A YANKEE GHOST.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 332, 6 July 1875, Page 3

A YANKEE GHOST.

A curious ghost story, the scene of which is laid in gaol, is related by the New York Herald of March 11th Hackensack, in Bergen County, has a sensation in the shape of a genuine ghost which haunts the county gaol, and creates the utmost consternation and alarm among the prisoners and other inmates. The spirit has been recognised as that of John W. Avery, the young man who was hanged in the gaol on June 28th, 1872 for murder. The mysterious phenomena which accompany the appearance of the spirit were at first attributed to some plan of escape concocted by the prisoners, but recent developments prove that such is not the case. A prisoner named Wallace, who was confined in the gaol in October last, and who was familiar with Avery, solemnly affirms that his spirit appeared one night, and was distinctly seen to walk around one of the tiers, and pull the bed-clothing off a German prisoner who was confined in the cell formerly occupied by Avery. The German, who is still a prisoner, confirms this story, and many persons who visited Avery now remember that he made a solemn promise before his death to revisit the gaol after his execution. The story of his latest appearance seemed to be well authentica’ed, several of the prisoners thoroughly agreeing in their statement of all the alleged facts. The phenomenon occurred about midnight on Sunday, and there is doubt that the utmost consternation and alarm prevailed among the prisoners. As is customary in all wellregulated ghost stories, the clock had just ceased striking 12 when a soft, unnatural light filled the whole interior of the gaol and awakened all the prisoners. Some of them were terror-stricken, and buried their heads beneath the bed-clothing, while others seemed to be paralysed so that|they could not move, and were compelled to be unwilling witnesses of the supernatural scenes and sounds that followed. They solemnly aver that they heard one of the windows raised, and felt the cold air rush in. Then the shadowy form of a man, all plainly visible except the legs, seemed to glide between the bars and up the stairs to the top tier of cells. The figure stopped in front of the cell which had been occupied by Avery, and opening the door, entered. The opening and closing of the door were distinctly heard. After the lapse of a few minutes the figure reappeared, and its footfalls on the steps as it descended again were distinctly heard. The figure passed around all the tiers of cells, and then floated down to the washroom, and was heard to turn on the water. Finally the ghost returned to the window and disappeared as it had entered, and the bluish light gradually faded away. This is substantially the story as told by several of the prisoners, who claim to have been eye-witnesses, and express their firm belief that they saw Avery’s ghost.