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Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 68, 30 June 1863, Page 2

A Roman Ghost Story. — One summer evening-, wheu the dusky shadows were deepening in the church, an aged woman was observed to enter and prostrate herself in a dim corner near the Borgbese Chapel. There, as if overcome by some great emotion, she hid her face, and prayed and wept. As she looked up from her prayer, she saw beside her a female figure clothed in black, who, looking at her with a sad and sympathising gaze, asked why she was weeping so bitterly ? She answered that she was very poor and wretched, and that all her family were dead, and unless the Madonna took pity on her, she knew not what would become of her. Thereupon the figure in black said : •' Be of good comfort, you shall be taken care of ; silver and gold have I none, but such as I have I give nnto you." As she said these words she drew from her finger a ring with a large stone in it, gave it to the old woman and disappeared. The next morning the poor creature earned the ring to a jeweller to sell it. The jeweller was struck with its peculiar appearance, and perceiving that the stone was a very large and valuable diamond, which he suspected must have come into her bands by some unfair means, assured her, in order to obtain time, that he could not trust his own judgment as to its value, and wished to consult some other jeweller before fixing the price he would pay for it. Meanwhile he advanced her a small sum on account, and told her to call again the next day. What was her surprise on returning to find some gendarmes in the shop, who at once arrested her on a charge of stealing, and carried her to prison. It seemed that one of the friends to whom the jeweller had shown the ring had recognised itaa one belonging to the Borghese family, and insisted that the prince should at once be informed of the facts. This was accordingly done, and the prince on seeing it, is said to have been greatly overcome. On recovei'ing, he declared that it was an old family ring, which hejihimself had placed on the finger of his wife in her coffin, and it was buried with her in the chapel of Sta. Maria Maggiore ; that it could have been stolen from the tomb was impossible, as the chapel is locked and guarded day and night ; and not only that the tomb could not have been rifled without it being at once known, but that even the chapel could not have been entered. The only solution that remained was, that the figure in black was the princess herself Under these circumstances, the old woman wa3 at once released, and provided for. , . >>