''Old Book''

By Crusader1307

A Ghost said to haunt The Peoria State Hospital in Bartonville, Illinois (US) ''Old Book'' was the nickname given to a popular Grave Digger that once worked on The Property. Said to have worked there in the 1870s, ''Old Book'' always said a prayer and mourned each Person he had to bury. His name came from His previous job as a Book Binder. Injured as a result of work (and unable to perform His skills), He took a job at The Hospital. ''Old Book'' often leaned against an old tree in The Hospital Cemetery and cried for his ''charges''. It was said that His ''cries'' could be heard at night in the graveyard (especially during rainstorms). His ''legend'' goes further, citing that when He died, He was placed into a coffin. The next day, when Men came to move his remains, the coffin was too light. They Men opened the casket only to find ''Old Book'' was gone! In time, the old tree died and needed to be cut down. Every time a Gardener tried to cut down the tree (it was said) a ''horrible cry'' would arise (or an axe would shatter, etc,) In the 1950s, the tree was finally removed. Since then, no more ''cries'' were heard from ''Old Book''.