The Curious Truth:Ghosts and haunted mysteries of St. Bonaventure

Spooky ghost stories haunt students, halls of Devereux

By:  Kristin Bowers

    Tales of suicides, the jogger ghost and black Masses run rampant through campus, especially for residents of Devereux Hall.

    "I heard a story about my room," said freshman Jackie Fazio, a resident of third Devereux.  "Someone supposedly hung himself in my closet."

    Fazio said she has witnessed odd happenings in her room, such as falling videos and a stereo that turns on by itself.  

    Sophomore Julie Reichenbach said many students are probably familiar with the tale of the "floor runner" in Devereux.  

    "There's supposed to be a ghost who runs through the hall haunting floors," she said.  

    Senior Jim Wall said he's heard many stories about Devereux as well, but his version of the legend differs slightly.

     "I heard that early in the morning the ghost of a friar who died here jogs up and down the halls of third and fourth Dev," Wall said.  

    Although sophomore Kristen Dougherty said she is familiar with the ghost stories about Devereux, she has also heard that many of them are simply myths.  

    "Father Dan (Riley) told us about the stories, and he said they're not true," Dougherty said.  "Parts of some might be true, but not all of them.  They just keep spreading."

    Wall, Dougherty and Reichenbach said they have often heard stories about the fifth floor of Devereux being haunted.  

    "I heard there was a black Mass held on fifth Dev, and people ended up throwing themselves out the windows," Reichenbach said.  "It's not true, though."

    "I guess what really happened is there were some kids up there trying to summon the devil," Dougherty said.  "They didn't get all the way through.  A friar walked in and busted them."

    Fazio said it doesn't matter if the stories aren't completely true.  

    "It's fun to pretend that it's haunted-it adds to the whole character of the campus," she said.  "I think there are other campuses that have stories like this, but St. Bonaventure is unique because it has so many stories attached to this place." 

    "It's kind of fun to think about it," Wall said.  "it's a thrill to think there might be something supernatural and to hear the new stories."

    "You just hear all sorts of stories about this place," Fazio said.  "I'm not too worried, though.  I haven't had any problems with my closet yet."

The Bona Venture

October 30, 1998

Vol. 73 Issue 9

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