Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1902-03-28
A GHOST IN AFRICA.
4AuNTs THE GENERAL posroF.
FicE IN CAPE TOWN.
Peculiar Apparition I. Seen by sev.
eral Members OF the Night Force,
and Appears to BE a Spirit Of Some
Malignity and Great Activity.

1 have just arrived in England from
Cape Town. and during my stay there
l heard u curious ghost story. which
was. and still is. causing considerable
sensation in the place. The general
postofice. q fine four-storied building
In Adderly street. the principal thor
oughfare. is haunted by u genuine
spook. Most people would consider
that South Africa is too modern and
go-ahead a locality for such old-fasl-
Toned visitatbns. but the following is
the story. told by n Of the telephone
operators. q member Of the Cape Civil
Service:
One night. about the end 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
there" he looked around, and, to his
astonishment, saw a 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 vas dreaming, but OH
rubbing his eyes and looking again he
perceived that the figure possessed the
head and body OF a man, but the lower
limbs were lost in a sort of mist. The
eyes We're 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,
lo!" 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 it now addressed him with
these words: II want x" men-
tioning the name of one Of the clerks
in the Department.. The man was
speeches.. whereupon the apparition,
seemingly displeased at his silence,
glided nearer and glared angrily at
him. A few minutes later the night
Waterman. going his round below, met
Il shivering individual with. his hair
literally on end with fright. and with
difficulty recognized him as B. the
telephone clerk. BIS story was en-
tirely disbelieved by the Waterman,
but to reassure him, and out of pity
for his fearful state of mind. lie went
up with him to search for the specter.
Nothing. however, was to be seen.
Tho nnvf nfnh< tho ON (, <1fv1~ h1.
pened. and this time the clerk fed in
terror from the building. On the third
night he refused to so 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 a ruler and made a frontal
attack upon the supernatural visitor.
but it Immediately melted away
through the glass partition and disap-
pcared.
"A week later. about 8 o'clock in the
evening. a Waterman on the first floor
saw Il headless man walking about. He
gave chase. but it vanished as the
other had done. On another occasion
at midnight a Waterman declares that
he distinctly saw a nan 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 as mysteriously as the
others A great many queer noises and
rappings are continually being heard,
causing men to fight shy of night duty
in the postofice, v at the risk of
losing their appointments.
A member Of the Psychical Research
Society was taken through the build
ing. He heard the noises, and said he
would interview the spirit Of spirits.
He changed his mind. however, tho
reason he gave being that it was a
very angry and dangerous spirit, which
he would not care to meet. His opin-
ion did not succeed in consoling the
night staff, who declare it is the ghost
of a man who was killed during the
construction of the telephone depart
ment. On the day l left Cape Town
a thorough examination Of the post
Office raj contemplated.-Correspond
ence London Graphic.
SECONDHAND sMoKEsTAcKs.