Favorite Ghost Stories

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Ghost Stories
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 09:21 PM

Aine, I am sorry to hear that. A redhead and Irish, you say?! Hmmm, MY dad always teased my mom about the Irish redheaded gentleman down the hall when I was conceived!**BG** What he didn't go on to say was the red on the head came from his own Scottish mother.

I love a mystery, so I guess I'll have to live with that one. But, I would love to know what YOU think he saw. Am I being really obstinate and thickheaded here? Sorry.

Banjer, here's an old family story which will be published in a family book that I am working on. It akes place during the Civil War or War of the Rebellion, depending on where you live. (Never heard it called that until I moved to YankeeLand.*BG*

The Ghost At the Crossing of the Stream
© Hudson Family Trust/ all rights reserved

My ancestor, Capt. Forsyth, was a Confederate spy, who got caught out one time, across enemy lines and was running for his life, horse full out with Union soldiers hot on his trail. He came to a fairly good sized stream which he had to ford, but noticed an eerie looking object of white across the stream, moaning and kind of moving around. Being a somewhat superstitious sort, he hesitated to go across. There had been talk about that particular place being haunted by a woman whose carriage had overturned, drowning her.

He looked before him and he looked behind him. The Union was getting closer by the minute and he knew he had to either take his chances with the *ghost*, still moaning and slowly swaying in the misty early evening light or fight and die facing the soldiers.

Urging his horse on, which was also reluctant about meeting the spectre, he crossed the stream, just ahead of the bullets, to find an old white cow, swaying back and forth, moaning while she chewed her cud! Thanks to his *bravery*, my greatgrandma came into being, then my granddad, dad and then me. We still have the Colt 45 cap and ball pistol he used, which he took off of a dead Union officer; some Confederate money, and a pass for his wife to safely go through enemy lines, which has her identifying features printed in the proper boxes. Thankfully, we know she didn't have a moustache because there was no description of it in the appropriate place!

I've another funny one from the Old South. I will post when I have time. kat

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Ghost Stories
From: Mbo
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 09:10 PM

Great stories, guys! Kat, what was that other thread of ghost stories you mentioned?

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Ghost Stories
From: Banjer
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 07:50 PM

True experience...I was about 16 years old at the time...Myself and two friends, Jimmy and Grant, were riding in Grant's pickup truck. We were on our way to check on some scrap metal that we had been told about. Grant was the oldest and was driving. Jimmy sat in the middle and I was next to the window. The skies had started to cloud up and bring a storm as was common at that time of the summer. A light mist was starting. On both sides of the road were woods, if you can call the collection of palms, pines, scrub oaks and other foilage we have in Florida woods. All of a sudden out of the corner of my eye I detected a movement. It seemed to be a man on horseback, reining up sharp upon spotting us. A closer look revealed what seemed to be a Civil War soldier, a Confederate officer, on horseback. Just as suddenly as he had appeared, he vanished. I just stared straight ahead for a while. I wasn't going to say "Guess what I just saw!" and be laughed at for the next week. No way, not these two, they wouldn't let me live it down. It occured to me that no one had said anything for a while. I looked over at the other two and both their faces were white a a sheet! "What the hell is wrong with you two?" I asked. And then it dawned on me, I wasn't the only one that had seen what I thought I saw! They had seen it too! After comparing notes we all three agreed we had seen basically the same thing. It has been 34 years since that day, Grant has since passed away, and Jimmy and I lost contact some twenty years ago, but it is as clear in my mind as it was just yesterday.

Several theories were offered when we finaly got up nerve to tell others about it. Theories ranging from some sort of time warp occuring just as the soldier was himself passing over to we had been smoking something that made us think it. But all three of us were stone cold sober that day.

Further investigation revealed that some sort of a skirmish or raid had taken place in that area during the waning days of the Recent Unpleasantness. I don't know to this day what to believe, but I KNOW what I saw!

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Ghost Stories
From: Áine
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 07:41 PM

Dear kat,

Unfortunately, Daddy died at the grand old age of 81 last year without ever revealing the 'secret of Los Alamos.' I'll tell you this though; he was a stubborn, red headed Irish ex-cop and ex-fighter, who couldn't tell a lie. He could exagerate (of course), but he always had a little grin on his face when he did. He NEVER had that grin on when he told this story . . .

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Ghost Stories
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 07:03 PM

Aine, about time he TOLD you!!! I wanna know!**BG**

We had an earlier thread, I think in the early part of this month, with some ghost stories in it. I had one living in my house in CT; quite benign, kind of sad. Always unlatched the attic door and let the cats up there to play. Also, one night it took the birdcage covers off, unlocked the front door and turned on all of the lights. Onenight it came down the front stairs and said my soon-to-be-son-in-law's name. He ran up the backstairs, he was so startled.

In another house in Northampton, MA, a lady in Victorian clothing came in to our bedroom one night and sat in my rocking chair. I had a hard time convincing her to leave as I knew Rog would be coming in from his bath, in the nude, soon, and that she would be shocked. As the hoouse was very old and had been a schoolhouse, I've always wondered if she was an oldtime school teacher.

Anybody ever read any M. R. James ghost stories? The absolute scariest, BEST ever written! Whistle and I'll Come For You, My Lad; The 13th Floor; Canon Albric's Scrapbook....priceless, everyone of them.

katlaughing

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Ghost Stories
From: Áine
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 05:17 PM

Great job so far guys!! Here's my contribution -- and of course, it's all TRUE . . .

Here's one that my father used to tell every Halloween – It's not really a ghost story; but it scared the beejeesus out of me and my sister for years! Of course, he swore up and down that it was all true . . .

During World War II, my dad was in the Army, stationed at Los Alamos, New Mexico. That's right, the place where they put together the Bomb. Anyway, since he had been a policeman in Waco before he was drafted, he was assigned to 'dog', as he called it, one of the 'fellas' working at the facility. Now, this wasn't really a covert activity, since the 'fella' knew that my dad was following him any time he went off the base. In fact, my dad said that the two of them got to be downright friendly and even shared a few drinks at the local watering hole. My dad even knew this guy's lady friend to say hello to.

One night, my dad said this fella started drinking pretty heavy and early, which wasn't like him at all. It was as if there was something terrible on his mind – he sat at the bar, knocking back the whiskies, and muttering to himself about 'having to be there soon.' My dad was getting pretty nervous, because of course, he was going to have report this behavior to his superiors, and he didn't really want to get this guy into any more trouble than he seemed to be in already.

Suddenly, this guy jumped off the bar stool and lurches out the door. Dad followed him and sees him drive off down the road. So of course, Dad follows him. The fella was weaving all over the place and then suddenly drove off the main road into the desert. My dad was right behind him, thinking he was going to be bringing a dead drunk back to the base if this guy didn't calm down. The guy's car slammed on its brakes and so did Dad. Dad saw a woman come out of nowhere, open the car door and get in. The guy took off again into the desert, with my dad right behind him. After about ten minutes, the guy slammed on his brakes again and stopped. Dad stopped too, but something told him to stay in his jeep.

Nothing happened. This fella and this woman just sat there, not even talking. After a few minutes more, my dad figured it was time to go talk to them and get this guy back to the base. As my dad started to climb out of the jeep, he saw the two heads in the car in front of him slowly turn around and stare at him.

He never would say what he saw in that car that night. But he did say that he spent a few weeks peeling potatoes and picking up cigarette butts out of the sand, because he refused to 'dog' that fella ever again.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Ghost Stories
From: Ely
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 04:40 PM

This isn't actually a ghost story, but it's still pretty weird. The date in question occurred (obviously) before my time, probably around 1974.

My parents were out on a date and started talking about strange things that had happened to them. My father told my mother about a hike he had been on while backpacking in Nepal. He stopped for a rest and immediately became aware of a "force" in front of, and a little above, him. He wasn't sure how to describe it--he couldn't see anything and he couldn't actually touch it, but he knew that there was something there. He said he got the impression of a big ball of energy. My mother told about the death of her mother, which happened when Mom was 22 (in 1970). She said she had sensed Grandma's spirit leave her body, and felt the body "settle". As each talked more about their experiences, they came to the realization that they had happened at just about the same time (meaning that Dad felt the "force" at the same time Grandma's spirit left her body). My parents had not yet met each other at the time these things occurred.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Ghost Stories
From: kendall
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 04:11 PM

This is not a ghost story. it is true. it happened to me. Afriend of mine owns an old house that was a stop on the underground railway before the civil war. I was visiting him, he was showing me an empty room that he was making into a bathroom. The door was shut, there were two people in that room, and I was looking right at him. I heard an odd sound behind me, looked down, and, a penny came rolling across the floor OUT OF A BLANK WALL!! I picked it up and asked, "Where did that come from?" he said, I dont know, it happens often. I have a big jar of them. To make matters even more spooky, it was an Indian Head penny. This is only one incident that took place there, but, it is the only one that I saw with my own eyes. He finally told me that a murder had been committed in the cellar.Absolutely true story.

Subject: Favorite Ghost Stories
From: Áine
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 03:57 PM

We've still got a few days until Halloween -- Does anyone have a favorite ghost story they'd like to share?