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Hounded By Ghost

Hounded By Ghost image
Parent Issue
Day
25
Month
September
Year
1903
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

 

Hounded By Ghost

Awful Apparition That Followed a Sailor Over Land and Sea.

Strange and Terrible Experience of an Ocean Rover. Weird Finally Laid by a Priest.

   William Corcoran, a sailor who has traversed nearly every sea on the globe, while in San Francisco recently told a most extraordinary story of a ghost that for many years had followed him over the earth.

   The tale as related by Corcoran opens in McQuarry island where he was caged with the rest of the whaling ship Splendid in killing sea elephants for their hides and oil. With one of his companions named Everett,  Corcoran was one day exploring the island when they came to two upright posts connected by a cfosspiece. At once concluding that it marked the -burial place of some buccaneer's treasure, they proceeded to dig, taking turns with the shovel.       "When we had gone down about eight feet," said Corcoran, "It came my turn to take the shovel. I dug a little way, and suddenly my foot went through into a hole. I yelled up to Everett that I had found the treasure. He dropped down into the hole. We tore up some rotting boards, and I put my hands down into the space beneath and pulled up a human leg bone. "We had dug into a grave. It was rather disconcerting and very disappointing. The skeleton seemed to be that of a woman. We replaced the bones we took out, and I placed a board over the top of the hole, and we filled it up. After completing this we examined again the board nailed to the two upright posts. We found an inscription almost completely obliterated by the weather. It read, so far as we could make out:

Sacred Memory Hannah Bailey Died 18.

May God Keep rest...

   "Our experience made both Everett and me thoughtful and melancholy on the trip home to the camp, which had been built on the shore of the island for the accomodation of the sailors, the ship being moored offshore.

  "Things went along in the camp about as usual for a period of a week or ten days. One night after supper it began to get misty, and a rain storm, with a high wind, came up. The captain gave orders at once to extinguish the fires and to cover over the tops of the kettles of oil.

   "Everett and I stood watch while the rest of the crew went to sleep in their bunks. Harry was busy beside his lamp with his needle and shears. My eyes were running over the interior of the hut, taking in with a half interest this and that littte detail, when of a sudden the door opened without any visible means. The gust of inrushing damp air almost extinguished my lamp. The door shut again with a little noise, not quite sufficient to awaken the sleepers. The bolts were in place when I looked at the door, and I found myself in a state where every nerve and sense was keenly on the alert. I was startled somewhat, but not really frightened.   "'What was that?' asked Harry.

  "I did not answer him, for, sitting on the chair beside my bunk, I saw looking keenly at me a man of perhaps fifty-five years of age. He was poorly dressed, but was a man of impressive and had a shaggy black beard. He looked keenly at me with a pair of the most searching eyes I ever beheld. To save my life at that time I could not have uttered a sound. His eyes regarded me wlth a searching glance that was so penetrating as to keep my own eyes riveted on his face. Suddenly he arose with a quiet movement and sat right on the edge of my bunk. His face was near mine, and his eyes changed. A baleful and soul terrifying look took the place of the calm searching gaze. Finally I could stand it no longer. I was in an agony of fear. I could not move a muscle nor take my eyes from the face of the unknown. I had to speak.   "What are you doing here?  I faltered. 'In the name of God and man who are you?'

"The dreadful figure of the man so close to and gave me no reply. Again I asked:

  " 'In the name of God, sir, who are you?'

  "Still there came no answer. I asked again. Henry heard my terrified voice and though he afterward said he saw no figure and no man, he was as terrified as I. 'Bill, for God's sake what's the matter with you?' he implored. At the sound of his voice the figure held up its long arms over my body and let that shaggy beard and those awful eyes come down near my face. Then it sniffed its breath in my face three distinct times almost as if spitting at me. I gave a shrill shriek of despair, for the breath was as fetid as the smell of a decaying body.

   "Suddenly the figure arose again, the door was opened by unseen hands, the figure of the unknown man went through the door, and the door closed with a great crash and bang that shook the entire hut. The bolts were found to be in place a second later when every man Jack asleep jumped to his feet in wonderment Harry was cryIng like a chlld, although he was a strong, daredevil young fellow, with lots of nerve. I was seized with convulsions. Then men in the house searched all about to find the cause of the disturbance. A dozen of them armed themselves with their rifles, revolvers and skinning knives and dashed out on to the beach. It was necessary for them to unbolt the door to get outside They looked up and down the beach and inspected the cook's galley. There was no sign of any one about.

   "Well, two years went by, when one flay while the sun was shining brightly on the deck of a ship in which I was second mate that awful figure, dressed just as it was when I first saw it and with those same terrible eyes, that same black, shaggy beard, climbed over the rail from simply nowhere, stepped on to the deck and walked directly toward me. lts long arm was pointed at me, and it gave me a look that would terrify an angel in heaven. I dropped to the deck in a swoon and afterward had convulsions.

   "I got well again, as I had in the first place, and thought no more of it for several years. Then one day in the city of Tunis, in north Africa, this same figure walked up to me on the street just as any one of you might. I tell you all that it was a terrible thing. Now, this was no ghost. It was just as much of a man in appearance as you are while I point at you. It stuck up its arm again, this uncanny man. and I dropped as though shot.

   "Well, I saw the figure three or four more times in succeeding years. It always appeared after I had temporarily forgotten its existence.

   "Finally I joined the United States navy. After joining the navy I saw the apparition only once. It was on board the Tennessee, the old frigate. A few days later we were at Naples, and I went ashore and sought out a priest, and great friend of sailors, who spoke English. I told him my story. Later he came aboard the Tennessee and held religious services. When I bade him goodby he said the figure would appear just once more, and after that I would see it no more.

   "The priest's words came true. After leaving the navy I married and settled In Cambridge, Mass. I had a sister who lived near by, and one hot summer's day after my work I went over to call on her a few moments. After visiting my sister I started down the pretty walk leadlng to the thoroughfare and was near the fence and front gate when that awful thing appeared again, walking along the outer sidewalk. It turned into the gate and walked directly toward me. On this last appearance it seemed more baleful, more grewsome and more determined in appearance than I had ever before seen it. I plunged forward on my face. Then I was seized with the convulsions, as usual, and had to be taken to a hospital. I got over it, of course, and I have never seen that ghost since."