Originally Posted by
ericfaragh
Excellent contribution from fortinian, the urban myth comprehensively exploded, I think! Well done indeed.
The ghost story also mentions that the phantom has the shape of a tall wiry man, whereas the pics of William M show him to be a fat gent and rather an affable-looking fellow. His Diaries on Google books are rather boring and do not indicate any addiction to gambling, though he travels a lot on business and has people around to dinner quite a bit, not to mention the occasional visit to the theatre. Amongst the occasional mentions of cards (page 53 on Google books) he records "I played at cards lost 11/6, a deal too much". Hardly a fortune to a man in his position. It's hard to think of a more unlikely candidate for a deal with the devil!