The People in the Attic: The Haunting of Doretta Johnson
When Ron and Doretta Johnson bought a former motel in Marion, Indiana, with an asking price of $59,900 for only $24,500 in 1987, they had no suspicions about the place. But soon after they moved into their "dream house," all manner of bizarre events began to occur, including troubles with electric appliances, paint and wallpaper that would not stay on the walls, mysterious fires and noises in the attic. These happenings were a source of special alarm to Doretta, the survivor of a childhood poisoned by a mother who was an alcoholic, a prostitute, a drug addict, masochistic with her many "husbands" and sadistic to her children, to the degree that she witnessed their physical and sexual abuse without interfering. As the paranormal events increased, the couple and their six-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son stayed with relatives periodically but remained under attack even while in others' homes; they sought assistance from a psychic who was of little help and a priest who promised an exorcism but reneged. Finally they got help from parapsychologist William Roll, who believed that Doretta's psyche was projecting all these things into her environment and who showed her how to come to terms with her psychic abilities and the way toward clearing them up, a process that still continues. The book, written with Henderson (coauthor of Pride), will give pause to even the most skeptical about matters psychic. Photos not seen by PW.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.