Fresno has a lesser-known claim to supernatural fame: the Fresno Nightcrawler. The mysterious being, or puppet, has reemerged in the imaginations of many this spooky season as Halloween approaches.

In the late 1880s, a mysterious creature haunted Clark Alley in York, disguising itself as a horse thief, a boy selling newspapers and even a bottle of beer. It was never caught, but what was it — a ...