In 1987 I was living in New Orleans on the edge of the French Quarter. My apartment was on the corner of Dauphin and Esplanade--the first block of the Faubourg Marigny district.

The house had been built in the early 1800's and had been cut up into several apartments. Like most houses in the Quarter, it had a breezeway, that had formerly been the storage area for horses and coaches. At the end of the breezeway was the house's brick courtyard.

My apartment took up over half of the first floor and was the main part of the former house. From the very first time I stepped into the apartment, I felt that I wasn't alone. The apartment had been updated with a modern galley kitchen, but the original woodwork and doors were still in place.

After we had moved in, we gave a housewarming party and invited friends over. One guy who had lived in the French Quarter for many years, told us that there was a ghost in the house just minutes after he stepped through the doorway.

Later that evening he went back to the rear of the apartment to use the bathroom, he came back rather fast and reported that he felt like he had been watched. Of course we all laughed it off right away.

That next night, while laying in our bed about ready to drift off to sleep, my companion and I were startled to hear a rapping sound on the bedroom door. We sat up right away and flicked on the light. Of course there wasnt anything there! So we tried to go back to sleep. The next night we heard the sound again, but this time it was a pair of old French doors with windows that opened into a small closet. The sound was really loud and followed a pattern. We flicked on the light and the sound stopped. When we turned off the light, the doors began to shake again. I finally got really brave and yelled out "Okay, we know you are here. Now can we please go to sleep?" The sound stopped right away.

Two nights later my companion woke up screaming. He had been dreaming that there was a man in a cape and tricorner hat chasing him through woods. When I got him settled down, he jumped up and ran across the room to the bathroom as soon as he got inside and turned on the water and lights, the door slammed on its own. I saw this happen with my own eyes---the door slammed and the doorknob turned on its own.

When I tried to open the door it wouldn't budge. My friend was yelling to be let out of the bathroom. But the door was locked and wouldn't open. Suddenly as it slammed, the door knob turned on its own and the door opened. My friend was screeching and screeching that the ghost was after him and wanted to "take control."

I got him settled back in bed and he was babbling about the nightmare. Just as he settled down a bit, I looked at the foot of our bed and clearly saw an outline of a man standing in the darkeness wearing a cape and hat, just like he had described! I yelled back "leave us alone."

The misty thing disappeared and we went back to sleep---well actually we laid there quivering for awhile before we could sleep. The next day I called the Cathedral of Saint Louis and made an appointment with a priest. I went down to talk to him and explained what had happened. He agreed to come by the house and do a house blessing for us.

Two days later he called to say he was coming over. No sooner did I hang up my friend started gagging and ran into the bathroom to throw up. He just kept heaving and saying that "he won't like it if you bring that priest around!"

I made him go set on the bed and I got into the shower to get ready for the priest's visit. While I was in the shower, I felt something bean me in the head and I heard a plunking sound. I looked down into the bottom of the bathtub and saw a NICKLE! I picked it up and noticed that it was a Buffalo head antique nickel. I got the heck out of the shower and got dressed really quickly, not telling my friend what had happened.

The priest got there minutes later. As soon as he walked across the doorway, he said "Yes, you sure have something in here and HE is really mad." Just then my friend began to heave and vomit all over the bedroom walls and carpet. The priest ran into to help me get him to the toilet to finish throwing up. The priest got out a bottle of holy water and started to spread it around the room. As soon as he hit my friend with the water, he would begin to vomit violently. The priest yelled for me to go call the paramedics!

They got there in a few minutes only to find my friend nearly in convulsions on the bathroom floor. They took his vitals and said that they were going to have to take him to the hospital or give him a shot of muscle relaxer to get him stable.

Just then he let out a yelping sound and sat right back up. One of the paramedics yelled, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" They checked him again and said that everything was back to normal. They left right away, like they were really scared.

After they left, the priest said some prayers over him and around the apartment. I asked the priest what he thought was going on. He said, "Well, what do you think you just saw. Son, if that comes back again, or if you hear noises or see anything, I think you should get out right away." He gave me a rosary and some holy water and left. When I went back to the bathroom, my friend was completely lucid. He didn't remember a thing! All day long I kept asking him what he remembered, and he said "What are you talking about. Nothing happened to me!"

That night I looked up to see the ghost standing by the bed again. I grabbed for the rosary off of the nightstand and said aloud. "We know you are here now. You are dead and need to go on to the other side. Leave us alone and get out of OUR house now."

Suddenly, I heard a gasping noise and felt cold air sweep over my head. Then I heard walking sounds in the upstairs empty apartment. Then nothing.

My friend woke up and said "He left didn't he?" I said yes. We never talked about it again.