Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-03-16
THE AsToR LIBRARY VISITED BY A
GHOST.


themselves strange enough to satisfy the most
lnveterate admirer of the marvellous, and as
the story has been solemnly asseverated before
mixed company of some twenty persons, and
afterward retailed and repeated so much as to
be almost the town talk we are committing no
impropriety in stating the circumstances as far
"a we have been able to discover them
The numerous literary persons and others
who frequent the spacious halls of the Astor
Library will be interested, therefore, in learn
ing that their favorite retreat is haunted. Of
course, on seeing the comfortable well-lighted
rooms In the daytime, when filled with careful
readers, and enliyened often by the presence
"f gsily dressed lady and other visiters, moth
ing seems more preposterous than the idea of
ghosts. But let the reader imagine these wide
halls as they are at MI ght, swathed in darkness,
the gloomy aeoves casting yet deeper and
sloomier shadows-when football reyerber-
ates through the wide expanse with mysterious
echoes, and when the lamp borne by the star
tied explorer along tOrtuous passages and
among musty tones sends but feeble ray,
that scarcely serves to make the darkness Wis
Ible, and the aspect is very different. At this
time the Astor Library-and, for that matter,
all large libraries at such time-is a rather
dismal place, and suggests, unpleasantly
enough, TO any one who mey be there alone,
Hood lines:
''O'er all there hung a shadow and a fear,
A sense of mystery the spirited undaunted
Which said, IS plain as whisper i'll the ear,
The place Is haunted
1t WAS at such time, in such a place, and
to one lonely explorer, that the ghost of the
Astor Library appeared.
To understand the circumstances of this re-
markable apparition the more fully, the reader
should remember that DR. Coggswell. the Ii
brarian, has been for some time engaged in the
compilation OF complete catalogue of the Ii
brary. Although over year since it was COM
Inenced, the work has only reached to the letter
L. DIR. COgSwell is an unmarried man, and Oc-
cupies sleeping apartment in the upper part
of the library, the janitOr residing in the base
ment. 1t Is the rule Of the library to dismiss
visitors at sunset, and during the evening and
night no individual beside DIR. Cogswell and
the janitor and his family remain in the build
ing.
Against the advice of his friends, DR. Cogs-
well deyotes hours Of night that should be
given to repose to the pursuance of his work
on the catalogue. Naturally anxious to hasten
forward its completion, and fired with all the
enthusiasm of a professed bibliopole, his labors
IN this tedious and difficult task are almost in
credible. At the same time the work is of that
dry, statistical character which is by no means
suggestive of fanciful apparitions, nor is the
indefatlgabie compiler man easily swayed by
the passing delusiOns of the eye or brain
Some two weeks ago, DR.. Cogswell was at
work as usual on the catalogue. 1t was about
III o'clock at night, and having occasion to
refer to some books in a distant part of the
library, he left bis desk, took his candle, and
as he had often done before, pursued his course
among the winding passages toward the de-
sired spot. But before reaching it, while in
an alcove in the southwest part of the older
portion of the building, he was startled by
seeing a man, respectfully dressed in citizen s
clothes, surveying q shelf of books The Doc
tor supposed it to be a robber who had secreted
himself for the purpose of abstracting some of
the valuable works in the library; after STEP
ping back behind partition for a moment he
again moved cautiously forward to catch a
glimpse of the individuals face when to his
surprise he recognized in the supposed robber
the features of Mr.. Robert Ii. Sands, who had
lived in the immediate vicinity of the library,
and who had died some eighteen months ago
1t should be borne In mind that the deceased
person was mere casual acquaintance of Dr.
Cogswell, not an intimate friend and since his
death DR.. COgswell had not thought of him.
But the apparition was in the presence of a
man not easily scared The librarian, so far
from fainting or shrieking, as might reason
ably be expected, calmly addressed the ghost
:. Mr.. Sands" said he, " you seldom, if ever,
visited this library while living. Why do you
trouble Us now when dead ~
Perhaps the ghost did not like the sound of
the human voice; anyway, it gave no answer,
but disappeared.
The next day Mr.. Cogswell thought over the
matter, attributed it to some optical delusion.
and In the evening proceeded with his work as
usual Al gain he wished to refer to some books,
and again visited the southwestern alcove.
There, again, as large as life, was TIE ghost,
calmly and placidly surveying the shelves
Mr.. Cogswell again spoke to it:
Mr. Sands, said he, ''sgain 1 ask you why
ycu, who never visited the library while liv-
ing, trouble it now, when dead!n
Again the ghost vanished, and the undaunt-
ed librarian pursued his task without interrup-
non Ihe next day he examined the shelves
before which the apparition had been seen
standing, and by singular coincidence found
that they were filled with books devoted to
demcnology, witchcraft, magic. spiritualism,
&C. Some OF these books are rare tones, sew
eral centuries old, written in Latin, illustrated
with quaint diagrams, and redolent Of mysti-
cism' while on the next shelves are their
younger brethren, the neat spruce works of
modern spirltuallsts-Of Britain, Davis, Ed
mohds, and others. The very titles on these
p:h p%ys1o books ar are suggestive. There are the
tradamus. folio published in London in 1872;
Aioamasar de COnjectionibus; Kerner's Mali.
kon; Godwin's Lives of the Necromapcers.
Glanvil on Witches and Apparitions; Cornelius
Agrippa; Bodin's Demonomania; Lilly's As
troiogy, and others, perusal Of any of which
would efectually murder the sleep of person
of ordinary nerve for at least half dozen
nights 1t was these volumes that appeared
to attract the apparition
The third light. Mr.. Cogswell, still deter
mined that the shade, spirit, delusion or effect
oil indlgestion-whatever it might be-should
not interfere with his duties, again visited the
various books to which he wished to refer to,
and when occasion demanded, did not fail to
approach the mystic alcove There again was
the aPparition, dressed precisely as before, in
asenueman usual costume, as natural as life.
and with hand raised, as if about to take
down .'m. a book Mr. Cogswell again spoke:
third time have met you Tell me If anv of
this class Of books now disturb you? If thew
do, viii have them removed .
But the ungrateful ghost, without acknovl.
edglng this accommodating spirit on the par,
1f It's interrogator, disappeared. Nor has il
been since, and the librarian has continued his
nightly researches since without interruption.
A few days ago, at a dinner party at the
house Of well-known wealthy gentleman.
Mr. CogswelI related the circumstance. as
above recorded. IS nearly as we can learn. As
some 10 or 20 people were present, the remark.
able story of course was soon spread about.
number Of literary men, including an eminen.
historian and others, heard the recital. and