QUEER GHOST STORIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 23, 20 February 1909, Page 4

QUEER GHOST STORIES.

KEJIAKKABLE EXL'EiIIEXCES OF ! the sslteknatlkal. A great deal of interest is being centred just now upon the subject oi psyeliie plicavmcua, telepathy, and spiritualism. Tit Bits gives some authentic stories of real experiences of the supernatural, written by various correspondents.

CLOCKS A-\D TllElll WAYS. j 111 our family the stopping 0 f ;l t .J oc -k has always had a peculiar siguiticance. Mheu my grandmother, on my mother's side of the house, died, her clock stopped at the minute life seemed to depart, and it could by no persuasion be made to run again for any considerable length uf time thereafter. The same thing happened at the death of my great-auut—of the same branch of the fa'mily—and of my sister three years ago.

At the funeral of my great-grand-father an old upright clock that had been out of commission for several years suddenly struck eleven times while the preacher was reading the service. The guesU did not think anything of the iucident, although the ceremony was taking place in the afternoon. The family knew, however, that the man had died at tile hour chimed bv the cluck.

I don't know how to explain the.se things, but can vouch for their truth. UJ.il,

THKEE LITTLE CHILDREN. It was a bright mooulight night in the summer. It was about ton o'clock when 1 went to bed, and I had not been asleep long when I suddenly awoke to bee facing me three little children about sis. years old. 1 was too frightened to open my mouth at first, but finally 1 gave a scream to call my mother, and she came up quickly with the lamp. Gradually, as the light came iu the room, the children slowly rose right up oil' the Uoor ami went out of the window. e.i3.

A .MOTHER'S LOVE. About" thirty years ago a mother, dyiug, left seven children, the youngest a baby of eleven mouths, A girl by the name of Ellen hail always assisted the mother and was very trustworthy. Just before her death the mother placed the baby, Marion, in Ellen's arms and made her solemnly promise never to leave the children ami their father till Baby Edward was able to eare for himself. The mother had been buried about two weeks, and Ellen had kept the home and children just the same. Oue Saturday night she finished all the mending ami darning, went to Baby Edward's crib, kissed him good-night, and put out tiie light. Just as she turned to her own room, in the doorway stood the mother. Ellen was frightened speechless, but the vision, holding up a warning finger, said, "Do not touch me, but promise once more to care for Baby Kdward!"

i Ellen recovered aud gave the promise. In the morning, when the father came home from the bank, wlure he was nigli'twatchman, he told Ellen that at 11.30 o'clock the night before, while sitting on the bank's step resting, his wife appeared to him. He asked, "In the name of the Lord what do you want?" and she answered, "Just to see you and the children once more."

She was never seen again. K. TWO STRANGE STORIES. Coming events cast their shadows before them. The writer is led to believe this because several incidents in the lives of his parents corroborate the theory that presentiments of good and evil do come to persons unawares. I will mention two of them. tn the summer of 187— luv father late at uiglit was returning to his farm from the little town of Malton. He had stayed unusually laTe.'' When lie reached the* farm all was quiet. Removing tile harness from his horse, he proceeded to the carriage-house and hung it in its place. He came out and closed the door. As he did so he heard the harness 'fall. It was very dark. He went back into the house and found the harness still hanging in its place. The same occurrence took place again. He went back again and found it ill its place. "When the third time he heard the sound of falling harness he did not go back.

Several weeks later his barn burned, aud it happened that tbe same harness was in the barn loft—a valuable set. He attempted to save it. Tlie staircase burned behind him, and he was compelled to jump lor his life from a window. His previous experience came to him vividly. He saved the harness, but it the. risk of his life. Another vivid incident I recall was my mother sitting by the (ire with a sick babv. The nurse was present too, and botli were wide awake. Her father appeared to her and advised lior as to ilie baby's treatment, and other family matters! He vanished a3 quickly as lie had <ome. The next day she heard of his death. W.

VISITED HEAVEX AND HELL. I had been so ill that body and spirit held together by a slender thread.

Whether i-n or out of the body, I do not know; but I took a trip, and a guide accompanied me. We had no wings, but we floated along smoothly and easily until we came to the borderland of two ivorlds. We were so near, and yet so far. that we eouhl distinguish their curved surfaces and could sec that they w ere separated) by a dark, deef gulf. As we touched the borderland of the fir«t the guide said, ''This is heaven. •,\v were far out on its extreme edge in a shrouded, white, misty atmosphere. Its first breath invigorated, filled, and thrilled me. It gave me new life and Imoranev, and filled me with love and hope. T was eager to go swiftly on to where, far in the distance, I could- see the white throng and from where most exquisite sounds and odomswere wafted: but uiv guide said: ''No, nut this time; we are on another errand now. T -want to take you over the gulf. With great reluctance I turned and we sailed over the deepest, most frightful chasm to a gloomy, semi-dark land. Here the darkness grew with distance. All was silent aud cold and still. The depressing eD'eet almost overpowered me. and the coldness was a dead coldness indescribable. Tlie eold «e know Is a. living, active something.

The first inmate we saw was a woman. She stood silent mnl alone in what vL'i'iiied something like a stall. Her hopeless agony was ealehinjr. I felt )' toll over me in sympathy with her. Her punishment seemed to he just utter nothingness. Fire and brimstone would have been a relief compared to it. 1 looked at her, felt with her. and sain. '•Ah lo\in as f have just a material body to fill with lijrht and warmth, a honi" Tor my spirit, ) will never complain. Tf people, templed to commit Miicide only knew ut this, how gladly (hey would Mini: to their bodies.' 5

Kor there is no pain like the pain of niter nothingness. Meuralpia is the cry of the -nerves for food. Heartache is the cry for some love or loved one taken from it.

In deepest pity I said. ''Dh, lww long must sin- sliiy litre? Will she never tret out?'' The guide said. "She was sentenced to five hundred years. Ihi s is tlie penally for those whose souls are draped from them by stimulants and opiates. She lias been here two hundred years; lml see, she luis already reached the borderland; for most grievously lias she repented. Perhaps the mercy thai brought Christ here during the three days that His body lay hi the grave may reach her ease.'' "My guide started <m farther in. buti I drew back, exclaiming, "No. 110! 1 feel j I his toil intently! I could not, Iwar more! Let me go back to earth —bail; to my precious body—that T may lovei and care for it. ■ I never dreamt of a licll half so terrible as this."

lonjr. cry of solitude Ami rkiios- jimi {ln* nlwenee of ill! good." C.P.S. THK "(MfOST HOLE." In Ifili!) ylil OhrH. Clnm-h wan built war Trvington-. Ya., by the En<rli>h f!o----wrnment.

A minister named : Bfli eame from "England to take charge ot it, bringing with bim Jiis little daughter.. Slip grew to l»n a beautiful woman, unit fell in low witli a younjr planter named farter. I I time \va* spent under nn old poplar tree on tlie (i)ebe Farm. where slip lived. | Unfortunately, young Carter wa* killed in a battle with the Indian?. j f The voting; lady was heartbroken. She (pined awav and soon died, but beforel she died her father promised to biivy her under the old poplar tree. When she died, however, she was) buried in the churchyard instead. Aft'?v j this slip could seen to rise from the J grave and wulk toward (he parsonage

every night at different hours. She would ascend the .stairs, rap at her father's door, and beg him to move her body from the. churchyard to the place ' under the poplar. For a time her father paid no heed to the cries of his daughter's ghost, hut as she frequented his house inoro and more as time went on he was compelled to inovo her body. She appeared no more to him after she was buried under tliei poplar. Nature was kind ito her and allowed the land on the side of the tree where she was buried to sink and sink until a pond formed over her grave. The place is known now as the "Ghost Holer' and when it is passed in the night horses prick their ears and people close their I eves. M.U.L.