Lancashire Lantern

Sir Richard Owen - A ghost story

 

 

 

The subjoined raw-head-and-bloody-bones sort of story is copied from a recent number of Chambers' Journal. We have no recollection of such an incident as the one narrated, having occurred in Lancaster, but others may. At any rate the recital is calculated to drive out of weak hands the silly belief in ghosts that so largely prevails, and, besides, the story has local attractions, and we freely give it a place in the Lancaster Gazette:-

“In the town of Lancaster, not above fifteen years ago, a quiet tradesman's family was sitting at tea one evening, when their parlour door was suddenly burst open, and a black human head rolled along the floor up to their feet! In an instant they had all burst away from the room, frenzied with fear and horror. 

On venturing back half an hour after, they found everything as they had left it, and no appearance of anything unusual. Next day, however, it was published throughout the town that this family have been visited by a ghastly supernatural spectacle, which had given them a dreadful fright; and from that day to the present, no explanation of the occurrence has ever reached the honest Lancastrians. 

But is it, therefore, to be considered as inexplicable? By no means. The present Professor - perfectly knows how it was that the frightful spectacle was presented. He was then a student of surgery, residing in the house of the tradesman in question. 

Having attended a poor Negro servant on his deathbed in the town hospital, he had cut off the head of the deceased, in order to make some investigations of the nature of the fatal disease. Carrying the dismal object home in a handkerchief, he happened to make a slip in going down the steep descent which led to the door of his lodging. 

Before he could recover himself, the head escaped from the handkerchief, and rolled down the slope. The outer door being open, and the parlour door directly opposite, the head burst through the latter, and rolling along the floor, only stopped at the feet of the astonished tea-party. 

When the young anatomist reached the place, he found the room empty, and lost no time in removing the head; the reality of which he did not afterwards think himself bound to affirm, as it might have lead to an unpleasant responsibility. And thus has a capital accredited apparition story taken root in the good town of Lancaster! 

At the conclusion of my anecdote, several expressed their belief that the majority of such tales would be found to have a similar foundation, if any foundation for them there were; but I could see that two or three of the ladies did not at all approve of that pestilent way which some people have of explaining away all wonderful things by a reference to familiar cases.

Taken from the Lancaster Gazette, date unknown