Man dressed as a ghost receives jail sentence

In October 1918, Neils Christian Hanson wrapped in a white sheet was causing ghost sightings all over the neighbourhood. He said he was dressed as a druid. When that didn’t suffice he told the court he was keeping the dew off him. Court was adjourned and witnesses called. Witnesses said they only saw him dressed in a sheet at night.

The Bendigo court sentenced him to one-month imprisonment for behaving offensively.

Another charge of playing the ghost

In June 1918 at Castlemaine, a brother and sister on their way to the Sutton Grange church when three lads playing the ghost surrounded them and one discharged a gun. They were young enough to land themselves up in children’s court.

In the Carbargo chronicle there was another suggestion of a someone playing the ghost in November 1918, and ’nuff said, wrote to the paper saying the next time he saw the ghost he would shoot it with his pen rifle and turn the ghost into a real one.





 

History of playing the ghost

It was such a common occurrence this was known as “playing the ghost.” It started in the late 19th century with many cases occurring in Australia between 1895 and 1920.

Some men from Yallourn North said they used to dress in white sheets and scare motorists in the Haunted Hills. This was around the 60s.

The 2016 clown sightings

This case sounded familiar and reminded me of the October 2016 clown sightings, although granted the clowns had weapons. Well, the one caught at Moe Maccas did. They were intentionally being menacing. During this time we learned in Victoria one can receive a 2-year prison sentence for having an article of disguise.  People attending tours would comment at the start they were concerned about this prospect. We didn’t see any on our travels thankfully as some people felt the same was as the writer to the Carbago chronicle.