Ghost Trackers - Film "Mystery Hunters" With Richard Senate

The Ghost Trackers were contacted by Apartment 11 Productions regarding the Alcatraz tour we took with our conference in 2003. We discussed the conference and the tour of Alcatraz and the production company requested our participation in a series segment they shoot for Discovery Kids called "Mystery Hunters".

Ghost Trackers Member Scott Young filmed the segment regarding his sighting of an apparition in the hospital ward. "Mystery Hunters" is a series in which two young people go off in search of mysteries and attempt to recreate what happened whether from history or from what other people experienced.

In this case, they were going to try to recreate Scott's sighting. Apartment 11 Productions crew consisted of Zsolt (pronounced "Joel"), the director, Francois, the camera man, Paolo, the sound man, and Gill, the production assistant. The show's host, Araya Mengesha, was a very nice young man who was very sociable and who was a very good actor.

Prior to arriving on the island and while waiting for the ferry to take us across, we discovered a very special guest who was also going to be filming a segment of "Mystery Hunters", Mr. Richard Senate (www.ghost-stalker.com).

Nothing beats the beautiful skyline of San Francisco. Today was no exception. It was a gorgeous, warm albeit very windy day at the City by the Bay.

Even before the sun goes down and The Rock is locked down, you can tell that there is an ominous feeling that overtakes the island. The picture on the left shows "Broadway" and cell after cell that occupies each side of the hallway. The picture on the right shows the X-ray Room where member Scott Young said he saw the figure of a man sitting on the edge of the table. Orbs in motion were filmed right after his sighting.

Two members of the wonderful film crew were Paolo, the sound man and Gill, the production assistant in the picture on the left. On the right were two of the great Park Rangers involved in the filming....on the left was John Caldwell and on the right, Park Historian John Martini.

Here is the crew as we arrived on The Rock - from left to right, Ghost Trackers member Scott Young, Richard Senate, Araya Mengasha and Francois, our wonderful camera man. The picture on the right is the room that held the Bird Man of Alcatraz, Robert Stroud. The room takes on a gloomy, frightening look as the sun goes down.

Printed below is an article Richard Senate wrote regarding his thoughts and feelings of what occurred tonight:

Our Psychic World

The Ghosts of the Rock ~~ By Richard Senate

The figure was moving at a fast walk as it passed through the wide doorway. I could see it was a short man, perhaps 5’3 or 5’4 in height. He was dressed all in gray; a long sleeved shirt and pants. It was all I got a chance to see because the figure abruptly vanished away into nothingness. My trip was a success. I had seen one of the many ghosts of Alcatraz Island.

Many believe the old island prison in San Francisco Bay is haunted. Phantom voices echo down the long halls and strange shapes and lights hover in the unused cells of the old federal lock-up. Every since the place was closed, visitors whisper of ghosts and supernatural events happening here. Years ago KGO radio in San Francisco invited me to spend a night on "the Rock" to see if the accounts of ghosts were true. It was a cold night and many odd things happened even if we failed to sight a ghost or record a phantom voice. The most dramatic event took place in punishment cell number 12. While locked in "the hole" I felt the presence of something both terrifying and strange. It was as if I was locked in a cell with an insane murderer. I didn’t see anything, but I sure felt something. It was years later that I discovered that was the punishment cell where Al Capone was sent while serving his term on Alcatraz. Cell number 14 is also rumored haunted. In this cell, a prisoner screamed that he was being attacked by a demon with glowing eyes. He demanded to be let out of the dark punishment cell. The guards didn’t listen to his cries and when they stopped it was thought the convict had gone to sleep. The next day they found the man dead. It was written up as a heart attack.

Recently I was asked to return to Alcataz and tell of my encounter by a TV company doing a show on ghosts. I went up to the bay area and toured the island. I managed to meet other ghost hunter from a Santa Clara group and compare notes. One of their member had seen a ghostly shadow in the old prison hospital. He was to appear on the TV show as well. Before our accounts were taped, we toured the island. The prison was creepy and I could see why so many focus on the old wards and operating rooms of the hospital as a place where ghosts gather. I was hoping to see a ghost on this trip but, sadly, the hospital seemed spooky, but without any specters.

I met with some of the ranger who work at the place. They proved to be a skeptical lot for the most part, but, a few did have stories to tell with a supernatural bend. During the filming of a feature at the old prison, a ranger was escorting the director from the building late at night. They were leaving when they both heard the low noted of a harmonica playing "taps." At first they thought it was a member of the cast-but when they checked, there was no one there. Others have heard the notes of "taps" as well. They always come from one of the cells on the third level of cells in the great house. Who is playing "taps" and why? Could it be a ghostly convict who once served in the US military?

The TV people had based themselves in the old mess hall of the prison. The tables were gone and only a few benches remained. From the size of the chamber, one could see that the prison population was never large. The crew and cast were gone, shooting in some corner of the huge building, so, I sat down to wait. I was going over my notes when I saw the image come into the old mess hall. At first I thought it was one of the crew. I was watching as it vanished. It wasn’t visible for long, perhaps four or five seconds but, it was a ghost. I had gotten my wish and seen one of the ghosts of "the Rock."

We did my taped segment about midnight. I was done at two in the morning. The water taxi took me back to pier 41, along with the people from the Santa Clara ghost hunters. When I checked my watch I discovered it had stopped. It stopped at the exact time I had seen the ghost. I believe the battery was drained of energy. It was a unique experience-but then, they always are when visiting Alcatraz Island.

Recently Published in a Ventura County Newspaper

Below - Standing together for a quick picture was (from left to right) Richard Senate, Scott Young, the host of "Mystery Hunters" Araya, and the head cameraman, Francois.

Many thanks to Apartment 11 Productions for the opportunity to return to Alcatraz, to again experience the frightening areas of the island, to John Caldwell and John Martini, the Park Ranger and Park Historian, respectively, and to the crew - Zsolt, Francois, Paolo and Gill, to Araya, the host of "Mystery Hunters" and most importantly to Richard Senate for the great talks, and the experience of the extremely frightening event near the "D" wing!!

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