The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1902-04-10
IA GHOST IN AFRICA.
HAuNTS THE GENERAL PoSToF-
FICE IN CAPE TOWN.
Peculiar Apparitiou Is Seen by Sew
erai Members of the Night Force,
aud Appears to BE a Spirit of some
Ms1ignity and Great Activity.

have just arrived In England from
Cape Town, aud during my stay there
l heard "A curious ghost story. which
was. and still is. causing considerable
sensation in the place. The general
postoffiee line four-storied building
in Adderly street the principal thor
oughfare Is haunted by Il genuine
spo0k. Most people would consider
that South Africa is too modern aud
go-ahead locality for such old-fash-
toned yisitations. but the following IS
+ the story. told by one of the telephone
opera tors n member OF the Cape Civil
Se1 ice;
one night. abb tie cnd of October
last, he was sitting In front of his
switchboard-the time WAS near mid
night and very few calls were being
made at that hour-when he WAS sud
denly aroused by a knock. Receiving
no answer TO his inquiry Of Who's
thereYi he looked around. and. to his
establishment. 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 figure possessed the
head and body of man, but the lower
limbs were lost In a sort of mist. The
eyes were terrible 10 behold, and seem-
ed to blaze with red and green fire.
At first the clerk was naturally very
much alarmed. but be soon screwed up
enough courage to aceost the specter
with tue first words that came into his
head, which happened to be, What.
ho.' The ghost did not delgn TO re.
ply, but, gliding through the locked
partition. advanced toward the terri.
fed man and then halted. In sepul
chral tones ii now addressed him with
these words. Il want Y" (men,
tloning the name of one of the clerks
In the department. The man was
speeches., whereupon the apparitiOn
seemingly displeased at his silence
gllded nearer and glared angrily al
him. a few minutes later the nigh
Waterman, going his round below. mel
Il shivering individual with his hall
literally on end with fright. and witt
difficulty recognized him as B., tn,
telephone clerk. BIS story was en-
tirely dlsbelieYed by the Waterman
but TO reassure him. and out of pits
for his fearful state of mind. be wen
up with him 10 search for the specter
Nothing. however. was to be seen.
The next night the same thing hap
pened, and this time the clerk fed IL
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
mer request. One Of the clerks there
upon seized ruler and made fronta
attack upon the supernatural visitor
but II Immediately melted away
through the glass partition and disap-
peared
A week later, about 0 o'clock In the
evening, a Waterman ON the first looI
saw headless man walking about. He
gave chase but 1t vanished as the
other had done. on another occasion
at midnight a Waterman declares that
be distinctly saw n man dressed IN
khaki sitting at one of the Office tables
He spoke to him and asked what he
was doing there. The man thereupon
faded away rs mysterlously Us tho
others A great many queer noises and
rappings are continually being heard
causing men to fight shy of night duty
in the postollice, even M the risk OF
losing their appointments.
a member Of the psycbical Research
Society was taken through the build.
ing. lie heard the noises, aud said he
would interview the spirit of spirits.
lie changed his mind however, the
reason he gave being that 1t was a
very angry and dangerous spirit. which
he would not care 10 meet. His opin.
Ion did not succeed In consolng the
night STAFF. who declare 1t Is the ghost
of n man who was Killed during the
construction Of the telephone depart.
ment. On the day left Cape Town
Il thorough examination OF the post.
office was contemplated. = Correspond.
ence London Graphic.
SECONDHAND SMOKEcThCHo