GHOSTLY GOSSIP AND STRANGE STORIES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5227, 6 April 1895, Page 1

GHOSTLY GOSSIP AND STRANGE STORIES.

(St James's Budget.) One of tho moat obvious causes of a belief in the supernatural is that the haman mind likes to "know the reason" of every strange event and to- account for the unexplainable by natural or super* natural meanß. Hence the, phenomena of nature, strange events, remarkable coincidences, lucky accidents, and extraordinary sounds and sights are all explained or accounted for to the vulgar mind by storie3 of crime, vows, prophecies, ghosts, and other inventions of the mind ; and these stories, bo it remembered, naturally grow in the telling until at last the imaginary story ia ex&ggerajftd and embellished with details which give it an appearance of verisimilitude. Somewhat akin to this attitude of the mind ia the tendency among the unlettered to translate foreign, incomprehensible, or unaccustomed words and phrases into words which, while bearing some outward re&emblance to the originals, really have no i connection whatever with their meaning. This principle explains, for instance, many curious devices on the signboards of public-bouses. Thus arise that Btrango bird "The Bmm with Two Necku," from the swan with two nicks (marks of identification) ; and the peculiar, and at first sight incomprehensible, sign of "The! Devil and Bag o' Nails," which arose from a representation of a Satyr and Bacchanala— Satan and a bag of nailn being (it is suggested) move easily understanded of the common people than such references to classic merrymaking. In the same way that certain ladies thoroughly enjoy " a good cry," many folks delight in "creepy" Btories and revel in things weird and unexplainable. That many, if not most, of these strange Btorieß are either founded in fact or supported by experience, we are reminded by Mr Thistleton Dyer in his "Strange Pages from Family Papers." Unfortunately for lovers of the black arts, or for those who want, to know "the i'reaßpj^ yrhyff'-it evSij-'. strange t&ihgv'Mr Dyer does not offer co much as a word of explanation of the strange stories he recounts.

FATAL CimSSS.

The first chapter plunges into the subject of fatal curses, and from tha stories told tre extract the following 1 tale of a Cornish shepherd who was supposed to possess supernatural powers :— " This man for some offence, had been imprisoned by Sir John Arundell, and on hia relesse would constantly waylay the magistrate, alwaya looking at him with the came menacing eye, at the same time slowly muttering these words:-* "When upon the yellow sand, Thou shalt die by human hand. Notwithstanding Sir John Arundell's education and position, he was not wholly free from the superstition of the period, and might have thought, too, that this man intended to murder him. Hence he left his home at Efford and retired to the woodolad hills of Trevice, where ha lived for some years without the annoyance of meeting his old enemy. Sat in the tenth year of Edward IV., Eichard de Yere, Earl of Oxford, seized St Michael's Mount, on hearing of which news Sir John Arundell, then Sheriff of Cornwall, led an attack on Sb Michael's Mount, in the course of which he received his death wound in a ekirmiah on tho Bands near Marazion.",, A SAXON CURSE. Quite recently a wedding couple refused to pass over a certain bridge on their way to the church and went round another and longer way to get married. This was in consequence of a legend attaching to the bridge which arose in this way. King Edmund o£ East Anglia had been defeated in battle by the Danes near Eye, in Suffolk, on the banks of the Waveney :I — " Being hotly pureued by his foes, the Sing fled to Hoxoe, and attempted to conceal himself by crouching beneath a bridge, now called Goldbridge. The glittering of his golden spurs diecovered him to a newly-married couple, who were returning home by moonlight, and they betrayed him to the Banes. Edmund, as he was dragged from his hiding place, pronounced a malediction upon all who should afterwards pass this bridge on their way to be married. So much regard was paid to this tradition by the good folks of Hoxne that no bride or bridegroom would venture along the forbidden path." HISTOBIC VOWS. In the matter of eccentric vows, undoubtedly the domain of fact is entered upon, many vows being quite historic. The origin, for instance, of the shade known as " ecru " is (so it has often been said) attributable to the fact thai) Isabella, Regent of the Netherlands in the beginning of the seventeenth century, vowed she would not change her linen until Oatend surrendered. As the town held out for over three years, the colour of her garments can be better imagined than described. Sometimes vows that are difficult to keep are, if not actually brokeu, yet kept purely in word and not inspirit:— "A Salopian parish clerk, seeing a woman crossing the churchyard with a bundle and a watering can, followed her, curious to know what her intentions might be, and discovered that she was a widow of a few months' standing. Inquiring what she was going to do with the watering pet, she informed them that she had been obtaining some grass seed to sow on fcer husband's grave, and had brought a little water to make it spring up quickly. The olerk told her there was no occasion to trouble ; the grave would be green in good time. • Ah ! that may be,' she replied, • but my poor husband made me take a vow not to marry again until the grass had grown over his grave, and, having a good offer, I do Dot | wish to break my vow, or keep as lam longer than I cau help.' " A WARNING BPKCrEE. Mr Dyer devotes a chapter to stories of changelings, concealed persons, and apparitions. Among the lost class is that told of Robert P.ercival, son of the Right Hon Sir John Fercival, when reading for the law in his chnmhers in Lincoln's Inn. In |

the sequel, we are "told, the young man was found dead, bat how he died was a Recrefc never divnlged; — "The clock had just struck the hoar of midnight, when, on looking ap from his book, he was astonished to see a figure standing between himself and the door, completely muffled ap in a long cloak bo as to defy recognition. ' Who are you ?*• But the figure made no answer. ' What do you wont ?' No reply. The figure stood motionless. Thinking it mede a low hollow laugh, the young student struck at the intruder with his Bword, but the weapon met with no resist- . ance and not a single drop of blood stained 1 it. This was amazing, and still no answer. Determined to solve the mystery of this strange being, he cast aside its cloak when lo! he saw his own apparition, bloody and ghostly, whereat he was so astonished that lie immediately swooned away, but, recover* ing, he saw the spectre depart." THE DEAD HAND. One of the most widespread instances of ' deception and credulity is the magic potency ascribed to the "Hand of Glory" —the withered hand of a dead man. Many stories are told of its marvellous powers as a charm, and on the Continent many a cure is said to have been wrought by it. Tne following story, told by the Rev S. Baring-Gould, illustrates one of the supposed, but illegitimate, übgb t<j which it could be put.— "Two thieves, having come to lodge in a publichouse, with a view to robbing it, asked per-, misbion to pass the night by the fire, and obtained it. But when the house was quiet the servant girl suspecting mischief, crept downstairs, and looked through the keyhole. She saw the men open a eack, and take out a dry withered band. They anointed the fingers with some unguents, and lighted them. Each finger flamed, but the thumb they could not light— that was because one of the household was not asleep. The girl hastened to her master, bnt found it impossible to arouse him— she tried every other sleeper, but could not break the charmed sleep. At last, stealing j down into the kitchen, while the thieves were busy over her master's strong-box, she j secured the hand, blew out the flames, and ' Ht once the whole house was aroused." . CHEATING THB DBVIL. One of the oldest forma of dealing in the black arts it) that of making oompaota with the devil. Whether the parties to these agreements believed in them or not, sure it is they were largely believed by the common people in mediasral times. However wicked it .waß to make these compacts with the Evil One, it was not considered improper to oheat the devil out ! of his part of the spoil if by any in* genuity it could be done. The following shows one method by whioh thiß could ; be accomplished :—" In the north wall of the churoh of Tremeirohion, North Wales, has long been shown the tomb of a ' former vicar, who was also celebrated as a necromancer, flourishing in the middle of the fourteenth century. It is reported; that he proved himself more clever than the Wicked One himself. A bargain wbb made between them that the vicar should! practice tho black, art with impunity during his life, but that the devil should possess his body after death, whether he were buried within or without the church. > But the worthy vicar dexterously cheated ' his ally of his bargain by being buried within the ohurch wall itself."