The Sunday Oregonian., November 21, 1920, Magazine Section, Page 6, Image 94

THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 21, 1920
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Btdmmitn Abbey, low sold, mi the
oriKinal abbey, erected TOO years ago
archway remain standing.
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Haunted Sherard house, dating; back to 1635, has been demolished because nobody cares to occupy it. Dur
ing the work of demolition a secret staircase, the existence of which was previously unknown, was
discovered by the house wreckers. .
ke ghosts of Derwent Hall, erected
Norfolk, Is to become part of as
raanor, just sola at auction,
i nis old aouse includes reference to a ghostly visitor "a woman in white,' who walked the terrace at dead o
BY JOSEPH H. APPELGATE. ,
THE attention -of the British So
ciety for Psychical Research has1
been directed toward the ruth
less demolition of various ancient
manor houses in England and Scot
land, where, for many years, the noc
turnal wanderings of old established
family ghosts have been the subject
of close scientific investigation and
report.
The Immediate problem confront
ing the society, and regarding which
various members are considerably
purturbed, is: "What is going to
happen to the ghosts when their
abiding places are no more?" Family
ghosts, it Is declared, are by no means
of a wandering disposition. Having
established a reputation by haunting
one particular house, they stay there.
Some ghosts, as ancient family le
gends Inform us, have haunted one
bouse for cnnturles, never appear
lng anywhere else.
And now that many euch haunted
houses are being auctioned, sold, and
torn down, what will the poor ghosts
do? They may find new homes to
haunt, modern skyscrapers, apartment
houses, for instance: but there will
nt be any secret passages in which
to clank chains,- nor ivy-clad turrets
to parade around, and no mysterious
windows to fit across in the moon
light. If they are going to have new
t,
I
bom of the Infamous "Hell Fire Club" of the 18th Century. Of the
and bearing the reputation of being haunted, only one pillar aad-ona
In 16T2, are to be drowned out, for the estate, historic seat of the Dukes of
artificial lake to Increase Derwent valley's water -supply.
was once occupied by the first Sir Robert Peel. The legendary history of
homes to haunt some of the ghosts I
may come to America, it is an in-'
teresting subject from beginning to
end, and the British Society for
Fs.ych.ical Research is considerably
wrought up over it.
Sherard House, in Eltham. ancestral
residence of the famous botanist, gave
up its secret when workmen, now em
ployed in rasing 'it, came upon a
stairway, the existence of which was
unknown. Entrance could be made
to this stairway by swinging back a
doorway, successfully concealed in a
wall, which was operated by a button.
Superstitious ones say that when the
last board of the staircase had been
taken away there . came a rustling
breath, a sigh of Ineffable satisfac
tion, as If a spirit, constrained for
centuries, at last had found its free
dom. A Curse of Drowning.
Similar tales are told of Drayton
Manor, home of the great Sir Robert
Peel, just sold to a man who Intends
to demolish It. it is reported. Famous
for its Galnsboroughs and Its Law
rences and Its , magniQcent jasper
mantelpiece, gift of Russian royalty.
It attracted thousands of tourists each
year, to whom natives of the country
side, with many waggtnga of heads
and In hushed voices, told of an "old
lady In black" who always on the eve
of a death in that section of the coun
1
try was seen to stalk, with wringing
of hands, along a little lane not fai
from the manor. W1H she be gath
ered back into the cerements she burB'.
if modern buildings cover the ver
spot her ghostly feet have been re
ported to have trod?
Could a ghost be drowned out, bt
driven away by inundation of the
place it. haunts? Members of the Fey
chlcal society have had this puzzlinc
question put up to them as an aspect
of the situation which may result
from the. razing of Derwent .Hall, in
Derwent Valley, Derbyshire, which
must be sacrificed to make room in
the valley for a reservoir to supply
the growing population. Since 1672
this famous house has reared Its ga
bled peaks. It was built, by the Bal
guys. Will what ghosts there may
be here be drowned in the submerslor.
of the valley?
Medmenham abbey, which has just
been sold, will best be remembered as
having been the home of the lnifamou?
18th Century Hell Fire club "The
Monks of Medmenham." " These
"monks" were under the leadership
of Sir Francis Dashwood and included
li- their number Lord Sandwich, John
Wilkes, the great radical and patriot
and Thomas potter, the son of an
archbishop of Canterbury. Their riot
ous behavior and scandalous orgies
, were condemned throughout the whole
Cries the Heartless Auc
tioneer Selling Off Eng
land's Ancient Haunted
Castles "and Mansions,
Which Are Being
D emolished to
MakeWay for Mod
ern Improvements.
'4 M
country. The abbey in which they
met received its charter from King
John over 700 years ago, but the old
building was pulled down at the dis
solution of the monasteries and only
one archway and a pillar remain of
this original edifice. The present Med
menham abbey, which has for years
been owned and occupied by Sir Doug
las Dawson, stands on -a beautiful
stretch of the Thames, near Marlow.
From the abbey beautiful views of
the surrounding country may be ob
tained. v
Then there is Battle abbey, Has
tings, said to be under a curse of
drowning. It, too, has Just been sold.
Many a weird tale has been told about
that strange malediction, an utterance
of the last abbot, which called down
death by drowning on all those who
dwelt within its walls after It passed
Into the possession of the Brownes
upon order of the uxorcidal Henry
VIII. Strangely enough, death by
drowning has been the fate of many
who lived there. The most recent was
Mrs. Hubert Beaumont, eldest daugh
ter of Michael Grace, brother of W. R.
Grace, former mayor of New York
c'ty, lessee of the abbey. Her death
followed that of Lady Webster, from
whose husband Michael Grace rented
it. .
What augurs the reappearance re
ported at Windsor castle of the phan
tom Queen Kllzabeth, many are ask
ing. . Twenty years, ago there was
said to have been a similar visita
tion. Carr Glynn, an officer of the
Grenadier guards eaw It and de
clared it vanished through a certain
part of the wall of the room in which
he beheld it. Investigation showed
that three centuries before there had
been a door, since sealed, at that very
spot. That Is the structure where
the ghosts of the quarrelsome but
beautiful Duchess of Cleveland, the
saucy tongued Duchess de Mazarin,
md the unhappy Catherine Hbward,
3lain by Henry VIII, are said to have
been seen. The last named woman, it
was reported by alleged witnesses,
ran through the corridor, hair stream
ing behind, as she did one day when
she escaped from her guards and
rushed in to beg for her life from
her royal husband.
The early history of England was
practically written around events
which happened In castles and man
ors recently eold. In addition to those
named above, many others have
changed hands. Among -hem are:
Pembroke, the "cradle of the Tudors."
where the first Tudor was born;
Fineshade Abbey in Northampton
shire, built partly of stone taken
from the hall where Mary Queen of
Scots was executed; St. Osyth's pri
ory in Essex, erected in the early
part of the 12th. century; Abbey
House, Abingdon and the Sutton
Courtenay Manor, where the first
"rent kick" against profiteering land
lords was voiced by tenants; Queenby
House in Leicestershire, where Stil
ton cheese was first made; the Stoke
Park estate, home of John Penn.
where the monument of the poet
Gray was erected; the Great House in
the town of Buford in the Cotswold
of literary memories, with Samuel
Crisp and Fanny Burney as one-time
residents; Snowre hall, where Charles
I found asylum for a few days,
probably the place described by Du
mas in his D'Artagnan- romances
dealing with that unfortunate king:
Oldham castle, where David Bruce
was taken prisoner In 1346, and the
old Castle Skenfrith. All have
changed -owners. Many may be razed.
Most legends about them involve ap
paritions. What will become of these
ghosts when the places they haunt
will have been destroyed?
Violet Tweedale, the English writer
whose recently published book,
"Ghosts I have Seen" tells .of her
many exciting experiences w 1 1 h
ghosts in haunted houses, has this to
say of a visit she paid with her father
to Broughton Hall, a fine old manor
house on the outskirts of Edinburgh,
Scotland, bearing the reputation of
being badly haunted:
"It was in November," recites Mrs.
Tweedale, "dry, but wild and bitterly
cold. Billowy white snow clouds
scudding before a brisk north wind
threw us alternately into light and
darkness, as they covered and un
covered the face of the full moon.
Father and I emerged from our house
about 9:30 and had reached the back
of Bro'ughton ha. n. The house was
shrouded In darkness and dead si
lence, every blind was close drawn
and the suggestion was one of utter
emptiness. ,
My father and I were walking
apart, I being.rlght under the shadow
of the walls, whilst he was In the
middle of the paved court; which had
neither ledge nor walls, but met the
edge of the field running up to it.
"Suddenly I heard him whisper.
Hush!' though ws never did utter a
word whilst close to the house. His
arm was pointing In front of him. I
stared ahead and then I saw, clearly
lit by the moon, a woman who had
apparently just rounded the corner
of the house. She was running hard,
straight toward us, and her feet made
no" sound on the round cobble stones.
"Terror suddenly , seized me and I
darted across to my father and got
well behind him, seizing him firmly
around the waist. The woman came
on, rushing wildly.
Pursuit of a Ghost.
"She had nearly reached us and I
was almost thrown over as my father
faced her and backed to allow her to
pass. I peeped round him and saw a
woman, ghastly pale and distraught
looking, clad In a white nightdress.
Two strands of black hair streamed
out behind her and her bare arms
were outstretched in front.
"In a flash ehe had passed and ab
solutely silently and I found myeelf
lying on the ground, alone, and my
father vanishing In hot pursuit.
"Needless to say, I very quickly
picked myself up and joined the chase.
Terror lent me wings, and in a min
ute or two I came op with him. stand
ing breathless by the gate.
" -Vanished Into thin air just ae I
reached her. That's always the way.
Tou can't catch them,' he said."
Dr. Paul Joire, professor of the
Psycho-Psychological institute of
France, in his book, "Physical and
Supernormal Phenomena," describes
doings in a haunted wine and, spirit
shop at No. 6 Via Bava, Turin, as
follows:
". . - First of all, a vessel con
taining some liquor, which was on the
kitchen table, overturned of Its own
accord; then other vessels were
thrown down and broken, and then
CHANGING SEASONS REQUIRE
DIFFERENT FORMS OF DIET
Too Large Dependence Placed on Meat, Potatoes and Canned Vegetables
by Most American Families for Their Winter Foods.
INTER lassitude and spring
time languor are often due to
the shortcomings of the win
ter diet. Lack of vltamines may be
at the bottom of the trouble. Too
large dependence upon meat, pota
toes and canned vegetables . Is placed
by most American families, probably,
for their winter food.
What are vitamines?
It is rather difficult to tell except
in technical terms Just what vitamines
are. It is well known, however, that
when our food is deficient in vita
mines growth and repair cease; the
living cells are not replaced; weight
is lost; the bodily heat is not so well
maintained; the fires of life burn low
and body disabilities increase.
There are three vitamines. All are
necessary for the best bodily condi
tions and lack of any one in the food
for some time may cause some spe
cial disease.
One of these vitamines is the fat
soluble one. It Is called fat soluble
because it is associated with certain
fatty substances found in milk, but
ter, egg yolk, spinach and greens and
cod liver oil. Dr. E. V. McCollum
of Johns Hopkins university thinks
that night blindness, found among
the people in Labrador, who are liv
ing on very restricted diets during the
winter months, is a result of the
lack of these vitamines. Soreness or
eyes has been noticed in babies and
In experimental feeding of animals as
a result of an insufficient amount
of the fat soluble, and young rats
deprived of the vltamlne have rough,
unkempt coats and fall to grow.
The second vltamlne is the water
soluble one. It Is more widely dis
tributed than the first and is found
in the germs and outer coats of
grains as well as in many fruits and
vegetables and in milk. The lack of
It seems, to lower the vitality and
thus makes the body subject to in
fections. Increased susceptibility to
tuberculosis in war-stricken coun
tries was thought to be a part of
the effect of very restricted diets.
It has been demonstrated that an
essential factor in the disease known
as beri-beri is the removal of , the
germs snd pericarp from the rice
began a mad dance, in which the fur
niture, saucepans and all kinds of
things took part.
"Fumero's wife (Fumero was the
proprietor) fainted away through
fright. ... In the presence of
several people tables, chairs and utenr
alls danced. Some garments were
thrown down from the upper to the
lower chamber and damaged. They
were taken back . . . and thrown
down again with greater violence by
an Invisible hand. ..."
Professor Joire adds that the ob
jects were free of wires or strings.
grains in the process of milling and
polishing. It is further demonstrated
that when pigeons are fed on an ex
clusive diet of polished rice, they de
velop a disease similar to beri-beri
in man. But when fed on the. unpol
ished rice, or on the polished rice
with the polishlngs added, the dis
ease does not occuf. And still fur
ther it is found that an extract made
from these polishlngs, which is prac
tically free from protein, fats, car
bohydrates and salts; may prevent
the malady and small doses after cure
it with extraordinary rapidity. The
extract contains the water soluble
vitamins.
The third vltamlne will cure or
prevent scurvy in children or adults.
It has been commonly known that
sailors on a long voyage and living
largely on canned meats and vege
tables have bad 6curvy unless lem
ons were taken along on the trip.
The substance which prevents scurvy
is found in orange and lemon juices,
tomatoes, cabbage, turnips and some
what in potatoes. It is 'largely on
account of the scurvy vltamlne that
orange juice is given to babies. To
mato Juice does Just as well. Pas
teurizing, boiling or drying milk de
stroys any of these vitamines which
might have been present. Tomatoes
are the only vegetable which is known
to contain this vitamlne in appre
ciable quantity after canning, since
this vitamlne is very susceptible to
heating or drying. Some raw or
freshly-cooked vegetable should be
eaten daily. .
Foods which contain vitamines and
furnish the best bodily protection In
clude the, following: Milk, butter,
eggs, green vegetables such as spin,
ach, greens, cabbage, turnips, carrots,
tomatoes, fresh fruits, either freshly
cooked or raw. '
These should be used freely in the
winter diet.
Economy In Flavoring,
If you will save all your orange
peelings, dry them and then poun!
them and put in a bottle you will
have a delicious flavoring and a
cheap one. Cakes and puddings are
much improved when this flavoring
Is used.
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