Present at a Hanging and Other Ghost Stories

A modestly arranged set of eerie tales invites listeners into a world where the uncanny slips through the cracks of ordinary life. The editor’s brief note stresses a plain, almost forensic style that lets the strange events speak for themselves, without the flourish of conventional storytelling. This restrained approach heightens the sense that each account is drawn from genuine reports rather than fanciful invention.

The opening story plunges us into a mist‑shrouded Iowa night, where a cheerful Baptist minister encounters a silent, spectral figure on a lonely bridge. His polite invitation is met with a chilling, wordless gesture that hints at a hidden horror, prompting the horse to bolt in terror. When the minister returns with companions, they discover a grim scene that confirms the presence of something far beyond the natural, leaving the mystery lingering long after the tale’s first act.