The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-03-21
GlI0STLY EAST-SIDE SIGHTS.
OLD SHIPS SPECTRAL FORM SAID TO
U.fyE BEEN SEEN AT NIGHT
4 Hiaze OF FIRE that Danced Overth water
aud Across the Course of vessels In the
East Rvc,.-Oniecr Giibride'. Adventure.


aud Across the Course of vessels In the
East wNcr-Oniecr Giibride'- Adventure.
One of the bcst-known persons in the
Twenty first Ward used to be" Old shep." as
Joseph i. Sheppard was familarly known. lie
WIS Il private night Waterman. and u profess
sional caller of persons desiring 10 arise ut un-
scemly hours. ANY time between dusk aud
sunrise he might I've seen shunlng along In
Third Second or First avenues. nrv"r exactly
sober never positively drunk. One morning.
about n fortnight ago. he was found dead in the |
river at East Thirty ninth street. whether his |
death had been caused by violence or not did |
not conclusvcly appear During the later
years Of his life Il fancy got abroad among some |
folks that it was bad luck to meet Old Shcp." |
Personally apart from the question OF his being
bird of OWL omen. everybody liked Old
Shcp"
Among the officers OF the Thirty-lfth street
police is Thomas Gilbridc known as " Tommy
the Horse" His bcut was down toward the
river aide near where Old Shep" passed ont
! Of mortal life and there one night hc-hut here
} is the way he tells the story himself; don't
remember the night. but ii was the night hear-
ncy was OIL may oe two weeks ago, when was
/ trying my doors coming up First avenue. At
| herorner " Thirty ninth street was trying
! door TINT hnd a low handle, and was bending
| over this way with my club hanging down from
| when / looked around To- my lett, Tor heard
tooistep behind me-. and as near to me- ns
the Captain II now (ahOut siN iccu. | saw
u man standing. At first. not thinkinI II
was shcp at all. straisli,end up myself.
| and then | saw that ther,'. sure enough. u was
Old Shep seen! And wasn't thinking OF MN
at All. mind YOU Am | sure II was himf OF
course | am. | saw him A. plain ~ see YOU
now. Why didn't sp-ak 10 himt hHdn ne
time. All OF sudden he wnsnt thsr'i ~.
didn't walk out Of the place he was IN u" didn
move one way or the other; he Just wasn't
there when | looked for him the second tme'
aud That was a second Hlter IL san MN IN i,.n mts,;
up. or whether he went down don't know;
hut he Just disappeared ,rirnt away; ,No; l
been afraid Of him for? He had nothing
against M, It's not true; as some Of the boys
away, or that fell down IN a dcAd liant. or tnat
drank "A whole pail Of water belcre come Z,
my senses. III have spoke TO him Il he had
stopped. II he wouldn't have got away out ot
my hands in that queer way. "a have -p2k" 70
hnd n" business to Sc. We'll. no. amt SO sure
1t was disorderlv conduct Of MIN. but wouldn
have been airnid to try 10 bring nm IN II
FoG he's not the first ghos, I've seen. I've
seen two at the Morgue. standing riglt up on
the slais There Wore four bodies Oh the slabs.
and tucm two ghosts standing right up. was
outside on the street ltwas ihe time oi lnc
! said nothing To- them nor they TO- me-, ju-t
went along about my business. Had H. heard
think maybe had. but 1'd paid no attention t9
H. or course | knew he was dead. After /
and Iii raped thrc--quarters Of an hour Tor
him. and he wouldn't come down. And when
r Tgnt 70 up e 70 b nun o o aU down @ along @ With me- ne he
Q wouldn't come anenr. ana he shook Ike leaf
,. on tree. No. I've not seen him since, because
I've not been W there at night $ n e.
a hut others there have seen him. Mostly
4 they see him as bright light Last nignt
they saw light leaving the dock where he fell
\ | ina light thnt was about twice the slze OF 4
4 street lamp, and foated on the water but wasn't
y in any boat. nor WASH any light oi TINS world.
- Ii was between twelve ana one o'clock. Just
o about The same time seen him. No. tell you
.. ,ourss was a li;tie eNciiri How lid he
o look? just ~ he looked when he WAS alive.
5 II Is two hands were IN his pockets. his ZAP was
drawn down over his eyes and he hnd his old
coat On Just H. he used To- 20 about. IN sdrr II
was ~ iok'. Ifit was IL soon Mud Il out. The
bows ~ there know. M too wei 10 try playing
any jokes ON me. amt one that taxes jokes
And ju-u - to Tommy the Horss' compel:
, the adm ssion that h. docs not .ook Ike AN IN
Il vii ng subject for practical Joke. M
nj EDuui-man CHss day sand Yesterday: saw
:, i last night on Ihirty-siNth stf.rt II looked
= like nlaz" of ilrr good .'al bigger than 4
T. lamp II ~tnrtet from thc Inltty-ulntn sire"
10 do X about II o'clock. and the men who were n
work at tine time Al Thirty.eislth street as'
Dc airnii. So they compnined 10 Onl,rr Krarnry
m that they Thought there WAS something about
'd II. II, went down 10 ~,... i and h. did '-,s
). Noatng 10y U Iulrty-eighth street. II wiz tNri
- - the mn he 81 inr ,'eg ON .rr f'Fspai s.sl
y down aious ih" river u0t tar from th" por-
s- and di-uyp".rs far toward tur oiicr side
In"r. is h. lHuii ai4'ut II. and II isu't ia 20 r,ai
H. snd u1tody tNW know Of knows wnat 70 BE-
= nu' good many q. aW thai II is the nElt u
Old Shops lantern.
li.. Om~ Cu4lman. upon being, interviewed
~. h,' had seen IL. S-A,ral workmru employed o
~ the hoas near tho Thirty -ninth siraN p,"r, 'ul
- ,.saine story. They AVER tnai one uislt r.
"a roniiy III" cho-'iI ieii went dancing out ~ th
'd and The huse mail Il an"r Marylnn,! Hat
Al - H Cd