Welsh UFO sightings from 1876. For sightings from other years please click HERE.
PRESS
August 1876
Cwmdare
A boy was found guilty of stone throwing which colleagues' had feared was a ghost. He denied the charge. The Merthyr Telegraph of August 25th reported:
LAYING A GHOST — COCK LANE REDIVIVUS -David Howells, a stoker, was charged with having wilfully damaged several panes of glass, the property of the Wayne's Merthyr Steam Coal Company (Limited.) -Mr Linton, who appeared for the prosecution, stated that the defendant (a mere youth) was employed by the Company as stoker at the boilers of a ventilating engine at Cwmdare, and was working night turn along with a man named Samuel Kimber, who had charge of the engine. Defendant came about ten o'clock on the night of Wednesday, the 10th inst., to Kimber, and told him that some one had been whistling near the boilers, and that the doors of the firegrates bad all been thrown open.
Later in the night he complained that stones had been thrown at him and the engineman, who had searched the premises when first spoken to, himself heard a stone thrown at the boilers. Another search was made, but Kimber failed to discover any person. On the following night defendant came screaming to the enginemau and said, "Sam, they are breaking the windows." It then turned out that a window had been broken, and defendant showed Kimber a piece of shale with which he said the damage had been committed. Kimber, who now began to feel uneasy, despatched the lad to the watchman, Jenkin Giles, and to the Taff Vale policeman for assistance.
He was away about an hour and a half, and about ten minutes before he again showed himself, Kimber, who had been joined by a fitter named Phillip Thomas, heard, as they were discussing the mysterious occurrences, a couple of stones fall upon the boilers close by them. Defendant, on making his appearance, was told to go upon the railway close by, and report if he saw anyone. Both men shortly afterwards heard him cry, "Here he is; here he is," and they rushed by different routes towards him. Defendant described to them very minutely a man whom he professed to have seen, and who disappeared just before they came up. The lad was then sent away in search of the foreman engineer, Mr. Joliffe, and shortly after his return another window was broken in the same way.
P.C. Cole then came there, and while, the occurrences were being detailed to him a piece of shale struck just upon the spot where they stood. The next night, notwithstanding the presence of the police and several other persens, all of whom were there for the express purpose of watching for the author of the mischief, five other panes of glass were broken. On the third night a smith named Thomas hid himself under some railway trucks within view of the fires to which the defendant attended, and saw him place a stone upon the steps leading to the top of the boilers. After a while Thomas saw the boy take up the stone and slip it into his pocket. Just before this Thomas had seen him rush among the steam pipes upon the boiler top, and directly afterwards a stone went through the window of the engine-bouse, which was in a line with the place where defendant must have been standing.
Thomas, after seeing the boy slip the stone which he had placed upon the boiler into his pocket, collared him and asked him to give it up. Defendant at first denied that he had a stone at all, but afterwards said he had kept one in order to show the engineman that he (defendant) had been pelted with a stone of the same sort as that which had broken the windows. In Thomas's attempts to take the stone from the lad it fell back into the stoke- hole and was lost. No stone had been thrown after that.
About eight witnesses were called in all, and their evidence fully bore out this statement. Mr. Phillips, who appeared for the defendant, after commenting upon the absence of all motive for the perpetration of such wanton mischief, contended that it was impossible for a mere lad like the defendant to have escaped detection when it was considered that there were so many eyes upon him. Defendant's mother, who happened to be present when the last stone was thrown, was then called, and swore that her son was inside the engine-house at the time, and that the stone had come from without. The Bench considered that the evidence clearly made out the case. In the absence of direct proof it was impossible to have anything stronger. Defendant would be fined £1, and would have to pay 5s. as compensation for the damage, and the costs in addition.
The Aberdare Times of August 26th 1876 reported:
A WOULD-BE GHOST. - David Howells, 14, who looked small for his age, was charged with wilfully damaging the property of the Wayne's Merthyr Steam Coal Company, by breaking the windows in one of their engine sheds, at Cwmdare. Mr Linton prosecuted, and Mr T. Philips defended. It appeared that the lad was employed as stoker with an engineman named Samuel Kimber. On Thursday night the lad seems to have commenced a series of mischievous tricks and misrepresentations to the engineman.
On the followirg might several windows were broken in the shed, and the lad continued for two or three nights following to run to Kimber, apparently much frightened, saying that stones were being thrown at him and the windows by some unknown persons. At last a watch was set, and eventually a man, named Price Richards, saw the boy acting in a suspicious manner, and at last put a large stone in his pocket. He ran to him, but in the struggle which ensued, the stone was lost. On examination, the windows were found to have been broken from the inside, and altogether the circumstantial evidence pointed to the boy as the culprit. The Bench, after spending about two hours over the case, were of opinion that the boy was guilty of this mischievous conduct to the injury of the company's premises, and fined him 20s aud costs.
Morien's column 'Spirit of the Welsh Press' in the Western Mail focused on the spiritualist movement for August 16th 1876:
There are some people in Ystradgynlais who are greatly shocked at the conduct of some of their friends who believe in spiritualism. "Brychan Tawe" no more believes in spiritual manifestatations than Mr. Jenkins does in the existence of the arch enemy, in plain lanuage, the devil; and he is loud in his complaint in the Gwladgarwr against some "religious people," inhabitants of the above locality, who declare that they can communicate with individuals who have shuffled off their mortal coil. What appears to annoy "Brychan Tawe" very much is that these "religious people" pretend to be able to communicate with Gwyn-fa, and also with the painful place."
He tells the Welsh world that he has heard that "they have spoken with the ghost of a young man who died in the locality about twelve months ago, and that he told them he is in the second class in Gwynfa." We are also told by "Brychan" that his neighbours are about to question the ghost for another who died a short time ago, with the view of ascertaining in what class he found himself when he reached his destination. "Brychan" does not appear to be of the same opinion as Shakespeare, that "there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in the world's philosophy." He knows all about it, and is shocked.
Morien knows very well that when he was a boy ghosts appeared but too frequently, to his peace of mind, to some old women in the neighbourhood, and "Edward y Meiswn" declares that when he was a lad "corpse candles" frequently flitted about Tonyrefail after dark. "Shan Ynysyerug," too, states that a noted place for "corpse candles" was a certain bridge in the neighbourhood of Abergorky Farm, in the Rhondda Valley. In the immediate neighbourhood was a stable and on a certain night, at a late hour, there were so many ghostly visitors with "candles" in the neighbourhood of the bridge that he was able to dispense with his lantern while attending to the horses. It is much to be regretted that the ostler did not pluck up sufficient courage to attend the ghostly meeting to ascertain the subject under discussion by "corpse candle" light.
I feel certain that "Mari Hywel y Crydd," and "Peggi Tomos Hywel," could yet describe ghostly visits to Ystradyfodwg in such a way that wonld make "Brychon's" hair stand on end, and convince him that "there is something in it." If I were "Brychan" I would hesitate before publishing my scepticism as to ghostly visits to this other "Ystrad," for the ghosts may take the matter into their own hands and reveal their presence in the old-fashioned way to his considerable discomfort.
August 31st column also reported on spiritualist activity:
"I never," writes an enthusiastic spiritualist from Ystradgunlais, "I never thought until now that it is possible to move a table from the floor without physical agency. For the purpose of seeing for myself if things were as they said, viz., that it was possible to speak with people who had departed this life — some old and others young, some who had newly departed, others who had died scores and hundreds of years ago, I attended a seance. I found the table went up, and spelt people's names by giving a rap for each letter until the name as concluded; to indicated that thing were satisfactory the table gave three raps, but if things were the reverse, it gave only one - this is the rule of the round table."
The writer then states that, although a sceptic at first, the table now obeys him. But he admits that occasionally the "vord" gives incorrect answers. He - the writer, not the ghosts — then devotes the remainder of his article to attack Brychan Tawe for some remarks publihed by him in the Gwladgarwr upon tho Ystradgynlais spiritualists. "I would prefer," continues the writer, "bread and water in Grantham prison than be this Brychan. We have done nothing but comply with the Scriptural injunction to prove everything and held that which is good. Has this Brychan attained a degree of sanctity unattained by his brethren of the same church?" The writer then, as if afraid of the deacons, says:— "I am far from believing that the table is moved by a ghost, but all I have spoken to believe it in done by electricity; the marvellous influence of animal magnetism, and that, therefore, spirit rapping is not wrong."
There is a degree of doubting to be seen in the above remarks, and the writer is apparently of opinion that if the thing is done by a ghost it must be the "bad ghost," and that, therefore, it is "wrong" to meddle with it. How prone people are to attribute everything to the devil. The writer piously remarks, at the close of his article, "I hope everyone will have quiet until the resurrection, when the fate of each will be made known." Brychan Tawe's among the rest.
Another writer appears to have been not a little frightened. He says in reference to what his friends had said they had witnessed, "it is enongh to strike terror into the stoutest heart. Sometimes, after sitting down, we are told, two or three hours, the ghost would come to us in a terrible rage. Probably this induced the first to attribute the affair to devilish agency, and the table would be shaken violently; at other times he would come in an amiable mood." He is evidently an impulsive ghost, probably that of an Irishman. "But," continues the writer, "what astonishes me is, that the ghost counsels us to live a sober, honest, and religious life."
This is intended for the deacons, who will naturally conclude, after the above testimony, that the ghost is "not so bad after all." We are informed, however, that the ghost is reticent as to what he is. "Now," adds the writer, "to he fair to one side as well as the other, and admitting that the distance between us and the other world — the world of spirits — is but the thickness of the eye (trwych y llygad), and that we are existing in the midst of ghosts; we are not, nevertheless, to understand that the ghosts are loose (penrhydd), unruly (dircol), and confused (annrhefness), but that they have their laws, and that they act in accordance with those laws.
He then gives a list of three lands of ghosts. "Firstly, the spirit of God, whose ways are peace, and whose works are in accordance with law and order, continuing to this hour. Let us ascend the mountain top, amd watch there the dawn; we do not hear there the sound of chariot nor the hum of wheels. Look at the sun, the king of day: we hear no murmuring (si, literally whizzing) accompanying its coming, but it is as silent as silence itself. It entered the chamber to the disciples without their knowing it. Therefore this spirit which entrsn violently and disorderly, shaking tables, &c., cannot be the Spirit of God. Again, the evil spirit, or the devil.
We do not know what form this cunning creature would take to appear to men; whether peaceably or noisy he would come; but this is certain, that he would not so violate the nature of his kingdom as to advise people to be contrary to what he is himself. Christ said, 'If Satan will throw out Satan, he is divided against himself, and how will his kingdom stand? Therefore if we are to search (chwilio) and harmonise (cynsoni) the subject in accordance with the laws of nature and logic, we arrive at the conclusion that an evil spirit cannot preach peace and justice, or he has divided against himself." The writer concludes by expressing an opinion that the world must rest satisfied with the teaching of "Moses and the Prophets," and that no good spirit has come from the dead.
The topic was continued in the September 22nd edition:
The question of ghosts is still discussed by the people of Ystradgyulais, judging from the Gwladgarwr and the following incident is related as proving that spiritualism is all a sham. On Saturday a young couple went from Ystradgyulais to Pontardawe, intending to get married at the last named place. But through some misfortune the clergyman failed to make his appearance, and they had to put it off until another day. That night, after returning home, a company of spiritualists met and sat at a table "to have a chat" with the ghosts.
One of the ghosts that came to the leg of the table that night was the father of the intended bride. It was asked several questions relating to his children, and it answered each question satisfactorily through the leg of the table. It was then asked questions about his daughter. It was asked was she married, and answered in the affirmative. It was then asked if she had been married a twelve month. The answer was in the negative. Had she been married a month, then? The leg answered "No." Had she been married a day? The answer was still in the negative. The intelligent ghost was then asked how many hours had elapsed since she was married? The ghost then knocked with the leg the number of hours, giving the time she had intended to be married. "This," says the writer, "was enough to prove that deception had been practised." Another writer calls attention to the exposure of Dr. Slade's imposture.
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