A True Ghost Story.
An evil spirit, which for some time past has been indulging in very strange antics and exciting no small terror and annoyance amongst her Majesty’s lieges in a locality closely neighbouring our city, has just, we are happy to state, been most effectually “laid” by the potent exorcism of a constable of police.
The house of Ashfield, near Danville, at present the residence of Mr Costelloe, of the National Bank, has for some time borne the character of being “haunted,” notwithstanding which evil reputation, Mr Costelloe for some years lived there without experiencing any annoyance or witnessing the unwelcome appearance of an unearthly visitant. But within the past few months, strange noises and supernatural sounds began to be heard in the premises, and the presence of the ghost was clearly evinced, although no one could aver that he ever actually made himself manifest to the human eye. He was obviously an eccentric spirit, and confined his recreations to rattling the window frames, rolling barrels about the yard, upsetting water vessels, and flinging showers of stones or pebbles on the roof of the house, obviously delighting in the rattle which they made upon the slates.
Mr Costelloe was at first amused at the idea of having it supposed a spirit had come from the “vasty deep” to enjoy such very undignified recreations here on earth; but at length the manifestations were carried to a very annoying pitch, and the alarm excited among his servants was very great. In this extremity he applied to the police authorities as being the power most likely to charm away such as this, and the authorities deputed Constable Macnamara, of the Smithsland station, to deal with the mischievous sprite 0 if he could catch him.
On Friday night the constable took two of his party with him and proceeded to the haunted mansion. He deemed it proper, before proceeding to business, to have a private conversation with the proprietor, and inform himself of everything in connexion with the supernatural manifestations. In the course of this conversation Mr Costelloe mentioned, as a curious fact, that the strange noises were seldom heard except when the servants had occasion to go into the yard after nightfall. On such occasions, however, pails of water which they had just pumped were dashed in their faces, tubs and barrels danced about them, showers of stones flew on the roof and fell about the yard, and in a variety of other ways the ghost gave token of his dislike of the poor affrighted women. Of course one of the two servants would not venture out after dark without the other, but “company” was no safeguard against the malignity of the shadowy intruder.
The constable having heard the story, suggested that the servants must have themselves enacted the ghost, to suit some private object. Mr Costelloe assured them this could not be the case; one of them, an elderly woman, was a confidential servant, long connected with his family, whom he had lately brought here from a distance for that reason. – The other was a young female, a native of the neighbourhood, who had conducted herself in a very exemplary manner whilst she had been in his employment. This assurance notwithstanding, the constable thought for himself, and privately arranged a plan of operations with his two men. First, however, he requested the two servants to accompany him and his men to the yard, and there pump a tub of water in order to see whether the ghost would proceed to work in their presence. This was done, but the spirit made no move.
They all adjourned to the kitchen, when Macnamara declared he considered the disturber must be some one who wished to annoy the family, and the best plan would be to lie in ambush outside, and catch him. He directed one of his men to go down to the avenue gate, in front of the house, and there conceal himself behind a pier; the other he ordered to proceed to a hedge at some distance from the back of the house and lying there perdue, till his guard should be relieved, to pounce upon and arrest any one approaching the premises. He said he would himself remain for a while in the kitchen with the servants lest after all it might be a real ghost, who would make his way to the house despite the guards at front and rere.
The constable sat by the fire and kept the woman in conversation till the clock struck 12, when he started up declaring his poor men would be perished, and he should bring them home to barracks for that night, promising that he would come again next evening and patrol about the house. He then suggested, as if the thought had suddenly struck him, that the women might as well go out to the pump again, whilst he would remain in the kitchen, observing that if any of the strange noises were now made it could be by a ghost alone, as his men at the gate and in the field at the rere would have let no man pass towards the house.
The women went accordingly, and pumped some water. The pail was not upset, but as they turned to the back door, the elder woman being just entering first, a shower of pebbles suddenly fell upon the roof of the house, and rattled to the ground. In another moment a loud scream was heard, and the constable on going forth, found the younger servant in the grasp of – not the ghost, but one of his policemen, who, by previous arrangement, instead of lying under the hedge had got into the yard and, having concealed himself there, observed the damsel fling the pebbles up to the roof whilst following the other servant to the door. This sprightly lass, whose name is Margaret Naughton, having been then led into the parlour before her master and mistress, was fain to confess to them the whole plot of the ghost and his antics – she had played the part herself, to frighten away the old woman, her fellow servant, whose presence in the establishment was not agreeable to her. She was, of course, dismissed at once from her employment, and is, we understand, to be summoned to the next Petty Sessions to answer to the offended laws of the land for her gross misconduct.
Two ladies, the Misses Lodge, sisters of the Rev. Nisbet Lodge, Clomantagh, resided in Ashfield house, a few years since, but were obliged to leave it owing to the systematic annoyance to which they were subjected by some mysterious visitant, who amused himself or herself after the fashion of the ghostly Miss Naughton, with strange noises, and made free with the contents of their larder in a very unghostly manner. The neighbours at the time suspected that their own servant, in whom they reposed implicit trust, acted the part of the evil spirit in order to influence them to leave the locality; which result ensued.
At that period Constable Macnamara and his party often spent a dreary night “lying in ambush” under the hedges at Ashfield, without detecting the ghost to whom the less wary Miss Naughton, of Warrington, ambitioned to act as successor. We have no doubt, however, that the evil spirit of Ashfield is now effectually exorcised, and will never again revisit the “glimpses of the moon.” – Kilkenny Moderator.
Waterford Mail, 19th February 1857.