Clarence and Richmond Examiner and New England Advertiser (Grafton, NSW : 1859 - 1889), Saturday 13 May 1876, page 4


THE HAMILTON GHOST.

THE Hamilton (Victoria) Spectator writes:-"A considerable sensation prevails in the neighbourhood of Macarthur owing to the nocturnal presence of an apparition which has been seen by several persons on the estate of Mr Carmichael, at Harton Hills. It ap-pears that four men working at a job of fencing, were camped about two miles from the head station when they were alarmed some three or four nights ago by seeing a figure, draped in white, stalking backwards and forwards in the moonlight. So frightened were they that they beat a retreat to the station and com-municated the particulars to Mr Towart, the overseer, whilst a dog they had with them participated in the alarm, and ran away howling piteously. Next night a party of eight, including a policeman from the township, bivouacked in the haunted spot, and five of them were rewarded by getting a sight of the ghost. The news began to spread, and we understand that a huge party is to be made up from Macarthur with a view to solve the mystery if possible. Tradition states that the locality in question was, many years ago, the scene of a fatal affray, between the early settlers and the aboriginals, and that in these encounters the blacks came off second best. Of course, the supposition is that one of the natives so disposed of has ' jumped up whitefellow ' in fullfillment of the aboriginal belief,

and hence the astonishment of the nerves of the fen-cing party by his 'counterfeit presentment.' It should be mentioned that the ghost has already one casualty to answer for, inasmuch as one of the intended inter-viewists in his hurry to get a sight of the apparition, was thrown from his horse and broke his leg. We trust some of those who have have been fortunate enough to have seen the thing will send us a progress report. "