Will Roger’s Ghost

“I have a scheme for stopping war. It’s this--no nation is allowed to enter a war till they have paid for the last one.”

                                                                  --Will Rogers

Will Rogers was a popular Cowboy Philosopher, humorist and one of America’s first political satirists in the early 1900s. At the time of his tragic death, he was a beloved entertainer who had performed his popular stage act across the U.S. and around the world.

Rogers’ was born in Oklahoma and spent his youth riding and roping. He was an indifferent student, but he was highly intelligent.

In 1898, he left his home and worked as a cowboy in Texas. He then traveled to Argentina, where he worked as a gaucho.

When he returned to the U.S. he worked for Texas Jack’s Wild West Show as a trick roper. Rogers quickly realized the audiences loved his quick humor as much as his tricks.

He then created a vaudeville act that centered on his witty commentary about world events. He still performed rope tricks but now on a stage instead of on a horse.

Rogers’s warmth and affinity for the common man were genuine, which made him a big star. He worked in films, wrote seven books, performed on the radio, and wrote a series of highly popular newspaper and magazine articles.

He often performed to raise money for charitable causes. He died at the age of 55 in a plane crash.

California Theatre

His last public performance was at the California Theatre in San Bernardino, California.

This theatre first opened in 1928, and was the site for many movie studio premieres. Rodgers performed here in August of 1935, before heading to Alaska.

He was traveling on a plane with his good friend and aviator Wily Post, from Fairbanks to Point Barrow, when Post landed his Lockheed Orion just miles out of Point Barrow.

Post thought they were lost and stopped to ask directions. Once back in the air, the plane’s engine stalled, and it plunged into water facedown. Both Wily Post and Will Rogers were killed.

Since his death, patrons and employees at the California Theatre state that Rogers haunts this old theatre.

The Cowboy Philosopher

There are several reports that his apparition has been seen over the years in the dressing room he used during his last performance.

One account states a group of shocked visitors watched his ghost in this dressing room as he prepared for a performance. They saw him changing his clothes and putting on stage make-up.

Lafcadio Hearn’s A Dead Secret, Part l

小泉八雲

“Lafcadio Hearn is almost as Japanese as haiku.”

            --From Tuttle’s “publisher foreword” to Hearn’s editions

The Writer

Lafcadio Hearn

Lafcadio Hearn’s flight from Western materialism brought him to Japan in 1890. He became a Japanese citizen taking the name--Yakumo Koizumi--and married the daughter of a samurai family.

He was born on the Greek island of Lefkas in 1850. His father was an Anglo-Irish surgeon and a Major in the British army. His mother was Greek.

At age 6, when his parents divorced, Hearn went to live with a great-aunt in Dublin, Ireland. At age 16, he lost sight in his left eye, and soon after, his father died.

Hearn was forced to leave school when his aunt declared bankruptcy. At 19, he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he became a newspaper reporter.

In 1877 Hearn moved to New Orleans, where he lived for ten years and continued to write--specifically a series of articles.

He gained success with his literary translations. Harper Publishing Co. sent him on assignment to the West Indies from 1887-89. He wrote two novels during this period.

In 1890 he decided to go to Japan, where he befriended Basil Hall Chamberlain. At Chamberlain’s encouragement, he taught English at a middle school.

He married and taught at another middle school where he wrote his book Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan published in 1894.

He then secured a journalism position with the English-language Kobe Chronicle.

With Chamberlain’s assistance in 1896 he was given a position at Tokyo’ s “Imperial” University where he taught English Literature.

Hearn’s most famous books include: a collection of lectures Japan: An Attempt at Interpretation, 1904, Exotics and Retrospectives, 1998, In Ghostly Japan, 1899, Shadowings, 1900, Japanese Miscellany, 1901, and Kwaidan, 1904.

He died in 1904, at the age of 54 from heart failure.

Hearn with his wife, Koizumi Setsu.
He always was photographed
in profile so his left eye
could not be seen.

The Great Interpreter

Hearn admired Japan for its beauty and tranquility. He loved its customs and values. A confirmed “Japanophile,” he lived in Japan for the rest of his life.

His keen intellect and his clear writing style made him the quintessential go-to source for the western world about “all things Japanese.”

Lafcadio Hearn’s artful translations of traditional Japanese Ghost, stories are why they are known outside of Japan today.

In Part ll of Lafcadio Hearn’s A Dead Secret, I share one of my favorite ghost stories translated by him in his book, Kwaidan.

Beginning of 3rd Year Blogging

This week is the beginning of my 3^rd year blogging.

I just wanted to thank all my loyal readers for coming back to read my posts.

Initially, I started writing Seeks Ghosts in order to share my thoughts and ideas about ghost investigations and I still occasionally do share tips etc.

But Seeks Ghosts has evolved into a platform where I enjoy sharing my favorite ghost stories. Some of these stories are legends, some are true hauntings and some are a mixture of both.

I also share ghost folklore--which has always fascinated me--these stories often reflect what people believed centuries ago.

I have always enjoyed reading the ghost genre so it is logical I enjoy writing ghost stories.

I also enjoy writing stories about curses and guardian angels. In future, I hope to write more posts about these two subjects.

One question I am asked a lot is do I believe in ghosts. I do believe in ghosts but this does not mean I believe every "true haunting" story I share on here.

First and foremost my blog is for entertainment. I enjoy writing these stories and I hope my readers enjoy them.

I am fortunate in that I never seem to experience writer’s block. I owe this to my muse whom I thank out loud on a regular basis. My muse always leads me to my next story and if other things distract me for too long he literally drops my pen off my desk to remind me I should be writing …

RIP Harold Ramis

Harold Ramis in
Ghostbusters

When the film Ghostbusters was first released in June of 1984 many people asked who is that guy who played the third parapsychologist?

The film was a huge critical and commercial success. It was so popular that it spun off a sequel, cartoon etc. It also despite its fanciful nature had an impact on how people viewed ghosts and ghost hunting.

Harold Ramis who played the third parapsycholologist, Dr. Egon Spengler was not as well known as his two counterparts, Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray--at least not in front of the camera.

Harold Ramis was born in Chicago, Illinois and was a National Merit Scholar in high school. He graduated from Washington University with a degree in English literature.

Early in his career he was a substitute teacher and then a “jokes editor” for Playboy magazine. In 1969 he joined the popular inprov troupe, Second City. He became known for his quick ad libs. He later both wrote for and performed in the Second City television show.

In 1978 he co-wrote the screenplay with two others for National Lampoon’s college comedy Animal House. The next year he co-wrote the script for Meatballs, which like Animal House became a hit.

Next, Ramis co-wrote and directed the popular film Caddyshack in 1980.

In 1983 he directed National Lampoon’s Vacation.

He then teamed up with Dan Akroyd and the two wrote the script for Ghostbusters in 1984. This film like mentioned above resulted in a sequel in 1989.

Ramis continued to write and direct films for the rest of his career. Including Groundhog Day which was released in 1993 and Analyze This in 1999 and its’ sequel Analyze That in 2002.

Sadly, Harold Ramis passed away last month at the age of 69. During the Academy Awards ceremony Bill Murray while presenting an award did a shout out for Ramis.