True Irish Ghost Stories | Page 8

for damages
done to his house.
Kiernan altogether denied the charges, but asserted that Waldron's
house was notoriously haunted. Witnesses proved that every night,
from August 1884 to January 1885, stones were thrown at the windows
and doors, and extraordinary and inexplicable occurrences constantly
took place.
Mrs. Waldron, wife of the plaintiff, swore that one night she saw one of
the panes of glass of a certain window cut through with a diamond, and
a white hand inserted through the hole. She at once caught up a
bill-hook and aimed a blow at the hand, cutting off one of the fingers.
This finger could not be found, nor were any traces of blood seen.
A servant of hers was sorely persecuted by noises and the sound of
footsteps. Mr. Waldron, with the aid of detectives and policemen,
endeavoured to find out the cause, but with no success. The witnesses
in the case were closely cross-examined, but without shaking their
testimony. The facts appeared to be proved, so the jury found for
Kiernan, the defendant. At least twenty persons had testified on oath to
the fact that the house had been known to have been haunted.[2]
[Footnote 2: See Sights and Shadows, p. 42 ff.]
Before leaving the city and its immediate surroundings, we must relate
the story of an extraordinary ghost, somewhat lacking in good manners,
yet not without a certain distorted sense of humour. Absolutely
incredible though the tale may seem, yet it comes on very good
authority. It was related to our informant, Mr. D., by a Mrs. C., whose
daughter he had employed as governess. Mrs. C., who is described as
"a woman of respectable position and good education," heard it in her
turn from her father and mother. In the story the relationship of the
different persons seems a little involved, but it would appear that the
initial A belongs to the surname both of Mrs. C.'s father and

grandfather.
This ghost was commonly called "Corney" by the family, and he
answered to this though it was not his proper name. He disclosed this
latter to Mr. C.'s mother, who forgot it. Corney made his presence
manifest to the A---- family shortly after they had gone to reside in ----
Street in the following manner. Mr. A---- had sprained his knee badly,
and had to use a crutch, which at night was left at the head of his bed.
One night his wife heard some one walking on the lobby, thump, thump,
thump, as if imitating Mr. A----. She struck a match to see if the crutch
had been removed from the head of the bed, but it was still there.
From that on Corney commenced to talk, and he spoke every day from
his usual habitat, the coal-cellar off the kitchen. His voice sounded as if
it came out of an empty barrel.
He was very troublesome, and continually played practical jokes on the
servants, who, as might be expected, were in terror of their lives of him;
so much so that Mrs. A---- could hardly induce them to stay with her.
They used to sleep in a press-bed in the kitchen, and in order to get
away from Corney, they asked for a room at the top of the house, which
was given to them. Accordingly the press-bed was moved up there. The
first night they went to retire to bed after the change, the doors of the
press were flung open, and Corney's voice said, "Ha! ha! you devils, I
am here before you! I am not confined to any particular part of this
house."
Corney was continually tampering with the doors, and straining locks
and keys. He only manifested himself in material form to two persons;
to ----, who died with the fright, and to Mr. A---- (Mrs. C.'s father)
when he was about seven years old. The latter described him to his
mother as a naked man, with a curl on his forehead, and a skin like a
clothes-horse(!).
One day a servant was preparing fish for dinner. She laid it on the
kitchen table while she went elsewhere for something she wanted.
When she returned the fish had disappeared. She thereupon began to
cry, fearing she would be accused of making away with it. The next

thing she heard was the voice of Corney from the coal-cellar saying,
"There, you blubbering fool, is your fish for you!" and, suiting the
action to the word, the fish was thrown out on the kitchen floor.
Relatives from the country used to bring presents of vegetables, and
these were often hung up by Corney like Christmas decorations round
the kitchen. There was one particular press in the kitchen he would not
allow anything into. He would throw it out again. A crock with meat in