http://www.deridderdailynews.com/articles/2007/10/10/news/news1.txt

Ghost hunters slated to return to jail

BY HATTIE SHERRICK-BURTON

Nearly a year after their initial investigation of DeRidder's Gothic Jail, the paranormal investigation team Louisiana Spirits will return to the jail to do a follow up investigation of the site.

At Tuesday's regular meeting of the Beauregard Parish Police Jury, the panel authorized the Tourist Commission to enter into an agreement with the group to allow them back into the old jail this year for further investigation for paranormal activity.

The decision comes after the Gothic Jail, named for its unique architectural style, was named to the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation’s 10 Most Endangered Historical Sites list.

Louisiana Spirits, a reputable organization that has been regularly featured for its work in both print and broadcast media, have previously performed their paranormal investigations on well known and historic structures all over Louisiana and in several other states, among many other accomplishments.

Armed with state-of-the-art equipment, Louisiana Spirits successfully strives to be distinct from similar "ghost hunting" teams more amateur in nature, and does so by conducting a lengthy and strenuous screening process of all evidence it collects without jumping to any hasty conclusions.

The Gothic Jail has been the subject of speculation about potential hauntings for many years.

For decades, stories have circulated locally about possible paranormal activity or hauntings in the jail, which housed prisoners until 1984 and has since sat unused by the city and parish.

Most believe that the supposed hauntings are related to the double hanging of Joe Genna and Molton Brasseaux inside the jail in the late 1920's. The two were sentenced to death after being convicted of robbing and killing a DeRidder taxi driver. The two met their fates by being hung through the now famous staircase that spirals up the jail's center.

Several other unconfirmed deaths, due to natural and unnatural causes, have been reported to have taken place in the building, a structure that has also been nicknamed locally as the "hanging jail."

After over a month of careful analysis of audio and video collected at the DeRidder Gothic Jail, the Louisiana Spirits paranormal investigation team determined last year's investigation to be inconclusive.

While several questionable events were documented throughout the course of the investigation, which began on the evening of Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006, and continued through the early hours of Nov. 19, Louisiana Spirits members felt they need more evidence to deem the old jail to be haunted.

The group performed its 2006 investigation under intense media scrutiny and in front of television news cameras, a factor that may have contributed to the inconclusive results.