The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1894-01-11
JACK-WIT H-A-LANTERN.
Brooklyn Policemen See Queer Lights and
Look In the Dictionary For IA Reason.

Brooklyn Policemen See Queer Lights and
Look In the Dictionary For IA Reason.
The police of Prospect park, Brook
Ign, are puzzled and some of them
have been scared by mysterious lights
that have been fitting about the
park walks and drives. The lights are
described as two red balls of fire Of
phosphOrescent brilliancy. Each is the
size of "a mans head, round and with
a tail like a comet. Both lights travel
together at distance of five or six feet
from the ground, going along side by
side. They are never seen apart. 1t
is only on dark, drizzly nights, the
police say, that the lights are abroad.
The lights have been the subject of
general discussion among the policemen
after the relief hour, and notes have
been compared on their appearance.
Those who have encountered them in
the stiffness of the night hours say that
the lights do not dcviate from straight
line till "a certain point is reached,
when they shoot over to the big lake
and cross it. The lights have been
seen to come in at gate on the COney
Island road from the Boulevard and
pass along the east drive to the flower
garden.
From there they have deliberately
shot off to the left, and while keeping
a regular distance from the earth, have
fitted over to the lake where they have
shot across the water like flash.
Exciting times are recorded by those
who have tried to capture the lights.
The police compare them to the Ian
terms of bicycles or carriages. A few
nights ago Policeman McGowan saw
them on the drive near Lookout hill.
He ran up and made a grab, but the
lights eluded his grasp. McCtOwan
was mystified. He consulted Police
man Mcclure. on the next post. 1t was
too late. he said, for a bicycle rider to
be abroad, and he could hear no rattle
of carriage wheels. Policeman Nc
Guire could suggest no explanation.
On another occasion, Policeman En-
mis- says, eight of his comrades chased
them over Lookout hill. Near this
point is the Quaker cemetery, with its
ancient gravestones green with moss.
The red lights entered the graveyard
and fitted among the tOmbstOnes. while
Policemen StiIlwell, Boyle, Ennis,
Brown, Mcclure, PETER and others
made desperate efforts to catch them.
When all hands reported at the Man
sion House the men excitedly compared
notes and agreed that they could not
understand it.
Sergeant Foster said that several po-
licemen had been badly frightened.
He said the origin of the lights had
never been satisfactorily explained.
1--WE were all Interested to know
something about Them" he went on,
land we consulted a dictionary. The
information there is that the words
'Ignis fat1rus' explain the origin Of the
lights. l remember, concluded the
sergeant, reading of a man who got
so near to the light that ne could al
most set fire to piece of paper.
Here is the definition that Sergeant
Foster referred to:
"A phosphorescent light that ap-
pears in the night over marshy ground,
supposed to be occasi0ned by the de-
composition of animal or vegetable sub
stances or by noninfammableg gas: pop
ularly called also Will-with-the-wisp
and Jack with-a- lantern.