The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-23
sPooKs FROM THE MIGHTY DEEP.
A Policeman Drops His Lantern and
Flies From Strange Noise.

A Policeman Drops His Lantern and
| Flies From a Strange Noise.
A short time since two foreign sailors
were drowned in the harbor here, writes a
Pensacola correspondent of the ST. Louis
Globe Democrat, and the stevedores say
that their ghosts walk, and nothing can
induce the majority of them to go near the
wharves at midnight A dozen sailors of a
| British vessel lying at anchor a quarter of a
mile from shore came ashore on liberty, and
like all jack-tars, had q jolly time, ending
by getting as drunk as so many lords. Two
OF them missed the returning boat, and, on
going down at midnight, found that they
were left. Being just far enough lover seas"
not to know the danger of the strong tides,
they undressed and plunged IN to swim out to
the ship, leaving their clothes on the wharf.
Some negroes passing by stole the clothes
The next day the bodies of the two men
were cast ashore mile below town.
The second day after darby came into
the police station, and handing the captain
a package, told him that it contained the
clothes of the two sailors. The negro added
that the men who had taken them had given
tnem TO him to return, as the ghost OF the
two men had appeared to them in natures
garb and with horrible imprecations de-
lnanded their clothes. The frightened
thieves did not dare to keep them after this,
and returned them at once.
The chief laughed at the tale, and put
ting the clothes to one side, thought little
more OF it. The next day the patrol who
was stationed at the central wharf, where
the sailors left from, asked for a change of
station. alleging that the cold night air
from off the water was bad for him. He
was given another post and a different
officer given that beat. He, too, applied
for change, and successfully six different
e.icers gave up the place. The chief then
Investigated and Has told the following
story:
at a5o1t II 30 the attention of the police
man on duty was attracted by a noise like
as Il swimmer was climbing up the side
OF the wharf. Suspecting thieves, he hast
coed there, and opening his buil's-eye lantern
threw his light on the spot where the noise
was heard. As the rays illuminated the
dock there stepped into the circle of light
the ghostly forms of the dead sailors, mag
nified to huge proportions, stark naked,
sea weed clinging to their hair, and their
faces and bodies horribly eaten by fish and
crabs. They stalked past the officer with
out seeming to notice him, and going to the
spot where their clothes had been left, APP
peared to be hunting for something-their
vain search seeming to render them furious
with rage. The officer dropped dis lantern
and fed.
The others all corroborated his tale and
related the same general experience save
the last one, who added to his story that
one of the spectral figures came up and at
tempted to embrace him, with a drunken
leer on its corpse-like face. No officer Is
stationed there now, and not a darby In
the city would go on the dock at midnight
for $1,000. During the day hundreds of
people have visited the spot and commented
upon the strange tale. The officers are
laughed at by many, but they stick to their
story and refuse to do duty On that par
ticular wharf