Category: Uncategorized
“Ghosts of Galveston” Set for Second Printing
I simply can’t thank everyone enough for your kind support of and enthusiasm about my “Ghosts of Galveston” book.
I just received word that after being released less than a month ago, GOG has been sent to press for a second printing.
I’m obviously very excited about being able to share stories about Galveston with you, and grateful for the response!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
The Floating Coffin
Among the most famous and tantalizing stories to come from the “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” franchise is one that begins with a death at the Tremont House Hotel in Galveston.
An Omen
The curious tale began when a young actor named Charles Francis Coghlan visited a gypsy fortuneteller. The mystical soothsayer told Coghlan that he would die at the height of his fame in a southern U. S. city – but that he would have no rest until he returned home.
The prediction tormented Coghlan, disturbing him so much that he repeated it to friends and co-workers numberous times in the course of his life.
Over the next thirty years, Coghlan became one of the most famous actors of his day, appearing on stages across the U.S. and Europe. During the rare weeks that he did not appear on the stage, he and his wife retreated to their beloved home on Canada’s Prince Edward Island.
Fate Enters
On October 30, 1899, Coghlan arrived in Galveston with his performing troupe, ready to present one of his own works,
titled “The Royal Box.”
He never had the chance to appear on stage on the island, however. He became seriously ill with what doctors at the time diagnosed as acute gastritis. His understudy, Mr. Robinson, received wonderful reviews often mistakenly credited to Coghlan in print.
The actor’s wife remained with him, transcribing the first four acts of a new play, which he dictated while resting for four weeks. But, after an abrupt relapse of pain, he died in bed at the Tremont Hotel on November 27, with his distraught wife by his side. He was 57 years old and at the peak of his career.
His body was taken to the Levy Brothers Funeral Home, while his wife attempted to make arrangements in a strange city far from family and friends.
The griev
ing widow knew that her husband, upon his death, had wanted to be cremated and buried in New York. Galveston did not have a crematorium at the time, so she arranged for her husband’s body to be sh
ipped to the nearest facility in St. Louis.
By the time those preparations were made, a flood of demands from family and admirers insisted he be taken immediately to New York. It is no wonder that confusion exists about the final arrangements for the disposition of the actor’s body. Unfortunately, the funeral home records from this time were destroyed in 1979.
Her funds and energy exhausted, Coughlan’s widow had his remains placed in a temporary receiving vault at the Lakeview Cemetery until she could manage to have him sent to New York the following year.
In September of the following year, the infamous 1900 Storm hit Galveston, killing thousands and sweeping coffins out of mausoleums and vaults. Though
the vault where Coghlan’s body was constructed of heavy granite blocks, it was washed away like so many other structures on the island.
Those coffins that were recovered were reinterred in the cemetery, but many were never found. Coughlan’s casket, which was among the missing, had been caught in the swift-running current and believed to have been swept into the Gulf of Mexico. The New York Actor’s Club offered a sizable reward, but the casket was never located.
Because his widow had purchased an elaborate cast iron casket for her beloved, it is highly unlikely it could do anything but sink in a body of water.
Going Home
In 1929, an edition of “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” published a rumor that had developed in the years after the storm.
The original Ripley feature said: “Charles Coughlan comes home! He died in 1899, and he was buri
ed in Galveston. When the tragic flood came his coffin was washed out to sea and the Gulf Stream carried his around Florida and up the coast to Prince Edward Island – 2,000 miles distant – where he had lived.”
Ripley mentioned in October of 1908, fishermen spied a large box floating the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Snagging it with their nets, they pulled the badly damaged object to shore. A silver plate was revealed after cleaning off a few barnacles, which identified it as the casket of Charles Coughlan.
The legend tells that the actor was taken to his home church on Prince Edward Island and buried near the church where he was baptized in 1841. His wandering spirit was finally home.
Truth or Urban Myth?
Numerous books and articles have been written about the incident over the years, with slight to outrageous changes in the details. A brief internet search yields several versions of the story.
Local cemetery records of the small church on Prince Edward are considered to be complete and accurate. They show no sign of Charles Coughlan’s burial, and no gravestone exists.
It was reported that his daughter, actress Gertrude Coughlan Pitou visited Prince Edward in the 1980s and stated that her father’s remains had not been recovered or reinterred in Galveston. This report is seemingly eerie enough, since Gertrude herself died in 1952!
His sister, actress Rose Coughlan, was highly offended by the stories about her brother and she asked Robert Ripley for a retraction. Ripley, ever the savvy businessman, declined. He credited Sir Johnston Forbes Robertson, a Shakespearean actor and friend of Coughlan, for sharing the story with the publication.
The question remains: If Charles Coughlan is not at home at rest, and not in Lakeview Cemetery…where is he?
Magnolia Grove: Galveston’s Lost Victorian Era Cemetery
An article I wrote about the history of Magnolia Grove Cemetery (established 1871) will appear in the September issue of Galveston Monthly Magazine. Now, lost this once elegant, Vi
ctorian Era cemetery was the most beautiful burial ground on the island.
Not all of the bodies were moved, but the grounds of the cemetery now lie beneath the runways of Scholes Airport and the back nine fairways of the Moody Gardens Golf Course.
My investigation led me to many of the usual resources for history in Galveston, such as the Galveston & Texas History Center (always wonderful), but led me on new research paths as well. No single source seemed to 
have all of the pieces of information, and many whom I contacted had no knowledge of the lost cemetery at all.
There unfortunately simply wasn’t room to include all of the fascinating information that I found about the lost cemetery, so I will list some of the details here for those who are interested or researching their families.
Magnolia Grove was comprised of 100 acres, divided into 25 sections. They were identified as Sections A through X, and City Circle, otherwise known as Rest of Honor. This circle was reserved for the interment of people of distinguished merit or achievement. The first two burials in this section were the first and last presidents of Texas, David Burnet and Aaron Jones, who were moved from previous burial sites.
Sections 6 and 7 (also known as F & G), which were located on the waterfront, were consecrated by the Catholic Church and reserved for exclusive use of members of that faith.
A portion of Section 2 (B) was purchased by the Masonic lodges and used for burials of Masons and their families. The Tucker fa
mily, headed by the president of the Magnolia Grove Cemetery Association, was also located in this section.
Many of the larger lots in the cemetery were purchased by wealthy families and organizations.
Less expensive public lots for white “clients” were located in Section 4, and for “colored” loved ones in Section 5 of the Eastern Division of Magnolia Grove.
The Spanish Benevolent mausoleum still stood after 1900 in Section D on lots 31 and 32, which was part of the southern half of lot 258. Although heavily damaged by weather and vandalized, the mausoleum still stood in the 1920s.
Galveston’s Fireman’s Relief Association purchased a portion of Section B for their members in August 1878.
Plots in Section J were purchased by Joseph W. Rice and David Guthrie; Section M included family plots for Adriance and Trueheart; Section N for August Kleinecke; and Section P plots belonged to the Sealy, Ball and Hutchings families.
General Wigfall’s plot was in Section Q, and J.P. Davie purchased four lots in Section R.
Section S was home to the The French Benevolent Society lot, as well as the Nahor Biggs Yard and Grover families.
Adolph Flake chose his plot in Section T, but now rests in the Historic Broadway Cemetery District.
John Sidney Thrasher, who married the widow of Galveston’s founder Michel Menard, was buried in the City Circle in 1879.
Of the many illustrious citizens in Galveston who were interred in Magnolia, some remain on the grounds, some were moved to other cemeteries, and some were lost to weather events.
Among the well-known Masons interred at Magnolia Grove who remain there are Henry S. Pearce, First Master of Hope Lodge in another part of the state; Adolph Cycoski, a Civil War veteran and teacher of French in Galveston, also a prominent Mason; and Dr. Benjamin Ball, a prominent businessman who was buried with Masonic ceremonies Feb. 13, 1880.
French native Achilles Mingell; Captain John Price, who formerly owned part of this property, and a residence in the early days; and Isaac McGary, veteran of Texas Revolution,; Mexican American War: and the Battle of San Jacinto are just two of the illustrious people whose graves wer never relocated and are now lost.
David Burnet (pictured at left) , the first president of Texas, was moved from Magnolia Grove and now rests in the Sherman plot at Lakeview.
William Tennant Austin of early Texas revolutionary fame, was mo
ved from Magnolia to Lakeview Cemetery.
Anson Jones (pictured at right), the last president of Texas, was originally buried in Trinity Episcopal Cemetery, moved to Magnolia Grove Cemetery five miles away in 1871 as part of the opening ceremonies. His remains were moved to Glenwood after 1892.
After the article runs in Galveston Monthly, I will share more information about this fascinating, and sad, loss of history.
NEW BOOK: GHOSTS OF GALVESTON
I’m excited to announce that “Ghosts of Galveston” will be releasing on September 12th, and is already available for pre-order on Amazon.com!
One of the oldest cities in Texas, Galveston has witnessed more than its share of tragedies. Devastating hurricanes, yellow fever epidemics, fires, a major Civil War battle and more cast a dark shroud on the city’s legacy.
Ghostly tales creep throughout the history of famous tourist attractions and historical homes.
The altruistic spirit of a schoolteacher who heroically pulled victims from the floodwaters during the great hurricane of 1900 roams th
e Strand.
The ghosts of Civil War soldiers march up and down the stairs at night and pace in front of the antebellum Rogers Building.
The spirit of an unlucky man decapitated by an oncoming train haunts the railroad museum, moving objects and crying in the night.
Explore these and other haunted tales from the Oleander City.
SS Selma: Galveston’s Concrete Wonder
Concrete ships? Believe it or not, during World Wr I they became a reality, and Galveston is home to one of the few remnants of the era.
Please allow a few minutes for the pages to download – large files. Or you can read the article online in Galveston Monthly’s June issue at galvestonmonthly.com.
*One correction has come to my attention since this article was published. Raymond Dalehite has kindly let me know that it was his grandfather, Captain Henry Dalehite, who sold the ship and not his father as is stated in the article. I sincerely apologize for this mistake.
Mystery Solved!
In our last blog visit to the cemetery, we were pondering whether Elizabeth Israel’s husband was ever laid to rest beside her or if he had been interred away from his beloved wife.
I am happy to report that I received a reply to my question from a genealogist whose husband is related to the Israel couple.
She shared that they had been told that Alexander died while visiting his sister in St. Louis, but that they had discovered a receipt for his burial next to Elizabeth. The receipt had the payments broken into monthly payments, so it may be assumed that the engraving was too expensive for the family to undertake at the time.
I am so grateful to know that the couple is together. I don’t know about you, but these situations can make me grieve a bit for those involved, even if they are no relation to me. Yes, people interred in cemeteries are “real” people who led very real lives. I would rather find out about them than read a fictional account of someone who never actually existed.
I’ve added Alexander’s name and information to the Findagrave database for anyone who has the same question in the future.
I was also glad to be able to share a bit of fun information about Alexander with our informant, as well. Although her family knew that he had a registered patent for a washing machine, they had not yet seen a picture of it. Here it is:
Alexander was quite ingenious, and surely his blacksmithing skills came into play with the design.
The description of the machine is in Alexanders own words, so it gives an insight into his engineering skills.
“…the clothes are thoroughly washed or scoured and boiled at the same time. The clothes are thoroughly cleaned without danger of injuring o
r tearing the same, and the machine is adapted for washing the finest fabrics – lace curtains and the like. The water is kept constantly boiling by the heater and s continuously circulated throughout he revolving drum an brought into contact with the clothes contained therein. The clothes are constantly carried upward and dripped by means of the radially-disposed ribs and are at the same time subjected to the scoring or rubbing action of the rotary washboard.”
It actually sounds quite like our washing machines today!
Thanks to Jan for solving our mystery.
This story has now come full circle, and I got to meet Jan and Eddie in person this week! Eddie even brought me a copy of the undertaker’s bill for Alexander’s funeral. Though the spelling is a bit amusing, once you realize that the funeral cost was quite high for the time it becomes clear that the family probably couldn’t also afford to have his side of the gravestone engraved at the same time.
Jan and Eddie are looking into having the stone engraving completed.
After having lunch and hearing more about their family genealogy, we went to see the home where Eddie’s family survived Galveston’s 1900 hurricane.
It has been restored, and is adorable! That’s Eddie and his lovely wife Jan standing on the porch.
They weren’t able to find out who currently owns the home, but are very interested in finding out. Now the only thing left undone is to hopefully someday see the inside. Hey…it doesn’t hurt to dream!
Is Elizabeth Eternally Waiting?
(I’m re-posting this from my former blog “Headstones and Footnotes” because I have some fun updates to share as a follow-up!)
While walking through the LaPorte Cemetery in Harris County, Texas this gravestone caught my attention. It’s a lovely marker in wonderful shape, despite being over 100 years old. But what intrigued me is that someone seems to be missing.
Only half of the stone is engraved.
“Eliza, beloved wife of A.C. Israel”was interred here in 1910, having passed away at the age of 64. The other side of the marker was obviously left blank in wait for the passing of her husband…but where is he? Unless he is breaking a Guinness World record for age, surely he has passed away by now.
“A.C. Israel” was Alexander Charles Israel, who was born in Ohio in 1844 to native residents of that state. The family also lived in Meigsville, Ohio (1850 census) and St. Louis Missouri (1860).
On September 8, 1864 Alexander married Elizabeth Williams, who was born n 1845 in New York. She was the daughter of Henry Williams (b. 1823) and Harriet (born 1825).
Alexander and Elizabeth lived in Concord, Missouri (1870 census) ad Rock, Missouri (1880) before moving to Texas. They had three daughters together:
Elizabeth “Lizzie” Harriet Israel (Serface) b. 1867-1913
Emma Florence Israel (Serface) b. 1869 – 1954
Cora Belle Israel b. 1871 – 1923
Family photo shows : Alexander Charles and Eliza and their daughters Emma Florence (left), Libby (top) and Cora Belle (bottom).
Elizabeth died in 1910, leaving Alexander a widower.
He was recorded as living in LaPorte, Texas by the 1910 census with his occupation listed as owner of a blacksmith shop. A 38-year-old servant, Lillie Brown, and her six-year-old daughter Helen lived with him. He was still living in Harris County at the time of the 1920 census.
Alexander passed away on May 22, 1922 in Harris County, Texas.
I can find no record of his burial in the LaPorte Cemetery, or in the cemeteries where Elizabeth Harriet (who died just three years after her mother and is interred in Houston) or Emma Florence rest. I have found no grave listing for little Cora.
So the mystery remains…where was Alexander buried. It’s possible that he was laid to rest beside his wife and the engraving was never ordered. It’s sad, but I’ve seen it happen several times.
I have contacted a descendant of the family in an attempt to find Alexander, but haven’t received an answer. Perhaps someone reading this will have a clue.
Until then, his resting place remains a mystery.
Is Eliza still waiting for her beloved husband to join her? “Stay tuned” to find out…
Bounty of Souls
During the Thanksgivi
ng holidays, we are surrounded by symbols of harvest and bounty. One of the most popular symbols of the season’s bounty is a sheaf of wheat, which is why it is often incorporated into decorations.
The image is so connected with bounty and prosperity that it was at one time used on United States currency.
Religiously, the image of wheat has a deeper meaning. Wheat is baked into the 
Eucharist, a motif of everlasting life through belief in Jesus. Therefore when wheat is used on gravestones or memento mori, it represents a divine harvest – being cut to resurrect the “harvest” into everlasting life or immortality.
Wheat has also been symbolic of love and charity in the bible, and was a popular emblem used by Masons.
The wheat sheaf can also signify a long and fruitful life, often more than 70 years.
So the net time you see an image of wheat on a grave, check the lifespan of the person who the stone memorializes.
Hold Your Breath & Other Cemetery Superstitions
Folklore and customs concerning death and cemeteries can run from humorous to gruesome, and are almost always entertaining. Most of us have heard it’s bad luck to walk across a grave or speak ill of the dead, but if you didn’t know that collecting epitaphs could cause you to lose your memory perhaps you should read on…just in case!
Mirrors
-
As soon as death occurs, the mirrors and pictures in the room should be covered or turned where they can’t be looked upon. It is bad luck to let the reflection of the corpse be seen in the mirror.
-
Cover mirrors with black crepe or veiling to prevent the deceased’s spirit from getting trapped in the looking glass
-
A European tradition says that if you look into the mirror before the body is removed, you can see the deceased looking over your shoulder.
You’re Next
-
Sweeping the home before the corpse is taken out will ensure that the person who does so will be the next to die.
-
Take care that you do not see your reflection in a hearse, or you will be the next to be carried in it.
-
Being the first to leave the cemetery after a funeral is bad luck and could bring you death.
-
The person who walks out in front of the coffin as it is being taken from the house will be the next to die.
-
If the body of the deceased is limp for some time after death, another member of the family will soon follow.
-
A corpse should leave any home or building feet-first, or else the corpse would be looking back at the building and calling for someone within to follow him in death.
Please Proceed
-
Locking the door of your home after a funeral procession has left the house is bad luck.
-
It is also bad luck to meet a funeral procession head on. If you see one approaching, turn around or hold on to a button until the cortege passes.
-
If a funeral procession passes your home, draw the curtains or close the blinds to prevent the dead from entering your home.
-
Never count the number of cars in a funeral procession, as it is considered counting the days until the your own death
-
The corpse should not pass over any part of the same road twice or the spirit will lose its way.
-
If the funeral procession stops on its way to the cemetery, another death will soon follow.
-
It used to be believed that carrying a baby in a funeral procession would ensure that it would die before its first birthday.
-
A black cat crossing in front of a funeral procession means another death in that family.
-
It is a sign of bad luck, if a horse in a funeral procession becomes frisky.
-
Never look backward while in a funeral procession, or you will soon go to another funeral.
-
After a funeral, if two carriages from the same funeral meet at the intersection of two streets then go in opposite directions, expect another death.
Flowers
-
If the deceased lived a good life flowers will bloom on his grave, but if he has been evil only weeds will grow.
-
Having only red and white flowers together in a vase (especially in a hospital) means death will soon follow.
-
Never take flowers from a grave or that spirit will haunt you.
-
A living flower taken from a gravesite will not grow.
-
If you smell roses when none are around, someone is going to die.
-
A single snowdrop growing in the garden foretells a death
Clothing
-
Do not put the clothes of a living person on a corpse. That person will die once the clothes decay.
-
A witch must be buried face down to prevent the community further supernatural spells. If this doesn’t work, unbury them and turn their clothes inside out, then re-bury them face down.
-
Removing the bed sheets from the home before the corpse leaves ensures another member of the family will soon die.
-
The Irish believe in wearing black to appear to be a shadow, so that the dead person won’t enter your body.
-
It is bad luck to wear anything new to a funeral, especially shoes.
-
If you bury someone with a veil over their face and the veil gets in their mouth, they will call the family away.
Home
-
Family photographs should be placed face down to prevent any of the close relatives and friends of the deceased from being possessed by the spirit of the dead.
-
If you hear three knocks and no one is there, it usually means someone close to you has died. The superstitious call this the three knocks of death.
-
A knife falling to the floor means a loved one has died.
-
If a picture suddenly falls off the wall, someone has died.
-
Stop the clocks at the time of death to show the departed that “time was over” for him or her.
-
On the night after November 1, a candle should be lit for each deceased relative and placed in a window.
-
If coffee grounds at the bottom of a cup form a straight line, you can expect a funeral
-
Dropping an umbrella on the floor or opening one in the house means that there will be a murder in the house.
-
A hat on the bed means death in the family.
-
If you spill salt, throw a pinch of the spilt salt over your shoulder to prevent death.
-
If an undertaker leaves anything of his trade at the house and it remains there after the funeral, someone in that family will soon die.
-
If a broom is rested against a bed, the person who sleeps there will die soon.
-
Taking ashes out of a stove after sundown will bring a death in the family.
It’s Black & White
-
A white moth inside the house or trying to get in means death.
-
If several deaths occur in the same family, tie a black ribbon to everything left alive that enters the house, even chickens and dogs. This will protect against deaths spreading further.
-
A diamond-shaped fold in clean linen foreshadows death.
-
If you bury a woman in all black with no color on her dress, she will always come back and haunt the family.
-
Meeting a white chicken on your way to a funeral is an omen of bad luck.
Fending Off Spirits
-
A corpse should be carried out feet first to prevent the spirit from looking back into the house and beckoning another member of the family to follow.
-
You should always cover your mouth while yawning so your spirit doesn’t leave you and the devil enter your body.
-
Hold your breath when passing a graveyard so evil or the spirit of someone who has recently died can’t enter.
-
As soon as the person is dead and in the clothes in which they are to be buried, a dish of salt should be put on their chest to keep evil spirits away.
-
Never cry on a dead person because if the tears fall on them, it makes it harder for the spirit to leave this world.
-
If for some reason you find yourself needing to bury a body, bury them at a crossroads and their spirit won’t be able to leave.
-
Make sure windows and doors are open after a person dies to ensure their spirit a speedy journey to the other side.
-
Turning over a shoe under the bed when the dogs howl at night to prevent death from possessing you.
-
Pallbearers must wear white gloves so the spirit can’t enter their bodies.
East or West
-
Graves should be oriented so that the bodies lie with their heads to the West and their feet to the East. This old custom appears to originate with the Pagan sun worshippers, but is primarily attributed to Christians who believe that the final summons to Judgment will come from the East.
-
The bed of a gravely ill person should never be placed north and south, and always east and west with the head toward the west. This will speed the process of dying and reduce suffering.
In the Cemetery
-
Tuck your thumbs into your fists when passing a cemetery to protect your parents.
-
The spirit of the last person buried in a cemetery must stand watch over all the others.
-
Never whistle inside the cemetery walls, or you will summon the devil.
-
A pregnant woman should not go to a cemetery or her infant may be possessed.
-
Visiting a cemetery after dark will bring you bad luck.
-
Go to a cemetery, get some black dirt off a grave and put that dirt under steps you have to walk over, and you will always have luck.
-
The person who takes something from a cemetery will return more than he took.
Graves & Burials
-
Being near an open grave will cure a toothache.
-
Being buried on the north side of the church is considered unlucky because of the lack of sun. That area is usually reserved for criminals and suicides.
-
The shovels and other tools used to dig a grave used to be left at the gravesite for a day or more after the burial, as moving them too soon would bring bad luck.
-
Graves should never be left open overnight. It will lead to another death.
-
If the casket slips while it is being lowered into the grave, another death will soon follow.
-
Leaving the grave before it is filled will welcome another death to follow.
-
It is bad luck to point at a grave, because the dead will see you.
-
Naturally, the post of guardian was to be avoided if possible, so, when two bodies arrive for interment at the same time, a rush was made by the friends of the deceased in order to prevent their friend from being “last man in.”
-
If the coffin does not go into the hole easily, it is because the devil does not want the deceased.
-
If you have an involuntary shiver, someone has just walked over your grave
-
Never bury anyone on Thursday or Saturday, as it will result in bad luck.
-
Never bury anything, such as toys with a child, or other family members will soon die.
Wild Things
-
If a firefly or lightening bug gets into a house someone will soon die.
-
If a bird pecks at or crashes into your window, there has been a death.
-
If a sparrow lands on a piano, someone in the home will die.
-
The cry of a curlew foretells a death.
-
If a red-breasted robin flies into a house, death will shortly follow.
-
When the head of the household dies, one must go out and whisper the news of the death to the bees, or all in the home will meet the same fate. Bees were believed in past to be the messengers of the gods, so when informed, bees would take the news to them.
-
If the deceased cared for an orchard or any fruit trees, the trees must be informed of the passing.
-
If a turtle dove flies upward after a death, the soul of the deceased will go to heaven.
-
A person cannot die on a mattress with feathers of wild fowl, so when someone is dying a slow death, the person must be carried to a different mattress to ease the suffering.
-
If a cow moos after midnight, it is an evil omen.
-
If you are going to a funeral and meet a mad dog, it will cause you bad luck.
-
The cry of an owl symbolizes death. Where it builds a nest, ghosts will haunt for as long as the bird stays.
-
The crowing of a rooster signals wandering ghosts that it is time for them to disappear until nightfall.
It’s in the Numbers
-
Death comes in threes.
-
If thirteen people sit down at a table to eat, one of them will die before the year is over.
-
If three people are photographed together, the one in the middle will die first.
-
If two people in the same house are sick and one dies, the other will improve in health.
-
The first person that leaves the graveyard after a funeral will bring a death to his family.
-
A person who walks over three graves will die before the year is out.
Perchance to Dream
-
One who sees themself die in a dream, will die in reality.
-
If a person dreams about a birth, someone they know will die.
-
To dream of a deceased person in an agitated state means that they are in hell. To dream of them in a pleasant state means they have gone to heaven.
-
Touching a corpse on the forehead assures you will not dream of the dead.
On the Money
-
Leave a coin at the gate of the deceased family’s home for good luck.
-
Coins placed over the eyes of the deceased kept them from coming open. If the eyes of the corpse remained open, he was said to be looking for a follower and another death would soon happen
-
Finding a four-leaf clover on a grave foretells a friend coming to visit to give you some money.
-
As long as the funeral bill remains unpaid, the corpse will not rest in its grave.