TALES FROM CAPE GIRARDEAU'S CRYPT

~Correction: "Green Eyes" is in New Lorimier Cemetery.

As Halloween approaches, Cape Girardeau is beginning to take on a decidedly creepy air.

The time is ripe for ghost stories; for re-telling time-honored classics about witches, vampires and zombies, or even urban myths like the hook-handed man who preys on smooching young couples on darkened lanes.

But people seem to be most fascinated with tales of actual unexplained phenomenon, events which could happen to them.

Cape Girardeau is no exception. The area's history is rich with folklore, mysteries and tales of haunted houses.

And its present is a little weird too.

One story takes place in the Glenn House at 325 S. Spanish.

Some members of the Historic Association of Greater Cape Girardeau say they believe a ghost resides there. Those interviewed declined to be quoted, fearing other members of the community would say they were nuts.

The D.A. Glenn House has been the site of many fund raisers and educational tours for the historic association. Built in 1883, the historic landmark has certainly had time to acquire a ghost. No one has identified the spirit, either by name or gender.

In recent years, docents began noticing something a little odd about the house, particularly about the room at the top of the stairs to the left.

Reluctant witnesses to the behavior of the house's resident say they believe the ghost stays chiefly in that room.

"One man, who hadn't heard the room's history, said he was standing in there when all of a sudden the furniture began to shake," said one tour guide.

She said pets who have been in the house behaved oddly near that room, refusing to enter or even pass by that door.

Cold drafts and flickering lights are also common there, she said.

But the paranormal activity hasn't been exclusive to the one room.

The house is equipped with a servant call system. Bells in each room can be rung and will notify someone in the servants' quarters. When a bell is rung, an arrow indicates which room requires assistance.

On Thanksgiving 1996, the call bells suddenly began ringing -- apparently activated from empty rooms -- another tour guide said.

"They were ringing throughout the house," she said.

She said she's almost talked herself into believing there was a short in the system. Almost. Mice might have caused the problem as well. Maybe.

On another trip through the house, about 2,000 girl scouts visited the Glenn House, soaking up its history.

An exhausted docent sat down on a horsehair settee in the hallway and was immediately shoved from behind by something -- or someone -- not visible.

It could have been shifting springs, she said, but she doesn't believe it. Springs couldn't account for her goose bumps or the hair rising on the back of her neck.

Of course, the Glenn House isn't the only estate which can boast a poltergeist.

According to people quoted in "Haunted Odyssey, Ghostly Tales of the Mississippi River," a chapter devoted to Cape Girardeau haunts reveals this river town has several ghosts.

One of the more familiar stories tells of a ghost in a local fraternity house at Southeast Missouri State University. In fact, in 1983 the top ghost hunters in the U.S. confirmed the presence of a "presence" at the now-demolished 730 North Pacific St. house

A clairvoyant described a distinguished-looking, stocky man with gray hair. Apparently the house was once inhabited by a prominent lawyer.

Other buildings on the Southeast campus are said to have their share of ghost stories as well, including Meyers Hall and the theater.

The Cape River Heritage Museum is also reportedly haunted. The foundations of the building are said to be antebellum, and during the Civil War the original cellar was used as a prison where inmates were chained to the walls.

Workers in the museum have reported hearing footsteps climbing a staircase that is no longer there, the sudden smell of turpentine, and loud knocking sounds with no source.

Old Lorimier Cemetery is also said to be haunted. Two green eyes are said to appear at night on the tombstone of a blind man killed more than 100 years ago. Supposedly the dead man's eyes are looking for his murderer.

Pragmatists have said the reflection is due to the chemical compounds in the stone.