'''GHOST FOLLOWED BY SPOOK'''

The Second Apparition, However, Says Capt. Bamford, May Be Only a Flibbertigibbet.
SPECTRE NO. 2 IS IRREGULAR
When It Yelled at Patrolman Busold, as Well as Appearing to Him, It Violated One of the Strictest Canons of the Spirit World.

ORANGE, New Jersey|N. J., September 25.-West Orange's ghost is taking a breathing spell or has retired from business permanently. Since the celebration of the religious service in its behalf Thursday no supernatural demonstrations have been heard or seen in the old house in White Street where Peter Christiano was stabbed to death last New Year's Eve, and whence ghostly rappings, door openings, and hand clappings have driven tenants the past week.
Frank Pietro, the grocer, the members of whose family have been the principal sufferers from the manifestations, believes firmly that it was the ceremony in the Church of St. Michael the Archangel which gave rest and peace to Christiano's restless spirit, which he holds responsible for the noises and performances that kept himself and family awake for three nights and compelled them to leave the house. This belief is shared by others in the neighborhood, but some suggest that the notoriety achieved by the spirit has led it to suspend operations temporarily.
Crowds of investigators from all parts of the country have gone away disappointed
in the past three days, after trying vainly to induce new demonstrations.
A new ghost put in an appearance on the scene last night, but owing to its ignorance or indifference to orthodox ghostly customs it has not succeeded in establishing a reputation for genuineness. The only observer of the spirit was Policeman Busold, who has been on guard in front of the haunted house at night to prevent strangers from frightening the ghost. Busold does not believe in ghosts, so his deductions are regarded as of no consequence. It was just after midnight, the proper hour for manifestations, that the ghost appeared to him, and he was wide awake at the time, having practiced wakefulness since the night a few weeks ago when he was robbed of his badge and watch while guarding the West Orange Police Station in the capacity of night watchman.
It was pie, Busold declared, that caused him to forget his duty and go to sleep on the night of the robbery. The officer has a hankering for pie. he admits, which has never been satiated. and everybody knows that pie is the finest ghost-inducing diet in the world. Busold, however, has eschewed pie since the night of the robbery, so his testimony on the score of the new ghost is considered unimpeachable.

This Spook Screeched.

The first intimation of the appearance of the new ghost was a blood-curdling screech, which was followed by the apparition in person. The spectre was at least 10 feet in height, according to Busold, and was garbed in the traditional white flowing robes of visitors from the spirit land. The policeman started for the apparition with drawn nightstick, and had approached to within a few feet when the figure suddenly disappeared under a tree in Mrs. Magee's back yard, across the street from the [[haunted]] house. As it vanished into the yard, Busold declares, he heard the back gate open and shut. He is also convinced that the ghost was not Lhe spirit of Christiano, as the yell with which it announced its appearance was an Irish yell.
Despite Busold's incredulity, there are several persons in the neighborhood who were awakened by the yell and who say they saw the ghost. These persons declare the ghost to have been genuine. Police Captain Bamford. who is an authority on ghosts, having assisted in the laying of several, declares that if it was a genuine spook or fiibbertigibbet. more likely the latter, there must have been a revision of the laws governing the conduct of such visitants from other realms.
"It is well known," says the Captain, "that there are three kinds of ghostly visitants-that is, there are three kinds most generally known. Of other varieties little is seen. A ghost usually confines itself to rappings or screams; a spook is visible and usually dressed in white. The same description practically answers for a spook and a flibbertigibbet, the greatest difference being that a spook is slow and dignified in its movements. while a flibbertigibbet is erratic and seldom seen twice in one place. Then there are snarks. boogums, ghouls. and banshees, but they have nothing to do with these appearances. Now, the occupant of the White Street house is apparently a genuine ghost, as it violates no spirit laws and confines itself to rappings and shufflings. But as to the new appearance, there are reasons why it is either an imposition or an outlaw in the spirit world. No spook or flibbertigibbet was ever known to speak or scream. and while this one may be either, it has violated the laws of both classes."

Too Late for a Medium.

A tall woman, who wore spectacles and refused to tell her name, visited the haunted house yesterday and locked herself into the room where the first rappings were heard. Half an hour later she came out and declared that the thoughtlessness of the crowds in not sooner sending for a medium to converse with the spirit had discouraged it, and an opportunity of great importance to the psychical world had been lost.

Italian residents of the vicinity who patronize Pietro's grocery say the grocer had arranged to move before anything was heard of the ghosts, and accuse him of inventing the "haunt" to prevent a rival from establishing a business at the old stand. Pietro, who is doing business at a store two doors away, indignantly denies this, and says he will move back into the old house if the ghost does not reappear. He fears, however. that the spirit of his murdered friend Christiano will follow him to the new place, as he is convinced that Christiano has something to communicate to his friends, and will not remain quiet in the grave until he has accomplished that purpose.


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This article originally appeared in the New York Times on September 26, 1898.  Being published in the US prior to 1923, it is assumed to be in the public domain.  It was retrieved from the New York Times on-line archive, converted from a .pdf to a .bmp, and run through Optical Character Recognition software.  The resultant conversion was then corrected as necessary by [[Bufo Calvin]], Education Director of OPUS.  Original punctuation and spelling are preserved. 

[http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F03E1DC1438E433A25755C2A96F9C94699ED7CF PDF of original article] at NYTIMES.com