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REAL GHOST STORIES (Collected and Edited by William T. Stead) online
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APPENDIX. SOME HISTORICAL GHOSTS.
Marryat, Captain--the story is told by his daughter--while staying in a country-house in the North of England saw the family ghost--an ancestress of the time of Queen Elizabeth who had poisoned her husband. He tried to shoot her, but the ball passed harmlessly into the door behind, and the lady faded away--always smiling.
De Stael, Madame, was haunted by the spirit of her father, who counselled and helped her in all times of need.
L.E.L.'s ghost was seen by Dr. Madden in the room in which she died at Cape Coast Castle.
De Morgan, Professor, writes: "I am perfectly convinced that I have both seen and heard, in a manner that should make unbelief impossible, things called spiritual which cannot be taken by a rational being to be capable of explanation by imposture, coincidence, or mistake."
Foote, Samuel, in the year 1740, while visiting at his father's house in Truro, was kept awake by sounds of sweet music. His uncle was about the same time murdered by assassins.
_Men of Science._
Davy, Sir Humphrey, when a young man, suffering from yellow fever on the Gold Coast, was comforted by visions of his guardian angel, who, years after, appeared to him again--incarnate--in the person of his nurse during his last illness.
Harvey, William, the discoverer of the circulation of the blood, used to relate that his life was saved by a dream. When a young man he was proceeding to Padua, when he was detained--with no reason alleged--by the governor at Dover. The ship was wrecked, and all on board lost, and it was then explained that the governor had received orders--in a dream--to prevent a person, to whose description Harvey answered, from going on board that night.
Farquhar, Sir Walter, physician (made a baronet in 1796), visited a patient at Pomeroy Castle. While waiting alone a lady appeared to him, exhibiting agony and remorse (who proved to be the family ghost) prognosticating, the death of the patient, which followed.
Clark, Sir James, Wife of, while living in their house in Brook Street, saw the apparition of her son, Dr. J. Clark, then in India, carrying a dead baby wrapped in an Indian shawl. Shortly afterwards, he did, in fact, send home the body of a child for interment, which had died at the hour noted, to fill up the coffin it was wrapped up in an Indian scarf.
Herbert of Cherbury, Lord, one of the first to systematise deism, when in doubt whether he should publish his "De Veritate," as advised by Grotius, prayed for a sign, and heard sounds "like nothing on earth, which did so comfort and cheer me, that I took my petition as granted."
Bacon, Francis, was warned in a dream of his father's approaching end, which occurred in a few days.
_Theologians._
Luther, Martin, was visited by apparitions,--one, according to Melancthon, who announced his coming by knocking at the door.
Melancthon says that the apparition of a venerable person came to him in his study and told him to warn his friend Grynaeus to escape at once from the danger of the Inquisition, a warning which saved his life.
Zwingli was visited by an apparition "with a perversion of a text of Scripture."
Oberlin, Pastor, was visited almost daily by his deceased wife, who conversed with him, and was visible not only to himself, but to all about him.
Fox, George, while walking on Pendle Hill, Yorkshire, saw his future converts coming towards him "along a river-side, to serve the Lord."
Newman, Cardinal, relates in a letter, Jan. 3rd, 1833, that when in quarantine in Malta, he and his companions heard footsteps not to be accounted for by human agency.
Wilberforce, Bishop, experienced remarkable premonitions, and phenomena even more startling are attributed to him.