THE ANDREW COUNTY REPUBLICAN — MARCH 12, 1875
Existing Superstitions
A very singular case is reported from Paris, illustrating in a striking manner, the power of the imagination upon even a cultivated mind. Nicholas Boralajova, a Servian [sic] nobleman, had been forced to leave his own country because of a strange tale to the effect that in his family the eldest son was invariably a vampire, always returning from the grave, after death, to suck the blood of the living. Singular as it may appear, the nobleman, though educated and intelligent, actually believed this remarkable story himself, and previous to his death, which occurred recently, requested that his heart should be taken from his body to prevent him from leaving the grave—it being supposed that a vampire cannot get along without a heart. This anomalous incident would seem to indicate that we are not so far removed from the dark ages as we boast of being, for the nobleman in question was a type of civilization, a man of remarkable powers and culture, and justly popular and respected in society. It would be an interesting study could some one demonstrate in a book the exact degree of superstition which in the nineteenth century still prevails among the most intelligent people of any nationality. It is to be feared the showing would indicate the prevalence of more superstitious delusions even here in the United States than might be supposed without reflection. The fact is this special weakness is one which it takes long to eradicate. We
