Phantom Stalkers: The Halifax Slasher and The Hammersmith Ghost

In eighteenth and nineteenth century England, two phantom stalkers terrorized the public and captured the collective imagination to the point of violence. However, violent outcomes and legal consequences notwithstanding, neither phantom was ever anything more than a figment of people’s imaginations. References Associated Press. 1938. "Roving bands, armed with clubs, hunt Halifax Slasher." Sheboygan Press, November 29: 1. Daily Echo. 1938. "Halifax 'Slasher' a myth." Daily Echo, December 2: 14. Daily Record. 1938. "Maniac slasher terrorises women." Daily Record, November 28: 1. —. 1938. "Police say there is no slasher." Daily Record, December 2: 1. Daily Telegraph. 1938. "Man slashed in street." Daily Telegraph (London, UK), November 25: 16. Dorset Echo. 1938. "Slasher strikes for the 11th time." Dorset Echo, November 28: 1. Feikert-Ahalt, Clare. 2015. The Case of a Ghost Haunted England for Over Two Hundred Years. October 30. Accessed July 1, 2026.