True Ghost Stories

CHAPTER I. What Is a Ghost? 13

What is a Ghost? 13 The Terror of the Dark 14 What is a Ghost? 18 Historic Investigations 20 Death Coincidences 21 Are They Due to Chance? 24 The Explanation 26 Experimental Apparitions 27 Telepathic Hallucinations 32 Ghosts Which Move Material Objects 37 Photographs of Ghosts 38 The "Double" and the Spiritual Body 40 What Happens at the Moment of Death 43 How the Soul May Leave the Body 47 Theories of Haunted Houses 51 The Ghosts of Animals 53 The Clothes of Ghosts 55 Telepathy from the Dead 57 The Psychic Atmosphere 59 Forms Created by Will 60 Physical Manifestations 62 Can Haunted Houses be "Cured"? 63

CHAPTER II. Phantasms of the Dead--I 65

Phantasms of the Dead--I 65 A Russian Ghost 65 Grasped by a Spirit Hand 71 "I Am Shot!" 74 "Heave the Lead!" 75 The Rescue at Sea 78 How Ghosts Influence Us 86 How a Ghost Warned the King 90 The Stains of Blood 93 Face to Face 96 "Julia, Darling!" 98 The Cut Across the Cheek 99 The Invisible Hand 100 The Apparition of the Radiant Boy 104 Fisher's Ghost 106 Harriet Hosmer's Vision 109 The Apparition of the Murdered Boy 112 The Ghost in Yellow Calico 116

CHAPTER III. More Phantasms of the Dead--Ii 120

More Phantasms of the Dead--II 120 Compacts to Appear after Death 120 Lord Brougham's Vision 122 The Tyrone Ghost 125 Dead or Alive! 128 The Scratch on the Cheek 135 A Ghost in Hampton Court 139 Half-Past One O'clock 147 My Own True Ghost Story 155

CHAPTER IV. Haunted Houses 163

Haunted Houses 163 The Record of a Haunted House 165 Proofs of Immateriality 168 Conduct of Animals in the House 169 B---- House 170 Willington Mill 174 The Great Amherst Mystery 176 Brook House 186

CHAPTER V. Ghost Stories of a More Dramatic Nature 194

Ghost Stories of a More Dramatic Nature 194 Disease-Phantoms 194 The Tale of a Mummy 198 Face Slapped by a Ghost 204 Alone with a Ghost in Church 207 A Haunted House in France 210 A Haunted House in Georgia 213 Shaken by a Ghost 220 The House and the Brain 221

APPENDIX A Historical Ghosts 230

APPENDIX B The Phantom Armies Seen in France 236

Appendix C

Bibliography 245

PUBLISHER'S NOTE.

HEREWARD CARRINGTON, author of "True Ghost Stories," is well known in this country, and in Europe, as a prominent scientific writer on psychical and occult subjects. He has been a member of both the English and American Societies of Psychical Research for more than 15 years; has written over a dozen books on the subject--a number of which has been translated into foreign languages (such as Japanese and Arabic), and he has lectured in London, Paris, Rome, Venice, Milan, Genoa, Turin, etc.--before scientific organizations. His writings are well known, and have earned him a high place in psychical circles. He's a late member of the Council of the American Scientific Society, of the American Geographical Society, and of the American Health League. He collaborated in the "American Encyclopædia," "The Standard Dictionary," etc. His experience in the investigation of psychical mysteries is unrivalled. He has travelled all over the country investigating "cases," spending nights in "haunted houses," and accounts of his investigations have appeared in the Reports of the various Psychical Societies, and also in his own publications.

In "True Ghost Stories," Mr. Carrington presents a number of startling cases of this character; but they are not the ordinary "ghost stories"--based on pure fiction, and having no foundation in reality. Here we have a well-arranged collection of incidents, all thoroughly investigated and vouched for, and the testimony obtained first-hand and corroborated by others. The chapter on "Haunted Houses" is particularly striking. The first chapter deals with the interesting question, "What is a Ghost?" and attempts to answer this question in the light of the latest scientific theories which have been advanced to explain these supernatural happenings and visitants. It is a book of absorbing interest, and cannot fail to grip and hold the attention of every reader--no matter whether he be a student of these questions, or one merely in search of hair-raising anecdotes and stories. He will find them here a-plenty!

PREFACE

The following little book endeavors to bring together a number of "ghost stories" of the more startling and dramatic type,--but stories, nevertheless, which seem to be well authenticated; and which have been obtained, in most instances, at first hand, from the original witnesses; and often contain corroborative testimony from others who also experienced the ghostly phenomena. Some of these incidents, indeed, rise to the dignity of scientific evidence; others are less well authenticated cases,--but interesting for all that. These have been grouped in various Chapters, according to their evidential value. Chapters II. and III. contain well-evidenced cases, some of which have been taken from the Proceedings and Journals of the Society for Psychical Research (S. P. R.), or from Phantasms of the Living, or from other scientific books, in which narratives of this character receive serious consideration. Chapter V., on the contrary, contains a number of incidents which,--striking and dramatic as they are,--cannot be included in the two earlier Chapters, as presenting real evidence of Ghosts; but are published rather as startling and interesting ghost stories. Chapter IV., devoted to "Haunted Houses," contains brief accounts of the most famous Haunted Houses, and of the phenomena which have been witnessed within them. Appendix A gives a list of a few of the important "Historical Ghosts," Appendix B describes the "Phantom Armies" lately seen by the Allied troops in France--while Appendix C lists a number of books of Ghost Stories which the interested reader may care to peruse. A short Glossary, at the beginning of the book, explains the meaning of certain terms used,--which are not, perhaps, ordinarily met with in books of this character.

In the Introductory Chapter, I have endeavored to explain, very briefly, the nature and character of Ghosts; what they are; and the various scientific theories which have been brought forward, of late years, to explain Ghosts. I hope that this may prove of interest to the reader; in case it does not do so, he is invited to "skip" directly to

Chapter Ii., Which Begins Our Account of "true Ghost Stories."

I wish to express my thanks in this place to the Council of the English S. P. R. for special permission to quote and to summarize several striking cases here reproduced; also to Miss Estelle Stead, for permission to utilize several cases previously printed at length in Mr. Wm. T. Stead's collections of Ghost Stories.

H. C.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED

AGENT--The person who, in thought-transference experiments, endeavors to impress his thoughts upon the "percipient" or "receiver."

DEATH-COINCIDENCE--A case in which an apparition or other ghostly phenomenon has taken place, at the moment of the death of the person represented by the phantom.

GHOST--An apparition, a phantom. Some contend that all ghosts are "subjective" or purely mental (hallucinations); others that some ghosts are "objective"--that is, space-occupying entities, which exist apart from the seer, who sees them. These points will be found fully discussed in this book.

HALLUCINATION--A mental experience, in which a phantom is seen, a voice heard, etc., when there is no real external cause for this seeing or hearing. Hallucinations are more complete than mere "illusions."

PACT--An agreement, entered into before death, between two persons, that, whichever one dies first, shall appear to the other one. These are here called "Pact Cases." [A Pact may also mean an agreement between a necromancer of some spirit-intelligence, as in Magic; but the word is not used in that sense in this book.]

PERCIPIENT--The receiver of the telepathic or other message. The one who experiences the phenomenon.

PHANTASM--A phantom; an apparition; a "ghost." The word is more inclusive than any of the words suggested; and is used by preference, by most psychic students.

TELEPATHY--Mind-reading; thought-transference.

TRUE GHOST STORIES

CHAPTER I. What Is a Ghost?

WHAT IS A GHOST?

Ghosts have been believed in by every nation, at every time and at every stage of the world's evolution. No matter where we may go, we find them stalking through the pages of history; and even in our own cynical and materialistic age, we not only find "ghosts" still; but the evidence for their existence is stronger than ever! It is nonsense to say that "no sensible person believes in ghosts," because many thousands of them do. Why do they believe? Would they believe if they had no cause to do so?

See Appendix A.

The "terror of the dark," which we all have more or less, from which every child suffers (how intensely!) during its early years--a terror which is, to a certain extent, shared by animals and even insects--does all this signify nothing? Those who have looked into this question thoroughly, believe that there is, in every truth, a terrible reality justifying this instinctive fear; that evil and horrible things lurk about us in the still, weird hours of the night; that there are truly "powers and principalities" with which we often toy, without knowing or realizing the frightful dangers which result from this tampering with the unseen world. Yes; there is a true "tyranny of the dark." Phenomena and ghostly manifestations take place in darkness which would never occur in light; and which cease when a light is struck. All ghostly phenomena are associated with darkness, and the "wee small hours of the night."

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