Years ago when Mr. Code was a small boy living at Innisville, near Carleton Place, he had a somewhat unnerving experience. One summer night, rather late. Mr. Code, then a youth of about 18, and his mother were driving home from Carleton Place in a buggy pulled by the old family mare. They had reached the middle of Shepherd’s bush (it is still there, though not so dense) when the mare topped In her tracks and showed signs of nervousness. The whip failed to make the animal move.
As Mr. Code and his mother looked ahead they saw approaching what looked like a streak of white. It looked like what a ghost might be expected to look like. As they stared, it disappeared. But soon the white streak reappeared closer. The horse began to shiver and back up (a sure sign of ghost, the boy thought). The next time the white streak appeared it was only about twenty feet in front of the horse and to the left side of the road.
When it was seen again it was going by the side of the buggy and a gruff voice said brusquely, “Good night.”
The “white streak ghost” turned out to be a *Mr. Joseph Doherty who was a music and singing teacher who taught classes in schools, churches, homes and town halls, etc., and was on his way home. This Mr. Doherty always made a practice of wearing a long white linen duster. Once the horse got a close-up look at Mr. Doherty it ceased to tremble and went ahead quietly.
The story, Mr. Code says, shows that even so called occult senses of horses cannot always be relied on.
The explanation of the white streak being seen now and again in that dark overhanging bush was that there were short breaks in the bush, and where the music teacher crossed the moonbeams which filtered through the bush, he was momentarily illuminated and assumed a ghostly appearance.
| NAME: | Joseph Doherty |
|---|---|
| GENDER: | Male |
| MARITAL STATUS: | Single |
| AGE: | 71 |
| BIRTH YEAR: | 1820 |
| BIRTH PLACE: | Ireland |
| RESIDENCE DATE: | 1891 |
| RESIDENCE PLACE: | Carleton Place, Lanark South, Ontario, Canada |
| RELATION TO HEAD: | Lodger |
| RELIGION: | Church of England |
| CAN READ: | Yes |
| CAN WRITE: | Yes |
| FRENCH CANADIAN: | No |
| FATHER’S BIRTH PLACE: | Ireland |
| MOTHER’S BIRTH PLACE: | Ireland |
| DIVISION NUMBER: | 1 |
| NEIGHBOURS: | View others on page |
| HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS: | NameAgeJoseph Doherty71John C Doherty50Hannah Doherty40John A C Doherty5 |
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