Well fed apparition chasing Brookfiled's youth

A ghost from Brookfield and West Brookfield seems to be popping up out of the ground and scaring many of the citizens, including school age children. This happens to be another article found on the GenealogyBank.com website. It appeared in the Boston Journal out of Boston, MA in May of 1904. 

GHOST FRIGHTENS BROOKFIELD CHASES SCHOOL GIRLS AND BOYS

SHADE APPARENTLY OF FEMININE GENDER

Well fed, Almost fat, Apparition Pops Out of the Ground, 

Says Creepy Things and Fades From View.

BROOKFIELD’S GHOST

Short and rather stout.

Garbed in filmy white.

Utters terrible sounds.

Chases people with outstretched arms.

Appears and disappears as a magic.

Has thrown the citizens into a state of terror.

Is being nightly searched for by the police and citizens.

Brookfield, May 3 – An unearthly looking, blood chilling ghost has been chasing a number of Brookfield and West Brookfield people until  many in this community have been thrown into a state of terror and the citizens, headed by the police, have been out hunting for this ghost several nights.

The ghost appears to be a short, rather stout woman, garbed in filmy white, with unearthly features, who has followed several people along Brookfield streets with outstretched arms, uttering terrible sounds, only to vanish a mysteriously as she or “it” appeared.

Popped Out of the Ground.

Two nights ago a part of girls form this town and West Brookfield meet the ghost at the corner of Central and River streets. They were walking up Central street when the apparition seemed to rise form the ground in front of them and with outstretched arms and hideous face glided swiftly toward them.

With shrieks of terror the girls turned and fled down Central street retracing their tracks. A crowd about the post office heard their terrified cries and ran to meet them. The girls were hysterical and it was several minutes before they could tell their story. They said the ghost glided after them full 100 yards and then at the corner of River street. Disappeared as though swallowed up by the earth. This was about 8:30.

Chased by Woman in White.

Patrolman E.R. Irwin, club in hand headed the band of citizens who went to search for the ghost. The girls were so frightened they had to be taken to their homes. Nearly an hour later, while the citizens were still searching for the ghost, they met Thomas McNamara, a High School student, running down Main street. He was very white and badly frightened. He had not heard of the girls meeting the ghost, but told of being chased by a “woman in white” and his description tallied exactly with that given by the girls.

Since then several others have shown every sign of fear and insisted that they saw the same ghost. Last night the citizens were out searching for the ghost and they went out again tonight. No one can bring to mind any person lately deceased or deceased with in their memory, who tallies with this description everyone is wondering why this gruesome looking ghost should haunt quiet Brookfield.