OSCEOLA'S HEAD: And Other American Ghost Stories

Cameo appearances by ten American ghosts less impressive for their spookiness than for their excellent connections with the fathers of our country. Included in the roster are the ghost that encouraged Washington at Valley Forge, Osceola (whose severed head occasionally floats over modern St. Augustine), ' the unquiet spirit of John Wilkes Booth and a Pennsylvania ""Witch in the Pond"" (the only apparition with a logical explanation, and by far the creepiest of all). Harter might have made a good deal more of his sources, but his flair for exploiting every last ounce of suspense and every grisly overtone of a tale like ""Bloody Handprints on the Wall"" is undeniable. Slight, but scary.