“No trace of the unfortunate Mrs. Charles Purvis being found, the precise manner of her death for many years remained a mystery. But the erratic babblings of her mother-in-law supplied material for certain conjectures, which were afterwards confirmed by the lucid and exhaustive confession of the old lady, who regained her reason on her deathbed. “Though a thorough restoration of the property was effected, Charles would never live at the Hall. A long series of unsatisfactory tenancies succeeded the events I have just related, and the story of a ghost has at length come to stay. “N.B.--I have good reason for believing the house is still (August 1908) haunted; most probably this will always be the case.” THE GUILSBOROUGH GHOST OR A MINUTE ACCOUNT[4] OF THE APPEARANCE OF THE GHOST OF JOHN CROXFORD EXECUTED AT NORTHAMPTON, AUGUST 4, 1764 For the Murder of a Stranger in the Parish of GUILSBOROUGH Printed in the year 1764 and reprinted by F. Cordeaux, Northampton, 1819 [4] The different styles of writing in the following are due to certain alterations I have been obliged to make, the English of the original being so involved in places as to be nearly unintelligible. PART I Technical form of apparition: Phantasm of dead Source of authenticity: Copied almost _ad verbum_ from the above MS., lent me by a resident in Guilsborough, August 5, 1908 Cause of Haunting: Murder PREFACE The publication from which the following extracts are taken was printed at Northampton (where the original may still be seen, August 1908) in the year 1764. It appears that the author, who was officiating there as temporary chaplain to the jail, was a man of indisputable and well-known integrity, and a very popular preacher throughout the county. In order to render his work useful and instructive, innumerable references are made to the Scriptures, but his quotations are of too great a length for the following abridged tract, which is copied from the original and contains only the account of the interview the author had with Croxford’s Ghost. THE GHOST It appears from the account given in a pamphlet reprinted and sold by G. Henson, Letterpress and Copper-plate Printer, Bridge Street, Northampton, 1848, that on Saturday, August 4, 1764, John Croxford, together with three others of the names of Seamark, Deacon and Butlin were tried at the Assizes of Northampton and convicted of murder.