Frightened to Death by a Ghost - Campo Lane Sheffield March 1855
Campo Lane circa 1905
The following reports are from the Sheffield and Rotherham Independent dated 7th and 10th March 1855
The two reports are very similar in both tone and narrative. The jury at the inquest retuned the only verdict that was available to them "sudden but natural death" No-one else but Mrs. Rollinson had seen the apparition or spectre and so they had to rely on the last words of a deceased person. The reports do suggest Mrs Rollinson was terrified and was "frightened to death" but that verdict was not available to the jury. It is also interesting to note the inferred prejudice by the newspaper against the Church of the Latter Day Saints. It is clear from the headline in the second report that they thought the whole affair was one of "mormonite superstition" but I am not so sure.
Sources
Sheffield and Rotherham Independent 7th and 10th March 1855
Sheffield Indexers
UK Census
This page was last updated on 27/09/23 07:31