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| Martin Leal has a ghost story of his own. When he was just eight years old, he was
visiting his grandmother when he saw a strange woman in the house. He asked his mother who this lady
was and she told him there was nobody there. But Martin saw the woman again, and he didn't give up
his questioning easily. Finally, his mother conceded and asked Martin's grandfather (who was interested
in the paranormal and had an extensive collection of books on the subject) to tell Martin that the
woman he had seen was in fact an apparition of his great-grandmother.
"I wasn't afraid, I just wanted to know who she was. I thought ghosts would look like Casper, but since she was an apparition she looked just like a regular lady. My grandfather had seen her too. After that, I started reading his books." |
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Now, after stints in real estate, banking and time spent as a ski instructor, Martin -- who
doesn't consider himself to have strong psychic abilities -- is making ghost hunting a priority. Aside
from conducting a nightly tour of the downtown area near the Alamo, he has also made
himself available to investigate paranormal activity around the city with hopes of providing
clients with data from infrared cameras and electromagnetic field meters which proves the creaky
floorboards are more than just the house settling. One of his clients, the wife of a San Antonio
sports figure, is afraid her house is haunted by her sister who died a number of years ago after she
fell off a balcony. "She wants us to see if we can get some readings so she can convince her husband
to let some psychics in there to see if they can communicate with her sister, to find out if she was
pushed," he says. Another incident takes him to the property of an apartment complex, in fear
of losing tenants, that has been plagued for the last two years by sightings of an eight or nine year
old boy.
"Without the use of instruments, I did feel cold spots in Washington D.C. in some old buildings there, and at Gettysburg, but you can substantiate this stuff now. I'll get readings in a certain area of a hotel and then I'll call a psychic who has investigated there and ask why I'm getting high EMF numbers in this one stairwell and they'll say, 'Oh, that was this cowboy who got shot in the back and fell down the stairwell and died right there.'" |
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Still, the social aspects of the
Hauntings Tour are what inspire Martin the most. Leading folks to where they might get a glimpse of
the dark-coated specter who walks the Alamo grounds, or the Colonel Sanders-like visage of Richard
King which shuffles the halls of the Menger Hotel, has required him to become a historian of sorts. And
imparting this knowledge allows him to connect with tourists from all over the country who share his
interests in the netherworld, while offering the unique regional viewpoint of a culture steeped in
Hispanic traditions. He never fails to stop the tour over the San Antonio river to recount the
Mexican legend of La Llorona, the woman who weeps for her children slain in revenge by her own hand.
With that grisly image in mind, one may wonder if seeking out a paranormal experience is a positive
thing. "I guess it depends," says Martin. "It's just like catching a fish. Some people would cry and
some would get excited and mount it." And is Martin worried that having seen only one
other ghost since the childhood occurrence at his grandmother's house might tarnish his reputation?
"Not really," he says. "Andrew Green is one of the best known ghost hunters in Great Britain. He's
investigated tons of the most famous hauntings in Europe and he's only seen one ghost since 1944. And
the sighting didn't even occur on a job... it was on vacation."
The Hauntings History of San Antonio Tour starts evenings at the Alamo defenders monument (in front of the Alamo) and costs $10 per adult. The walking tour takes approximately an hour and a half, covers less than a mile, and is handicap accessible. Three Hour Limousine investigations are available with 48 hours notice. Call 210/436-5417 for information. Special rates are available for groups of 10 or more. |          |
