The Times
9 January 1838

Mansion House - Yesterday the Lord Mayor said, that he had received a letter upon a subject, the odd nature of which had induced him to withhold it for the public for some days, in the expectation that some statement might be made through a source of indisputable authority relative to the matter of which it treated.

The following is the letter: - SEE MAIN PAGE FOR LETTER

The LORD MAYOR on reading the account observed that, as our friends on the other side of the Atlantic were in the habit of saying, it was 'extraordinary if true'. In his opinion it was not calculated for the meridian of London , but if any trick had been practised by fools, he had no doubt that the vigilance of the police might be depended upon to prevent annoyance. It appeared to him that the letter, which was written in a very beautiful hand, was the production of a lady, who might have been terrified by some burglars into this method of obtaining retribution at the hands of the Lord Mayor, but as the terrible vision had not entered the city, he could not take cognizance of its iniquities.
A gentleman stated to his Lordship that the servant girls about Kensington, and Hammersmith, and Ealing, told dreadful stories of a ghost, or devil, who, on one occasion, was said to have beaten a blacksmith, and torn his flesh with iron claws , and in others to tear clothes from the backs of females . Not one of the injured people had been known to tell the story; perhaps they didn't like to tell it.
The Lord Major believed that one of the ladies who had lost their seven senses was his correspondent. He hoped she would do him the favour of a call, and he would have the opportunity of getting from her such a description of the demon as would enable him to catch him, in spite of the paid press and public.

6 January 1838

SPRING JACK. - Few occurrences in this neighbourhood have created so much general excitement as the fooleries said to have been committed by a person who has obtained for himself the above distinguished cognomen. Some of his vagaries were related, as taken from a London paper, in our last week's number. Some old women will have it that he has been seen dashing across Blackheath at 12 o'clock at night, on a milk white steed, covered in blood and dust - others have seen him at all hours in the day and night, at the corner of every lane, street and road, in Greenwich, Woolwich, and Deptford, and the surrounding neighbourhood. Little children can't go to bed by themselves, for the thought of his bouncing down the chimney or in at the window the moment they are asleep. Mothers make quite an "old bogee" of him to compel their sons and daughters to "be good", while there are some sober old gentlemen who positively declare that they don't believe there is any Jack or Gill of the kind. For our own parts we can only observe if there is a man whose mind is so utterly destitute of common-sense, that he can take a delight in making an ass of himself, in the way described - we pity him. We had almost forgotten to mention that rumour has "taken him up" about a score of times.


The Morning Herald
10 January 1838

CREDULITY AND SUPERSTITION OR A TALE OF DIABLERIE
[In the course of giving a slightly edited version of the Morning Chronicle's account, the Herald added:]

...In consequence of the above ridiculous stories, a reporter of the above district adopted every means for obtaining information on the subject, and personally visited many of the places above-mentioned, where he found that, although the stories were in everybody's mouth, no person who had actually seen the ghost could be found. He was directed to many persons who were named as having been injured by this alleged ghost, but, on his speaking to them, they immediately denied all knowledge of it, but directed him to other persons whom they had heard, had been ill-treated, but with them he met with no better success; and the police of the T division, who extend as far as Brentford End, declare that, although they have made every inquiry into the matter, they cannot find one individual hardy enough to assert a personal knowledge on the subject.

The Morning Chronicle
10 January 1838

CREDULITY - THE GHOST STORY
Never has credulity or superstition been more strongly exemplified than in the ghost story alluded to by the Lord Mayor at the Mansion-house on Monday last, as having frightened the village of Peckham from its propriety, which has had a wider range of circulation than any previous tale of the kind on record. The following are some particulars of the alleged pranks of the ghost, imp or devil, who, as has been stated, is by many persons believed to be a member of a certain band of aristocrats, who, for a wager, has undertaken to personify a supernatural being. The story had its origin in the neighbourhood of Barnes, Surrey, about four months since, when it was alleged that, in the shape of a large white bull , he attacked several persons, particularly females, many of whom had suffered most severely from the fright, and no respectable female has since left home after dark without a male companion. At East Sheen, in the form of a white bear, the alleged ghost carried on similar pranks. His ghostship then extended his freaks to the salubrious regions inhabited by the celebrated 'maids of honour' , and in the course of a few days afterwards all Richmond teemed with tales of females being frightened to death and children torn to pieces by the supposed unearthly visitant, who was, in consequence, so closely searched after by the local police that he soon thought it prudent to quite the green lanes of that fashionable resort for the quiet and retired villages of Ham and Petersham, where in the image of an imp of the 'Evil One' he nightly reigned supreme, and neither man, woman, nor child durst venture beyond the threshold of their domiciles without a lantern and a thick club stick. From Petersham, Kingston was the next resort of the alleged supernatural visitant; but, as at Richmond, the police of that borough soon rendered his visit most dangerous to his own safety, and he in consequence crossed the water, when Hampton Wick, Hampton Court &c., soon rung with the mighty deeds of an unearthly warrior, clad in armour of polished brass , with spring shoes, and large claw gloves, who, whenever pursued after frightening not only children but those of an older growth, scaled the walls of Bushy Park, and instantly vanished. Teddington, Twickenham, Whitton, and Hounslow were next in succession the scene of stories of a similar description, and many and fearful were the tales of injuries inflicted by him in the Duke of Northumberland's demesne of Sion Park, and other parts of the village of Isleworth. Among other things it was stated that a carpenter named Jones, residing in that village, while returning through 'Cut-throat-lane', on his way home, about 11 o'clock at night, was seized and most unmercifully belaboured by the ghost, who was attired in polished steel armour, with red shoes, &c. Being a powerful man, Jones instantly grappled with his assailant, when two more ghosts came to the assistance of the first one , when Jones's clothes were torn into ribbons, and 'cust to the winds.' Heston, Drayton, Harlington, and the neighbourhood of the town of Uxbridge, were next the scenes of his tricks; when, returning by the Great Western Railway towards the metropolis, he in turn visited Hanwell, Brentford, Ealing, Acton, Hammersmith and Kensington. At Hanwell, Brentford, Ealing and Acton, he has been represented as clad in steel armour, and, in addition to frightening various persons , severely injured a blacksmith residing in the village of Ealing , who, it is stated, has ever since kept his bed in consequence of the fright he sustained. At Hammersmith an itinerant vendor of pies and muffins, it was reported, was attacked while returning home through Sounding-lane by 'the ghost,' and his clothes torn from his back, and one female was stated to have been frightened to death at the idea of meeting him. Even the precincts of the Royal Palace of Kensington have not escaped, children having seen the unearthly being dancing by moonlight on the Palace-green, and ever and anon scaling the walls of the royal forcing gardens , in the direction of the churchyard in Church-street.

In consequence of the above ridiculous stories, some parties adopted every means for obtaining information on the subject, and personally visited many of the places above mentioned. It was found that although the stories were in everybody's mouth, no person who had actually seen him could be ascertained . An amusing circumstance, in connection with the reports, is related. A few nights since, as one of the police was on duty in Little Ealing-lane, he heard some person running at full speed towards him, and in a few minutes afterwards he met the son of a respectable inhabitant of Old Brentford, who, in a state of the greatest alarm, declared he had seen 'the ghost.' The policeman accordingly proceeded to the spot named by the booby, when he found the inspector on his white horse, awaiting the report of the sergeant of the section, totally unconscious of the alarm he had occasioned. The Hammersmith 'Sounding-lane' statement also turns out to be the invention of some wag; and although it has been stated by many respectable persons at Brentford that his ghostship had been a few nights since seized by a policeman at Brompton, and, after being nearly killed by the populace, conveyed for examination at Kensington, yet neither the authorities at Kensington, nor persons resident at Brompton, have heard anything respecting him beyond the above reports; and we strongly suspect that the Peckham statement will, on investigation, have a similar result.

The Morning Chronicle
11 January 1838

MANSION HOUSE
The Ghost Again: -

[In the course of giving its version of The Times's account, the Herald inserted the following paragraph:]

...a figure clad in a bear's skin, which upon being drawn aside, exhibited a human body in a suit of mail, and with a long horn, the emblem of the king of hell himself.
Mr Holder said he believed that there were stories about this ghost all around the metropolis, and that the matter would in all probability one day end in a good ducking. If anything serious had resulted from the tricks which were said to have been already played, the police no doubt, would have been apprised of it, and the newspaper, out of which it was almost impossible to keep anything likely to attract curiosity, would have been ready enough to take hold of it as a recompense for the want of parliamentary intelligence . That some mischievous fellows, who deserved to be well trounced, were at work, there existed no doubt.

A gentleman, who stated that he had heard a great deal of conversation on the subject, mentioned that the ghost was said to have appeared armed cap-a-pie in Lord Holland's park to the terror of a few ladies and gentlemen, who were in the habit of meeting there by moonlight, and that since that period that park had very nearly recovered its reputation, as casual visitors of the description alluded to considered that his business was to preserve the chastity of the place, and had not been seen since.

Mansion House - The Lord Major received the following communications in the course of yesterday on the subject of what took place at the Mansion-house on Monday, relative to the individual who is said to be occupied in winning a wager by appearing in various terrific characters at night in the villages around the metropolis:

'My Lord Mayor - The public are much indebted to your Lordship for bringing forward the letter, as stated in yesterday's Mansion-house report. Although there is yet no authenticity attached to that part of the letter in which it is stated that lamentable accidents have arisen from this wicked prank, that it has been played on lately to a considerable extent in the neighbouring villages I can assure your Lordship to be a fact.

'In the neighbourhood of Hornsey, where I have a residence, some scoundrel has been alarming the neighbourhood in these disguises, and I heard yesterday in our news-room at Guildhall, from one of the deputies, that the same thing has been played off near Kingston, and from a respectable neighbour in Cheapside that Hertfordshire has been similarly visited.

'It is stated that some individual ('gentleman' he has been designated) drives about with a livery servant in a cab, and, throwing off a cloak, appears in these frightful forms, and is to win a wager by the joke - if it be a joke, one that is very likely to produce the catastrophe detailed in the letter, but which, till the writer comes forward and acknowledges it, cannot be considered as fact.

'I should rather incline to think it was some determined thief who visits houses in the absence of the heads of families and who by this method of at once paralysing the energies of the servants to obtain and escape with his booty on easy terms .

'I shall shortly remove my family from my town residence to that stated, where if I catch Mr Ghost on any part of my premises I shall administer that to his substantial part that if he ever appears it shall be only his aerial essence, or as a ghost in fact .

'Other heads of families in my neighbourhood having expressed the same determination, I trust this ghost will soon be layed; mean time publicity to the matter will do good, and attract the notice of the authorities without the city.
'I have the honour to be, my Lord,

'Your Lordship's most obedient humble servant,
'THOMAS LOTT
'Bow Lane, Jan 10.'

The writer of the following letter also gives his name, but we are not at liberty to publish it:

'New Boswell-court, Lincoln's-inn-fields.
My Lord, - I am induced to address your Lordship on the subject of the Peckham ghost, to which I perceive, by this morning's paper, your attention has been called. I will promise that I am an acting magistrate for this county, and a practising barrister. I mention this a guarantee that I will not improperly trespass upon your Lordship's valuable time.
'Some few weeks ago, an old female domestic, who lived in my service many years, and who now resides in respectable circumstances, as the wife of a decent tradesman at Hammersmith, called on me, and in this course of conversation informed me that the females of Hammersmith and its vicinity feared to walk abroad after nightfall in consequence of the molestations of a ghost or monster to which they were exposed.
'At first I, with your Lordship, thought this visitation in the 19th century, so near the metropolis, and with such a well organised police as we have now, too absurd for belief; but on further inquiry I ascertained that several young women had been readily frightened into fits - dangerous fits, and some of them had been severely wounded by a sort of claws the miscreant wore on this hands. I expressed my surprise that the attention of the police had not been called to the nuisance. My informant assured me that repeatedly their vigilance had been aroused on the subject, but the fellow or fellows had been adroit enough to avoid capture. I have that reliance on the witness I allude to, that I have no doubt she reported facts.

'On perusing your Lordship's observations this morning, which were precisely of the same kind as my own when I first heard of the matter, I deemed it my duty to communicate the above fact to your Lordship.
'I will take the opportunity of more minutely inquiring into this matter, should the investigation which the police will no doubt institute fail of fully detecting the miscreants, who are undoubtedly working real mischief, though under a childish and grotesque guise.
'I am, my Lord Mayor, &c'

'To the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor.
'Your Lordship will, I trust, pardon the liberty I have taken in addressing your Lordship. My reason for so doing is to inform you that the letter you received a few days ago respecting some person who makes it his delight to frighten the peaceable inhabitants of the suburbs of the metropolis is not without foundations. He has frightened several persons in Stockwell, Brixton, Camberwell and Vauxhall, and has caused the death of several; and many instances can be proved of his frightening people into fits. Hoping you will not think lightly of this matter, I am your Lordship's faithful and obedient servant

'AN INHABITANT OF STOCKWELL'

The following communication was addressed to Mr Hobler:

'There have been rumours in St John's Wood and its neighbourhood, for the last fortnight, of the appearance of the monster alluded to in the police report of yesterday of the Mansion-house, inserted in the Times this morning.

'The bet is, however, understood to be of an even more grave nature than is there stated, and, if it be true, amounts to murder. As far as the writer has been informed, the bet is, that the monster shall kill six women in some given time . 'It is asserted that he has been seen in St John's Wood clad in mail, and as a bear.'

'Jan. 9
'My Lord,-On reading the letter in the papers of this day received by your Lordship, I perceive that you are not inclined to give credence to the account furnished by your correspondent.
'The villain mentioned in it as appearing in the guise of a ghost, bear, or devil, has been within the last week or two repeatedly seen at Lewisham and Blackheath. So much, indeed, has he frightened the inhabitants of those peaceful districts that women and children durst not stir out of their houses after dark.

'There ought to be a stop put to this; but the police, I am afraid, are frightened of him also. I have the honour to be your Lordship's most obedient servant.
'J.C.'

The Lord Mayor said it was evident that considerable terror had been excited by the appearance of some man or men in the outlets of the metropolis in disguise, and that a great deal of mischief might arise from a pantomimic display at night in a retired and peaceful neighbourhood. But he thought from the first that the greatest exaggerations must have been made, and he believed it to be quite impossible that there could be any foundation for the report that the ghost had performed the feats of a devil upon earth. He also withheld his credence from the statement that so many ladies had been frightened to death, although he had been given to understand, from an authority he could not question that one of the female servants of a gentleman who reside near his house at Forest-hill, beyond Peckham, was a short time since terrified into fits by the sudden appearance of a figure clad in a bear's skin .

Mr Hobler said, he believed in all probability the matter would one day end in a good ducking. If anything serious had resulted from the tricks said already to have been played, the police no doubt would have been apprised of it. That some mischievous fellows, who deserved to be well trounced, were at work, there existed no doubt.

The Lord Mayor hoped that their fears entertained would soon vanish altogether. He had the satisfaction to know that he would have the assistance of a barrister and an attorney, whose names and respectability he was acquainted with, and all he could say was, if two lawyers could not make a fool of the devil himself between them, he did not know who the d---l could. (A laugh.)

SPRING JACK. - We find by some proceedings that have taken place before the Lord Mayor, that this nonentity is supposed to have taken up his abode elsewhere then Greenwich for the present. From all that can be learnt upon the subject, we have not the least doubt, that it is a gross species of humbug. No one has seen Spring Jack, though all have heard of him; of course, as on all occasions of this kind, feats far exceeding all probability have been ascribed to him! Hopping upon one leg over the Surrey Canal, bridge and all at one hop, is amongst the number, as also is diving into the canal when the police were upon him, and staying there for an hour or two, till they went away. It is said that the wager according to which Spring John plays his pranks, runs that he is to kill six females with fright. Six hundred are nearly dead at the idea of it already.


The Observer
14 January 1838

A Ghost Story
The daily papers have during the week amused their readers with very copious descriptions of some fool who, under various disguises, has contrived to alarm the old and young of half the parishes around the town, and who has hitherto escaped the vigilance of the police. The most exaggerated tales of the horrors resulting from this folly have been put forth, and on Thursday the commissioners of police directed their superintendents to order their men to make a special report upon the subject; but although it turns out that a tall figure in white had been seen in the neighbourhood of Brentford, and, among others, by the daughters of the Rev. Mr. Geary on her return from a party, and she was not at all alarmed even while it walked by her side, very few were enabled to give any account of the occurrences which had been described except from rumour or mischievous invention. No doubt the ghost will soon be laid and the terrors of the superstitious set at rest by his being deposited in some station-house or convenient ditch.

THE GHOST STORY
'Mr Hobler presents his compliments to the Editor of The Sun, and solicits the insertion of this letter in his very valuable and widely circulated Evening Journal at the earliest opportunity. Mr H is firmly convinced that this favour will be granted to him, as it involves a matter of great importance at the present crisis, in which the public are deeply interested, and from which many respectable persons have been excessively annoyed and alarmed by the nocturnal depredations of some vagabonds, who have appeared to them in the form and fashion of hobgoblins and ghosts. A committee of gentlemen have spiritedly come forward for the purpose of raising a fund for securing these unfeeling wretches, alias 'ghosts', and visiting them with that severe punishment which they so richly deserve. The Lord Mayor has kindly consented to receive subscriptions from ladies or gentlemen whose peace and comfort have been destroyed by these scamps, and his Lordship has already in his possession subscriptions amounting to £35 towards the expenses of the prosecution. A liberal donation of five guineas has been forwarded to his Lordship from Plutarch Dickinson Esq., of Plumer Villa, Dulwich, whose daughter was nearly deprived of her senses, and is now lying in a very dangerous state, by the sudden appearance of one of these ruffians enveloped in a white sheet and blue fire , on her return home last week from a party of friends. A donation of £3 has also been received from Mr Benjamin Marsh, of Hammersmith, whose son Timothy, a youth of nine years of age, was terribly frightened at the sight of a fellow dressed as a bear . The committee have been informed that some of the rascals are connected with high families, and that bets to the amount of £5,000 are at stake upon the success or failure of their abominable proceedings. The committee can scarcely give credence to the following report which has reached their ears, that the object of the villains is to destroy the lives of not less than thirty human beings! viz. eight old bachelors, ten old maids, and six lady's maids, and as many servant girls as they can, by depriving them of their reason, and otherwise accelerating their deaths.
The committee have already circulated placards about the suburbs of London offering a reward of £10 for the apprehension of any of these heartless scoundrels, and proceedings will be instituted against them immediately they are captured. Thus, Mr Editor, the public are greatly indebted to these gentlemen for their praiseworthy exertions in allaying the fears of the weak, timid, and superstitious, by the prosecution of this gang of ghosts and hobgoblins, who have excited so much terror and alarm in the vicinity of London.

Mansion-house, Jan 17 1838 .

Outrage on a Young Lady
Many among the public have hitherto been incredulous as the truth of various representations made to the Lord Mayor of the gambols of 'Spring-heeled Jack' , the suburban ghost, and believed, from there being no positive proof of the miscreant carrying his pranks beyond the mere act of alarming unprotected females that those statements were more the effect of imagination than reality. The following authentic particulars, however, of a gross and violent outrage committed on a respectable young lady, and which might not only have caused her death, but that of both her sisters, by the unmanly brute, will remove all doubt on the subject,

Yesterday Mr. Alsop, a gentleman of considerable property residing at Bear-bind cottage, in Bear-bind-lane , a very lonely spot between the villages of Bow and Old Ford, accompanied by his three daughters, waited upon Mr Hardwick at Lambeth-street Police-office, and gave the following particulars of an outrage committed on one of the latter:

Miss Jane Alsop, a young lady 18 years of age, stated that at about a quarter to nine o'clock on the preceding night she heard a violent ringing at the gate at the front of the house, and on going to the door to see what was the matter, she saw a man standing outside, of whom she enquired what was the matter, and requested he would not ring so loud. The person instantly replied that he was a policeman, and said 'For God's sake, bring me a light, for we have caught Spring-heeled Jack here in the lane.' She returned into the house and brought a candle, and handed it to the person, who appeared enveloped in a long cloak, and whom she at first really believed to be a policeman. The instant she had done so, however, he threw off his outer garment, and applying the lighted candle to his breast, presented a most hideous and frightful appearance, and vomited forth a quantity of blue and white flames from his mouth, and his eyes resembled red balls of fire. From the hasty glance which her fright enabled her to get of his person, she observed that he wore a large helmet, and his dress, which appeared to fit him very tight, seemed to her to resemble white oil skin. Without uttering a sentence, he darted at her, and catching her partly by her dress and the back part of her neck, placed her head under one of his arms, and commenced tearing her gown with his claws, which she was certain were of some metallic substance. She screamed out as loud as she could for assistance, and by considerable exertion got away from him, and ran towards the house to get in. Her assailant, however, followed her, and caught her on the steps leading to the half-door, when he again used considerable violence, tore her neck and arms with his claws, as well as a quantity of hair from her head; but she was at length rescued from his grasp by one of her sisters. Miss Alsop added, that she had suffered considerably all night from the shock she had sustained, and was then in extreme pain, both from the injury done to her arm, and the wounds and scratches inflicted by the miscreant about her shoulders and neck with his claws or hands.

Miss Mary Alsop, a younger sister, said, that on hearing the screams of her sister Jane, she went to the door, and saw a figure as above described ill-using her sister. She was so alarmed at his appearance, that she was afraid to approach or render any assistance.
Mrs Harrison said, that hearing the screams of both her sisters, first of Jane, and then of Mary, she ran to the door, and found the person before described in the act of dragging her sister Jane down the stone steps from the door with considerable violence. She (Mrs Harrison) got hold of her sister, and by some means or other, which she could scarcely describe, succeeded in getting her inside the door, and closing it. At this time her sister's dress was nearly torn off her, both her combs dragged out of her head, as well as a quantity of her hair torn away. The fellow, notwithstanding the outrage he had committed, knocked loudly two or three times at the door and it was only on their calling loudly for the police from the upper windows that he left the place.
Mr. Alsop, who appears very feeble, said that he and Mrs. Alsop have been laid up for several week with a rheumatic affection, so as to be scarcely able to get out of bed, but such was the alarm on the night before, that they both got out bed, and he managed to get downstairs, and found his daughter Susan with her clothes torn, and having all appearance of receiving the most serious personal violence. Mr. Alsop also said, it was perfectly clear that there was more than one ruffian connected with the outrage, as the fellow who committed the violence did not return for his cloak, but scampered across the fields, so that there must have been some person with him to pick it up. In conclusion, Mr. Alsop said, he would most willingly give a reward of 10 guineas for the apprehension of the miscreant.
Mr. Hardwick expressed his surprise and abhorrence of the outrage, and said that no pains should be spared to bring its miscreant perpetrators to justice.


The Morning Post
7 March 1838

Lambeth-Street -- The Ghost, Alias 'Spring-heeled Jack', Again - Yesterday Mr. Scales, a respectable butcher, residing in Narrow-Street, Limehouse , accompanied by his sister, a young woman, 18 years of age, attended before Mr. Hardwick, and made the following statement relative to the further gambols of 'Spring-heeled Jack'. Miss Scales stated that on the evening of Wednesday last, at about half past eight o'clock, as she and her sister were returning from the house of their brother, and while passing along Green Dragon-alley, they observed some person standing in an angle in the passage. She was in advance of her sister at the time, and just as she came up to the person, who was enveloped in a large cloak, he spurted a quantity of blue flame right in her face , which deprived her of her sight, and so alarmed her that she instantly dropped to the ground, and was enveloped with violent fits, which continued for several hours.

In reply to the questions of Mr Hardwick, Miss Scales said that on approaching the individual she thought it was a woman, from the head-dress being apparently a bonnet or something of that description, but she was afterwards satisfied it was a man. He appeared to her to be tall and thin, but her sister, who was with her, could give an more accurate description of his person, as she had a better opportunity of noticing him; but she was not at home when the officer called, or else she would have attended.

Mr Scales said that on the evening in question, if a few minutes after his sister had left his house, he had heard the loud screams of one of them, and on running up Green Dragon-alley he found his sister Lucy, who had just given her statement, on the ground in a strong fit, and his other sister endeavouring to hold and support her. She was removed home, and he then learn from his other sister what had happened. She described the person to be of tall, thin, and gentlemanly appearance, enveloped in a large cloak, and carried in front of his person a large lamp, or bulls eye, similar to those in the possession of the police. On her sister, who was a little before her, coming up to the person, he threw open his cloak, exhibited the lamp , and puffed a quantity of flame from his mouth into the face of her sister. She also stated that the individual did not utter a word, nor did he attempt to lay a hand on them but walked away in an instant. Mr Scales remarked that it was not a little singular that one of his sisters had been reading in a newspaper, a few minutes before they left his house, the account under the head of this office, of Spring-heeled Jack , when he remarked that it was not likely that this personage would come to this neighbourhood from the fact that there were so many butchers residing in it, and the account so far from alarming his sister seems to have had a different effect. Mr Scales then handed in a certificate, of which the following is a copy: -

'This is to certify that, on Wednesday, the 28th ult. , I visited Lucy Scales, of Week's-place, Limehouse, who was suffering from hysterics and great agitation, in all probability the result of fright.
Chaz Pritchel, Surgeon. 18 Cock-hill, March 6, 1838.'

A respectable female, who said she was attracted to the spot by the shriek of Miss Scales, corroborated her statement as to her being on the ground in a strong fit.
Lee, the officer, observed that no place could be better adopted for such an act as the spot selected, as persons could be seen at a considerable distance approaching it on both sides. He (Lea) had seen some experiments tried at the London Hospital on that morning and was satisfied that lights like those described could be produced, by blowing through a tube in which spirits of wine, sulphur, and another ingredient were deposited and ignited .

Mr Hardwick remarked that the description give by the parties of the individual favoured the opinion that these disgraceful outrages were committed by the same individual, and not by several.

SPRING-HEELED JACK. - A fellow of frightful appearance, named Priest, a blacksmith by trade, who had been in the habit of attacking respectable females in the neighbourhood of Islington, and of taking indecent liberties with them, was apprehended on Tuesday night , and brought before Mr Rogers at Hatton-garden on Wednesday. Mr Rogers expressed his indignation at the prisoner's conduct, and regretted that the law did not empower him to send him for twelve months, or that the pillory was done away with, as he deserved severe punishment. He then committed him for three months and Hard Labour at the House of Correction.


The Morning Post
20 March 1838

Marylebone
Spring-heel'd Jack - Yesterday Daniel Granville, a simple-looking fellow, with a most bewitching obliquity of vision, was charged as follows:
It appeared, from the evidence of police constable Markham, S24 , that on Saturday night he was on duty in Kentish Town, when he saw a number of women and children running in every direction, screaming out, 'Here's Spring-heel'd Jack'. He drew his staff and, screwing his courage to the sticking-point, waited for the monster, whom several of the frightened women gathered around him pointed out as the prisoner. Perceiving that a sort of blue froth was at his mouth, and that his features were not altogether natural, he went up to him, and seizing him by the collar, dragged him to
a butcher's shop, by the light of which he discovered he wore a mask, embellished at the mouth with blue glazed paper. To put a stop to his capers, as he had almost frightened one or two into fits, he thought a fit place for him was the station-house, and accordingly having conveyed him there he was locked up.The prisoner, who said he did not meant to frighten anybody, was discharged with a caution, and the cause of alarm ordered to be burnt.

Police - Marylebone
On Monday a tall, ill-favoured young man, who gave his name Charles Grenville , was charged with having frightened a number of women and children nearly into fits, by imitating the silly and dangerous pranks of Spring-heeled Jack. Police Constable 24S, stated that he was on duty in Kentish Town on Saturday evening, when he was informed that Spring-heeled Jack had just made his appearance, and that his frightful leaps and hideous appearance had scared a number of women and children into fits. He accordingly laid wait for the monster, determined on capturing him and putting an end to his career. He had not been long watching before he saw the prisoner suddenly dart out of a dark lane and make towards some children, who ran away screaming at his approach. He (the constable) found but little difficulty in capturing the monster who had created so much alarm, who turned out to be the prisoner. He lived in the neighbourhood and was considered of weak mind, but perfectly harmless. His face was enveloped in a huge mask (painted blue and bright at the lips!), now produced, and had occasioned the consternation. - Mr Rawlinson (to prisoner): What have you to say? - Prisoner (with vacant smile): Why it was only a bit of fun, that's all; I meant no harm. - Mr Rawlinson: Well, I'm inclined to think so; you're discharged, but don't do it again.

The Morning Post
4 April 1838

Spring-heeled Jack
On Tuesday, James Painter, a youth about eighteen years of age, and potman in the service of Mrs Chater, of Kilburn, was charged before Mr Rawlinson and Lord Montford with having for some time past kept the fair inhabitants of the above village in considerable alarm, by sallying out upon them during their evening perambulations, disguised as a ghost. - Mrs Ann Ansinck , a respectable married lady living at Kilburn, stated that, about eight o'clock on Saturday evening , she was walking along Waterloo Place, contiguous to Mrs Chater's residence, accompanied by a female friend, when suddenly she found herself seized by a ghostly figure, habited in a white sheet, and wearing a hideous mask, from which depended a long beard. The figure, on clasping her, explained, 'Who the devil are you?' and her friend having recognised the voice of the 'ghost' replied very promptly, 'We'll let you know who we are, and that we are not to be frightened by you.' The ghost then beat a retreat, followed by the complainant and her friend, and, seeing it vanish over a wall surrounding Mrs Chater's premises, they were pretty well convinced that the defendant was the ghost. However, to make sure of the matter, they asked a water-carrier named Snell, who had a good view of the ghost, and who assured them it was the defendant.
Miss Charlotte Hagerstone, the companion of the complainant, after corroborating her statement, said that she knew the defendant well. He had for a considerable period been playing his mischievous tricks upon females, some of whom he had frightened in a very serious manner. She recognised his voice the moment he spoke, and he had attempted upon several previous occasions to frighten her.
Samuel Snell, the water-carrier alluded to, gave corroborative evidence.
The defendant denied the offence, and called Charles Laxton, Mr Chater's coachman, for the purpose of proving an alibi, in which he failed. He then proceeded to state that Mrs Ansinck had been to his mistress's house in a great passion and, seizing him in the hall, had bestowed summary punishment in the shape of sundry hard smacks on the face.
Mrs Ansinck said it was true she had called at Mrs Chater's house to remonstrate respecting the defendant's conduct, when the defendant behaved in the most insolent manner, said he would serve her out, and actually called to dog to set on her. Finding that she was not likely to obtain redress at the house, she was determined upon seeking it at this office, and accordingly obtained the warrant against the defendant. She denied striking him.

Mr Rawlinson (to the defendant) - Pretty behaviour truly in a potboy. This is a very aggravated assault, made worse by the defence set up, and I have not the least doubt of your being the real offender. If fellows like you think they can frightened respectable females with impunity by imitating the scandalous pranks of Spring-heeled Jack, they will be convinced of their mistake by finding themselves within the walls of Newgate. It is a very serious offence and might, under particular circumstances, have caused death or other lamentable circumstances, and the public, especially the female portion of it, are much indebted to Mrs Ansinck for the spirit and courage she has displayed in bringing such an offender to justice. You are fined £4, and it is to be hoped you will learn better for the time to come. - The money was paid and the defendant liberated.


The Times
23 October 1841

The inhabitants of Tottenham and Edmonton have been much alarmed for the last three weeks, in consequence of the report that 'Spring-heeled Jack' had made his appearance in the neighbourhood. He has been seen by several persons, who describe him as emitting fire from his mouth and flinging it about as he runs away . He generally visits the byways and lanes between 8 and 10 o'clock at night. Some nights ago, policeman Panchett, N366, was on duty near the Church at Tottenham when his attention was suddenly arrested by seeing a figure answering this description. He went towards it, when it ran away rapidly, throwing fire in the road with both hands. Panchett picked up a piece of wood which had been thinly covered over with a phosphoric substance. Panchett was let into the churchyard, where he called out to the spectre, which made no answer, and quickly disappeared. On Thursday night he paid a visit to Burnett, a gardener, living near Bruce-castle , Tottenham. Burnett was asleep in his cottage, when he was awakened by his door being suddenly burst open. He went to the door immediately, and observed the same object at the door that had been seen by the policeman. He was about to follow him, when he was stopped by hearing the screams of his children and his wife, who was springing a rattle, they having heard some one on top of the house. The police are looking for this Jackass in disguise.

Ipswich Express & Essex & Suffolk Mercury
30 September 1845

YARMOUTH
INQUESTS.-Considerable excitement was produced here on Sunday evening se'nnight , in consequence of the death of an old man named William Purdy, aged 75 years, occasioned as was supposed by some blows that had been inflicted by a man named Royal , who was consequently apprehended and remanded by the Mayor til Tuesday morning to allow of an inquest to be held in the interim. On Monday , at half past eleven o'clock, the jury was impaneled at the King's Head by Wm. S. Ferrier, Esq., coroner, who after a statement by the surgeon returned the verdict of 'Death from natural causes.'

North Devon Journal
1 April 1847

Extraordinary Case -'Spring-heeled Jack' - Teignmouth was greatly excited on Monday in consequence of a 'Spring-heeled Jack' investigation before the magistrates. A delinquent of the genus occupied himself during the winter in frightening and annoying defenseless women, some of who were rather roughly handled. The police having been on the alert for some time, suspicion fell on a Captain Finch, of Shaldon - a man of alleged ill-health, and apparently sixty years of age, about the last person who could have been suspected. He was summoned before the magistrates. Mr Tacker, in opening the case for the complainant, said it was not only difficult, but most painful to him; his client belonged to the humblest rank, and the defendant, Captain Finch, had been considered highly respectable. Should he not succeed in establishing the charge, the effect of the girl's evidence might prejudice her through life; should he succeed, the model character of one who had hitherto moved as a gentleman would be blasted. He had two charges of assault to prefer. His client, the servant of Miss Morgan, already living in Macfarlen's row, Bitton road, had been twice assaulted in January, between nine and ten at night, by a man disguised in a skin coat having the appearance of a bullock's hide, skull cap, horns, and mask , and the alarm had produced serious fits. Evidence having been given in support of the charges, the Bench expressed pain at finding an old soldier guilty of such an assault, but there was no material refutation to the complainant's evidence. He was fined 17s. for each assault. Defendant thanked the magistrates for their impartiality. The case lasted from one to half past seven in the evening.

Halloween flashback: How 'phantom' joker terrorized a town,by Mitchell Smith

Provincetown, on the very tip of Cape Cod, is a fascinating summer vacation spot, but for many of us it's even more delightful in the fall.

With the tourist hordes gone you can wander the narrow streets in peace, eat the best seafood around and relax in the little pubs along that centuries-old main street.
Today the talk in those pubs is of the Provincetown Phantom, for it's exactly 50 years ago this week since he was first seen. And once seen, he was never forgotten.
For years the Phantom, also known as the Black Flash, terrorized the townspeople, especially the children.
"We became afraid to be out after dark," Matt Costa, who now runs a fish market and restaurant in Provincetown, tells me. "He'd jump out on people, from behind a tree, maybe, or over a wall - a figure all dressed in black. He was very agile; some people said he must have springs on his feet. They said he was over 7 feet tall."

The Flash first leaped out of the sand dunes just before Halloween 1938 - "an elusive superman, a superhuman leaping lizard dressed in black... but his fierce eyes and long pointed ears were a glowing silver," according to Robert Ellis Cahill in New England's Mad and Mysterious Men.

First the Phantom appeared to lone children, who went howling home to their parents, but by November he'd become bolder and one night he came bounding along downtown Commercial St., pushing people off the sidewalk. Thereafter he was seen several times a week. Some people claimed he spat "blue flames" in their faces.

"One thing for sure, it kept us kids home at nights," says Costa, "or if we were out, we went in bunches. Remember it was dark in the streets then, and kids didn't have flashlights."

And so it went on for six years, from October to March each year. Provincetown was a town in fear.

In two places at once

Once farmer Charlie Farley's dog got the flash cornered and Charlie, "thinking it was some kind of animal." loosed off at him with his shotgun. "The darned thing just laughed and jumped my 8-foot high fence in one leap," Charlie told police.

Then one night Sgt. Francis Marshall and three other policemen chased the Phantom intothe schoolyard, which was surrounded by a 10-foot fence. He was trapped! But suddenly he bolted for the fence, grabbed the top rail and vaulted over.

Marshall, who later became police chief of Provincetown, is retired now, living in Yarmouth, Mass. He tells me: "People wondered how the Flash could be in two places almost simultaneously, as some of the reports indicated. I believe it's because he was actually three men. Yes, I know who they were, but I'm not telling. They're all dead now, but they have relatives here."
The Flash's last recorded appearance was in December 1945. That night he chased some kids into a house. One of the children had the presence of mind to go upstairs with a basin of boiling hot water and throw if over the masked figure crouching outside the back door. The Phantom retreated - never to be seen again.
Those are the facts, ma'am. Just the facts. Of course, if you're in Provincetown the locals may embellish the story. But remember: there are many who don't subscribe to Marshall's view that the Flash is dead.. Maybe the person you're talking to could be the Phantom himself...

Local residents say it jumps from house to house, is dressed in black and has red eyes. After hundreds of complaints, police are looking for it. Listen to the Sheriff's story on Radio 10.

Santa Fe is jumping. Residents of the southern area are frightened by the appearance of a strange entity they've dubbed 'the rooftop madman' and who - according to their accounts - leaps from roof to roof engaging in acrobatics.

Witness claim it stands two meters tall, is entirely clad in black and wears a balaclava; it sports a cape and its eyes shine red according to the information received by researchers. This character is able to cross the streets by leaping from one rooftop to the next, taking acrobatic leaps that can be of up to five meters high and ten meters long.

'He looks like the cat man,' say some locals. 'His outline is barely visible, his figure. He never showed his face, but they say they've seen his eyes and that they have a reddish cast.'

In an interview with Radio 10, Sheriff Gabriel Legstra acknowledged that 'there is a widespread psychosis. In recent days we have received hundred of reports at our radio command center.

'On Tuesday I dispatched 18 units to assuage people's fears. But ultimately there is no other crime than trespassing here. The character goes from one roof to the next, appears inside a house, has pressed his face against a window but hasn't attacked anyone.'

The psychosis is growing among residents of southern Santa Fe in spite of having never been attacked. Police confirm that in recent days calls have multiplied, reporting a man leaping from one rooftop to the next ' like a madman'.

According to the Diario La Capital, he first appeared in Barrio Centenario, only meters from the Colon Stadium, but they say he was seen closer to town, such as in El Arenal, San Lorenzo, Chalet and Santa Rosa de Lima. This is the area most affected by the 2003 floods.

In any event, despite the intense combing of the area by dozens of officers, police were unable to find the character, but advised the public to remain calm, since there are reports within the force that some local residents directly tried to shoot the entity to death.

Mystery grew when several witnesses said that 'bullets won't do anything to it. Its eyes gleam red when it mocks those who try to hunt it.'

A resident of El Arenal claimed having fired 17 times against it without bullets having the least effect, while the ghost did nothing but provoke it, howl like a beast or cry like a child, making dance steps on the rooftops over which it treads like a cat.

'People are afraid of being attacked, beaten and robbed by this man. They fear he will break into their property and are defending themselves," say those in Regional Unit 1 who in turn describe the locals as "expectant and armed with knives and sticks.'

Most locals describe a being that appears to have sprung from a comic book: large in stature, who not only wanders the rooftops but also crosses the streets in a single bound and can climb smooth walls up to six meters high. 'It's the Devil,' say the bolder or more imaginative ones.

Sheriff Legstra said that a woman told him that 'the entity pointed at her with its finger and left her paralyzed.'

Another local woman said that last Monday, during an intense rain, the phantom managed to jam the car doors of a vehicle with 7 passengers aboard, who were armed and ready to hunt it down in spite of police warnings.

Others decided to stand guard 24 hours by the doors to their homes, armed and vigilant. But it has not been possible to capture it up to now.
Residents of the southern section interrupted traffic, claiming greater lighting for the area, since may are afraid to leave their homes alone.