Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, December 19, 1915, Page 23

™ [Tie OMAHA SUNDAY BEE MAGAZINE PaGE] | ffro./ Yoners 720 ‘W’dp ADY DUFF-GORDON, the famow “Lucile” of Lobdon, and foremoet L creator of fashions in the world, writes each week the fashion article for this newspaper, presenting all that is newest and best in style for well- drewed women. centre L.JI}'MM'-P&MMWMM&-&.A*‘" of fashion. By Lady Duff-Gordon ("LUCILE™) HILE attepding the exposition W given at the Rits the other week by a soclety formed of French models especially sent to Amer foa I was greatly impressed by the charm and newness of the coats and wraps, the fulness and form given in every coat and the decorative value shown by the many uses to which they are put. The full skirts of to-day, of course, demand fuller coats to go with them. The dresses, however, did not impress me nearly so much. I was sur prised to find the waist line bundly look- ing. Large hips and full skirts must of necessity call for small and long waist line in contrast. ke, S o 42 . r three-piese gowns. which difter trom the A Durable Coat of Sand- akirt three-plece of a season Colored Duvetyn 0 mvw sleeves and’a hood, all of is of which are bound on both er at #ides with a band of chin- surprise is , o r, ) Mmmomg.r“thmd. ':IIU t‘;;u ::flh‘::: Of Green Ratine, Trimmed with Fox, Kid Lined -tw‘mm“ nm:mm':‘mmmamfi: of black ver gray bows. A little cuffs are enormous, and are mede of | ful gown for restaurant or dance. It is muff matches the fur and the dress, and. white skunk. The third coat is made of worn with & velvet hat and transparent llRM;m‘Hn;lnrdln.. L PAR green mhmm lu(on:i match 1ace more durable coat is shown trimmed with lined througho :::‘m.m“ b ‘ol oo smaller picture. It is of sand colored with kid. It {s pleced together in a de- uvetyn, with enormous box pleat, which sign not unlike the crasy quflts of our | | ) Ny A Three-Plece Cloak of Gray Faille Silk, wil. Sleeves and Hood Bound with Chinchilla. (“Lucile” Mode!) begins under the arm and continues to grandmothers, but in two colors only— | the back of the skirt. mwlllrul nsmely, gray and black. What Has Become of Belgium’s Historic “Ghosts”? A remarkable article has appeared in the Occult Review inywhich ElMott O'Donnell, famous in England for his ad- ‘véntures in psychical research, raises some interesting ques- tions about the fate of Belglum's historic “ghosts.” Many of the chateau and other buildings which housed these phan- toms have been destroyed by German shelld. What has be- come of their ghostly occupants? Mr. O'Donnell does not answer the question, but goes on to tell some of the more remarkable “phenomena.” Belgium for its size, writes Mr O'Donnell, oan testify to having seen more homicides—more deeds of cruelty and rapine—thdn any cther country in Europe, and on that ac- count it can point to many more hauntings. Prior to the 'war 1 was engaged in collecting accounts of ghostly happenings on the Continent. and have now selected & fow of these that have come from Belgium. As Bruges ap- pears to be the most haunted town in Belglum. I will refer to It first. The moment one leaves the clean, well-lighted thorough- fares of the new part of Bruges, and enters the cobble-paved, narrow precincts of the older portion, there is a something in the atmosphere, in the hush and solitude, that whispers in the ears of even the least imaginative among us. “All Is not of the material, of the physical HER! Some years ago Mrs. Vertue, a friend of mine, whilst on a lengthy annual visit to the Continent, decided to spend a few days in the town, and arriving there about the second week in September—the time of year when spontaneous pdychic phe- nomena are, in all probability, of most frequent occurrence— put up at a small hotel, not far from Van Schellen's celeb: old Dutch cafe. What happened during her stay there cau best, perhaps, be related in her own words. “I felt,” w0 she remarked in her first latter to me, written on SBeptember 11, but not apparently posted till the 13th, “that there was something queer abont the place the moment | crossed the threshold. One may, of course, attribute the:-sensa tion solely to the antiquity of the place—to the low oellings, with their huge, ponderous cross-beems “It became less noticeable, however. after | had been in the house for awhile, and I soon forgot all about it in the Interest generated by the noveity of my surroindings. My bed room overlooked the street. It was a long. low, rectangular room with dormer windows, the walls were draped with imita tion tapestry of & very starting design, the bed was a huge four-poster. | never was afrald of being aloneé’at night, and in spite of the strangeness of the room. ] got into bed quite unconcernedly and fully prepared to sleep soundly until the morning. “I awoke with a start to hear a cuckoo clock in the house strike one. The room was full of moonlight, and every object as clearly discernible as if ft had been day. A feeling of in- tense exhilaration seizing me, I got up, and going to the win: dow, threw it wide open and leaned out. My eyes inimediately encountered the gase of some one peering up &t me from immediately beneath the window sill. The face I looked into was. long, narrow and swarthy It had s pointed beard and a lopg moustache, very much bewaxed at the ends. The eyes were dark, and as they met mine they smiled sardonically. 1 have never seen such an evil emlle. | drew In my head sbarply, and when I looked again the man had disappeared. 1 got back into bed, but I could not sleep, and on seeing the proprietress of the hotel in the morning. | mentioned the inci- dent to her, adding that | hoped there were plenty of police about. *Xou need bave no alarm. madam, she sald; ‘the man Copuright, LD, by e Btar Compusy. Grew Batiain Rigsle Rescrve you saw is quite harmless—merely & poor, half-witted fellow who occasionally wanders abroad et night.’ “She said this {n the presence of one or two other guests, and | caught them exchanging glances, “That night | agafn got out of bed, and on going to the window saw the same figure. This time I endeavored to take a snapshot of it, but it disappeared the moment | got the camera fixed on it, and | obtained no result. “The following night [ went to supper with some friends at the Hotel St. Antolne, and did not leave till close on one o'clock. A Mr. Kirkwood saw me home, and whilst we were walkiog along, I told him of my experience on the preceding nights. “‘It's about now that the queer man appears,’ 1 observed, and my heart gave one or two thumps when, on turning a corner, wé arrived within sight of the hotel. The mooniight was just as much in evidence as on the former occasions, but there was no sign of any figure. Mr. Kirkwood escorted me up to the door and was saylng good-night when a hand suddenly ‘gripped hold of my shoulder so sharply that I gave a little cry of pnln. “Whatever's the matter?” Mr Kirkwood ejaculated. hope you're not {117 “*“Who's that behind me?" I demanded. “‘Behind you? Mr. Kirkwood repeated. in astonishment. ‘Why, po one! What do you mean? Nothiog, | said faintly. ‘Only—just ‘for = moment fancied some one caught hold of me.' 1 then bade him goods night and enteréd the hotel. “(n the morning 1 lobked abt my shoulder. There was & brulse, such a mark as wou'd #ave been caused by fingers. “Ileft the hotel at noon that day and put ap at a boarding house in the new port Jf the town. 3n my telling one of the visitors where I had been staying, she exclaimed: “‘Did you see tho ghost?' “*The ghost!' | cried, pretending to laugh “Don't tell me the place Is haunted. “‘Why, dido't you know? she said. ‘At the time of the Spanish occupation of the town, one of the Spanish inquisitors lived in the house, and had dyngeons excavated, where he condemned countless poor wretches to hideous tortures. Soma of these dungeons are still in existence, and are used as cellars for the storage of anthracite, wood and other articles. They are generally reputed to be badly haunted—haunted by many phenomena, but chiefly by the phantom of @ very sinister-look- ihg man sipposed by some to be the Grand Inquisitor himself. ‘This apparition is usually encountered on the steps leading to the:cellars, but has been seen standing in the doorway of the house, and several people who have stayed at the hotel declare they have felt him grip them by the shoulders, fust as material counterpart might have gripped the unfortunate. Flemish Protestants three hundred and twenty years ago, when he arrested them and hissed in their ears, “The Holy Mother has need of you."' “‘And these stories are really current? I observed. “*Yes.' she sald, ‘they are known to every one in the town, nor have | heard them merely trom s gers, for several of my friends bave stayed at the hotel and have experienced one or other of the manifestations.' " Another case of haunting in Belgium comes from the trenches at Mons. Two wounded soMiers assured me that during the battle they kept seeing the figure of an old woman in @ queer poke bonnet and bright blue skirt, who repeatedly got in their line of fire. “At first we thought she was a Belgian farm woman,” they said. “but when she continued to move about umder a con- stant hail of bullets, some of which must have hit h zed she was nothing human. We commented on presence, and a sergeant who overheard us exclaime: you see her, too, beys? It's my old mother, twelve years ago, in her eighty-second year. I dell come for me." And he spoke the truth,” my informan ed, “for directly he had finished speaking a shrapnel bu most on the top of us, and literally blew him to pleges. We lay wound- ed there for some hours. but the old woman did not appear again.”