There were good days and not so good. The Old Jail was built around the end of the 19th Century. Damp, dark with heavy stonewalls, flat Iron strap bars, small overcrowded cells. Multiple tiers of cells were in the back jail and a lower and upper level front jail for special medical classifications. This is the kind of jail you pay for now. Ghost tours costing ten dollars or more to get scared when someone jumps out at you. Don’t forget to take pictures of ORBS. This jail was a classic.

A rookie, I worked 2nd shift. My first night I came in the front door and the heavy six-inch thick door thumped loud behind me-possibly deliberately. I got the message. I walked through 2 sets of “sally ports”-sally ports were two heavy sets of bars-cages separated six feet apart. No two gates would be opened at one time-security was good.

You walked through the front jail all Ironed, pressed and spiffed up looking good for the shift change and roll call. The first day I got chocolate pudding-or what I hoped was chocolate pudding. At least it smelled like pudding. Some days you got covered with pudding-some days Jell-O or if you were really liked both chocolate pudding and Jell-O mixed. Second tier Inmates waited and this was their special time of day-shift change fun.

Each night was a new experience-a different duty area every night. I was going to learn every aspect of the jail and how to handle any situation. I made my way around. Three men in each small cell and hopefully they all got along. If not there was a fight to stop. Recreation was special in the back jail. Two hours of in the back jail freedom and mayhem for us. I survived; I made my “bones”. Everyday I prayed for 11pm and the front door was finally my freedom.

One evening I had outside Wall duty. Considered a gravy job with fresh air and quiet. I was assigned a police 870-pump shotgun and a 38 Remington pistol. I was escorted to the outside and to the enclosed Wall entrance stairs with 14 steps up and locked from the outside. I had no key and would be relieved by the next shift. Five O’clock, six o’clock and coffee was delivered. I lowered a thin rope and bucket over the inside wall and I pulled up a fresh hot container of coffee. I had it good.

By seven o’clock a heavy fog started forming and a heavy mist covered everything. I radioed in my usual 15-minute radio checks-heavy fog and zero visibility, nothing unusual, all secure. Keep pacing the wall-look to my right, look to my left no one breaks in and no one breaks out. The Presbyterian Church and Graveyard was to my left and back. I knew the dead could not hurt me but the cemetery bothered me. Something caused me to take a quick extra look to my left-toward the cemetery. Forty feet away I spotted a white glob forming behind one of the larger tombstones and growing larger. A chill went down my spine. I didn’t believe in Ghosts I was too rational. BUT I had never experienced one.

I clicked the safety off both the 38 and the 870 shotgun. The 870 came off my shoulder where a strap secured it. I’m now at the terrified pee your pants stage. Can I shoot a Ghost? I wasn’t watching the jail any longer-the ghost had my attention. Higher, whiter and larger should I use the shotgun first, I couldn’t miss with the shotgun spread. The 45 had to be a direct hit. The 870 was my best chance especially in the fog.

I leveled the 870 and aimed. A firearm blast from the wall would cause complete turmoil in the jail and a lot of paperwork. Should I call it in? How do you radio in you see a Ghost? That would be just as bad as calling in a UFO. I’d never live through all the teasing I’d get from that. Even if a UFO was spotted-keep it quiet or the shrink has his turn with you. Every officer in the jail was on the same radio frequency-they would think I lost my mind. Decisions under duress and fear are difficult. You are only thinking about ME first.

Shotgun leveled and was ready to fire then I heard a loud BELCH BURP echo through the fog. O my God. The church had a Wedding and Reception party today. The “Ghost” didn’t make it home. She was a large woman wearing a white dress and passed out in the cemetery-behind a tomb stone. My eyes met hers and a nasty exchange of words mostly from the wall brought on another BELCH BURP from the “GHOST WOMAN”.