this time--er--0 8,it will be only half a crown10 ,i responded4 ,an ,unwelcome ,travelling ,companion ,a ,,most weird experience ,i once had made me less cynical about ghosts4 ,i travelled regularly by the #h3cj a4m4 train to the town where ,i worked1 and the train was usually crowded with business people4 ,i soon began to notice that one compartment was always empty1 but for no apparent reason4 ,one morning1 arriving at the last minute1 ,i climbed into the deserted carriage as the whistle sounded4 ,i settled down to a book and gave no thought to my solitude4 ,the train had been travelling some minutes when ,i was disturbed by a slight noise which sounded like subdued sobbing4 ,it was not a corridor train1 so ,i could only explore beneath the seats1 but found nothing there4 ,i eventually put it down to the noise of the engine1 but1 as the train gathered speed1 the noise became distinct from any other sound and seemed to get louder and more plaintive4 ,the thought of the coming tunnel made my heart beat quickly4 ,the sobbing stopped before we reached the tunnel1 however1 but1 as the overpowering darkness engulfed the carriage1 ,i had a ghastly sensation of being choked4 ,this lasted for at least two minutes4 ,i tried to cry out1 but1 perhaps from sheer fright1 no sound came from my throat4 ,as we steamed out of the tunnel1 the sobbing re-started1 but1 after a while1 panted itself into silence1 which seemed to my now hysterical nerves more terrible than the wailing noise itself4 ,i practically tottered out of that train on reaching my destination1 and was not surprised to learn afterwards that there had been a suicide in that compartment which accounted for the passengers avoiding it4 ,the ,black ,dog of the ,cotswolds ,,west-,,countrymen are very sensitive to ridicule4 ,that is why a stranger might inquire from ,bath to ,bredon without obtaining a single admission concerning the ,black ,dog of the ,cotswolds4 ,but let him live amongst us2 let him gain our confidence1 and he may interview witnesses by the dozen4 ,few1 indeed1 have met the creature face to face1 though many claim a distant glimpse1 and it would be hard to find a shepherd past middle-age who had not come upon the foot-prints of the phantom1 starting from nowhere and leading nowhere1 in the early morning snow4 ,always in the snow he comes and always by moonlight4 ,it is now some three years since old ,dick ,slingbraces passed to rest1 leaving the following story to perpetuate his memory4 8,dogs or foxes had been making havoc with the early lambs10 said he2 8and one ,february night ,i took my gun to watch for the varmints in the lee of the sheeppens1 there being mebbe an inch of snow on the land4 ,the east wind was like a knife from the grindstone1 with clouds racing past the moon well on in her second quarter4 ,i might have closed my eyes for a second or two with the cold1 and when ,i opened them1 sir1 there he stood not thirty yards away--a coal-black hound bigger than a prize ram1 and of no breed on earth4 ,i knew him in an instant--the ,black ,dog of the ,wolds4 ,now you don't shoot a dog until he takes a lamb if you want the law on your side1 but1 fearing for my life1 ,i pointed my gun at him--and he vanished to nowhere4 ,i dropped the muzzle and1 all of a shake1 ,i peeped over my shoulder1 only to see him behind me1 the moonlight striking into his eyes like blue flames4 ,with a choking1 dizzy feeling ,i screwed my old gums together and up with my gun again--and again he vanished4 ,ay1 and again he was behind me4 ,how long he played with me in this fashion ,i don't recollect1 but1 in the end1 the gun went off of itself1 and the next thing my grandson ,george1 was helping me up and asking me if ,i felt better4 ,and being three-score and ten1 the following week ,i put by my crook and took to my old age pension4 ,they say10 added the old shepherd1 8he mostly comes as a warning that #8tis time to retire2 but ,i will mention that morning showed the snow trampled like a fold-yard1 but never a print beyond the boundary wall40 ,it ,happened in ,ireland ,,many years ago1 ,i used to visit a brother and sister-in-law living in a rambling old house in ,ireland4 ,nightly1 the household would gather in the dining-room for prayers1 after which we retired to our rooms--the maids to their quarters at the far end of the house--my brother and sister-in-law would leave me at my door and then pass down the corridor to their own room4 ,i am usually a sound sleeper4 ,nevertheless1 midnight would find me awake listening to the ructions in the dining-room below--the click1 click of glasses and decanters1 excited voices1 doors opening1 banging--after a little while1 silence4 ,on the first occasion ,i asked my brother why he made so much unnecessary noise at midnight4 ,he looked troubled and simply remarked that he had not gone downstairs again4 ,i tackled my sister-in-law1 but all to no purpose4 ,deciding that they were indulging in drinking bouts on the sly1 ,i said no more4 ,one night1 however1 feeling very tired and unable to sleep because of the noise1 ,i was furious and decided to see for myself what my relations were up to4 ,i slipped on my dressing-gown and slippers and made for my door2 but not before the handle was turned violently and1 although in total darkness1 ,i could feel a current of air from the open door 7,i always locked it before retiring74 ,then a tremendous 8,force0 seemed to be pushing me backwards towards the bed1 where1 conscious of another 8presence0 in the room1 ,i fell back exhausted4 ,my brother and sister-in-law listened attentively to the recital of the previous night's happenings1 expressed their regret for so disturbed a night1 and advised me to forget all about it4 ,not a little chagrined at their reticence1 ,i resolved to return home at once4 ,on the way to the station1 ,i met the clergyman--a very intellectual man--who happened to be a frequent visitor at the house4 ,i related the midnight happenings1 my surmise1 and1 lastly1 the unaccountable experience of the previous night4 ,i quite expected him to pooh-pooh the whole thing4 ,instead1 he looked very grave1 said that in olden times the surrounding hills were infested by a band of particularly murderous brigands who made that house their occasional headquarters4 ,men were decoyed1 robbed and disposed of within its gates4 8,and10 he ended1 8we can but pray and hope that the poor1 unquiet spirits may be granted a final resting-place4 ,do not1 my child1 make it a subject of idle gossip40 ,a ,school ,teacher's ,story ,,some years ago1 ,i1 along with a sister ten years older than myself1 was teaching in a ,midland town4 ,we had the greatest difficulty in obtaining rooms1 no one seemed to want lady teachers4 ,at last we succeeded1 but not to our liking1 as the house was old and gloomy and the landlady of a very saturnine countenance4 ,we found she and her daughter were the only other occupants of the house4 ,as it was winter time1 we asked if she had an attic where we could store our bikes4 ,we were told that there was no attic4 ,we were nightly disturbed by strange sounds as of someone going up and down stairs and raking the fire--this1 after the landlady and her daughter had retired hours before4 ,when questioned1 the landlady only replied that the house was old and creaky4 ,i was eighteen and full of ghosts1 but my sister was of the cool unimaginative kind and not in the least nervy4 ,she was constantly reassuring me that everything was all right1 but ,i knew she thought different1 as she never left me alone1 and we always went up stairs together1 even in the day time4 ,our bedroom looked out on to the river1 and the ,midland railway ran between4 ,a chest of drawers stood in one corner1 and one of the drawers was full of papers1 which the landlady informed us were left by a previous boarder who had occupied our rooms1 and promised to return for them4 ,several were legal-looking documents1 and the rest a mass of old correspondence4 ,one day1 as ,i was leaving the bath-room1 a gleam of winter sunshine revealed an opening in the panelling opposite4 ,on looking ,i saw a stair and a tray at the bottom with the remains of a meal4 ,i immediately brought my sister4 ,to say we were amazed is putting it mildly1 after our landlady's denial of an attic4 ,we felt this had been the repast of our nightly disturber1 but did not mention it to the landlady4 ,a few nights after1 there was a singular happening4 ,i awoke in the early hours to find my sister sitting up in bed4 ,i drowsily asked her if she was ill1 but she answered rather abruptly and told me to go to sleep4 ,i was roused by her manner and sat up trying to peer into her face4 ,after much questioning1 she said3 8,there has been a man in this room40 ,although ,i was terrified1 ,i tried to laugh and say 8,that is impossible as our door is locked and bolted40 ,my thoughts had gone to the occupant of the attic4 ,she said3 8,this was no human visitor2 he went over to the chest and examined the papers1 and then came and leaned over the bed in a grief-stricken attitude40 ,she was so calm whilst telling it and described the man as very tall and slightly bent1 with a sad face and iron-grey hair4 ,needless to add1 we prayed for daylight and got to school as early as possible1 where our ghost caused great excitement1 the other teachers giving credence to the story1 coming from my sister and not my imaginative self4 ,on returning to our rooms for lunch1 the landlady came in with a newspaper and pointed out a paragraph giving an account of a man being cut to pieces on the railway just at the back of the house4 ,she said1 8,he had your rooms ,miss1 and those were his papers40 ,my sister said he was a tall man and went on to give the landlady a description of our midnight visitor4 ,she said3 8,why1 ,miss1 did you know him10 and then my sister told her the story4 ,she said it was an exact likeness of the man who had always promised to return for the papers4 ,that explains our ghostly visitor4 ,we made a hasty exit that same day4 ,weeks after1 we heard of the police raiding the house and capturing an escaped prisoner4 ,it was the landlady's husband1 and she had had him in hiding all those weeks4 ,that explained the tread on the stairs and the raking of the fire when the prisoner escaped from his attic hiding4 ,,other ,,stories ,,of ,,haunted ,,houses ,a ,,magistrate',s ,,story ,,this comes from a ,justice of the ,peace in the ,western ,counties3 ,retiring to bed one ,sunday night to my room situate off a rather long landing in an old farmhouse near here1 ,i slept from about #aj3cj p4m4 to about #a3cj a4m4 ,i was then awakened by hissing noises--very similar to those made by a flock of geese--coming from the landing4 ,this was followed by footsteps proceeding to a spare room at the end of the landing4 ,the footsteps died away1 and immediately there commenced a violent rattling of empty milk pans and other odd things stored in that room4 ,the footsteps would again be heard1 and this was followed by severe shaking of my own and other bedroom doors in the house4 ,i sat up in bed and tried to call to the person in the next room1 but found ,i was unable to do so1 apparently from shock4 ,these noises continued without a break until #d a4m4 ,then the footsteps seemed to go along the landing1 down the stairs1 across the hall1 and through the front door1 which seemed to close with a huge bang4 ,when all seemed quiet again ,i gained courage enough to go downstairs1 and found the house in order as at the time of retiring to bed1 and1 stranger still1 the front door was still bolted and barred as usual on the inside4 ,the rest of the household had heard exactly the same sounds as myself4 ,some who had come to stay in the house for a holiday hurriedly returned to their homes in ,birmingham the same morning1 thus losing their proposed fortnight's stay4 ,i also changed my residence1 and did not sleep in the house again4 ,moreover1 ,i knew personally a tenant of the same house who heard strange noises there2 he actually sat up at nights with a friend to try and find out the cause and went so far as to take up the flooring4 ,the mysterious noises both in my own case and on three other occasions within twelve months could never be explained1 and to-day ,i am unable to offer any solution4 ,,the ,,missing ,,papers ,i can vouch 7writes a clergyman from ,yorkshire7 for the truth of the following story3-- ,a clergyman of the ,church of ,england was asked to preach at some special services in the ,midlands4 ,he spent the weekend with the local squire1 and when he came to take his departure he said to his host1 8,would you mind letting one of your servants take me round the house80 8,certainly1 ,i'll show you round myself40 ,the clergyman was shown all over the mansion1 but was still unsatisfied4 8,there's still a room in the house that ,i have not seen1 and ,i want to see it40 ,the squire protested that he had been all over the house1 but the clergyman was obdurate4 ,at length the squire remembered an old disused attic4 8,but10 said he1 8no one has been there for years40 8,i want to see that attic40 ,accordingly the door of this attic was forced open1 and the party made their way in4 8,ah1 this is the room10 said the vicar1 8and somewhere in this room there is a cupboard--there it is4 ,i want it opened40 ,the cupboard was forced open and a bundle of papers fell at the feet of the vicar1 who picked them up and handed them to the squire4 ,the squire opened them and uttered a gasp of astonishment4 8,why1 these are the deeds of my estate4 ,i have been searching for them for months4 ,had ,i not found them very soon the chances are that ,i should have been involved in serious financial loss4 ,but how did you know they were here80 8,i didn't know they were here10 said the vicar slowly1 8but last night ,i was conscious of the presence of someone in my room1 and ,i became aware that somewhere in this house was a room ,i wanted to see1 in which was a cupboard ,i wanted to open40 ,,the ,,haunted ,,lane ,,at ,,hendon ,,the district between ,hendon and ,kingsbury is believed to be haunted4 ,thirty-five years ago1 ,welsh ,harp ,fair was bigger than to-day4 ,on ,bank ,holidays ,i used to visit friends at ,neasden1 near ,wembley1 and we boys used to walk across the fields to ,hendon4 ,the homeward road 7,cool ,oak-lane71 after crossing the ,welsh ,harp1 wound up a hill between tall dark trees and silent ponds1 and past the blank wall of the grounds surrounding a large house4 ,although only five miles from the ,marble ,arch1 it was very lonely3 being cut off from ,london by the ,harp1 a sheet of water a mile long4 ,the people of ,neasden believed that the road was haunted4 ,i remember the boys speaking of actually seeing a tall white ghost4 ,this story may have been originated in the contrast between the brilliantly illuminated fair and the dark country road4 ,of course1 the fair was not always on1 so there was some other reason for the superstition4 ,anyhow1 the neighbourhood is unchanged1 and the children of to-day keep away from the place at nights4 ,,cheshire ,,some years ago1 ,i1 with my wife and family1 lived in a house which was undoubtedly haunted4 ,one day1 my wife was in the hall with the baby in her arms when1 suddenly1 a figure in white appeared1 and she had to draw to one side to allow it to pass her4 ,she saw the same apparition on several occasions and1 later1 a nurse1 who we had in the house during my wife's illness1 also saw it at different times4 ,one day she was in the bathroom when the figure appeared1 walked through the room1 opened the door1 and passed out4 ,on another occasion she was having breakfast in the nursery adjoining the bedroom when she saw a figure in white standing in the doorway4 ,she thought it was my wife who had got out of bed against instructions1 and she immediately went into the room next door to 8blow up0 the patient1 and found she had never left her bed4 ,ultimately1 ,i myself saw it one evening when in the bedroom 7the door of which was open7 brushing my hair before the mirror1 ,i suddenly became conscious of something unusual and saw a figure mount the stairs1 pause at the top and then proceed on its way upwards4 ,subsequently1 we were very much disturbed by loud hammerings which always commenced immediately we went to bed at night1 continued the whole night through1 but finished always immediately the servant got up in the morning4 ,these noises became so violent that we finally had to give up the house4 ,on making inquiries1 ,i found that in the vicinity of the spot where the house was situated1 a young woman1 whose husband was a captain and had lost his life at sea1 had lived and had drowned herself in a pit not very far away1 some years previously4 ,,kent ,,some years ago1 ,i went home to stay with my parents for holiday4 ,they had recently moved into an old mansion which had been converted into a double dwelling-house1 both parties using the same staircase and hall4 ,during my stay1 my mother and father took the opportunity to go away for a week end1 leaving me to get meals for a friend who lived with them1 and whose duties as a postal servant often brought him home in the early hours of the morning4 ,my mother feared1 as ,i was young1 ,i might not rise in time to get his breakfast4 ,i gave my promise ,i would do it1 but did not mention how4 ,accordingly1 ,i sat up all night busy with fancy work until it was time for me to get ready a nice hot breakfast4 ,i felt sure if ,i went to bed at my usual hour ,i should not waken4 ,when all was ready--about #b a4m4-- ,i went into the hall to listen for any sound of the friend coming4 ,the door of the room ,i was in faced the staircase which was very wide1 and1 right in front of me1 about half way down the staircase1 stood a tall gentleman clad in brown velvet jacket1 cord breeches1 leggings and huntsman's cap4 ,thinking it might be a friend of the people in the other half of the house1 ,i went in and closed the door1 wondering why he was roaming about the house at that hour4 ,when the friend arrived for breakfast1 ,i told him what ,i had seen4 ,he laughed heartily and then said3 8,so you have seen him80 ,i asked where the joke came in1 and he calmly told me he saw the same gentleman repeatedly--he haunted the house4 ,needless to say1 ,i did not spend another night in sitting up4 ,when mother returned and ,i told her my experience1 she was ever so sorry she had left me2 she did not dream ,i would stay up4 ,she then told me that night after night she and father were kept awake with music and dancing somewhere close to their bedroom1 and they could find out nothing to account for it4 ,some time after1 the place was pulled down and a large jar of golden coins was found embedded in one of the walls of the bedroom in which my parents slept4 ,this may sound to some people like a fairy tale1 but it is perfectly true1 and1 whenever ,i think of the place1 ,i can see that gentleman who1 they told me1 always vanished as soon as you had seen him4 ,,seaford ,,we were living1 in #aiab1 in a quiet ,midland town1 and the household comprised my husband1 small son1 maid and myself4 ,the son was recovering from an attack of croup1 and my husband and ,i took it in turns to sleep with him in the large bedroom4 ,as the doctor gave a good report of the invalid1 ,i was looking forward to a good night's rest in the smaller room4 ,when bedtime came1 ,i opened the window and door1 and1 after a short time1 was fast asleep4 ,i do not know how long it was before ,i became wide awake1 feeling that something evil was hovering around me4 ,there was nothing to be seen1 but a bad influence or presence made itself felt1 and ,i was simply terrified4 ,i was in a cold sweat of fear1 afraid to move lest something should happen to me4 ,what that something was1 ,i did not know then1 neither do ,i know now4 ,my husband slept in the room on the next night1 and he said he was troubled by bad nightmare dreams--but would say nothing more4 ,when the doctor called1 he advised that our son should go into the smaller room in the daytime for a change1 so we soon had him comfortably settled there in bed4 ,but he wanted amusement1 like most boys do when they are well enough1 so we fetched the kitten upstairs and placed it on the bed1 for they were very fond of each other4 ,alas6 before we could ask ourselves what was the matter1 the kitten seemed to turn pale1 and1 tucking his tail between his legs1 he absolutely bolted off the bed and rushed headlong downstairs4 ,of course1 we joked about it to our son1 and called to the maid to carry the kitten and a saucer of milk upstairs again4 ,again we tried to tempt the kitten to remain on the bed1 but it was impossible4 ,again it rushed downstairs as if terrified4 ,what was to be done8 ,i determined to sleep there at night1 as we arranged and1 again1 ,i was awakened by the knowledge that some evil was present in the room around me4 ,i was still terrified and unable to move1 but was able to pray to ,god to save me1 body1 soul and spirit1 and1 after about ten minutes' silent prayer1 the influence or presence1 or whatever it was1 went1 and the air in the room became light and fresh and buoyant as it used to be4 ,the next day the kitten remained upstairs and was a joy to the invalid4 ,can these experiences be accounted for8 ,i wonder6 ,i was afterwards told that a crime of continual cruelty had occurred in that room a few years before4 ,if so1 why did the evil influence revisit the room1 and not the perpetrators of the cruelty8 ,this is a true account of what actually happened in a pretty little house near ------1 in ,warwickshire4 ,,cambridge ,a ,,few years ago1 when ,i was studying for my degree in a university college1 my friends and ,i had a strange experience4 ,the women's hostel in which we lived1 had formerly been a gentleman's house1 and it was rumoured that at times this country squire1 who was now dead1 used to revisit his old home4 ,most of us laughed at this as a 8ghost tale10 but the following incident made even the most sceptical wonder4 ,one night1 my friend and ,i1 who shared a room1 went to bed as usual4 ,after putting out the light1 we pulled up the blind4 ,this was a regular habit of ours1 so that we should wake up easily in the morning4 ,about #b a4m4 ,i awoke1 and found1 to my astonishment1 the electric light switched on1 and the blind down4 ,i awakened my friend1 and asked her if she was responsible1 but she had been asleep the whole time4 ,neither of us had ever walked in our sleep1 so1 feeling that something uncanny had happened1 we got up to investigate4 ,listening intently1 we heard weird noises on the floor below1 a sort of rattling and scraping4 ,this continued for some time1 and then gradually grew fainter and died away4 ,feeling very nervous1 we sat waiting for the sounds to return1 but nothing more happened1 and we were glad when morning came4 ,at breakfast1 we reported the night's happenings4 ,when we had finished1 a 8fresher0 spoke up--one who knew nothing of the hostel legend4 ,she said that during the night1 a gentleman had stood by her bed and smiled kindly at her4 ,we eagerly questioned her1 and she was able to tell us exactly what he was wearing4 ,when she had finished1 our ,warden exclaimed3 8,why1 that was old ,mr4 ,c41 the late owner of this house2 the last time ,i saw him he was dressed like that60 ,was the same old gentleman responsible for turning on our light1 and for the other strange happenings of that night8 ,,reading ,,whilst living at a 8school house0 in a lonely country district1 where my father was a schoolmaster1 ,i was startled one day1 when sitting in my bedroom reading1 by someone walking upstairs as though with a stick4 ,i rushed out and1 on finding no one1 ,i ran downstairs to ascertain whether the rest of the family had heard the same noise4 ,everyone paid 8,no60 ,a few months afterwards1 my mother happened to be ill1 and a maid1 who had lived in the same house when it was occupied by a former schoolmaster1 came to live with us4 ,one afternoon1 while the rest of us were out1 mother asked this maid to sit upstairs with her1 and1 strange though it may seem1 they were both startled by the same noise as ,i had heard months before--someone walking upstairs with a stick4 8,oh1 it's quite all right10 said the maid1 8that's only ,miss ,s41 who died here a few years ago2 she was troubled with fits and always walked with a stick40 ,funnily enough1 this girl said that ,miss ,s4 used to place the stick on the landing on top of the stairs before walking to her bedroom1 which she did 7if it really was her 8ghost07 on those two occasions4 ,,sutton ,,scotney ,,my father made the acquaintance of a retired colonel1 who lived six miles from our home4 ,sometimes father went over to tea with him4 ,on one occasion father saw a short thick man pass through the drawing-room without opening the door4 ,he felt so uncomfortable1 that the colonel asked him what was the matter4 ,father explained4 8,oh10 said the colonel1 8that was only our little pedlar4 ,the legend is that a pedlar was seen to come to this house1 but he never left it4 ,his pedlary is said to be put behind that fireplace40 8,why don't you have it opened80 asked my father4 8,no fear1 ,i don't want to1 the pedlar doesn't worry me40 ,,coleford ,,some years ago1 ,i was sitting alone in the sitting-room one ,sunday night1 after the rest of the family had retired1 and ,i was reading the case of little 8,teddy ,slingsby40 ,the banging of a door which opened out of the kitchen to the scullery aroused me to investigate1 and to secure it for the night1 as always was done1 with a bolt4 ,when ,i reached the centre of the kitchen ,i could see that the door was wide open and1 it being a nice moonlight night1 ,i could see the trees in the garden and the ivy hanging on the old wall4 ,i stepped up to the door1 putting out my hand to close it and1 to my horror1 ,i found that the door was then closed and bolted securely1 and my view of the moonlit garden was at once cut out4 ,i turned for the staircase and1 upon arriving at the top1 ,i entered my mother's room1 too scared and speechless to tell her what ,i had seen4 ,i placed my back against the wall for support1 and slid down1 sitting on the floor4 ,when ,i had recovered1 ,i explained to mother what ,i had seen4 ,she advised me to get to bed at once1 which ,i did4 ,i had not buried myself in bed very long before ,i heard a rustling1 as that of paper1 and1 looking up1 ,i saw a figure all in white standing with hand to its head1 and elbow against my bedroom door4 ,i could not utter a word1 and ,i watched the figure completely disappear4 ,this ,i told the remainder of the family next morning1 and my mother could then say that she had seen the same thing herself4 ,also ,i heard from the people who had lived in the house previously1 that members of that family had seen the same apparition4 ,,ipswich ,,eight years ago my friend1 a dark-haired girl1 and ,i took a job as servants1 at a large mansion near here4 ,to my surprise1 ,i was given a most beautiful and luxuriantly-appointed bedroom in the front of the house1 my friend sleeping in the servants quarters4 ,about a week later1 ,i was wakened at two o'clock in the morning by my bedroom door opening1 and a dark-haired woman approached the bed4 ,thinking it was my friend1 who wanted something1 ,i sat up and asked3 8,what do you want1 ,olive80 ,the figure turned towards the dressing-table and disappeared4 ,i ran along to my friend's room4 ,she was sleeping1 and ,i spent the night with her4 ,the next morning1 the housekeeper informed me that there had been similar complaints from guests and the room had been closed for years1 but they had wondered if it would be all right after the lapse4 ,needless to add1 ,i refused to sleep in the room again4 ,,hull ,,some years ago1 ,i worked in a drug warehouse with a labourer1 ,mr4 ,t4 7since dead71 who had a supernatural experience4 ,he and his wife and family moved into a house which had been empty a long time4 ,the removal took place after he left his day's work1 and the beds were hastily improvised for the night4 ,he and his wife were awakened by a crash1 which sounded just over the bed head4 ,both simultaneously asked3 8,did you hear that noise80 ,mr4 ,t4 arose next morning to go downstairs to make the fire1 and1 from the top of the stairs1 saw the figure of a woman sitting on the bottom step nursing a child4 ,the apparition faded away as he reached the bottom4 ,he dared not mention it to his wife1 but he found another residence1 and left the house the same week4 ,subsequent inquiries revealed the fact that there had been a murder committed in the house4 ,,reading ,,during the war ,i went to live for a time with some relatives in the suburbs of a large city in the ,midlands4 ,one ,sunday night1 as ,i lay awake longing for sleep which would not come1 ,i was startled by a strange noise close beside my bed1 like the deep1 heavy breathing of a very large dog1 but much louder than anything of the kind ,i had ever heard before4 ,then ,i felt the weight of a very heavy hand or paw across my right foot4 ,the moments seemed like hours and ,i became paralysed with terror and unable to move or make a sound4 ,i think1 eventually1 ,i became unconscious4 ,in the morning ,i told a member of the family of my horrible experience and asked her not to mention it1 as ,i did not wish to frighten the young people in the house4 ,after ,i had been away some months1 ,i received a letter from the relative to whom ,i had told this1 saying that her sister had been frightened by the same noise in this bedroom1 and her husband had declared there was someone in the room4 ,they got up and searched the room but found nothing4 ,can anyone give a solution of these strange noises8 ,i should be glad to have it explained4 ,do ,i believe in ghosts8 ,no6 ,not until ,i see one1 which ,i have no desire to do4 ,,cowes ,,some years ago1 some cousins of mine1 who lived in an old house at ,reading1 frequently saw a little old lady who used to come and sit in one of the bedrooms at night4 ,they were so used to seeing her that they lost their fear4 ,later1 the house was pulled down1 and a box containing a skeleton was discovered4 ,they made inquiries and found that1 years before they lived there1 a murder had been committed4 ,an old uncle of mine1 who was a missionary1 and who sometimes paid my cousins a visit1 always saw the old lady when he slept there4 ,,markyate ,,my husband was a man who would laugh if you talked of ghosts1 saying he didn't believe there were such things4 ,however1 he had to go away to work five years ago1 and he and a mate got lodgings with an old lady whose mother1 at the age of ninety1 died not long before4 ,the first night his mate had plenty to drink so slept soundly4 ,my husband1 however1 being in a strange place1 couldn't sleep4 ,during the night the clothes were lifted off his feet and strange knockings went around the bed4 ,he lit the candle1 but found nothing4 ,in the morning he told his mate1 and the next night his mate woke him and said3 8,hill1 light the candle2 this place is haunted60 ,they couldn't sleep for the tugging at the clothes and the knocking around the bed4 ,they told their experience to a man from the village who was working with them1 and he said the old lady was supposed to have left money in the bed4 ,they stayed on for the week1 and each night the same thing occurred4 ,on the ,saturday morning they stripped the bed and made a thorough search1 but found nothing4 ,when my husband returned home he looked like a man who had had a severe illness4 ,he told us the story2 now he believes in ghosts4 ,,boscombe ,,in the wartime ,i spent a holiday in a ,dorset village1 and the first night1 whilst sleeping in a bedroom in a lonely cottage1 ,i was awakened by the door noiselessly opening1 and the figure of a man dressed in white garments passing through the room and talking softly to himself4 ,there was only a woman in the cottage and she was fast asleep4 ,a year after1 ,i read in some old memoirs of two of ,nelson's lieutenants who1 whilst ashore at ,weymouth1 met two women and accompanied them home4 ,during supper they quarrelled1 and one woman threw a flat-iron at ,lieutenant ------ and killed him4 ,his companion was horrified and1 urging the women to be silent1 he took the body on his horse to a lonely spot in ,dorset1 and buried it and rejoined his ship4 ,the spot where the lieutenant was buried was the spot on which stands the cottage in which ,i had this strange experience4 ,,croydon ,,some years ago1 whilst spending a night in an old inn1 ,i was awakened by the disagreeable impression that ,i was not alone4 ,to my amazement1 at the foot of my bed 7an old-fashioned four-poster71 stood a girl1 with a baby in her outstretched arms4 ,her eyes were fixed imploringly on mine1 as though begging for help or protection4 ,i noticed that she had a mob cap on her head1 and a quaint wrapper of some fashion unknown to me4 ,i begged her to tell me what ,i could do for her1 but she made no reply1 and1 a moment later1 she had disappeared4 ,i rose at once and searched the room4 ,door and windows were securely fastened1 and ,i could find no trace of my mysterious visitor4 ,convinced at last that ,i had been dreaming1 ,i returned to bed4 ,presently1 the woman with her baby reappeared1 this time at the side of the bed6 ,she spoke no word1 but1 with the same expression of anguish1 gazed imploringly at me4 ,then she vanished4 ,when for the third time1 ,i became aware of her presence beside my pillow1 ,i was seized with terror and called loudly for help4 ,then ,i must have fainted for1 when ,i came to myself1 it was broad daylight4 ,when questioned1 my hostess could give me no explanation4 ,she admitted1 however1 that she had heard my cries1 but that neither she nor her servants dared enter the chamber after nightfall4 ,the room was supposed to be haunted1 and other visitors had seen the woman and her baby as described by me4 ,the inn has since been pulled down and a hostel erected in its place4 ,,levershulme ,,my father became tenant of the ,manor ,house in a village in the ,midlands and moved in with mother and six children1 five girls 7including me7 and one boy4 ,i was then twelve years old4 ,many were the warnings kindly given to us by the villagers that the house was haunted1 but1 being a merry family1 and father and brother keen on shooting1 they laughingly warned off any intruders from outside4 ,we younger were not so dubious4 ,the rooms were large and opened off long passages and had an eerie effect1 especially at night4 ,the first ,i remember of anything disturbing was when my brother injured his foot and was laid up for a time4 ,my eldest sister used to attend to him1 and was surprised one morning1 when she took his breakfast1 by him asking why she came into his room during the night without speaking4 ,she questioned him1 and he told her someone came into his room and leaned over him as if to see if he was asleep1 and1 when he spoke1 and got no answer1 he felt to see if his watch was there1 thinking it was someone after valuables4 ,as he raised himself1 the visitor disappeared4 ,this happened several nights in succession4 ,on another occasion1 my mother was ill and1 during the night1 called to my sisters to take down the dog1 which she said had jumped on her bed4 ,they1 too1 could not explain what had happened1 as the dog was peacefully sleeping downstairs and never was allowed upstairs4 ,father also had his share1 for1 while sitting reading one night1 after everyone else had retired1 and all doors locked and bolted1 he was suddenly aroused from his book by hearing footsteps4 ,then the door at the end of a long passage was unlocked1 and there came a gust of wind as if it was opened4 ,the door closed1 and was bolted again1 and footsteps came towards the room4 ,he asked who was there and1 receiving no reply1 went to investigate1 but nothing was to be seen1 and the door was still locked and bolted4 ,father told the landlord of the experience and the latter stated he had the same thing happen when living there and could offer no explanation4 ,i can well remember my feelings of relief when we removed to another house in a neighbouring village4 ,that1 too1 had the reputation of being haunted1 but1 although we lived there some years1 nothing happened to verify the statement4 ,,widnes ,,just before the war ,i thought ,i would remove to a house ,i noticed had been vacant for a long period4 ,on interviewing the landlord of the house1 ,i was informed ,i could have the tenancy of the house two shillings per week cheaper than other tenants paid for houses in the same row4 ,he would offer no explanation for this generous act4 ,i1 accordingly1 moved into the house the same day4 ,retiring to bed the first night1 ,i awoke about #ab3cj a4m4 to find standing in the moonlight that was streaming through the window1 a man who ,i knew1 but had not heard of for years4 ,he was bleeding from a deep wound in the neck that had obviously been inflicted by a blood-stained carving knife he held in his right hand4 ,too horrified to utter a sound1 ,i watched him draw the knife slowly across his throat1 inflicting another wound1 while he stared me straight in the eyes4 ,after a low moan1 he disappeared4 ,the next night1 about the same time1 ,i was awakened by hearing someone moaning in the room4 ,this moaning was heard by the remainder of my family4 ,determined to find out the cause of these happenings1 ,i asked the next-door neighbour if he could explain them4 8,don't you know80 he asked4 8,jack0 7mentioning the man ,i had seen7 8committed suicide in your house4 ,the landlord lets it cheaper than the others1 but nobody will stay in it60 ,needless to say1 ,i did not stay4 ,i moved back to my old home1 the same day4 ,at the present time1 although there is a shortage of houses1 you can often see in the window of this house1 the sign 8,to ,let40 ,,templecombe ,,whilst engaged in domestic service at a large county house on the ,dorset border1 a young scullery-maid1 who was ill1 told us the lady had been to see her1 but she was1 somehow1 afraid of her1 and she did not speak4 ,we other three who were there thought this odd1 and ,i asked what was she dressed in4 ,the girl replied black1 and she had shiny things in her hair and round her neck4 ,i had happened to meet the lady in the corridor and she was wearing a blue tea gown1 so we persuaded her she had been dreaming4 ,in course of time1 ,i met an old lady of eighty-five1 who had lived in the house in the days of her youth4 ,she asked me had ,i seen the ghost4 ,i said no1 and asked what it was like4 ,she replied3 8,a lady in black with lots of diamonds on2 she used to walk right the length of the first floor4 ,the butler used to try to catch her1 but never could40 ,it was part of my duty every evening during the two years ,i lived there to shut shutters and fix bells on all the windows on this particular floor1 yet ,i never saw anything1 whereas the poor girl ,i have mentioned was in the house only three weeks and was so frightened4 ,,south ,,wales ,,some years ago ,i was living in a small mining village in ,south ,wales4 ,being a widow with a family1 ,i was glad to let a married daughter and her husband rent part of the house4 ,when ,i first went to live in that particular house the neighbours told me that a previous tenant1 an old man who lived alone1 was one morning found dead1 sitting in a chair4 ,i was1 however1 not at all superstitious1 so thought no more about it4 ,we had got quite settled in our house1 when1 one night1 on retiring to bed1 we heard footsteps coming upstairs and stop at my bedroom door4 ,my daughter1 aged thirteen years1 was sleeping with me at the time1 and1 although we had been in bed some time1 we were neither of us asleep1 and lay waiting to see our door open1 thinking it was either my married daughter or her husband1 who were sleeping in the room below us4 ,after several minutes had passed1 we heard the same footsteps going downstairs1 and1 when they reached the bottom1 we heard the catch of the bedroom door below1 as if someone had passed in and closed the door4 ,judge of my surprise to find next morning that no one had been upstairs4 ,but my daughter told me that1 twice her bedroom door opened and her husband got out of bed and latched it again4 ,then they heard footsteps coming downstairs and1 for the third time the door opened4 ,this time my son-in-law got a light and went on a voyage of discovery1 but could see no one4 ,we agreed not to say anything about this in front of the younger children for fear of frightening them4 ,a day or so after1 ,i was talking to a neighbour about some needlework she wished me to do for her4 ,my little girl1 aged eight years1 was sitting in the kitchen with me1 when1 all at once1 she gave one scream and rushed over to me1 looking simply awful4 ,when ,i could get the child calm enough to question her1 she said a great white thing had sprung over the stairs banisters1 and had nearly touched her4 ,we hunted all over the house1 but could not find anything to account for the apparition1 which1 she said1 went into the coal place under the stairs4 ,i tried to console her by saying it was a white cat that had got in1 but she would not have this1 as she said it was 8heaps too big for a cat40 ,the strange part about it was neither my neighbour nor myself had seen anything4 ,we did not stay long in that house4 ,the two girls are women now1 but they often talk about this1 and wonder what it meant4 ,,clapham ,,there is a certain house in ------ which is really haunted1 although few people know it4 ,this house belonged to a lady ,i used to know4 ,i was very young then1 and was able to run about in the pitch darkness with no childish fears whatever2 yet1 every time ,i entered this house1 ,i always grew afraid4 ,of what ,i do not know2 my mother also experienced this awful fear4 ,this lady had a brother who used to sleep in the attic4 ,one night he awoke1 and1 to his horror1 he beheld an old and ugly woman standing by his bed4 ,i say 8standing10 but he could see her only from the waist upwards4 ,she was staring at him with an evil expression on her face4 ,as he looked at her she gradually faded away4 ,he said that the room was dark1 but a light seemed to come from her4 ,her eyes were black and glittering2 these were the last to fade4 ,this man confessed that he was terrified and he spent the rest of the night under the bed clothes4 ,he said that noises were heard in the unoccupied rooms1 like people fighting4 ,this house1 to the best of my knowledge is unoccupied now4 ,,barrow-,,in-,,furness ,,in the village where ,i was born1 at a point where four crossroads met1 stood a house where lived an aged couple4 ,one night the old man was found lying dead on the ground1 having fallen from the bedroom window2 a short time after1 the old lady died4 ,the house was then rented by an elderly man with his family4 ,these people could not sleep at night because of strange noises which resembled furniture being pushed about4 ,the father declared a ghost entered his bedroom1 took money from his pockets1 counted it1 and laid it on the dressing-table4 ,the family became so frightened they quitted the house1 and it was then let to a maiden lady4 ,one night the friends of this lady1 who lived at a farm a mile away1 were awakened by her knocking at their door4 ,she was barefooted and in her nightdress4 ,she was in an exhausted condition1 and said somebody was in her house moving the furniture about4 ,she never returned to the house and died shortly after from shock1 it was said4 ,no one could ever account for the ghostly visitor or the noises1 and1 as long as ,i remained in the village1 the house stood empty and was always said to be 8haunted40 ,,barnes ,,about twenty years ago1 ,i was living with my husband and children in ,barnes4 ,my daughter was studying for an examination and frequently sat up till one or two o'clock working4 ,sometimes we heard her calling out1 and she complained of being visited by a middle-aged lady dressed in grey4 ,one night we had all gone to bed1 when ,i heard her calling in great distress4 ,i made up my mind to go and sleep with her1 thinking she was over-wrought by her studies4 ,i had hardly laid down beside her when the door opened and a lady in grey came slowly in4 ,i felt myself shaking1 and my daughter called out3 8,what is the matter1 mother8 ,you are trembling40 ,i was anxious to hide the fact that ,i saw anything1 and remained silent4 8,mother1 there she goes10 she called out1 and ,i saw the apparition disappear through the wall4 ,afterwards1 ,i heard from a woman who had been servant in the house before we bought it1 that a lady answering to my description of our visitor had died in that room4 ,,handsworth ,,some twenty years ago1 my mother1 sister1 brother and self1 went to stay with friends at an ,essex manor house4 ,in the afternoon our host took the horse and trap to stay the night at an outlying town in order to be ready for the horse fair next day4 ,my brother and ,i were left in bed with a light4 ,after a time the door opened and a big man stood there and nodded to us4 ,in the dim light1 we1 thinking by his size he was our host1 called out 8,goodnight1 ,mr4 ,b40 ,he then closed the door4 ,my mother and sister went to bed1 bolting their door4 ,during the night my mother heard shuffling in the corridor1 extra loud where a tall man would have to stoop4 ,then her door was tried and1 whoever it was1 continued into the next bedroom1 which was our hostess's4 ,in the morning my mother's door was open4 ,on recounting our experiences over breakfast1 one of our host's sons blurted out 8,why1 it's only old ,r4's ghost walking again2 they are doing his grave up40 ,our host had not been home at all that night4 ,my mother and sister returned home that day1 but we stayed on4 ,we were only about nine or ten years old4 ,when we saw the grave it had a tarpaulin cover over it and was being done up4 ,r4 had committed suicide4 ,owing to the noises in the house and the stories told about it1 our friends had been able to get the place at a reduced rent4 ,all the above facts can be verified and vouched for4 ,,burton ,,latimer ,,as a young married woman1 ,i went from a large town to live in a small village in ,buckinghamshire where my husband had got work4 ,we thought we were very lucky to get a nice old-fashioned house that stood by itself in a lane4 ,it seems that the house had been empty some time4 ,i made many friends1 but none ever told me the house had a bad name1 or anything about it4 ,did ,i believe in ghosts8 ,certainly not6 ,but1 after six months in that uncanny house1 ,i would believe anything4 ,the first signs in this peculiar house began when we had been there about a month4 ,chairs were scraped across the floor in the small kitchen 7always in the evening71 sounds of crockery smashing1 bumps overhead1 and doors banging4 ,my two small children were mysteriously moved from one bed to another nightly for about a fortnight4 ,at first we were not alarmed and tried hard to find out who was playing a game with us4 ,none of the villagers would come near the house because they said it was haunted4 ,i never saw anything1 but my husband did1 and it so got on his nerves that he would not stay in the house by himself4 ,the house was supposed to be haunted by a tall lady in rustling silk4 ,i certainly heard the rustle and the moaning1 but ,i never saw the lady4 ,anyhow1 she certainly made us as restless as she was herself4 ,later on1 my husband got work away1 only coming home for week-ends1 for we were very anxious to get away from the house and to be peaceful again4 ,i understand that no one would take the old house after we left it1 and it was pulled down and rebuilt4 ,i wonder if that laid the ghost8 ,i could never understand what caused the trouble there1 but after that experience1 do ,i believe in ghosts8 ,yes1 ,i think so6 ,a ,,military ,,man ,,some years ago ,i was nursing an old lady and went with her to stay at her brother's--an old country manor house4 ,one night the maids forgot to bring the milk my patient always had1 so1 about #b3jj a4m41 ,i set out for the larder to fetch it4 ,our room opened into a long corridor which had several large windows4 ,it was a moonlight night4 ,i knew everyone had long since gone to bed so was very surprised to see someone coming to meet me4 ,but my surprise turned to horror when ,i saw that it was no member of the household1 but the figure of a very tall dark man in the military uniform of over a century ago4 ,he seemed to glide1 not walk4 ,i waited until the figure was within a few feet of me and then ,i fled back to my patient4 ,she begged me to say nothing of what ,i had seen1 as the family already found it difficult to keep maids1 owing to the frequent occurrence of strange noises as if the house was being ransacked and all the china smashed4 ,a few years after my experience the property was sold as the owners could stand no more of the ghostly racket1 and it has constantly changed tenants since4 8,,you ,,are ,,in ,,my ,,bed0 ,,this may interest your readers4 ,it happened to me in ,london in the year #ahhg4 ,on going to live in ,london1 not far from ,kilburn1 with people who were quite strangers to me1 ,i had the following strange experience during my first night4 ,i retired just after ten and was soon sound asleep1 when a voice beside the bed said1 ,you are in my bed1 and repeated it several times4 ,i looked both sides of the bed1 but could see nothing1 but1 over by the dressing table1 ,i saw a young man of about twenty-six4 ,he was wearing a white shirt1 braces and grey striped trousers and his black hair showed plainly against a very white face4 ,next morning ,i told of what ,i had seen and was informed that a young man such as ,i described was the previous occupier of the room and had died there only a few weeks earlier4 ,,the ,,woman ,,in ,,brown ,,about twenty-five years ago ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,d4 took up their residence in a house in a small ,oxfordshire village4 ,previous to their arrival ,mrs4 ,d4 had not seen the house nor had she heard anything to suggest that the house was haunted4 ,on the evening of their arrival ,mr4 ,d4 went to the village whilst ,mrs4 ,d4 arranged small articles of furniture4 ,it was twilight but she could see distinctly and1 entering the house by the back door1 was astonished to notice a woman standing in the kitchen4 ,she1 naturally1 uttered an exclamation of surprise1 and the figure faded away4 ,an examination of all rooms1 which she immediately undertook1 showed that no person was concealed in them4 ,mrs4 ,d4 had no feelings of fear1 but the personal appearance and costume of the figure impressed her vividly and became fixed in her memory4 ,the figure was that of a tall woman1 dressed entirely in brown4 ,she had grey hair and a rather thin face on which melancholy was expressed4 ,later1 the ,d's learned it was rumoured that their new residence was haunted1 one villager assuring them he would not care to live there4 ,mrs4 ,d4 gained some significant information regarding a married couple who had occupied the house previous to the tenants whom the ,d's succeeded4 ,the wife had died there1 having been badly treated1 according to all accounts1 by the husband4 ,mrs4 ,d4 asked for a description of the dead woman4 ,this tallied with the apparition which she had seen6 ,the apparition did not appear again1 but ,mrs4 ,d4 said she often felt the presence of another woman in the house when alone4 ,one day1 years later1 liking such exercise1 ,mrs4 ,d4 sawed up an elm bough1 lopped from an overhanging tree4 ,succeeding sections showed a pattern2 in the annular rings there was discernible the figure of the woman in brown4 ,this was corroborated by others4 ,the question arises1 #8,did the thoughts of the woman in brown continue1 after bodily death1 to inhabit the spot where she had been so unhappy1 impressing themselves1 not only on another's mind but on the internal structure of the tree near by8' 8,,is ,,that ,,you1 ,,tom80 ,many years ago1 ,i1 accompanied by my infant son1 went to spend a few days at my brother's home--a lonely farm on the ,derbyshire moors4 ,my brother was away when ,i arrived1 and was not expected back until next day4 ,during the night1 ,i was awakened by the feeling that someone was leaning over me as ,i lay in bed4 ,looking up1 ,i saw a dark shadowy form and1 thinking that my brother had returned sooner than expected1 and had come in to see me1 ,i put out my hand saying1 8,is that you1 ,tom80 ,there was no answer1 and the shadow faded4 ,i sat up in bed1 wondering if it was my imagination1 then1 taking a look at my sleeping son1 ,i composed myself for sleep again4 ,next morning1 ,i asked my sister-in-law if my brother had returned4 ,receiving a negative reply1 ,i related the incident of the night4 ,my sister-in-law said1 8,oh1 ,anne6 have you seen it also80 ,then she told me that whenever my brother was away for the night she always prayed that she might sleep soundly and not be disturbed by the shadow that she had so often seen leaning over her bed--sometimes at the foot and sometimes at the side of the bed4 ,shortly after my visit1 my brother was visited by relatives of his wife from ,southport--people whom ,i did not know--and1 one morning1 they burst into the kitchen asking if the house was haunted and declaring that a big dark shadow had been in their room during the night4 ,they made quite a joke of it4 ,now1 as ,i am a very sceptical person1 in spite of my own experience1 ,i asked my cousin1 from whom my brother rented the house1 and who had lived there1 if he had seen anything4 ,he did not want to say he had1 but1 when pressed1 admitted that both he and his mother and father knew about the manifestations4 ,he told me that one night1 sitting up to attend to a sick cow1 he had locked the kitchen door and was sitting by the fire1 when1 suddenly1 the door was flung open and a tall man walked into the kitchen1 passed through the sitting-room1 and clanked upstairs4 7,the farmhouse has only one doorway which opens directly into the kitchen47 ,my uncle1 who was in bed1 called out1 8,is that you1 ,walter80 ,but it wasn't ,walter2 he was still sitting by the fire spellbound and gazing at the still locked door4 ,there was no one upstairs but the family in bed4 ,i afterwards asked my aunt what she made of it4 ,she was a deeply religious woman1 and1 without hesitation1 she simply said1 8,aye1 ,anne1 ,i've seen it many a time1 but ,i don't mind1 it's harmless enough40 ,i often wonder1 can we all have imagined it8 ,i knew nothing about it till ,i went there--nor did the ,southport visitors2 and my relatives were very averse to talking about the visitations4 8,,our ,,ghost0 ,,ghosts6 ,of course there are ghosts1 and we should feel lost if our ghost did not walk about at times4 ,we have lived in this house for eighteen years and it was a bit uncanny at first to hear footsteps come down the stairs1 then see the handle of the door turn4 ,we would look up expecting to see someone1 and so we christened the occurrence as 8,our ,ghost40 ,still1 ,i must say there is something in the house4 ,our dog will be asleep on the rug1 and1 all at once1 will get up and stare at the door for some time and then whine4 ,there are times when the cat fights shy of the passage4 ,it is only a few months ago that we heard someone 7or something7 at midnight move about downstairs and then we heard the front door bang4 ,we went down to investigate and then remembered 8,our ,ghost40 ,this is after a life of eighteen years in the same house4 ,of course1 there are ghosts4 ,a ,,man ,,with ,,an ,,axe ,i ,,live in an ordinary little suburban house--one of a row of 8boxes with lids on0--the approach to the upper storey being by a flight of twelve stairs and another flight of four stairs set at right angles to the first1 a small bedroom being in the angle formed by the junction of the two4 ,one night some six months ago1 when passing this bedroom in the dark1 ,i caught a momentary glimpse of the form of a man holding an axe in his right hand1 his face bearing a highly malevolent expression4 ,not being at that time of a nervous disposition ,i dismissed the whole thing as imagination1 but1 on three separate occasions since1 ,i have seen the same form1 and always when passing that door in the dark ,i have the impression of having received a glancing blow on head and shoulder4 ,now the sequel to this is strange4 ,i have ascertained that some years ago the then tenant of the house attacked his wife with an axe as she was descending the stairs1 and she died from her injuries2 he was confined in an asylum1 where he died six months ago4 ,the name of the road was then ------ ,road2 in consequence of the tragedy it was changed 7as was then the common practice7 to the more pretentious ------ ,avenue1 and only the older residents of the district recollect anything of the case4 ,can any of your readers tell me how to exorcise this 8ghost10 for if it troubles me much more ,i shall be a fitting candidate for the institution where my ghostly friend ended his days4 ,,seen ,,in ,,the ,,mirror ,a ,,few years ago1 ,i was sitting waiting for my husband to come home4 ,it was nearly midnight and everything was quiet4 ,i looked up to the mirror and saw an old grey-headed lady walking slowly across the room1 from the middle door to the back door4 ,when ,i turned to look at her she had gone4 ,i sat a few minutes1 dumbfounded1 looking at the mirror1 and she came again4 ,this she repeated three times and then went for good4 ,we could never keep a door locked at night4 ,the doors have been locked and bolted and1 then1 in the morning have been found undone4 ,people declared the house was haunted4 ,after we left it no one would live in it1 so it was pulled down4 ,a ,,tragedy ,,re-,,enacted ,i ,,am not superstitious neither do ,i believe in ghosts1 but the following tale may interest some of your readers4 ,some time ago ,i used to stay at an old rectory in a ,kentish village4 ,the rectory stood in a beautiful garden joining the churchyard1 and was approached by a carriage drive bordered by thick hedges and trees4 ,the house was low1 gloomy-looking and rambling1 containing many rooms and winding passages and had three staircases1 but it had been somewhat modernised4 ,one room was supposed to be haunted4 ,i once slept in this room1 but the ghost did not visit me2 neither did ,i see or hear anything unusual4 ,the room was a large one with two windows overlooking the carriage drive4 ,a niece of the rector came on a visit and was given as a bedroom the haunted chamber4 ,it was early autumn1 a warm1 beautiful moonlight night1 not a leaf moving4 ,the rector's niece had gone to her room1 but wishing to finish a book1 sat reading between the two open windows4 ,just as the church clock struck twelve1 the door 7which was fastened7 opened4 ,there was a sound of a scuffle1 a rush past1 a swish of skirts1 a loud groan which seemed to end at the window1 and a deep thud as if a heavy body had fallen4 ,the window curtains1 which were thick and heavy1 blew straight out into the room4 ,at breakfast next day1 the lady related her experience and was told she had seen1 or rather heard the ghost4 ,other members of the family had had a similar experience4 ,the story goes3 ,many years ago a certain rector murdered his wife at midnight in this room1 and threw the body out of the window4 ,at certain periods the lady's ghost is supposed to visit the scene of the murder4 ,a ,,harmless ,,apparition ,,many years ago one of my workmates went to live in a house not more than five minutes walk from my address4 ,one night1 whilst he and his wife were sitting in the house1 they noticed a hand draw aside the curtain1 which hung at the middle door--the door near the pantry--and then there stood revealed to them an old lady who looked at them for a minute or so and vanished4 ,one day they invited some of their relations to tea4 ,after they had had the meal1 a young man of the party got up from his chair and stood with his back to the fire-place1 while the other members of the party were still sitting around the table talking4 ,all at once1 they noticed the hair on the young man's head stand straight up1 and there was a horror-stricken look on his face4 ,he couldn't speak4 ,he was looking past the table to the kitchen door4 ,every member of the party turned to look in that direction1 and there stood the old lady revealed to all4 ,my friend inquired of the neighbours as to who had lived in the house previous to him taking possession4 ,they told him a young woman who was living in the next street4 ,he went to see her and told her about the old lady whom he described4 ,the young woman told him that it was her mother who had died in that house4 ,he told the landlord about it1 saying that the old lady seemed to come out of the pantry4 ,the landlord sent workmen who took up the flags in the pantry1 and then replaced them4 ,since that was done the old lady has never reappeared4 ,i asked my friends if they were not afraid of living in the house1 but they both answered1 8,no1 the old lady seemed harmless enough40 ,they are still living in the same house4 ,,even ,,the ,,landlord ,,left ,i ,,am not interested in ghosts as a rule1 but ,i was rather struck by the story of the brown lady of ,raynham ,hall4 ,while reading of it1 this incident came to my mind and it is just as true as uncanny4 ,when ,i was eleven years old we lived in ,yorkshire and ,i was one of a large family4 ,we had occasion to remove to a more convenient house4 ,and as houses were very bad to get at that time1 we thought we were very fortunate in securing a nice convenient place1 without much trouble4 ,strange to say1 we had not lived in the house many weeks when1 on returning home from school one day1 ,i was amazed to find my mother quite prostrate on the couch4 ,after ,i had attended to mother1 she requested me to go upstairs and have a look round the rooms as she thought something had fallen out of place4 ,thinking nothing of it1 ,i immediately went and examined all the rooms1 but everything was in order4 ,i was at a loss to understand mother's nervous breakdown4 ,when father and the rest of the family came in from business1 mother told us that1 after dinner1 she had just got on the couch for a rest when she heard a terrific crash just as though the roof had fallen in4 ,when she had recovered from the shock1 she went out into the garden to look and make sure the roof had not collapsed4 ,all was in order4 ,a neighbour1 seeing mother was ill1 came to her assistance4 ,we came to the conclusion that mother's nerves were weak and we tried to soothe her4 ,but1 strange to say1 we were all sitting round the fire after supper1 before going to bed1 when we were all startled by an awful crashing noise4 ,we were all speechless for a few minutes1 the shock was so great4 ,then my father and brothers went and searched the place4 ,after that the knockings and noises were so frequent that mother's health broke down and we had to move4 ,some weeks after1 my father came in touch with the lady who had previously lived in the house1 and this is the story she told3 ,the lady's husband worked night duty4 ,one night her little girl1 two-and-a-half years old1 woke her up and said3 8,look1 mum6 there is a man coming in our bedroom40 ,there1 on the landing1 the mother saw an old man coming towards the bedroom door4 ,she was unable to move for some time1 but1 after a while1 got up and lit the gas4 ,then1 there was nothing to be seen4 ,but the apparition appeared again later1 and the noises were so unnerving that they had to leave the house4 ,the story of the haunting was noised about so much that the house was rebuilt1 and the landlord went to live there4 ,strange to say1 he soon left the place4 ,after all1 one is bound to admit there must be something behind all this4 ,even to this day ,i shudder when ,i think of this incident4 ,,two ,,curious ,,incidents ,,it has always seemed to me that authentic psychic happenings are singularly inconsequent and bear no relation to their witnesses--except in the case of appearances of dead relatives4 ,two such irrelevant occurrences stand out in my memory4 ,many years ago1 when ,i was a young girl1 ,i stayed in a large country house4 ,this house was rented by my friends1 and they knew no legends connected with it4 ,it was symmetrical in design1 but one of the windows on one side was blocked up1 nor could any door be found by which one could enter the room corresponding to the blocked window4 ,my bedroom was underneath this mysterious chamber4 ,for some nights nothing happened1 but one evening just after the clock had struck twelve1 a most extraordinary noise took place above my head4 ,i can only compare it to the noise of sacks of coals being emptied4 ,i sat up in bed terrified1 too frightened to roam the large house by myself so late1 and too terrified even to scream4 ,the noise continued4 ,every minute ,i expected the ceiling to open and some spectre to alight on me4 ,after what appeared to me an interminable time1 the noise ceased and the clock struck one1 so it had really lasted only an hour4 ,though ,i stayed on for some time longer1 ,i never heard the sound again4 ,my other experience has a tinge of romance4 ,in the village where ,i lived there was a picturesque old farmhouse that legend said was a gift to ,nell ,gwynne by her royal lover4 ,whether there was any truth in this ,i cannot say1 but it was said that on wet nights ,nell haunted the lane passing her old dwelling place1 and one could hear her high heels tapping behind one as one passed that way4 ,one evening ,i was dining with friends1 and the son of the house walked home with me4 ,he was a prosaic youth and believed in nothing he could not see4 ,the night was wet and foggy4 ,as we passed the haunted spot we both plainly heard the tap tap of the high heels belonging to the fair and frail lady4 ,he stopped and lit matches but nothing was to be seen and the footsteps stopped4 ,as we went on the pursuing steps began again and continued till the road turned into another lane4 ,,an ,,awful ,,experience ,,some years ago some new houses were being built near ,durham1 and1 on completion1 one of them was taken by a bachelor gentleman1 who1 apart from his sister going in daily to do his cooking1 etc41 lived quite alone4 ,the night in question1 ,i was sleeping in the next house when suddenly ,i was aroused by a loud hammering as though a bedstead was being taken down4 ,it continued for some minutes1 alternately stopping a second1 and then going on again4 ,i strained my ears to listen1 until it ceased1 then ,i heard the gentleman go downstairs and out into the street1 closing the door behind him4 ,next morning1 ,i was surprised to see him removing his goods presumably to his sister's house4 ,seeing me standing at the door1 he said1 8,did you hear any noise from my bedroom last night80 ,i said1 8,yes4 ,whatever were you doing80 ,he replied1 8,it was the most awful experience ,i've ever had1 and ,i wouldn't stay there another night1 so ,i'm moving out to-day40 8,whatever was the hammering80 ,i asked1 and he told me that he had fallen asleep when he suddenly became conscious of some apparition in the room1 although it was dark4 ,then blow after blow was made upon the bottom of the iron bed rail 7just as ,i had heard it7 and the bed shook each time it was battered4 ,thoroughly scared1 he lay speechless1 unable to move until the spectre vanished2 then he got a light1 slipped into his things and ran downstairs and out of the house to his sister's4 ,on examination1 no marks were found on the bedstead1 and his story was confirmed1 because ,i had heard the sounds next door1 but no discovery was ever made regarding this unwelcome visitor4 ,,on ,,the ,,yorkshire ,,moors ,,the following is an accurate account of what occurred in a lonely house at a place called 444 in ,yorkshire on the moors and it goes to prove that ghosts do exist4 ,my husband1 when a boy1 lived with his parents in this house which was on a hill surrounded by woods4 ,they were warned before going there that the house was haunted1 but being ,christian people1 laughed at the idea4 ,however1 they had not long to wait before strange things began to happen4 ,often when lying in bed they were awakened by hearing fearful noises downstairs1 just as if someone was smashing all the china and furniture4 ,on investigation1 everything was found all right1 but1 while they were downstairs1 the same noises took place upstairs4 ,one evening when they were all sitting round the fire there came such a bang at the stair door as if someone was beating it down4 ,they quite expected to see the door splintered1 but it burst open intact and some vision flitted through the room4 ,the dogs1 usually afraid of nothing1 crouched down in fear1 and the girls fainted with fright4 ,there were other similar instances which ,i could quote4 ,things got so bad the family were compelled to leave the house and ,i understand no one has lived there since4 ,,footsteps ,,on ,,the ,,stairs ,,my late husband and ,i took a small semi-detached house in ,hertfordshire in #aiaa4 ,one night in early autumn1 we retired about #aj3ae1 as usual1 and slept soundly until #a3cj1 when we were both awakened by the sound of footsteps coming upstairs4 ,my husband immediately switched on the light and we both sat up in bed1 breathlessly watching the bedroom door which was fastened4 ,the footsteps came nearer1 a loose board on the landing creaked1 and the door slowly opened4 ,to our great surprise1 no one entered4 ,the door remained open1 and the footsteps slowly retreated4 ,my husband got up and searched all over the house and garden1 but could find no trace of our visitor4 ,so certain were we of someone coming in1 that1 in a sense1 we should have been more satisfied had someone appeared1 preferring to deal with the real1 rather than the unreal4 ,both of us had splendid nerves1 but were obliged to confess the occurrence left us very shaky4 ,shortly after1 we were obliged to give up the house--a move which led to a series of misfortunes which resulted in the death of my husband three years ago4 ,,in ,,doubt ,,if anyone had asked me seven years ago the question 8,do you believe in ghosts and haunted houses80 my answer would have been a very decided 8,no40 ,but now ,i don't know4 ,for several years ,i have been living in a very old-fashioned cottage in a country village4 ,soon after settling here1 both ,i and my husband were awakened night after night by strange noises1 bumps as of something falling1 sounds as of water dripping1 and1 most strange of all1 every night at about the same time the latch of our stair-door would drop with a loud click as if someone had opened it hurriedly4 ,although we used to come down and search1 everything was as usual1 and nothing we could think of accounted for the sounds4 ,each night1 on retiring1 ,i would firmly shut the stair-door1 but still the latch would be heard to drop1 and several nights1 while having a light burning 7through having to tend a small baby7 ,i have seen a shadow pass through the room and down the stairs4 ,then would come the dropping of the latch1 but1 however quickly ,i turned1 or however long ,i watched1 nothing appeared again the same night4 ,we would gladly have moved1 but1 owing to the shortage of houses1 it was impossible1 and1 in time1 the sounds no longer startled us2 we had to get used to them4 ,now1 if we are awakened suddenly1 my husband says1 8,it's only the ghost10 and we go to sleep again4 ,but twice just lately ,i have lain awake and heard the latch drop as before and at the same time4 ,the other day my husband was talking to a very old inhabitant of our village--a man aged seventy-eight--who1 upon hearing where we lived said1 8,lor'1 my boy1 that's the house my father used to live in1 where the queer rows was1 d'ye ever hear any now80 ,what is the answer to the riddle of this old cottage1 ,i wonder1 ghosts or some other explanation8 ,anyhow ,i do know that during the next few months we shall gladly say 8good-bye0 to it and take possession of a new home1 where ,i hope there will be nothing uncanny4 ,a ,,midnight ,,interruption ,,when my aunt and ,i first came to reside in this town we rented for a short time a self-contained1 furnished flat in one of the old houses here--one that had no doubt seen better days4 ,our flat was the top one1 having only unfurnished1 and dilapidated attics above it1 and was completely cut off from the lower tenants4 ,we used the attics as lumber rooms and1 strangely enough1 both of us felt an inexplicable feeling of horror when in them even in broad daylight4 ,my aunt and ,i occupied separate bedrooms1 but always slept with our doors slightly ajar4 ,one night 7it was somewhere about midnight7 ,i was awakened by my aunt calling me4 ,i ran into her room1 which was next to mine1 and found her sitting up in bed in terror1 declaring that she had seen a dark figure standing by the bedside looking down at her4 ,she had spoken1 thinking that ,i had come to her for some reason1 and had been horrified to find the figure fade away1 and that she had to call me several times to awaken me from sleep in the other room4 ,we could find no way to account for this1 and next day were inclined to laugh at ourselves for our nervous terror4 ,but1 a few weeks after1 ,i had a similar experience4 ,i was doing a piece of embroidery work as a gift for my aunt and1 not wishing her to see it1 and being rather pushed for time1 after retiring to bed one night ,i re-lit my candle and sat up to continue my sewing4 ,it was just about midnight and1 after stitching away for a few minutes1 ,i heard as ,i thought1 my aunt moving in her room1 come out of the door and along the passage4 ,my bed was facing away from the door1 but ,i turned my head and saw the door being pushed open4 ,i then blew out the candle1 not wishing her to see what ,i was doing4 ,i heard her come in and stand behind me1 and ,i said3 8,what's the matter8 ,is anything wrong80 ,on getting no reply1 ,i again lit my candle and found no one in the room and everything silent4 ,i went into my aunt's room to find her fast asleep in bed4 ,not being easily frightened1 ,i started to work again the following night1 but exactly the same thing occurred1 and when1 on the third night1 this was again repeated1 ,i made no further attempts at midnight sewing4 ,we could find no explanation whatever1 and as it was during very calm weather1 we could not attribute anything to the wind4 ,the tenants of the lower flats had no such experiences1 but ,i feel sure that there was some strange and uncanny influence that proceeded from those attics and on occasion found their way into our flat4 ,fortunately we had taken the rooms for only a short time1 and were glad to move to a different part of the town4 ,we have never since experienced such a thing4 ,a ,,house 8,,to ,,let0 ,,when ,i was a small child1 my mother took a house near ------4 ,as she could never sleep in a strange house for some days1 she sat up in bed reading a novel4 ,suddenly she looked up from the book and saw1 coming from the direction of the door1 a female figure clad in a blue dressing gown1 with loosened golden hair about her shoulders4 ,the figure walked to the mantelpiece1 took up a comb that was lying there1 drew it through her hair1 turned from the mantelpiece1 walked towards the door and vanished4 ,a few months after this my father died4 ,now1 this house had been taken on a three years' agreement1 and my mother1 after her bereavement1 wished to leave1 but the owner was not inclined to release her4 ,mother spoke to her about the apparition1 and told her she could not stay4 ,after breaking down1 the unhappy woman said she knew this did occur at different times in the room mentioned1 and she explained that the figure was that of her niece who was murdered by her own sister through jealousy1 as she was combing her hair4 ,the spirit had been 8read down10 but did not rest4 ,the murderess died in an asylum4 ,my mother was released from her agreement on a promise not to tell a possible tenant4 ,since then ,i have passed the house many times1 and at intervals have seen the 8,to ,let0 board in the garden4 ,,worried ,,about ,,the ,,deeds ,,of ,,the ,,house ,a ,,few years ago my friend had to remove to another town owing to her husband's work4 ,she was fortunate enough to get a very pretty1 compact house just outside1 and felt very proud of the fact1 as houses just then were very scarce4 ,this friend1 by the way1 was very strong minded1 and did not know the meaning of nerves4 ,after she had been in the house a couple of weeks she was sleepless1 after having teeth extracted1 and hadn't even dozed when she saw what she described as a venerable old gentleman1 with long1 white beard and bent shoulders1 standing close by the side of the bed with a document of some kind in his hand4 ,she awoke her husband and described what had taken place1 but he only laughed and said it was nightmare after too heavy a supper4 ,so on the second occasion that the same thing happened she refrained from telling him1 as she didn't like being ridiculed4 ,but the strain of doing so must have told on her1 as1 after the third time she saw the vision1 her husband found her in a state of collapse4 ,he called in the doctor and explained what had caused the trouble4 ,the doctor at once said3 8,oh1 it was old ,so-and-so2 he died in this room and had been rather worried about the deeds of this house40 ,needless to say1 her husband didn't ridicule her any more1 but set about looking for another house4 ,a ,,sinister ,,atmosphere ,,it is pleasant to sit round the fire on a winter's evening and tell ghost stories4 ,a sort of thrill goes down one's spine which is not altogether unpleasant4 ,it is not1 however1 by any means pleasant to be in a house where one frequently gets such thrills4 ,some years ago my mother and sister went to live in a large1 old-fashioned farmhouse4 ,all old houses seem to have an atmosphere of their own4 ,some speak of peace as one enters their doors2 others of serenity4 ,then1 again1 in other houses one realises an atmosphere of depression4 ,in this old house the atmosphere seemed almost sinister4 ,there were such strange unaccountable noises1 tappings1 knocking and banging everywhere1 that one could not sit in comfort in any of the rooms4 ,one time1 when ,i went over to help nurse my mother1 who was ill1 a friend and ,i who were sitting up at night heard distinct footsteps crossing a large1 unoccupied1 adjoining bedroom4 ,the nurse who came later also heard these footsteps repeatedly and1 strangely1 each morning a framed photograph on the mantelpiece was lying on the floor4 ,we also heard music1 which sounded like the faint1 sweet music of an old harpsichord4 ,one of the most frequent noises sounded as though a chair was being dragged along the kitchen floor1 and there seemed to pass a dim presence with a breath of cold air across the kitchen4 ,these strange1 unaccountable happenings were so disturbing that my sister became afraid to sleep alone in a room4 ,my mother and sister have now left the house and neighbourhood1 but recently ,i was interested to hear that the people who now live there hear the same uncanny noises4 ,i think there must be an explanation of these strange sounds1 and no doubt one will yet be found4 ,,was ,,it ,a ,,monk8 ,,we live in a rambling1 old-fashioned house which is supposed to connect by underground passage with the church and an old priory4 ,in the older wing of the house are two bedrooms1 the smaller one leading into the larger by a little passage4 ,for a while ,i slept alone in this wing1 and1 night after night1 ,i was roused in the early hours by the sound of slow1 measured footsteps4 ,they came from the smaller room1 through the passage1 and paused at the foot of the bed1 then retreated with the same slow1 measured strides4 ,they sounded like the steps of a man wearing soft sandals4 ,i lit the candle1 but the room was empty and the connecting door was shut4 ,each time ,i struck a light the sound ceased and the room was empty1 only the air seemed colder and there was a faint earthy smell4 ,i said nothing about it1 as ,i feared ridicule4 ,later my brother returned home from abroad1 and those rooms were given to his use4 ,one morning he asked if ,i had heard any strange sounds while sleeping there1 and told me he had heard someone walking4 ,we compared notes and found our experiences precisely the same4 ,is it the ghost of an old monk engaged in meditation8 ,a ,,shadowy ,,figure ,,one warm afternoon in the summer of #aija my grandmother asked me to come into her bedroom because1 in the big bow window of the house overlooking our garden1 there was1 so she said1 a ghost4 ,she pointed to the window4 8,don't you see it1 my dear8 ,it's like the figure of a woman4 ,the people have left the house because it is haunted40 8,rubbish60 ,i answered4 8,i can't see anyone40 8,well10 she repeated1 8it looks to me like a woman40 ,i saw nothing1 and said so4 ,the next afternoon ,i was sitting by myself in the garden1 looking up at the bow window1 when to my amazement a shadowy figure as of a woman appeared on the pane4 ,i was terrified and went indoors1 but ,i would not say a word to anyone for fear of being laughed at4 ,for the next six weeks ,i saw that figure constantly and always in the broad daylight1 at #h3cj a4m41 when ,i started for college1 at one or four1 or any time in the full light of day4 ,the house was empty2 ,i found that out4 ,i hated the shadowy thing1 but there it was4 ,after about six weeks had passed it disappeared1 and ,i have not seen it from that day to this4 ,so far as ,i know1 there is no mystery connected with the house1 which is quite a modern one in a very unromantic situation4 ,i can only say that to the best of my knowledge this is the truth1 and ,i should be only too glad to understand what the apparition was4 ,,what ,,was ,,it8 ,,my house is in a quiet corner of a quiet square4 ,we are sheltered from wind and noise1 even when it is stormy4 ,about three years ago ,i was living here quite alone and1 while undressing1 about eleven o'clock one night1 when there was not a breath of wind or a sound to be heard1 ,i suddenly heard a noise in the hall below1 like air moving swiftly round and round with a swishing noise1 as when something is swung from the end of a string4 ,then it began to move and come up the stairs4 ,i was very frightened and said to myself--although ,i knew it wasn't--8,this is wind2 it will pass out at the landing window40 ,but it didn't2 it turned the corners--two corners1 in fact--and came straight along the corridor and shook the handle of my bedroom door strongly4 ,then all was quiet as before4 ,i should very much like to know just what it was4 ,,somebody ,,was ,,biting ,,her ,,ears ,,in #aiac my husband and self and two children went to reside in ,north ,devon1 and took a house that had been empty some years4 ,it was old and next to a churchyard4 ,the landlord was anxious for us to take the house1 and had it decorated4 ,we took it on a weekly tenancy4 ,within the first week of our occupation my little daughter1 aged two years1 used to wake up at midnight screaming and say somebody was biting her ears4 ,at the same time ,i used to break out into a cold sweat and tremble from head to feet4 ,then ,i saw a tall shadow go round the room with a lighted candle and disappear before it reached me4 ,i was quite unable to get out of bed to take my baby into my bed4 ,my husband saw none of this4 ,my son1 aged eight years1 would ask us why we always rapped on his wall at night1 and once he said he saw a hand over his bed4 ,the last week of our occupation my husband heard padded feet come up the stairs and to the bedroom door1 but no one entered4 ,curiously enough1 fresh flowers put into a room at night would be quite dead the next morning4 ,we stayed in that house only six weeks1 and found no solution to the mystery4 ,,getting ,,used ,,to ,,it ,,we live in an old house with long passages1 so when we intend to pass an afternoon or evening in a back room1 somebody usually locks and bolts the front door against sneak-thieves4 ,more times than we can count we have heard someone open and close the front door1 rattle his stick into the hall-stand1 and walk up the passage into the drawing-room4 ,yet1 on going to see1 we have found no one in the house and the door locked and bolted just as we had left it4 ,this has occurred both in the afternoon and evening4 ,many times1 also1 anyone awake in the night has heard someone open the bathroom door1 walk along the upstairs passage and go downstairs4 ,again1 8no one40 ,both these phenomena have been experienced by visitors1 some of whom have proved decidedly nervous as a consequence2 but1 as nothing ever follows the sounds1 we do not worry1 and we have lived through them for ten years4 ,,an ,,unsolved ,,mystery ,,within half an hour's journey of the ,city of ,london1 in one of its pleasant suburbs1 stands a pretty little house in a quiet and pretty road4 ,there is nothing in the least remarkable in its appearance2 a one-storeyed1 bay-windowed house1 with a high thick-set hedge and a holly tree in the front garden4 ,yet some years ago we experienced some very unpleasant thrills within its prosaic looking doors4 ,it looked then1 as it does now1 particularly bright and cheerful and even new--on the outside4 ,we went there in #aiab1 and for many months nothing happened1 though we experienced many minor 8queernesses40 ,for instance1 one winter evening1 when there was a bright fire burning in the front room1 the door closed1 the table cloth blew right up as though a strong wind stirred it1 and covered my brother's dinner which was then laid4 ,one night1 mother and ,i were sitting together playing cards1 laughing and chatting gaily1 a bright fire burning1 the room well lighted1 everything about us very matter of fact1 and we ourselves feeling in the highest spirits4 ,suddenly three sharp1 clear shots rang out1 seeming to come from the back room which we called the garden room because it gave straight on to the garden4 ,we both jumped up1 scattering the cards on the floor1 and mother ran to the door4 ,as she opened it1 ,i saw her stand1 rigid3 the dark1 heavy curtains in the hall leading to the stairs were waving to and fro as though blown by a strong breeze4 ,she afterwards told me that she felt her scalp freeze and her hair rise4 ,i was trembling1 but advanced boldly to the stairs and commenced to ascend4 ,when ,i reached the third from the top ,i stood1 rooted2 my feet refused to carry me any further4 ,i lifted them to do so2 but it was of no use1 so ,i was obliged to come down again4 ,all the time ,i had that horrible and indefinable feeling that there was another presence near me1 all about the house1 besides my mother's4 ,my sister came in and we told her4 ,on two more successive nights we were tormented with most weird and hateful noises1 which disturbed our peace and made us unable to do anything while they continued4 ,my sister was with us the next night1 and this time1 not shots but other noises1 seeming to come from the cellar1 occurred4 ,sometimes we knocked at the walls and cellar door1 but this only seemed to aggravate the unknown disturbers2 for the sounds were redoubled4 ,knowing that rats sometimes make strange noises1 my mother put some pieces of fat meat in the cellar in likely places4 ,but no trace of mice or rats did we ever discover and the meat remained untouched4 ,on the last night of these visitations1 my brother was with us1 and ,i think it was as well1 for our nerves would not have borne much more alone4 ,still the noises in the cellar continued1 and this time like loud1 heavy footsteps walking up and down4 ,we were kept up until the small hours with these horrid sounds almost continuous until1 at last1 they ceased altogether1 and we were permitted to sleep4 ,next day a complete search of the cellar was made1 but no trace of anything or anyone was found4 ,soon after1 we moved away1 but from that day to this our strange experience has been an unsolved mystery4 ,,that ,,naughty ,,man 8,,ghosts or no ghosts10 said my friend ,terrington1 8what ,i am going to tell you is absolutely true4 ,it is strange and inexplicable1 and ,i make no effort to explain the happening4 ,listen40 ,twenty-five years ago ,i obtained work at a factory in a northern town1 and1 eventually1 got a house near my work--a little old-fashioned dwelling which had once been used as a shop4 ,my little girl1 ,marion1 was then about four years old and had always been a good child to take to bed4 ,but a few weeks after our going to that place1 she simply would not be left in bed alone4 ,she and her sister slept together1 and once1 in the middle of the night1 she awakened us by screaming loudly4 ,i hastened to the room1 but unable to pacify her1 ,i brought her into my own bed4 ,of this occurrence ,i thought little1 thinking that the child had just had a bad dream4 ,a few nights afterwards1 ,i took her upstairs to bed and gently chided her for being such a frightened girl1 and asked her why she did not like to go to bed alone1 as she had always been in the habit of doing4 8,oh1 dada10 she said1 8,i don't like that naughty man60 8,which naughty man80 ,i asked4 8,oh that bad man6 ,that naughty man1 all dirty here40 ,and she drew her hand across her little neck4 ,i assured her that there was no bad man1 but the fear never left her4 ,a few days afterwards1 one of my work-mates asked me how ,i liked my house1 which ,i told him was all right and very handy for my work4 ,but my liking was turned to antipathy when he related how the place had once been occupied by an old chemist who committed suicide by cutting his throat4 ,he was found in the very room in which my little daughter slept4 ,i can assure you that not one of my family knew of the tragedy which once occurred in that little house1 but ,i soon found a reasonable excuse to leave it4 ,,the ,,row ,,downstairs ,,about twenty years ago ,i secured the tenancy of a large cottage1 formerly an inn1 in the suburbs of ,bristol1 not knowing at the time it had the reputation of being haunted1 and caring nothing when ,i was informed4 ,for some time nothing unusual happened1 then my wife complained of hearing noises in the night1 generally when ,i was away from home4 ,but occasionally we both heard them4 ,one night1 about a year after we had taken the house1 ,i was awakened and kept awake by what seemed to be the movement of all the articles of furniture downstairs--chairs1 tables1 etc41 being1 apparently1 lifted off the ground and noisily replaced2 after listening to this for some minutes1 my wife1 who ,i thought was asleep1 said1 8,now1 hark at the row downstairs40 8,yes10 said ,i1 8there's something going on down there to-night10 and ,i lighted a candle and went down1 but1 rather to my disappointment1 the noises ceased as ,i was descending the stairs1 and1 though ,i examined each room carefully1 nothing was out of place4 ,there was no dog or cat in the house to put the blame on4 ,my wife always fastened the door before retiring1 but on several occasions we found the front door wide open in the morning1 although it had been fastened by a spring lock--a big old-fashioned lock and a bolt4 ,we lived in the house for over two years1 and1 towards the end of our tenancy1 my wife would on no account stay in the house at night in my absence1 without having an adult friend with her in addition to the children4 ,a ,,headless ,,form ,,my parents rented a very large old-fashioned house in ,norfolk1 standing on its own grounds4 ,living with them was a very pious old lady1 also an uncle of mine4 ,one dark1 still night1 my mother was sitting alone sewing when1 suddenly1 the room seemed to be filled with a rushing wind1 and she experienced the feeling of a cold hand pressed upon her cheek1 followed by a low wail and moan4 ,she said nothing to the other inmates of the occurrence at the time4 ,two nights later1 my father went to the pantry which was approached by a short passage4 ,there by the door he saw standing the headless form of a man wearing a brown coat with large pearl buttons attached4 ,after a few days had passed1 the old lady asked my mother whether she thought there was in the house anyone who walked in his sleep as for several nights past1 she had had her bedroom door opened and closed1 and she distinctly heard footsteps along the landing and staircase4 ,for two nights in succession my uncle got out of bed and closed his bedroom door three times each night4 ,he examined the door and found it impossible to open without some aid4 ,each one of these inmates related to one another their experiences4 ,they decided to keep watch for a few nights1 but nothing happened4 ,needless to say1 they soon quitted the house4 ,rumour followed that the place was once known as a house of ill-fame4