Apparition reports most typically seem to be reports in which someone claims to see the apparition of a family member. But it is not very rare for someone to report seeing an apparition of a friend. Let us look at some cases of this type.
Referring to "his friend's wraith" (using an old word for an apparition), the art work below illustrates a newspaper account (which you can read here) of a man who claimed to see an apparition of someone who died months earlier.
The newspaper account gives us this narrative by Alexander Norman:"I came home late last night, having been to the theater with a friend... I saw Captain Waterman, who used to live in the building, and who died several months ago. I am positive it was the captain, because I knew him well...As he came closer, I could distinguish his features clearly. The only thing peculiar about him was his eyes, which seemed to have an uncanny gleam in them....I am as certain as I stand here that I saw Captain Waterman."
The newspaper account is extremely specific. It tells us, "The above statement was made to Dr. Leland, the city Coroner, myself and several other witnesses, in the hall of the Rotunda building, just in front of the office of the British consulate, about 9 o'clock on the evening of the 18th of July, by Alexander Norman of the Rotunda building, southeast corner of Battery and Washington streets." The short gap (only a day) between the reported sighting and the statement is impressive, as is the witnesses' conviction about what he saw. The witness says he was sober and has always been a teetotaler, a nondrinker.
On pages 95-96 of a book we read Count Cedo Miyattovich say this about the writer and editor William T. Stead who died in the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912, with the Count describing something he saw about a month after Stead died:
"There, in that slowly moving light, was not the spirit but the very person of my friend, William T. Stead...in his usual walking costume....Mr. Stead’s spirit nodded to me in a friendly manner and disappeared. Half a minute later he appeared again and stood opposite me (but somewhat higher above the floor), looking at me and bowing to me. And a little later he appeared again for the third time, seen by us all three still more clearly than before."
According to the account above this occurred on May 16, 1912.
The account below dates from 1903, before much in the way of worker protection laws had been enacted. We read of the apparition of a worker who died in an accident, one warning his co-worker friend to avoid a similar fate:
You can read the full account here:
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn91070630/1903-12-19/ed-1/seq-7/The account would make a great story to tell if we read of the apparition witness quitting just before some disaster occurred, but we merely read of the witness leaving his job.
The 1869 newspaper account below is one that rather teaches a lesson of "be good to your friends":
You can read the account here:https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024718/1869-07-20/ed-1/seq-1/#
Below we have an account of a man who confessed to multiple murders, and who says that he was driven to confess by the ghost of a friend of his who he killed.
You can read the account here:
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042354/1921-08-17/ed-1/seq-1/
We read that the man who confessed said that an apparition of his dead friend followed him always.
Below is an account of a man who saw an apparition of a friend of his who died in an accident:
You can read the account here:
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020558/1902-09-01/ed-1/seq-1/The newspaper account below is entitled "Driven Insane by Ghosts of Friends." We are presented with no good evidence that either of the people referred to were actually insane. It sounds like cases of people being called insane or brought into a mental hospital merely because they reported something spooky.
Below is another account of someone seeing an apparition of a friend:
You can read the account here:
The case below is reported on page 528 of the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research (1908), which you can read here. It is one of the many examples of what are called "crisis apparitions," in which someone sees an apparition of someone he or she did not know was dead or dying, only to later find that the person died about when the apparition was seen (I have almost two dozen posts describing very many such cases, which you can read here). It is also one of quite a few cases I have read about in which someone reports that a deal was made between two people that the first one who died would appear to the surviving one, with the contract being fulfilled. We read this:
"I had a young girl friend of about 20 years of age, who was
very fond of coming to talk with me at the twilight hour, and
being a busy woman and not always able to give that time, we
arranged to be together every other Sunday evening for our 'twilight chat', and so for a long time we thus met. The last
time we were talking, our conversation turned to spiritualism,
and we parted with the promise to each other, that whoever
died first would immediately appear to the other, if such a thing
were possible.
It happened that I was away from the city the following
Sunday on which she was to spend the twilight hour with me,
and I did not see or hear from her for a lapse of almost three
weeks, but on the next Saturday evening (the day before which
she was to come) on sitting in my room alone, I was disturbed
several times with distinct raps on the door of the wardrobe in
the room, finally thinking someone must be playing me a trick,
I got up, looked in the press, under the bed and around everywhere—but nothing did I find that could in any way make the
noise. About ten o’clock I prepared for bed, and still hearing
the raps, I did what was unusual for me to do—locked my door.
I had no sooner turned the light out and laid down in bed when
a hand was gently placed on mine, and looking up there stood
my young friend by my side. She was so distinctly visible, that
I exclaimed 'Why Lillie, what are you doing here this time of
night and how did you get in '? She stood for a few moments
longer and then disappeared. Notwithstanding the room was
very dark at the time, she so illuminated it that she was as distinct to me as in a bright light. Having parted with her less
than three weeks before, in perfect health, it did not occur to me,
even then, that this could be a visit from the 'Spirit land'. My astonishment can be understood the next day when I took
up the morning paper to see the notice of her death on Saturday
afternoon, just two hours before the first raps came to me.
Somewhat of a mystery surrounded her death—which is not
necessary for me to detail here. But not being able to find out
anything about it I concluded to go the day following her
funeral, to see a medium, to see if I could by any chance, hear
anything through that source about it. As soon as I took my seat he went into a trance and right off began telling me that
the presence of a young girl who had lately passed over, was
there, and calling her by name, said that she wished to say to
me that I 'did see her on Saturday night and that she rapped
to call my attention to her being with me, that she came immediately, to keep a promise we had made to each other.' He then went on to tell me all about her illness and death a
most distressing one, and which I afterwards verified to be true
in every detail.
This is one of many similar experiences I have had. Having
had no witnesses to the above I herewith attach my affidavit
that every word is true and a personal experience. If necessary
will give the names of several persons who will vouch for my
word."
-- Mrs. Alice L. Bayles.
Alice was asked follow-up questions by an editor of the journal, James L. Hyslop. In response to such questions, Alice said that the death occurred on March 12, 1898, and that her account is based on a written account she made at the time, and that she was in the habit of keeping a journal at that time. She says that the encounter with the medium (Homer Altemus) went like this:
"When I went to see the medium I walked into the room, asked no questions, made no remarks—took my seat and he immediately went into a trance, said right off—' I am in a room
where everything is covered with lilies ' (her name was Lillie and she was laid out in a bed of lilies, the casket being covered
with them) ' there is a young girl who has just passed over, she
is here and says you have come to keep a promise you made to
each other, and that you did see her on Saturday night, she came
to you as soon as she was able to and rapped to attract your attention. He then continued, without my asking any questions
—entering into detail of her sickness and death....After my interview—in which she, through the medium, told
me the name of a person to go to and see who could verify what
she had told me, I found that she was a nurse who had helped
to nurse her those last days, and through others also, I learned
all that I had heard through the medium, to be true. I am sure I did not mention to anyone the next day, my experience of the night before of the raps and vision, because l had
lately moved into a boarding house, and did not know anyone
there well enough to confide in what to me was mystical and
sacred."
