A helpful ghost draws attention to a 19thC Cornish man from St Just who fell into a pit near Sancreed and survived foreight days on water in the pit.

A better story than this, because told with far more circumstantial detail, was recently unearthed by the writer in one of the early volumes of the Arminian Magazine. The sober manner in which the story is related and the unromantic nature of the source from which it was drawn render it worthy of quotation in full. 'A few days ago,' states the writer, ' I visited John Thomas, of St Just, in Cornwall. He is about sixty–two years of age, and has been a notorious drunkard the greatest part of his life. He told me that on Sunday, 21st December 1783, about 7 o'clock in the evening, he left San Crete (now spelt Sancreed) in order to go to St Just. As it was dark he missed his way, and about midnight fell into a pit about five fathoms deep. On his being missing his friends made diligent search for him, but to no purpose. The next Sabbath day, as one of his neighbours was going to seek his sheep, he saw, at some distance, the appearance of a man sitting on the bank which had been thrown up in digging the pit. On drawing near he saw the apparition go round to the other side of the bank. When he came to the place he could see no one; but heard a human voice in the bottom of the pit. Thinking that some smugglers had got down to hide their liquors, he went on; but coming back the same way he again heard the voice. He now listened more attentively, and as he could hear but one voice he concluded it was John Thomas who was missing, and on calling to him he found that he was not mistaken. On this he went and got help, and soon got him out of the pit. But as he had been there near eight days he was very low when he was got out; but is now in a fair way to do well. In the bottom of the pit he found a small current of water; which he drank freely of. This, in all likelihood, was the means of keeping him alive. It is said that several other persons saw the apparition, but took no notice of it. As I am not fond of crediting stories of this kind on commnon report, I resolved to get the account of this, from his own mouth.

'WILLIAM MOORE.

REDRUTH 22nd Jan, 1784.

It is ironic that a man said to be a drunkard finds water in the pit and survived on it. It is said that one cannot survive after three minutes of no air, three days of no water, and three weeks with no food. Without water, the man probably would not have suvived for eight days.