On one occasion a dead man in his shroud answered the call, and silently
drew away the girl from the rest of the party. The fright turned her brain,
and she never recovered her reason afterwards. The horror of that
apparition haunted her for ever, especially as on November Eve it is
believed firmly that the dead really leave their graves and have power to
appear amongst the living.
* * *A young girl in a farmer's service was in the loft one night looking for
eggs when two men came into the stable underneath, and through a chink
in the boards she could see them quite well and hear all they said. To her
horror she found that they were planning the murder of a man in the
neighbourhood who was suspected of being an informer, and they settled
how they would get rid of the body by throwing it into the Shannon. She
crept home half dead with fright., but did not venture to tell any one what
she had heard. Next day, however, the news spread that the maim was
missing, and it was feared, he was murdered. Still the girl was afraid to
reveal what she knew, though the ghost of the murdered man seemed for
ever before her. Finally she could bear the place no longer, and, giving up
her situation, she went to another village some miles off and took service.
But on November Eve, as she was washing clothes in the Shannon, the dead
body of the murdered man arose from the water and floated towards her,
until it lay quite close to her feet. Then she knew the hand of God was in it,
and that the spirit of the dead would not rest till he was avenged. So she
went and gave information, and on her evidence the two murderers were
convicted and executed.
* * *If the cattle fall sick at thus season, it is supposed that some old fairy
man or woman is lying hid about the place to spy out the doings of the
family and work some evil spells.
A farmer had a splendid cow, the pride of his farm, but suddenly it
seemed ailing and gave no milk, though every morning it went and stood
quite patiently under an old hawthorn-tree as if some some were milking
her. So the man watched the time, and presently the cow came of herself
and stood under the hawthorn, when a little old wizened woman came forth
from the trunk of the tree, milked the cow, and then retreated into the tree
again. On this the farmer sent at once for a fairy doctor, who exorcised the
cow and gave it a strong potion, after which the spell was broken and the
cow was restored to its usual good condition and gave the milk as
heretofore.