Hawaii Holomua, Volume I, Number 75, 15 December 1893 — HAMPTON COURT GHOSTS. [ARTICLE]

HAMPTON COURT GHOSTS.

Strange Noctarnal Appearances 0.ve of the representatives of a London paper, who bas been inquiring into the stories circuIateti recently of ghosts making nocturnal appearances at Hampton Court, writes: On my way to the Palaee I dropped into a loeal hakePa. and was regaled with buns and stories of blood curdling ‘ appearances,” whieh bad been poured into willing ears by gossiping and eicited serving maids. But it must be ackuowledged that these stories were for tbe most part incoherent aad disconnected. The retailers of them had evident!y beeu indulgmg somewhat prematurely in Christmas literature of the good old Yule log type. Out of the confusion, however, there seemed to stand forth tbree figures. In the first plaee there is a lady, who, ignoring the ethics of the spirit word, walks abroad at night clotbed in garments of sombre black. Then there is another visitant, whose sex is unknown, as its presence is recognised only through the sense of hearing; and, lastly, there is a soldier. THE SOLDIER OHOST seems the most in explicableof the three. I was unahie to fiud anvone who bad actua!ly seen it, inasmuch as the man who “runs ? ’ this particular apparition was off duty and was in bed asleep. The spot where the ghost appears was, however, carefully pointed out to me. It is at the end of the cloister, upon whieh open Cardinal Wolsey’s apartments. He who showed it drew attention to a mark on the wall. It is the mark cf a bullet (so it is said) whieh killed a man. The man was a sergeant, and his murderer was a soldier of his regiment who had a grudge against him. The soldier wus on sentry dnty at the time, stationed somew r bere away 1 down the long perspective of the cloister. The date of this tragedy is lost in antiquit\', but the 1 appearance of the ghost of the 1 murdered sergeant is as recent as

last Saturday week. On this night a watchman, whoae name was furnished to me, was going his rounds, and opon arriving at this spot saw a soldierly figure leaning against the wall, just where the bullet mark is. The { nniform was not observable, as tbe figure was wrapped in a Iong military eloak. The watchman apoke, but received no answer, snd the fignre “glided” away into the darkness of the interior of the building. Under this cloister, it is said, there rnns

A SrBTEBRAXEAX PAS8AGK away to the river's bank. It is led into by a s*nall doOrw»y under a stairca.se. In the case of tbe lad}' ghost, I waa fortuaate enough to find oue who declared she had seen her. This eye-wit-ness is the maidservant of a lady occupying a snite of apartroents in the Palaee. 8he believes tbat what she saw was a hona visitor froro the region of spirits. More than a week ago she was returning throngh the gardens and npon reaching the archway whieh leads into Foontain Conrt, A TALL PE3IALE PIOUHE |IX BLACE suddenly appeared qnite by her

side. She is positire that s moment before no one had been anywhere near. and not a soand was even then observable. In her sudden frighi sbe shrieked. but the dark fignre took no notice. and moved a!ong by her side lato the court The girl stood still, but the figare moved a!ong the north side of the conrt. and disappeared in the direction of wbat is known as the hauuted staircase. These are the two best aothenticated stories. There are others, but they do not seem to bear tbe stamp of genuineness. Another maidservant declares tbat people have walked about her room when there was no material body there to walk, and a man felt a mysterious haud on his face while walking abont one nigbt. THE HACSTED STAIBCASB is a plaee to be avoided at night. It is a very handspme and massive, but uncanny. Visitors will know it as the staircase whieh they descend on leaving the picture galleries. At the foot there stand generallv two polieemen, and the night watchmen deposit their coats there when they eoine on dntv. Light is admitted by tall small-paned windows. Descending the stairs oue looks at an euormous canvas filling all the opposite wall. It sadly needs restoring, and all that ean be mado of it is that an iuteresting female is being dragged somewhere, while a number nude persons dance around in what, under the t;ircumstances seems to be indecent glee. Bnt on the landing, before the descending the the stairs, one sees two doors. The one in tho corner deserves special attention. It is the door of the haokted chamber.

Nobody knows why, but thisdoor bas not been opened in the raemory of the oldest inhabitant. It is locked and barred ,and the keyhole, is stopped up with wood. Jt is a massive oaken door, of great age nnd strength, and behind it no oue knows what mystery lurks. You conld not tempt anybody, especially of late to pass this door in the night. Fortunately nobody reqnires

to pass it, as tbere are no apartments in this portion of the buihiing. From what I Iearnt it wouki seems that the panie is so really serious that severai sertants have given notice that they will leave their situations. Tbe watchmeu goon their roumis in eouplea at present.