Spectral Hounds, Legends and a True Account

People who encounter these hounds are said to die within a year, if not on the same night. Those who sight them must lie down immediately, cross their arms and legs and repeat the Lord's Prayer until they have gone by.

Dogs who hear the Whisht Hounds baying are said to be sure to die.

According to legend, the hounds emerge from the woods every Midsummer Eve, the night of the summer solstice.

There have been documented Whisht Hound sightings since 1677 near Buckfastleigh. According to legend, Sir Richard Cabell was an evil man who was taken to hell the night of his death. His corpse was placed in a pagoda in a churchyard. Anybody foolhardy enough to poke a finger through the keyhole will have it chewed by his ghost.

The hounds have also been seen in a Wild Hunt led by the phantom of Sir Francis Drake at Buckfastleigh Abbey near Yelverton.

These phantom canines have been sighted by many.

One documented case is that of Amy Castile. She lived on the outskirts of Beccles in Suffolk, England. She was 16. During the twilight of the spring evening in 1923, she walked around a bend in the lane leading to her home. She felt intense terror as she looked at the holly hedge that bordered the lane.

She heard the growl, then saw the head of a huge hound is it came out of the hedge. Momentarily, the girl and the dog stared at each other. The dog headed in the direction of Amy's house

When she arrived home, she was filled with terror as she told her mother, Maude, about seeing the hellhound. The woman told her this was nonsense. Hellhounds did not exist, but Amy persuaded her to go outside and look at the paw prints for herself. This was the third time she had seen the animal. Her mother saw the tracks.

Amy refused to go out of or return to the house after sunset. Maude wanted to convince her that this hellhound business was her imagination and contacted psychic investigator Morley Adams.

He was very interested. Morely had heard about the Hellhound of Beccles, but had not been able to find anyone who had seen it. He made plans to investigate.

Before he arrived, Maude and Amy went shopping. It was growing late when they returned. As they neared the lane, Amy grew agitated and stopped in great fear. She heard the hellhound

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