The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-04-28
The Apparition.
A Ghost at the B .sin-CrOwds
Flock to See 1t.
cart thou spirit of health, or goblin damned q

Gar. thou spirit of health, or goblin damned ?"
| Hamlet.
Within the last few evenings events of a
nature most strange and startling have
thrown the good people about the neighbor-
hood OF the IRENE street bridge, at the Old
Basin, into a state of terrible excitement
the interest by no means combining itself to
the immediate vicinity, but extending its
influence far and wide throughout the city,
and proving sufficiently strong to attract
thousands of spectators, who nightly flock
about the place to catch glimpse of the
mysterious and supernatural visitor which
exhibits itself to mortal gaze, and then
again, in way as mysterious, imperceptibly
fades into nothingness.
| Those who claim to have been eye-wit
nesses describe the sceEe of the apparition
us impressive as well as strange.
| At midnight, as the deep tones of the
cathedral bells strike the hour of twelve
and the echoes slowly die away, there rises
rom the dark waters of the Old Basin
| the form of a maiden, robed at times in
| spotless white, again in the sombre colors of
| mourning. Sometimes it is flag she holds
in Der hand and waves with graceful mo-
ton. Her features are beautiful, and the
expression of her countenance is one of
heavenly purit~. A sweet smile plays about
her pale lips, and her face is that of a con-
'iding maiden, all happiness and joy.
But anon this spirit comes in the garb of
sadness and OF, sorrow, slowly ascending to
the surface of the wafer, coming as from
some Plutonian shore, while about her feet
there shines phosphorescent glow. The
pallid glimmer of a candle throws its sickly
light upon her exposed breast and on her
now haggard and careworn face. perfect
wreck of her former self. The face is still
the same, but instead of the bright smile, it
wears the indellible stamp of sin, remorse
and shame. She fingers few moments, and
then with hands extended heavenward and
with an expression Of heart-rending agony
she gradually sinks as if drawn down by
the hidden hand of some Internal demon
beneath the waters. The utmost silence
fegns, and the breast which heaves as in
convulsive sobs, yet gives forth not sound.
Some of the crednlOus claim that these
ire distinct and separate ghosts, and that
The one is a virgin come to make some start
ing revelation, her appearance being omi-
nous of some great event the other, they
say, is the wandering spirit of some restless
Magdalen, who threw off the cares of this
world by plunge into the canal from the
bridge.
Promptly at II o'clock last night IL
reportO rial corps of the BULLETIN visited
the Old Basin, one taking his stand at the
IRENE bridge, the other six distributed
themselves at intervals of fifty yards apart,
waiting the arrival of the phantom. From
the neig hborhOod a considerable number of
the curious were ASSEMBLED to witness the
advent of the weird lady of the canal.
The reporters, after putting at their cigars
for about fifteen minutes, had their atten-
rion attracted by the EXPLANATIONS of seve-
raj on the bridge, who in excited terms said,
IS There she is :" Here she comes.' The
first outpost uttered loud ejaculation indi-
eating his terror, and soon after fired seve-
raj shots.
In a few moments large crowd had con-
gregated and every eye was turned on a
white object gliding down the canal with a
child in IFS arms. The most skeptic seem
satisfied that there was truth in the current
tale of the Old Basin ghost.
Some twelve persons testify to having
seen the weird visitor. On every bridge
was congregated a large concourse of peo-
pie to witness the strange spectacle.
Whether it be of earth or not we do not
pretend to say, but the statements of many,
and the evidence of our own optics, is
enough to satisfy MS that there is something
beyond explanation in this strange affair.