Alexander Hastie Millar

Haunted Dundee Alexander Hastie Millar

IN every large town there are spots that have been made memorable by some incidents, some important event which had an influence upon local or national history, the birthplace of a hero, the humble weaver's shop, perchance, which afterwards developed into a colossal weaving factory. Such places have always an attraction, for the human mind looks back upon small beginnings that have produced unexpected results. There are also streets and houses in every city and village that have become notorious as the scenes of appalling crimes that have thrilled the hearts of those who heard of them long ago. All these places may be regarded as haunted by the memories of the past, whether they be pleasant or terrible. The following pages treat of many events in the history of Dundee which are memorable, such as the burning of the Churchesin 1841; the martyrdom of Grissel J affray in 1669; the wreck of the" Forfarshire " in 1838; and the Tay Bridge Disaster in 1879. Care has been taken to supply authentic accounts of all the incidents included in this volume; and in some cases--such as the trial of "The Wife 0' Denside"- documents are given which have hitherto been unknown or neglected. The title Haunted Dundee may have led some readers to expect only ghost stories--though the account of the Ghosts of Claypotts Castle deals with this branch of the subject-but the purpose of the author was rather to treat of haunting memories than of visitants from the other world. It was in the spirit of Andrew Lang's familiar poem on St. Andrews that the book was conceived: - St. Andrews by the Northern Sea, That is a haunted town to me. It is hoped that as the recorded facts in this volume have been carefully verified, it may long be referred to as an account of actual events, the particulars of which could not readily be ascertained without long and arduous research.