Present at a Hanging and Other Ghost Stories

Present at a Hanging isn't one of Bierce's most well known stories, but it should be. A peddler stops by the house of old man Baker one day in Lebanon, Iowa. Making arrangements to stay at the Baker home that night, the peddler is never seen again. Neighbours believe it's a case of murder, but is it something more sinister? The answer unfolds seven years later with the appearance of an apparition on the bridge near the Baker farm. The only thing more mysterious than the fate of the peddler in Present at a Hanging is Bierce's own disappearance in real life. He was serving as an observer with Pancho Villa's army in 1913/14 when he disappeared, his fate unknown to this day.

About the Author

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (1842 - 1914) was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist. He wrote the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and compiled a satirical lexicon, The Devil's Dictionary. His vehemence as a critic, his motto "Nothing matters" and the sardonic view of human nature that informed his work, all earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce".

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