Description

James Stokes was a British sailor who jumped ship in Monterey in 1833, passing himself off as a doctor with medicine stolen from the boat. Despite killing a significant number of patients, Stokes was appointed personal physician to Governor Jose Figueroa. Within a year, the governor was dead. Stokes sons confronted him over his crimes and he ingested poison, falling lifeless at their feet. The adobe home in which Stokes lived still stands and every so often a man dressed in 1800s garb is seen climbing the stairs and passing through walls. This is the legend of Stokes Ghost