WELL-AUTHENTICATED GHOSTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 205, 28 August 1909, Page 16

WELL-AUTHENTICATED GHOSTS.

QUEER STORIES. The contemporary ghost story Is quite as thrilling as the phantom yarns of yesterday, nor even stranger than old-fashioned spooky fiction, as witness this, authenticated by Dr. Frederick Myers. Baron yon Driesen, a devout Russian nobleman, was retiring for the night, after having read a chapter in the Bible. It was eight days after the death of his father-in-law, M. Ponomareff, with whom he had not been on the best of terms. The baron had Just put out the candle when he heard the sound of footsteps shuffling in the adjoining room. They stopped before the door of the bedchamber. He called out, but received uo answer and struck a match. His father-in-law stood before the closed door In his blue fur-lined dressing robe, black trousers, and white waistcoat., "What do you want?" asked the baron. M. Ponomareff stepped to the side of the bed and said, "Basil Feodorovi'tch, I have acted wrongly toward you. Forgive mc! Without this I do not feel at rest there," pointing with his left hand to the celling, while his cold, damp right hand was extended to his eon-in-law. The baron grasped It with the words, "Nicholas Ivanovitch, God is my witness that 1 never have had anything against you." PRIEST ALSO HAD MIDNIGHT VISITOR At this M. Ponomareff bowed and moved away through the opposite door into the billiard-room, where he disappeared. On the following day, according to the custom pose of the soul ol the deceased was to be celebrated. On reaching the church Baron yon Driesen told his confessor, Father Basil Bajenoff, of the apparition, when, to his amazement the priest inI formed him that he. too, had received a midnight visit from M. Ponomareff, who had begged him to reconcile his son-in-law to him. The priest then made this statement: 'To the account I heard from Baron B. F. Driesen In the presence of his wife's brothers as to how M. Nicholas I. Ponomareff appeared to him and begged the baron to be reconciled to him, I may add that 'to mc also did he appear at the same time and with the same request, which fact, before hearing the baron's narrative, I communicated to all those present at the liturgy for the rest of the soul of the late M. N. I. Ponomareff." Many remember that the eminent English statesman. Lord Brougham, used to relate an interesting incident which came as the sequel of a boyish compact between himself and a friend, signed in the blood of the agreeing parties, by which the one who should die first pledged himself to appear to the survivor, if such a thing were possible, and thus solve the doubts which both entertained of a life after death. Many years later while Lord Brougham was taking a bath in Sweden the vision of his friend, who was then in India, appeared vividly before him. Later he learned that his friend had died at about the time or a little before the coming of the apparition. CASE OF CAPTAIN COOT MOST INTERESTING. There are a number of stories of this sort which are vouched for by Frederick Myers, and among thgjaost injUtcesting is the case of ColU . Captain Colt had a dear'brother Oliver, who was In the Crimean war, and who had written home In rather low spirits. The captain replied with a cheerful letter, but enjoined him that if anything should happen to appear to him In their old room nt Inveresl; house, where they had passed co many happy hours in boyhood. This room was loug and narrow with a window at one end and a door at the other. The bed stood to the right of the window, faciug the door. One night Captain Colt awoke suddenly to behold by his bedside facing the window, and surrounded by a phosphorescent haze, the kneeling figure of his brother Oliver. At first he thought It must be a trick of fancy or the moonlight playing on a towel, but on looking again ho saw the figure still kneeling while the rala beat heavily on the window. The captain rose, shut his eyes, walked through the apparition, and reached the door of the room. He looked back. The vision turned Its head and looked lovingly and longingly at him, and he saw on the right temple a bullet hole with a red stream flowing from It. A fortnight later he received news that his brother had been shot and killed at the storming of Sedan, anil officers who saw the body testified that the death wound was exactly where he had seen it. The storming of Sedan began at noon on the dghth of September. The vision appeared to the captain a few minutes after 2 o'clock on the morning of the ninth. THE SEVEN TYPES OF GHOSTS. An Englishman who lectures on his experiences with ghosts classifies them Ie seven types: thought forms, elves, churchyard ghosts, astral Impressions, doubles of living men, aulmal apparitions, and the genuine ghost. The most common kind of ghost, declares this authority, is the astral impression. It may be either seen or heard. Visible, It may be the spectre of a ship or train wreck, a holocaust, a destructive volcanic eruption, or any scene In which great stress of emotion has existed. Says this man, "I visit every haunted house I can locate, and on one occasion had a terrifying experience with an obstreperous spirit. This ghost had driven the family from the house, and made life a ter. ror In the vicinity. I did not fear it, and went to the house. When I reached the door I pushed it open and stepped Into the room. A chill struck mc, and I felt faintly sick, but I was resolved to stick out the night, to see or talk with the ghost. I sat by a window and waited. Ten minutes passed and I heard nothing. I felt reassured. "I waited an hour, and still no ghost came, and I began to doubt the stories. I will never forget how long and fearful that hour seemed, although I was really not afraid. But I felt the chill again as midnight approached. At 12 o'clock the hush of deathly silence fell on the room. I heard the faint rustling of a garment, and an Instant later felt two cold clammy hands close upon my throat. "I jumped from the seat and tried to free myself. I clutched at the hands, but they were not material. The ghost was throttling mc. I felt my breath going, and I was heartsick. I fought around and around the room, and all the time those clammy fingers held -ne In a vicellke grip. I tried to cry out. My hands beat the ghostly hands at my ttroat, and I was rapidly becoming exhausted. Every second seemed an age. I lived an eternity every minute. And yet I had no hope of being able to release myself. My whole frame shook like an aspen leaf. "This fight against an Invisible spirit kept up until I reached the open door. With one terrific lunge I threw myself at the opening, and carried myself and my ghostly adversary into the open air. As I passed through the door the fingers slipped from my throat. I had won the fight."