The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-27
THIS GHOST STOPS CARS
SIGNALS MOTORMEN At A LONELY
POINT IN BALTIMORE.
Employees Of the Railways Have Pal
pitation of the Heart as They Near
Retreat of UnearthIy Visitor.
Baltimore Sun.

Baltimore Sun.
Wandering night after night along the
tracks OF the United Railways Company, as
IL in a vain effort to escape from the bonds
that confine it to the section where bloody
deeds of murder and suicide have been
committed, a specter has been seen several
times during the past few weeks where
Monument street extended crosses the old
Potter's Field sewer at Luzerne street The
advent of the ghostly visitor has caused
much alarm in the negro settlement that
has been built up about the plant of the
Baltimore Brick Manufacturing Company,
which adjoins the old city burial place. So
great has been the feeling of dread that il
is with manifest reluctance and fear that
residents in the vicinity pass the spot after
darkness has set in.
Not only is the feeling of fear held by
the colored people in the neighborhood, but
1T has spread to the men in charge of the
car on the jerkwater line that runs on
Monument street from Patterson Park ave-
nue. to the city limits, Loney's lane. Several
of the motormen of the railway company
have stated positively that they have seen
a man standing at the side of the track as
of the motorman in order TO stop the car.
Just as often as the car has been slowed
down, just as frequently has the appari-
ton vanished into thin air and not been
seen by the conductor who wondering at
the sudden stoppage of the car, has peered
out into the darkness to see what was the
trouble.
SPOOKS HAIL CARS.
Though the ''spook' has been seen at
large for some time the matter was brought
to the knowledge of the police in a
startling manner one night last week,
shortly before midnight. Sergeant Thomas
P. Kirby, of the northeastern district, was
a passenger on the car which was in charge
of Motorman Thomas Williams and Con-
ductor James Kelly. The car was bound
east, and was travelling at a good rate of
speed. The grade is rather steep from
Montfort avenue to the gulley at Luz
zerne street, where the ground rises to
the terminus at Loneys lane. AS the car
reached the bottom of the slope. Sergeant
Kirby and the conductor, who were stand
ing on the rear platform. were violently
thrown forward by the motorman suddenly
applying the brakes and reversing the
current. AS the car was brought to a
sudden stop and before the occupants re-
covered from their sudden alarm, the mo-
torman turned around and called TO the
conductor:
Dld That man get on?
What man?' asked the conductor.
"Why, the fellow that was standing at
the side of the track here n moment ago."
responded the motorman in a somewhat
nervous tone.
Conductor Kelly looked out on the side
and then glanced back In the darkness to
see If they had passed the man, and then
answered, NO. didn't see anybody get
on and there is no one here"
We'll, / know 1 saw a man standing by
the side of the tracks, and will be blamed
II he didn't wave his hand at me to stop
the car" retorted the puzzled motorman.
BY that time Sergeant Kirby had fully
recovered from the jar received at the sud
den stopping of the car. and with the mo-
torman, alighted under the impression that
they would lind the mangled remains of
the would-be passenger either lying along
side of the rails or beneath the trucks of
the car: The street Is very dark at this
point, there being only one small gaslight
anywhere in the neighborhood. and it was
necessary for the. men to light matches in
order to peer under the car. After some
time spent in fruitless search, they again
boarded the car and proceeded. Then it
was that the story of the ghost came out.
When the terminus of the line was
reached, Motorman Williams entered the
car In somewhat excited condition and
told Sergeant Kirby that that was not the
first time he had seen the wrath at the
same spot, and that he was inclined to
think that the place is haunted.
Conductor Kelly also said he had often
noticed that the car was suddenly stopped
at the same place, not only by Mr. Will
liams, but by other motormeu that he had
worked with
The spot where the ghost is supposed
TO appear is not inviting at night, il
being poorly lighted Large trees have
grown on both sides of Monument street
and their limbs meet across the street.
There is no house within two squares of
the spot and it is an exceedingly gloomy
place.
PLACE OF MURDER AND SUICIDE.
Considerable superstition has always been
connected with the vicinity, for during the
past fifteen years two suicides and a MUIR
der have been committed there Many
tales of seeing ghosts have been told and
the residents in the negro settlement who
are compelled to use Monument street i'm
order to get into the city have always
dreaded the old sewer. The police of the
northern station have had much amuse-
ment by secreting themselves about the
sewer and watching frightened negroes
run by them as fast as their legs could
carry them.
The mouth of the old Potter's Field sewer
was formerly at the intersection of Monu-
ment and Luzerne streets, but the sewer
has been recently extended several squares.
IL was at the mouth OF the sewer that
James Ridgeway committed suicide about
fifteen years ago; that the murdered body
OF Dr. John Downey was found ten years
ago and that ex-Patrolman John Webster
committed suicide perhaps six years ago.
The DowDey murder caused considerable
stir among the police officials. He was
found lying near the mouth of the sewer,
with his skull crushed in. Near him was a
rod of iron with which the wound had
been inflicted. A considerable sum of
money had been taken from the victim s
pockets. The police searched the entire
neighborhood in quest OF the murderer and
a large number of negroes were closely
examined concerning their wherea bouts on
the night of the tragedy, but the murderer
was never captured.
Rumors to the effect that Downey's spirit
returned every night flew rapidly. and for
some time there was considerable excite