Crawford was indeed a Catholic, although this fact really doesn't figure into much of his fiction (the ghostly stuff, at least) in any particularly noticeable way, although some of his non-fiction is on Catholic subjects. [Catholic Encyclopedia]

This brief note is the full text of a publisher's blurb included at the end of Crawford's Man Overboard!

[Wikipedia]

[NNDB]

[John W. Cousins, A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature, 1910]

Supernaturalist bibliography with book cover images. [Guide to Supernatural Fiction, Tartarus Press]

[FantasticFiction]

This is a popular and much-anthologized tale of Crawford's, probably owing to the fact it's a "vampire" tale, but that's a shame; it's hardly Crawford's best work in this vein (pardon the pun). The vampirism in this tale is almost intrusive and has no basis, explanation, or justification, and the story doesn't so much conclude as stumble to a close. It's self-indulgent as well: the protagonist is, apparently, a writer living in an old tower on the Italian coast - much as Crawford (who actually lived in "The Villa Crawford") owned an old tower on the Italian coast to which he would sail for writing and relaxation. "The Upper Berth" and Man Overboard! are much better.

Another of Crawford's seafaring ghost stories; break out your nautical dictionary for this salt-soaked riff on the hidden identity and demon lover motifs. And in case you're wondering why Crawford set so many of his short stories at sea, it's because he was an expert sailor himself, with a master's certificate in navigation.

Bones will have their revenge. Speaking of revenge, this story seems to borrow a riff from Hamlet for its murder technique. Compare this to another "revenge of the bones" story — Jerome K. Jerome's "The Man of Science."

Perhaps overly anthologized, but this is classic ghostly Crawford.