The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-11-06
BRISTOL HAS A GHOST.
II ParadeS the City Both Nigh
and Day.
Its Heavy FOOTBALLS Heard by Many,
But no Spectral Form Seen.

Bristol, Conn, u pretty town hidden
away among the rolling valley hills, has n
ghost. The footsteps of this ghost may be
heard, loud and unmistakablc, as 1t walks
In business block on Main street, but the
ghost itself Is as unseen 20 the air. II Is a
strange, unusual, unaccouhtable spook. In
the uneasy peregrinations it makes about
various habitations in the block, opening
and closing doors, shuffling about up stairs
rooms, Its footballs repeatedly tapping
smartly up and down stairs, it manifests
itself quite rs often in broad daylight az,
after niehtfall
The Bristol ghost, IL Is said, began to
walk several months ago and has been
walking about all the time since At first
the people In the block were afraid and
had sort of creepy feeling when the foot
steps came up suddenly behind them par
ticularly when they heard them in well
lighted hallway or staircase and beheld
nothing in the direction whence they
seemed to como except the empty space Of
the familiar corridor. The ghost kept on
walking, and after n time their alarm
wore off and they began to be- proud of the
familiar spirit, saying: Hes select any
how. Common folks don't have the ex-
elusive proprietary right in "a ghost, un-
til of an afternoon one Of them Glanced to
mention the incident to n friend who
dwells In another quarter. The friend re-
piled excitodly:
"Well, do believe IL Is tho very same
one. IL is the same. Why, he comes over
and walks I'm our block now and then"
Further inquiry by the investigator re-
vealed the fact that the ghostly footsteps
had been heard, though infrequently, in
several blocks In the Eeighborhood. But
1t Is only in the main street that the ghost
walks habitually. Speaking of the phe-
nomcnon in n matter of fact way, engen-
dered by his long familiarity with it,
business man who has n fine shop in that
block said 10 questioner day or two
ago:
The footsteps have got TO be regular
everyday affair So much so that the
storekecpcrs here pay very little attention
TO them now. What are they and what
causes them? Well, that's exactly what
we would like very much TO know, but
will confess, for ono, that / haven't tho
ghost of an idea or any explanation to
offer. All / can say about it Is that it's
fact, and that they arc real footsteps or ap-
pear to be- not light and unsubstantial
ones, which we might be deceived in, but
loud, clear, sharp and distinct steps such
as man makes walking in heavy shoes
And they come and go ut all hours in some
parts Of the block.
"ln this particular shop 1t is a strange
fact that it's manifes,atio take place
only in tho daytime. Sometimes we hear
the steps crossing the hall, then ascending
tho stairway, and so real are they that the
stairs creak under thom, but no one is In
sight either in the hall or on the stairs.
Account for it all In any way you can or
think most reasonable, but these nre the
plain facts that am giving. Then again
the steps arc not always of tho same nature
oxactly, for sometimes they are rather
lighter and quicker in some particular
apartment. while In another one they are