New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-03-13
NEW FOOTBALLS FROM ANOTHER
WORLD.
Fyoa The Ersning Post.

From The Erening Post
THE AsTOR LIBRARY VISITED BY GHosT-THE
LIBRARIAN AND THE GHOST HAVE THREE
rsTERyIEws-GHosTLY TASTES IN TITERA-
TURE-DEhOSoLoGY AND wITCHCRAFT.
For several days past there has been bit OF per-
ronal gcsep aGoat uptown which, as in all similar IN
stances has bean highly exaggerated Yet even allow
ing for these exsggersoDs the facts or the supposi-
tions-which ever they be-as related by one OF soe
principal actors are of themselves strange enough 70
satisfy the mott inveterste adrer Of the marvellous
and as the story has been soenny sseever ated before
mixed company of some twenty persons ard after
ward retaed and repeated much as 10 be almost the
town tall, we committing no Improperly, we
trust in stating the circumstances as far a. we have
been able 10 sscover them.
The nuHerous literary persons and others who re
ouent the spacious halls of,the Asor Library viii be
interested therefore In learning that their favorite
retreat il haaned OF course seeing the comtorta'
be- well lighted rooGs in the day. time, when filed
with careful readers and envened often by the pres
ence of gaiy dresied lady and other vsitors nothing
seems more prepostsrous than the Tea Of ghosts. But
let the reader imagine these wide halls ae they are at
nj, h. swa,bed in DARK esq, the gloomy acoves casting
vet ceeper and gloomier shatows-when q foorfsil
Invertebrates through the wide expsnse with mys err,
GUS echoes, and when the lamp borne by the startled
explorer Along tortuous passages and among mus,y
tones sends but feeble ray, that scarcely serves to
make the drrbners visible and the aspect is very diff
fertpt Al this time the Astor Library-snd for thst
MAI er all ar Libraries at tnch tme-is rather
dismal place and suggests, uuplessantly enough, to
any one " ho may be there alone, Hoods hnes
.oer all there hung shadow and fear,
A sense Of mystery the spirited dsuntsd'
The pIsse ia haunted"
n WA At sueh a time in such place and 70 one
oney explorer that the ghost Of the Astor Library ap
peMed. .
To understand the circumstances Of this remarkable
apparition the more fully the reader ehoud remember
ttat Dr. Cogswe the efficient librarian, has been for
rome time engaged in the compilation Of complete
catalogue Of The library. Although over year since
it war menced the work has only reached TO the
letter p. DR.. Cogswell il an unmarried man and oc-
cupjts sleeping apartment 10 the upper part Of the
library II jsntOr residing in the basement 1t Is the
rule Of TIE library to sD,iss visitors at sunset AID
during the evening and night no individual beside Dr.
Ccgswell and the antor and his family remain in the
bulldog
Aeanat tie advice Of bis friends, DR.. Cogswell de-
votes hours Of night that sboud be given TO repoe 70
tie pursuance of bis work the catalogue Naturally
III xious TO hasten forward ito completion, aud fired
with all the hnIGsm Of protested bibliopoe, his
lebors in this tedious and difficult task almost III
credible. Al the time the work is OF that dry,
statistical character which is by no means Suggestive
of fanciful app irons, ID the interchangeable com
per a easily swayed by the passing delusons OF
the eye or brain.
Some two weeks ago, DR.. Ccgswell was at work sc
ufua en- The catalogue Il WAS abou! III o'clock ut
night Il having occasion to refer 10 some books in
distant part Of the library he left his desk took his
oanoe ard, he bad often done before pursued his
cOurfe the winding passages toward the desred
spot But before reaching It, while in an acove in the
southwest part of the older portion Of The building, he
startled by seeing man, respectfully dressed IN
ctzen's clothes, surveying shelf OF books The
doctor supposed it 10 be robber who had secTeted
himself for TIL purpose Of abstractng of the val
liable works in The library; after stepping back behind
partition for moment, he aga moved cautiously
forward to catch glimpee Of the individuals taca,
when TO his surprise he recognize in the supposed
robber tie features of physician Whose name We
forbesr eivDg) who bad lived in the immediate vicinity
of tie library, and who had died some six weeks ago.
IL Should be borne in mind that the deceased person
WAS casual acquaintance OF DIR. Cogswe Dot
sp intimate friend and since his death DIR. Cogswell
had not thoul ht OF him.
But the apparton was in the presence Of a man not
easily scared The Librarian so far from fointing or
shriekDR, might Reasonably be expected calmly
"Dr. -" said be, "you seldom, If ever, visited
this Library while living. Why do You trouble US
now when dead I"
Perhaps tie ghost did not Ike the sound Of the hu-
man voice. anyway II gave no answer, but disap-
peared.
The next day Mr.. Cogswel thought over the matter,
attributed to optical delusion, and in the even
ing proceeded with his work as usual Again he
wishtd 10 refer TO rome books, and again visited the
The ghost very calmly and placidly surveying the
shelves. Mr.. Cogswe again spoke to it:
"Dr -" raid he, "again ask you, why You
who never visited the Library while living, trouble il
now when oUsdW
Again the ghost vanished. and the undaunted libra
rian purfued his task without interruption. The next
day lie examined the shelves before which the appar-
ton had been standing, and by singular coinci
deuce, found that they filed with books devoted
TO demonoloey, wiiohcrait, magic, spiritnasrn, &c.
Some OF thets books tonnes several centuries
old written ID Latin, Illustrated with quaint diagrams,
and Iedoient Ct mysicfmi while on the next shelves
their younger brethren the neat spruce works OF
modern fpfualists Of Britain, Davis Edmouds, ana
others The very titles these mystic books are sug-
gesuye. There are the Prophecies or lrognosucauons
Of Michael Nosiadamns y folio published IN London
in 1872; Albamasar do Copjectionbus kernerr Mall,
ken; Godwns Lives of the Necromaneers; GlanVi
on Witches and Appsritionsi Cornelius AgnPpai
Bodn's DemonomsDia Lilly . Sstrology and others,
peiusal Of any Of which would eiectualy murder the
sleep of person Of ordinary nerve for nj eaet hall
dozen nights II was these volumes that appeared TO
attract the apparition
The third nigh, Mr.. Cogswo, still determined that
the sNase. spirit, delusion effect Of indignation
" hateyer 10 might be-should not interfere with his
duties again ysted the various books 10 which be
wished 10 refer 70, and when occasion demanded did
rot TAIL to approach the mystic alcovo. There again
was the spparition, drsssed precisely Nc before, I'M