The Puzzling of Baltimore’s Police.
From the “Baltimore American.”
There is reported to be a mysterious visitor hanging about the corner of Frederick and Fayette Streets, who for the past week has been throwing stones and coal about in the most reckless manner. Where the missiles come from is a conundrum. The “Spirit” commenced its work during the latter part of last week, and throws stones at stated periods. The morning ‘seances’ began about 10 o’clock and continued for an hour. Then in the afternoon stones began to fly soon after 3 o’clock and continued through the night as late as 1 o’clock.
On Monday last the stones fell so frequently that it alarmed the neighbourhood. The principal place where they seemed to drop was in the rear of a saloon on Frederick Street, next to the corner. On Tuesday the servant girl was struck on the arm by a falling stone and severely injured. Windows on Fayette Street were next broken; the skylight in J.A. Ives’ machine shop, No. 11, Frederick Street, was smashed, and other windows of the shop facing the yard were damaged. The firemen of No. 1 truck house determined to ferret out the mystery, and for some nights laid upon the housetops or frequented the yards in the vicinity, but still the stones fell and the thrower could not be discovered. The police were applied to, and Sergeant Nippard and two officers were detailed for duty at the place. The officers spent the night on the roof, but the stones flew around as usual. They came the next night, but again failed to unearth “the ghost.”
While the officers were watching on Wednesday night, and Sergeant Nippard was talking to Mr James H. Bollman, the engineer at Mr Ives’ shop, a stone came flying through one of the windows and just missed the sergeant, who made an investigation, but found, as usual, nothing.
Spiritualist, 2nd December 1881.