Ghosts
Old Coot of Mount Greylock

Old Coot of Mt Greylock. Photo credit: The Yankee Express.
In the beautiful surrounds of Mount Greylock a bedraggled spirit affectionally nicknamed the Old Coot is often seen on ascending to the peak near Bellows Pipe and Thunderbolt Trails.
The Legend of Mount Greylock’s Old Coot
The snowy peak of Mount Greylock, home to the ghost of the Old Coot. Photo credit: Wikipedia.
In 1861 a farmer from North Adams named William Saunders, left home to fight in the Civil War. Saunders left his wife, Belle, and their children on their farm and promised to return before long.
While he was away fighting in the war Saunders sent hundreds of letters to his wife and children who waited faithfully for his return.
About a year after he left, his wife received a letter stating that Saunders had been seriously wounded by a cannonball during battle and was unlikely to survive.
This was the last news Belle ever received about her husband. Belle was deeply upset and feared the worst for her husband but continued to tend the farm and live in hope that he would still one day return.
She hired a young farm worker named Milton Clifford to help with the running the farm. As time went on she realised her husband must have passed away from his injuries and she eventually married Milton who adopted her children.
The war ended in 1865 and all of the soldiers returned to their prewar lives. One of these soldiers was an injured, bedraggled and unshaven William Saunders who had managed to survive his injuries and continue fighting in the war.
An exhausted and gaunt Saunders made his way back to his home town of Adams. The locals no longer recognized him due to his war injuries so he was able to anonymously inquire about his family before returning home. To his horror he was told his wife had moved on and his children were calling a new man “Daddy”. Saunders was devastated and instead of going to the farm to reunite with his family he retreated back into the mountains.
Near Mount Greylock in the remote portion of Bellows pipe he found a satisfactory spot and built himself a crude cabin. He lived out the rest of his days in this small cabin, occasionally going to work on neighboring farms. It is said he even went to work on his families home, joining his wife and children at the dinner table without being recognized due to scarring from his horrific injuries.
The locals called him “Old Coot” as he refused to give them his real name. He embraced his new name and became a part of the scenery at Mount Greylock.
One cold January day some hunters stumbled upon Old Coot’s shack and went inside for shelter. Inside they found the body of Old Coot who seemed to have passed away some time before.
Before they could react the spirit of Old Coot shot out of his body, out the door and up the mountainside. To this day many hikers claim to see the spirit of Old Coot ascending the peak near the Thunderbolt Trails and Bellows Pipe but never going in the opposite direction.
Either way, one cold winter day in January, hunters stumbled upon his shack, where they found Old Coot dead. It was one of the coldest winters on record and it appeared that poor William Saunders had frozen to death in his bed. They were more than frightened when his spirit jumped from his body, bolted out the door and flew up the mountainside. To this day, his “bedraggled spirit” is seen on Mount Greylock, always ascending the peak near Bellows Pipe and Thunderbolt Trails, but never reversing direction.
Sightings of the Old Coot of Mount Greylock
The photo of the civil war soldier in the woods reported to be The Old Coot of Mount Greylock. Photo credit: The Yankee Express.
In 1939 the January 19th edition of the North Adams Transcript told the story of the Old Coot. The next week a reader had written in with a photograph claiming he had seen the ghost of the Old Coot and managed to capture a picture.
The reader claimed to have been on a ghost hunting expedition near Mount Greylock. He was alone at his camp when he suddenly saw a strange old man trudging through the snowy woods towards him. The man was very skinny and wearing a ragged Civil War uniform.
The reader thought the man was interesting enough to photograph so he took his camera out and got it ready to take a picture. As he did this the man took off at an unnatural speed. By the time the reader had his camera ready and snapped a photo he was almost out of sight.
Since this sighting many hikers on the trails in the area have seen humanoid figures skulking amongst the trees and heading towards the peak of the mountain. It seems the Old Coot of Mount Greylock is still trying to find peace in his mountain home.
If you enjoyed this article you may also be interested in the story of the Dungarvon Whooper or the Elmore Rider.
Ghosts
Walking Sam: The Suicide Spirit of Pine Ridge

Walking Sam: The Suicide Spirit. Photo: Ranker.
In 2015 a spree of suicides took place in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Some believe these were caused by an evil spirit called Walking Sam.
Who is Walking Sam?
An artist’s depiction of Walking Sam. Photo: Ranker
Walking Sam is known by various names, including “Tall Man” and “Stovepipe Hat Bigfoot.” He is a towering figure standing at seven feet tall and has eyes but no mouth, sometimes wearing a stove-pipe hat.
When he raises his arms, people can see the bodies of his past victims hanging beneath him. Walking Sam is said to call out to teenagers and try to convince them that they are worthless, urging them to take their own lives. Some believe that he targets young people because they are more vulnerable to his manipulations.
According to Native American legends, Walking Sam is an ancient being closely linked to “Stick Indians,” who are dark and shadowy spirit entities.
Kids grow up hearing spooky stories about these evil forces that haunt reservations and try to lure unsuspecting victims to their doom. They’re always followed by a creepy cloud of death that just hangs around them.
If you hear whistling, it might be one of these Stick Indians nearby. But if you follow the sound, you could get paralyzed, hypnotized, or even lose your mind completely.
If you disrespect them, they’ll hold a grudge and seek revenge no matter what. Some tribes are so scared of them that they won’t even talk about them, so we don’t know everything about these beings. But Walking Sam is supposed to be one of the most powerful ones.
There are those who believe that Walking Sam represents the pain and trauma that the Lakota Indians endure on a daily basis. Given the deep spiritual connection that the Lakota people have with their land and heritage, some see Walking Sam as a physical embodiment of this suffering.
The Pine Ridge Suicides
A video telling the story of Walking Sam
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is located near the Black Hills of South Dakota and is home to the Oglala Lakota tribe. It’s one of the largest Indian reservations in the US. Sadly, Pine Ridge has a sad past as hundreds of Lakota Indians were killed during the Wounded Knee Massacre.
It’s one of the poorest counties in the US. In 2015, a number of young people committed suicide on the reservation, and some people thought that supernatural forces like the legendary Walking Sam were to blame.
From December 2014 to March 2015, there were a staggering 103 suicide attempts, with nine of them being successful, and tragically, none of the victims were older than twenty-five.
The majority of those who died had used hanging as the method of suicide. Although there had been other clusters of suicides in previous years, this was the largest. As the community struggled to understand and deal with the crisis, some looked to traditional Native American beliefs for answers.
Lakota children are raised hearing stories about “suicide spirits,” “stick people,” and shadow people who try to lure young people away from their homes at night. These stories may have evolved over time, influenced by the popularity of Slender Man, into the figure now known as Walking Sam.
Walking Sam Sightings
During meetings of reservation officials, one of the topics that often comes up is Walking Sam. These officials advise reservation members to avoid walking on the streets at night as it would be an ideal time for Walking Sam to approach his victims.
Several residents have expressed concern and requested the police to keep a lookout for Walking Sam. Many residents have reported seeing his shadow and have shared their encounters with the police. Some residents have even reported hearing whistling sounds coming from nowhere.
Have you ever seen Walking Sam? Let us know in the comments.
If you enjoyed learning about Walking Sam you might also be interested in Diao Si Gui: Chinese Hanged Ghosts or La Ciguapa: The Woman with Backwards Feet.
Ghosts
Diao Si Gui: Chinese Hanged Ghosts

A Diao Si Gui or Hanged Ghost. Photo: Cryptid Wiki
According to Chinese legend, Diao Si Gui are the souls of those who took their own lives or were executed. These spirits may manifest as a body with a protruding, lengthy red tongue and attempt to persuade those who cross their path to join them in the world beyond.
The Legend of the Diao Si Gui
Diao Si Gui, or Hanged Ghosts can be created in two ways: when a person takes their own life by hanging or when they are executed by hanging as a punishment for their crimes.
The more prolonged and painful the death, such as by slow suffocation instead of a quick snap of the neck, the greater the likelihood of them becoming a Diao Si Gui.
These ghosts are said to haunt the vicinity of the location where they committed suicide and are often depicted with a noose around their neck, dangling feet, and long red tongues hanging from their mouths.
It is believed that one should avoid making eye contact with a Dio Si Gui as they may lure you into a hypnotic state and persuade you to hang yourself.
In some versions of the legend, if the ghost successfully persuades someone to hang themselves, that person becomes a Hanged Ghost while the original ghost goes free.
Other versions suggest that a Hanged Ghost is not limited to a specific location and can torment a person for days, gradually convincing them to take their own life. When the time is right, the ghost will appear to the person in a high place and lower a noose to them.
Stories About Diao Si Gui
In the Chinese Fairy Book by Dr. R. Wilhelm (1921), there is a story known as The Hanged Ghost, which tells the tale of a soldier seeking refuge for the night in an old, run-down temple.
While there, he witnesses a female ghost descending from the rafters, unaware of his presence in the shadows. Intrigued, he follows her to a farmhouse where he discovers the ghost urging a young mother and her child to hang themselves. The soldier intervenes, saving the woman’s life and causing the ghost to flee.
On his way back to the temple, the soldier takes the rope left behind by the ghost, but she appears on the road and demands that he give it back.
He refuses and wraps the rope around his arm, causing the ghost to transform and attack him. The soldier defends himself by flinging his own blood at the ghost, causing her to retreat. He continues his journey with the rope now part of his arm, unfazed by the encounter.
A video telling the tale of Diao Si Gui or hanged ghosts
Possible Explanations for the Diao Si Gui
It is possible that the legend of the hanged ghost came about as a way to help families come to terms with the unexpected suicides of their loved ones. It’s easier to believe that a loved one may have been manipulated in to killing them self by a spirit than it is to believe that they wanted to die.
Have you ever seen a Diao Sui Gui or Hanged Ghost? Let us know in the comments.
If you enjoyed learning about the Diao Sui Gui you might also be interested in the mysterious stain left behind by the body of Margaret Schilling or how the ghost of Teresita Basa solved her own murder.
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