
audiobook
WAS IT A GHOST?
DEDICATION.
PREFACE.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
I. THE ROADS.
II. THE INCIDENTS.
III. THE SCENE.
IV. THE BROOK.
V. THE DOGS.
VI. THE FLAT BRIDGE.
In the shadowy depths of Bussey’s Wood, a string of inexplicable murders shocks a quiet New England community. Rumors of a spectral presence swirl through the trees, and the local populace is torn between fear of a phantom and suspicion of a more human evil. The narrator, a contemplative observer, frames the tale with a meditation on doubt and reason, inviting listeners to weigh the evidence before jumping to supernatural conclusions.
As the story unfolds, a small group of townsfolk—among them a skeptical doctor, a curious child, and a determined investigator—begins to piece together fragmented clues. Their encounters with eerie phenomena, whispered testimonies, and a chilling “ghost‑rock” raise the stakes, while the wood itself seems to pulse with hidden motives. The early chapters set a tense, atmospheric stage, promising a gripping exploration of mystery, morality, and the thin line between legend and reality.
Language
en
Duration
~3 hours (179K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States: Loring, Publisher, 1868.
Credits
Charlene Taylor and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
2023-02-04
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1811–1880
Best remembered for a curious 1868 true-crime book that mixes murder, rumor, and the supernatural, this 19th-century American writer moved easily between literature and art. His surviving work has a slightly eerie, old-magazine charm that still feels distinctive.
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