Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-13
WHERE THE GHOSTS STALK
At Least Some OredulOus Believe Implicitly
that Thsy Dc,
HAUNTED WARDS IN MANY HOSPITALS
Phantons OF the Mind and the "Real
Thinr"-A Bunch OF shady Stories
Called from various
Sources.

Despite the protestations Of hospital at
taches that ghost stories invariably ema-
nate from the fertile imaginations Of pa
tients. certain traditions and CHASTITY tales
are handed down year after year by de-
parting to incoming house doctors and BY
senior nurses to "probs."
A notorious haunted ward is now used
as a supply room in a Boston hospital
where hundreds of municipal patients are
cared for annually. In it's earlier history
Il opened from a corridor leading TO the
GENERATING room, and was frequently used
as a single or private ward for patients
Just taken from the operating table. SUD
denly 1t seemed TO fall under som eva
influence, and the story went forth In the
hospital that the room was hoodooed. No
matter how simple the operation the pa
tent removed TO this room would die be-
fore railying from the anaesthetic. So reg
ularly was this result recorded that Tor q
time the ward was closed, but In due sea-
son the accommodations Of the institution
proved inadequate for its needs and the
haunted room was reopened.
The initial operation was followed By the
customary catastrophe. The head nurse
and her vigilant assistants were panic
stricken and the house surgeon was baf-
ueQ, DuL OeteTtulueu RAooC
And probe It he did.
When the next patient was carried from
the operating table to this ward the house
surgeon personally superintended the re-
moyal. Later In the afternoon he appeared
before the head nurse with an air Of sup
pressed excitement and issued orders tina
between the hours OF 8 and 10 p. m. neither
she nor her assistants should enter the
now dreaded room.
BY s O'Clock the patient, not fully recov'
cred from the anasthetic, lay in q doze
The nurses were ostensibly busy In tbs
large wards at either end of the corridor
and the house surgeon, vigilant and calm
lay under the cot OF the p~atient-waiting
\ The moments passed like hours, but h,
did not move, and at last 1t came
stealthy step that could be felt rather thai
heard-from the direction Of q door leading
to a swinging balcony. A few leaden sec
onds and something paused beside the cot
Then two long muscular arms shot out from
under the cot, there rose q wild miKtur'
Of English and Italian expletives, and tw
forms writhed on the floor, locked in deadl
embrace.
e. When the startled nurses and helper
Z came to the rescue they found the surgeO
bleeding from several flesh wonds receive
from a hne needle-like stiletto, but still
holding his grip on TONY" one Of tn
night watchmen and helpers.
Solution of the Mystery.
When ''Tony" had been, removed to tn
insane ward and the excited patier
soothed, the surgeon explained the stu
alton. While experimenting the removi
OF the patient he had suddenly caught tn
eye Of Tony" who was watching the Pre-
ceeding, and was struck with the expires
sion Of triumph, hellish and gloating In II
Intensity. In this he saw a possible solu
tion to the horrible mystery. TONY" ha
been regarded as a harmless and usef'
helper in the various wards, but from tt
moment Of his capture in the haunted wal
he became violently insane. There was I
means OF knowing how many patients ha
died Of actual heart failure resultant {
the operations and how many had bee
Victims Of his cunning. What methods I
employed remained a mystery also. thoul
II was generally thought that the patient
weakened by the operations and stup,
ned by anaesthetics, were smothered
the mad Italian.
In spite OF the fact that the angel
death showed no further inclination
visit the room and that municipal charg
were more carefully examined before b
ing detailed for duty, the horror of Il
ward remained. In the interests Of go'
order among the attaches the superintenI
ent soon transformed It into q shelf-lin'
a supply room. Yet there are still tim
"probs" who in the midnight watch
: imagine they see '"rony' creeping bal
from spirit land In search Of fresh vi
tins. And the house surgeon, now a era
haired practitioner. still owns the stileti
In a great East Side hospital of M
York, the center OF tenement life miseI
the nurses tell a weird tale OF q litt
chorus girl who comes back at certain Sc
sons of the year. trailing after the conve
tional burial shroud which she begg
should never be wrapped around her. A
thereby hangs a pathetic story.
Tragedy of stage Life.
The girl. who came of poor. hard-wor
ing parents, was enamored Of stage Ii
She was honest in her intentions and Al
billions and had visions of q hard strugl
IN the chorus. lessons under q good ms
ter. and finally q chance in a leading TO
Her sweetheart, a respectable young n