A REMARKABLE STORY.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12467, 17 February 1909, Page 1

A REMARKABLE STORY.

England was provided with a really fine ghost story at Christmas time. The trouble about most ghost stories is that the alleged ghost is seen by only one parson but in this case it was seen by three people. Dr H. J. D. Astley, vicar of East Rudham, in ; Norfolk, accepted a post . in , Algeria for tlie winter, and on Liecember lGih was injured in a railway accident. Tho Rev. R. Brock, vicar of Criggion,. acted, as his locum tenens at East Rudman. At half past four' on December 26th, while Mr Brock was sitting in the dining room of Rudman vicarage, he was summoned to the library by the housekeeper to "come and see Mr Astley." Mrs ■ Hartley had gone to close the library windows, and looking through a glass door which opened on to tho garden, had seen the figure of Dr Astley. He was dressed in black, without his hat, and carried a paper and looked towards the housekeeper two or three times: Mrs Hartley had first called one of the housemaids . who declared that the figure was that of her master. When Mr Brock wont to the library, he figure was in another position, and appeared to be sitting at a desk. Mr Brook recognised it as Dr Astley, even observing a chain across his waistcoat, and two rings on .a finger.' When the party went to the spot whero the figure appeared to be, there was nothing to be seen. Three days later Mrs Hartley again saw the figure of Dr Astley: in the same place. She summoned Mr Brock, who dimly discerned a disappearing figure which he could not . recognise. Iho samo evening Mr Brock, Mrs Hartley and a representative of 'The Times" looked through the windowto see if the apparition had reappeared. Mrs Hartley declared that sho could see it dressed in cassock and surplice but Mr Brock could sec nothing and the journalist could see onlv the dim outline of a study. Mr Brock's theory is that the real Dr Astley was cither dreaming or delirious, and was in some mysterious way able to propel lnmself to his home. But it transpired that at half-past four on December JJi Astley was quietly resting in bed in the hospital at Algiers. The compiler of the "Annals of Psych'cal Research" is naturally delighted at hearing of a ghost story so well attested. He has records of only fivo other well-authenticated cases ot a similar nature.