Newspaper Clipping of the Day

There are many ghost stories where an angry or anxious spirit returns to give the living certain tasks they want carried out.  One particularly soap-operaish example appeared in the “Dundee Courier” on July 3, 1872:

Sometime ago an elopement took place from a small country village not one hundred miles from the High Street of Dundee.  The facts of the case are summarily these--A husband and wife lived together with their five children.  The pair did not seem to have enjoyed a continuous flow of domestic bliss, as during the greater part of every day rows were very frequent.  This sort of thing lasted several years, and might have been still going on had not the wife become enamoured of a gay and sprightly young gardener, who in turn reciprocated her affection.  This acquaintance had not been long developed when a “bolt” was proposed and agreed upon.  The loving couple therefore disappeared one fine morning.  The couple came straight to Dundee and took up their abode in one of the streets at the west end of the town, where they were allowed to remain unmolested, the husband preferring to allow his unfaithful spouse the “freedom of her own will.”

For a time all went merry as a marriage bell, until, alas! the grave destroyer, “Death,” seemed likely to have his due by fixing on the wife his withering hand.  The unfortunate fair one was seized with smallpox, and died.  Before her death she laid down a few instructions to her non-repentant lover, and obtained his promise to seek out and take charge of her two youngest children.  This the young Lothario solemnly promised to do.

Some weeks elapsed without the promise being fulfilled.  One night after the pseudo-husband had retired to rest, he was awakened by a visit from the “spirit,” as he himself styled it, of his late partner.  She accused him of infidelity and breach of his sacred trust, and warned him that unless he at once proceeded to fulfill his promise she had a message from the dead to call him hence in a fortnight.

Stricken with terror, he slept no more that night.  As soon as day had dawned made his way to the residence of his late wife’s husband, and asked him for the children.  This request the husband refused to comply with, and this put the gardener into a terrible state of mind.  Day after day of the time of grace expired, and during the whole time Morpheus almost entirely refused him sympathy.  At length the looked for and dreaded time arrived, and on Friday evening last, as he was lighting his fire previous to the evening meal, a hand was laid forcibly on his shoulder, and a sepulchral voice exclaimed--”William, why have you not got my children?  You coward, go and have them by this day week, else you die.”

The poor wretch was chained to the spot, and lay for some hours insensible.  At length, when he came to himself, he ran to the house of a friend, and told the whole affair, which seemed to give him some relief.  Ever since he had refused to go into the house; and thoroughly believes the apparition to have been real.

I’d love to know how William the Gay and Sprightly Gardener got himself out of this mess, but I couldn’t find any follow-ups to this story.