The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-03-07
A GHOST IN AFRICA.
HAuNTs THE GENERAL PoSToF-
FIcE IN CAPE TOWN.
Peculiar Apparition Is Seen by sew
eral Members of. the Night Force
and Appears to Be a Spirit of some
MaIignity and Great Activity.

| have just arrived In England from
Cape Town, and during my stay there
heard curious ghost story, when
was, and still is, causing considerable
sensation In the place. The general
pOstoftire, a fine four-storied building
In Adderly street, the principal thor
oughfare. Is haunted by q genuine
spook. Most people would consider
that South Africa Is too modern and
go-ahead locality for such old-fash-
Ioned visitations, but the following is
the story, told by one Of the telephone
operators, a member of the Cape CiVt
Service:
One night. about the end OF October
last he was sitting In front OF his
switchboard-th time was near mid
night. and very few calls were being
made at that hour-when he was sud
denly aroused by knock. Receiving
no answer to his inquiry of who's
there" he looked around. and. to his
astonishment, saw strange figure
bobbing up and down on the other
side of the glass partition which sep
arated his room from another. At first
he fancied he was dreaming, but on
rubbing his eyes and looking again he
perceived that the figare possessed the
head and body of man. but the lower
limbs were los: in sort of mist. The
eyes were terrible to behold. and seem
ed to blaze with red and green fire.
At first the clerk was naturally very
much alarmed, but he soon screwed up
enough courage to accost the specter
with the first words that came into his
head, which happened to be, What,
hoT' The ghost did not deign to re-
ply, but, gliding through the locked
partition, advanced toward the terri
fed man and then halted. In sepul-
chral tones 1t now addressed him with
these words: 81 want x" (men-
tioning the name of one Of the clerks
in the Department.. The man was
speechless, whereupon the apparltlon,
seemingly displeased at his silence,
gllded nearer and glared angrily at
him. A few minutes later the night
watchman, going his round below. met
shivering individual with his hair
literally on end with fright, and with
difficulty recognized him as B, the
telephone clerk. BIS story was en-
tlrely dishelieved by the watchman,
but to reassure him, and out Of pity
for his fearful state OF mind, he went
up with him to search for the specter.
Nothing, however, was to be seen.
The next night the same thing hap
pened, and this time the clerk fled In
; terror from the building. On the third
night he refused to go on duty without
a companion. This was granted him.
and the two went on together. Again
the specter appeared, repeating the for
p mer request. One of the clerks there
: upon seized a ruler and made fronta
attack upon the supernatural visitor
I but It Immediately melted away
. through the glass partition and disap
. peared.
. A week later, about o'clock in thu
Q evening. a watchman on the first foo
saw headless man walking about. HI
gave chase, but 1t vanished as TIN
!! other had done. On another occasion
d at midnight a watchman declares tha
: he distinctly saw a man dressed II
a khaki sitting at one of the Office tables
# He spoke to him and asked what h
E, was doing there The man thereupol
faded away as mysteriously as tn
IS others A great many queer noises an
!, rapplngs are continually being heard
:. causing men to fight shy Of night dut
In the postoffice, even at the risk o
1t losing their appointments.
Is A member of the Psychlcal Researc
If Society was taken through the build
ing. He heard the noises, and said b
would interview the spirit of spirits
- - He changed his mind, however, tn
le reason he gave being that 1t was
lie very angry and dangerous spirit, whlc
e. he would not care to meet. His opiI
a. lon did not succeed In consollng th
night staff, who declare 1t Is the ghoS
+ of a man who was killed during th
70 construction of the telephone depar
~ ment. On the day | left Cape Tow
r; thorough examination of the pos
ID office was contemplated.-COrrespo
ence London Graphic,