The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-02-05 00:00:00

THE HAUNTED HOUSE IN EAST-STREET.

An extraordinary report respecting • haunted house
in Weymouth has within the last few days been
circulated, which we record for the edification of
believers in ghosts and hobgoblins, and the lovers
of the marvellous. The place in which his ghostahip
has taken up his residence, ie an old house belonging to,
sod occupied by, Thomas Talbot, an old boatman, in
East-street ;and so great has been the excitement aimed
by the report circulated respecting the strange visitor,
that the locality has been visited by thousands—the
street being often imp/usable on account of the crowd,
as late as 12 o'clock at night. • All clams of society,
from the M •yor to the street arab have participated in
the general curiosity, and we have heard of irony stand-
iiig in the street as late as 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning,
anxious to retch a glimpse or to hear a sound of the
supernatural stranger. Of course the versions respecting
the behaviour of Mr. Ghost are exceedingly numerous
and varied. Some mart that he stands in an old cup-
board, which has been long clotted on, rattling a bag of
sovereigns ; others that he lota been known to make
noises precisely like the report rd • pistol ; and taut •
feat that he shakes the house to the very foundatiou by
knocking against the walls with • wooden mullet. We
have heard it asserted by " eye witnesses," that at
times when his gleratahip is iii high dudgeon or in his
glory—vot do not know which—lie muses the cups sod
gisw.iss to tan.. • j;si on Om eide-h•ard, tha wail. a the
Loire to tremble as though tl.ey had the ague, while
the latches of the doors are lifted up and down as if
they were moved by !WHIM' hen Is. Many of the visi•
tors to the house are exceedingly nervous, but one
sturdy fellow, in order to display his bravery find show
his courage in an en. °enter with • visitor from the
unknown world, fired a pistol at the spot where he heard
a knocking, when t're glioet caught the bullet aid threw
it hack into his antagonists hats-la! The scho-dmaster
his.' yet • great deal to do before belief in the super-
natural will be eradicated from the minds of the people,
and the Featotreet affair haa set people talking about
the days of thei!great grandmother', when witches,
ghosts. and lio rblins were said to be as plentiful as
bl rekberries at harvest time. It is therefore gravely
asserted by souls that there can be no doubt
in the world that this is • real ghost. The
object of his visit, however, is the great
mystery. As the house is very old and the walls
are hollow and thick, it ha, been suggested that a large
hoard of tuoney has leen hidden and that the
penern who accreted it, cannot rest in hie "grave," as
thou,:h the "grave" contained the souls as well as the
bodies of MOIL Others thinks it far more probable that
the fool crime of murder has at some time or other been
committal, awl to add to the probability of this being
the cause of the straw visitant making a sojourn here,
somebody has heard somebody say that somebody had
dug up a skeleton close by. Another rumour is that a
deal body had been found in a vault near the b 00..;
but the general impression among • great portion seems
to be, that the ghost has been sent as • warning to the
inmates on account of their sins, but whether lie is •
viaitatit from the upper or the lower regions is a ques-
tion far too mysterious for them to solve. Scientific
tyros—sceptical as to the manifestation of spiritual
visitants to this mundane sphere —have suggested that
the mystery might probably be traced to the pranks
of smile mischievous wag in the possession of
a galvanic battery ; while the wotldly wise
have held it en highly probable that as many of the ad-
joining old houses ore shortly to he pulled down for the
erection of • new street, some person may have been
secreted somewhere among the ruins to frighten the
inmates, and thus induce the proprietor to dispose of his
property at a cheaper rate than he would otherwise.
Now wedonothelieve in any of these numerous @ermined
We have visited haunted houses where the noises were
enshrouded in far greater mystery than those in East.
street, and we have seen the enigma solved. It is said
that noises have been heard in this and the adjoining
houses fur the hist two or three years, at different
times, generally late at night; and that they had hitherto
been attributed to the rapping, of the children in other
dwellings, to the great disturbance of the neighbours,
bet being all of than peaceably disposed, nous ever
thought to complain to the others about the matter.
The whole of the houses here are very old, the walls
are of great width and sonic of them hollow, and the
neighbourhood is largely infested with rata, but it
never occurred to one of then' that any of the noises
were to be attributed to these mischievous animals, or
that the wind blowing throngli the chinks in the walls,
or the flapping of the old boarding might have contri-
buted to the strange sounds. They were heard some-
tones for several nights in succession, and occasionally
not for months. Briton Tuesday night week, the knock•
tog was plaimily dis-ernahle in Talbot's house, an 1 so loud
as to prevent the inmates from sleeping, and they conse-
quently got up. After that, whenever the old man
attempted tolls down, the knockings became intolenshle.
It alo4ll not apt-ear, however, that anyone said anything
about it till Fridsy night, when Mr. John Woods. the
Weymouth newsman, passing by while " Mr. Ghost"
was ',laying his pranks, proclaimed to all whom be came
in contact with what he had heard. The news flew
through the town like wildfire, people flocked to the
spot from all directions, many declared what
wondrous things they had either seen or
heard of, and the police were then called
in. The Mayor sought personally to unravel the
mystery, hut Mr. Ghost was exceedingly shy of hia
Worship, and refused to come forward. Hip did not like
the police much bet! r than he did the Mayor, refusing
to knock in the P. me room when they were stational,
union all the ligl ' were put out, and then but feebly.
Talbot's daught, is in the union workhouse and wishes
to come out, l• the old man will not receive her. He
has her dac ter—grown up nearly to womanhood—
and her m with him, and it is in their
presenoe, and the spot where either one or
the albs, of them go, —no one else being
present— that the ghost is heard. It would therefore
seem that it is to them two youngsters that his visits
are principally made, but why lie is such • coward as not
to come forward when the police are oreeent,we leave it
for the believers in hobgoblins to unravel.
During the last few days the ghost has been more
moderate in his performances, exhibiting only ot cation
elle. mottle in the daytitni when the street is deserted.
The ghost-story has here being taken advantage of by
wicked wags, who have given full license to that unruly
member, the tongue, to circulate all kill& of the most
absurd rumours, which are greedily devoured by the
Credulous. One of these tales was, that the whole of the
police force murdered, and proceeded under the omit-
need of Superintendent Lidbury to the house with a
view of finding out the ghost, but on arriving there,
Ohl y one man had sufficient courage to gio in, sod he
was an frightened with what lie heard and sew that he
w" obliged to be conveyed home on a stretcher I We
sell out missionaries to ths heathen, but it is quit*
el'mu,t • large number are required at home.