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An Incident of the Crimean War: Parsons

Parsons could not forgive the indignity of having been sued for the borrowed money, and now began to hint that Fanny had come to her death unfairly, and not by small-pox at all, his villainons design being furthered by the sister of the deceased, who com- The fame of this ghost soon spread through Lon plained that the funeral was hurried, and also expressed her dissatisfaction at the will.

The faint suspicions that Parsons ventured to throw out made little progress for over two years, at the end of which time a sudden alarm spread through the neighborhood of Cock-lane that the house of the parish clerk was haunted by the ghost of poor Fanny.

Parsons, who had originated, took care to fan the flame, and, in answer to all inquiries, said that his house was, and had been ever since the death of Kent's sister-in-law, troubled with most mysterious knockdon. Every hour of the day and night was Cock-lane and its vicinity thronged with visitors of every degree, so that it was found expedient to fix a price for admission, to keep out the rabble-an arrangement highly satisfactory to the needy and villainous Mr. Parsons. The ghost, in consequence, played to a select audience every night. Unhappily for the parish clerk, the ghost was induced in a weak moment to make a promise which was the cause of its ruin. It not only promised, through the Rev. Mr. Aldrich, that it would follow little Miss Parsons wherever she went, but that it would attend the reverend gentleman to the vault ings and scratchings; and to corroborate the truth of where the remains of poor Fanny were deposited, and his statement, sent for a "gentleman of high respec- could manifest its presence by three distinct knocks tability" to come and witness the extraordinary occurrences. The gentleman came and found Parsons' daughter in bed, and trembling violently, having just seen the ghost, who had again informed her as it had previously done-that she had been murdered by the stock-broker. The room was filled with the most distracting rappings and scratchings, which so mystified the visitor that he took his departure, ashamed to believe and afraid to deny. He promised, however, to return next day, and bring with him the clergyman of his parish and some other gentlemen.

On the following night he returned, bringing with him three clergymen and about twenty other persons, including two negroes. The party resolved to sit up the whole night, and await the ghost's arrival.

It was explained by Parsons that the ghost would never render itself visible to any one but his daughter; it had no objection, however, to answer any question put by the company, expressing an affirmative by one knock, and a negative by two, and its displeasure by a scratching noise.

The child-Parsons' daughter-was put into bed with her sister; and after waiting for some hours with exemplary patience, the knocking was heard in the wall, and Parsons' daughter declared that Fanny was in the room. The following questions were then gravely put by the clergyman, through the medium of Mary Fraser, the servant of Parsons, and to whom the deceased had been much attached. "Do you make this disturbance on account of the ill-usage you received from Mr. Kent?" "Yes" (that is, one knock). on the murdered woman's coffin-lid. As a preliminary, the girl was conveyed to the house of Mr. Aldrich, where a large party of ladies and gentlemen had assembled.

About ten o'clock on the night of the Ist of April (a most appropriate day), the girl was put to bed in the presence of a number of ladies, a strict examination having been previously made that nothing was secreted in the bed-clothes. While the gentlemen were debating in another room if it would not be better to go in a body to the church vault, they were summoned by the ladies in the bed-room, who averred in great alarm that the ghost had come, and was knocking and scratching at a furious rate. The girl, on being asked if she saw the ghost, replied: "No, but that she felt it on her back like a mouse.' She was then required to put her hands out of bed, and they were held by the company; and while she was held in that position, the ghost was summoned to appear; but the walls in this instance seemed to have no ears, for they gave no answering knock-not even the faintest scratch denoted the ghostly presence. In vain did the expectant audience respectfully implore it to make the smallest token of its being among them-walls, ceiling and flooring were alike mute.

At this there was rather an awkward pause, and one of the clergymen went down-stairs to interrogate the father of the girl, who was below, awaiting the result of the experiment; but he indignantly denied any collusion with his daughter, averring that he himself had repeatedly seen and conversed with the ghost.

Upon which it was resolved to give it another trial; and a clergyman called upon the ghost in a loud voice "Were you brought to an untimely end by poison?" to fulfil its promise, and accompany them to the vault "Yes." "Was the poison administered in beer?'' "No." "In purl?" "Yes." "How long was that before your death ?? "About three hours." of St. John, Clerkenwell.

At one hour after midnight the whole company proceeded to the church, two of the party descending to the vault and taking their station beside Fanny's coffin. But it was of no use; in spite of repeated conjuration, the ghost would neither appear, nor knock, nor scratch; and the two gentlemen at last retired from. the vault, firmly convinced that the whole affair was an imposition got up by the Parsons family.

But they found it hard to convert the expectant throng in the church from their ghostly belief-one, more sagacious than the rest, suggesting that perhaps the awful being was offended at their presumption, and would not be trifled with; but it was resolved on all hands that if anything would provoke the sulky ghost to manifest its existence, it would be the presence of the murderer himself, and Mr. Kent was sent for.

This gentleman, glad of an opportunity to knock the vile conspiracy on the head, attended with alacrity, and once more the whole party descended into the vault, when Mr. Kent, proceeding to the coffin, enjoined the spirit, if it had the power, to appear and point out the guilty person; but although the whole party kept as silent as the relics of mortality around them, not a sound was heard. The Rev. Mr. Aldrich now tried his hand, using the most persuasive exhortations. The spirit was still obdurate; and after shivering in the noisome place for some hours, the whole of the audience were at last convinced that further stay would be useless, and that the whole thing was a diabolical imposition.

Mr. Kent, whose position for some time had been most painful, now indicted the whole gang, consisting of Parsons, his wife and daughter, Mary Fraser, their servant, the Rev. Mr. Moor, and a tradesman in the neighborhood, for conspiracy. The two latter, who had been among the first to propagate and encourage the fraud, were reprimanded from the bench, and the rest were imprisoned for various terms. Parson, was condemned to stand in the pillory three times, and to be imprisoned for two years.

Now for the intricate mechanism, the artful contrivances, that insured for the foul plot the success it so long enjoyed. Alas for human weakness! as it came out on the trial, the sole apparatus employed was a piece of board, which Miss Parsons took to bed with her, and on which she scratched with her nailswhile her father mystified the frightened visitors, who came especially to hear a ghost, and not to fathom out a swindle; and Mrs. Parsons managed the knocking business in the ceiling and wainscot. 5 Endurance.

OW much the heart may bear, and yet not break!

How much the flesh may suffer, and not die !

I question much if any pain or ache Of soul or body brings our end more nigh.

Death chooses his own time; till that is worn, All evils must be borne.

We shrink and shudder at the surgeon's knife; Each nerve recoiling from the cruel steel, Whose edge seems searching for the quivering life; Yet to our sense the bitter pangs reveal That still, although the trembling flesh be torn, This, also, can be borne.

We see a sorrow rising in our way, And try to flee from the approaching ill; We seek some small escape-we weep and pray- But when the blow falls, then our hearts are still, Not that the pain is of the sharpness shorn, But that it can be borne.

We wind our life about another life - We hold it closer, dearer than our own- Anon it faints and falls in deadly strife, Leaving us stunned, and stricken, and alone; But ah! we do not die with those we mourn- This, also, can be borne.

Behold, we live through all things-famine, thirst, Bereavement, pain, all grief and misery, All woe and sorrow; life inflicts its worst On soul and body-but we cannot die, Though we be sick, and tired, and faint, and worn; Lo! all things can be borne.