The Hammersmith Ghost Mystery Endures
The ghost story that became legal precedent
A ghost haunted the Hammersmith neighborhood of London in late 1803. People saw it in the churchyard cemetery. Multiple accounts to the town’s people suggested that the apparatus seemed unhinged and ready to hurt someone.
Why weren’t the police notified? During this time, London didn’t have an organized police department. Townspeople took matters into their own hands more often than not.
More stories emerged about the apparatus as word spread about the ghost. Some claimed that it would follow them to the edge of the cemetery. Others claimed that it would just try to intimidate them.
As the days wore on, the ghost became bolder. It began chasing after people and in some cases even assaulting them.
One elderly lady told her family that the ghost jumped out at her. After a short chase, it caught her. It beat her up but left her alive. When she made it home, her family called the doctor.
The woman died of shock a few days after the attack.
Likewise, a pregnant woman found herself to be a victim of Hammersmith’s ghost. She was walking home one night, and it jumped out in front of her. After fighting for a few minutes, the ghost disappeared into the cemetery.
