Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1918-02-20
A House That
Was Really Haunted

The majority of people refuse to
believe stories OF ghosts or of any
thing which savors of the super-na-
tural, insisting that all such things
can be explained as arising from
purely normal causes or that the per-
sons who witness ghostly demonstra-
tions allow their Imagination to
trick them. 1t is undoubtedly true
that great many ghosts happenings,
if investigated in a scientific manner,
would prove to have no connection
whatever with the supernatural and
that many of the tales of mysterious
visitors from the realm of spirits are
pure fabrications or have grown out
of an unusual, over-wrought mental
condition of those by whom they are
recounted.
Be that as it may, here is a ghost
story which is compiled from the rec
rods of a scientific society in England
the Society of Psychical Research.
The facts, which are taken from pub
lished journals of the sodiety, are sub
mitted for what they are worth, but
the skeptical are reminded that the
records were written, edited and pre-
pared for publication by eminent sci
entists who have made a long and
profound study of psychical phenom-
ena, and whose veracity is beyond
question.
At Falkland, -Fifeshire, Scotland,
stood an old manor house. For some
reason this house had the reputation
of being haunted In the vicinity ac-
counts of spectral figures being seen
at the windows and in the grounds
surrounding the building, of unearth-
lly noises, Changing chains, groans,
shrieks and other ghostly demonstra-
tions were common. Needless to say
the manor was untenanted.
Provided with photographs and
blank photograph disks on which to
record all ghostly sounds, with cam
eras and flashlights to be used in
photography spectral figures, and
with silk threads to be used in stretch
ing across passage ways and turrets
reputed to be the favorite places for
the spooks' promenades, the commit
tee took possession of the alleged
haunted manor house.
They first took measurements of
various parts of the house and explor-
ed it thoroughly from cellar to gar
get; then they set about observing
whatever phenomena might be mani
Tested. Nothing unusual was seen or
heard, however, until about three
O'Clock the following morning, when
everyone was sound asleep. The en-
tire party were awakened by a loud
changing noise which resounded
through the house and which, accord
| ing to one of the investigators, re-
sembled the sound produced by beat
ing on a long metal bar with wood
en- mallet, the sound apparently COM
ing diagonally across the house.
Some time later the same morning
two women members of the party
were in the library. One was writ
ing, when her companion addressed
her once or twice. Being in an alb
stracted mood and absorbed in her
writing, the first lady made no an
swer and continued to write. "A few
minutes later she felt gentle push
against her chair. Surprising it was
her companion who, after receiving
no answer to her remark, was re-
minding her of her presence, the writ
err looked up and was greatly sur
lprised to find the room entirely
empty.
That evening, which was very light.
owing to the lingering twilight of
that northern latitude and bright
moon, three of the women in the
party made their way to little glen
not far from the manor. In three or
four minutes two female figures APP
ipeared, one on her knees in an atti-
tude of weeping and the other appar-
lently reasoning with her in a low
Voice After the apparitions had
been in sight for about Is minutes
the dog came up and ran straight to-
ward the "spooks." A short time
later he deserted the three in vestj-
gators and was found barking in the
glen. This was considered strange,
for the dog seldom barked at all.
A day or two later, the records
show, the changing sounds were heard
again soon after the committee had
retired for the night. Early the fol-
lowing morning they began again and
continued for nearly an hour. Then
another strange phenomenon was
observed. In one of the rooms which
two ladies of the party occupied, a
strange fiuttering noise and a noise
which might have been made by a
lively kitten jumping about or by a
large bird were heard, apparently
very close to but opposite the bed
two hours. A thorough search of the
room failed to disclose anything that
could have caused the sounds and
none of the party was able to furnish
lany explanation.
81 The following night two different
members of the committee saw fe'
male figure walking in the glen. One
Isaw the ghost full-face and the Other
lin profile. The curious thing about
1.-THE apparition was that in the full.
face figure no face was visible at al