https://archive.org/details/IAPSOP-psychic_science_v1_n3_oct_1922/page/272/mode/1up?q=%22thrown+about%22&view=theater
Report Upon “Poltergeist” Phenomena Occurring In The Presence Of Fraulein Hannie At Braunau.
Communicated by an eyewitness (Naval Commander Kogelnik).
N.B. – Capt. Kogelnik has been a Student of occult phenomena for some years, and has with his wife assisted in the development of a physical medium likely to be well known in Europe in the future. The notes supplied by our correspondent have been condensed for publication, but without omission of any important fact. – Ed.
The investigation of psychical happenings can only merit the name of Psychic Science when its phenomena can be brought within the scope of human comprehension, and its laws linked on a symmetric basis of fact. There must be a consensus established in the observation of these facts, or at least an intelligible harmony between the impressions they create upon the minds of various observers. No two observers, however, will perceive alike in these matters. Differences of nervous constitution, and of training and sensory development of a nature more profound than those which can be measured by instruments, are present between individuals, and in our daily life we are by no means fully conscious of such. The claims of our daily life do not bring them into contrast in the critical way in which psychical observation does.
And each one knows but little of his innermost Self, or can gauge his own psychic constitution. The writer therefore admits it to be an invidious task to make record of what after all are his personal observations, based upon the unreliable testimony of his nerves and senses. And where one cannot trust one’s own senses, still less can one commit oneself to a reliance upon those of others. Nevertheless he will relate certain strange happenings, offering to readers of Psychic Science such guarantee as his position as a Naval officer, trusted by his men, may be able to adduce. With this premise the narrative will be continued in the first person.
It was in January of the present year that I was informed by an Austrian newspaper, as well as by private letters, that in Lieserbrucke, a small place in Carinthia, were occurring many strange things which were agitating the minds of this isolated community, the even tenor of whose life had hitherto been undisturbed by any extraordinary happenings. The solitary inn of Lieserbrucke was destined to be the scene of surprising events, the news of which soon spread over the countryside, causing alarm and disquietude. Bottles, dishes and plates were thrown about the kitchen of the inn, bells were rung, stones were flung, and all by unseen hands. The inn soon became the resort of pilgrims attracted by the miracle.
At first no explanation was forthcoming, but soon there appeared a connection between the phenomena and a girl of about fifteen years, who was a servant at the inn, since the phenomena seemed dependent on her presence. The girl appeared unconsious of this, and was angry at the accusation, fearing the loss of her situation if it were believed that she was the cause of so much trouble to her master. But the fact was not to be denied, for after her dismissal, which ensued, the phenomena entirely ceased.
The girl had removed to other places, at each of which similar happenings were observed. She soon became the object of general attention, but no one would keep her long because of the damage which took place wherever she went. (See Appendix.)
I accepted these statements with the greatest reserve, though my brother, who is a permanent resident in the district, vouched for their truth. The only thing to do was to get hold of the girl herself, and in this I succeeded, and she entered my house as a maidservant on the 14th March, 1922. I engaged her not merely from a motive of curiosity, but for the practical reason that my wife was without a maid and in delicate health. Hannie, the girl in question, was an orphan and was meeting with difficulty in finding a situation owing to her newly-discovered qualities. Hence I engaged her, though fully aware that the engagement was a risky one in respect of any loss or damage that might be expected according to the information that I had obtained. But I hoped that by considerate treatment of the girl – and this she would certainly have from my wife – anything untoward might be avoided. I found Hannie intelligent, well-developed physically and without any abnormalities, but reserved and distrustful as one might expect.
She could scarcely remember her parents; her mother had died long ago and for seven years she had heard nothing of her father, who also may be dead. She was aware of no one in the position of a trustee, or who was in any way prepared to undertake responsibility on her behalf. For all the fifteen years of her life it would seem that this poor girl has never known the warmth of human friendship, and so she has grown self-contained. She was extremely poor.
“Omnia mea mecum porto” might have been her reply when I asked her about her properties, but she evaded the admission for very shame. In our house she did her duties satisfactorily, and proved a willing and attentive servant, and in time she began to confide in us. We seldom spoke to her of occult matters, and we were careful not to mention those occult qualities which were accredited to her. We wished things to develop as they would without any suggestion or influence on our part. What is more, the girl was fully occupied with her work all day and had neither the time nor apparently the interest for the study of occult prolems. She also had no reason for supposing that we pursued such interests as she saw us occupied only with the daily life of the household.
One day, however – I think the fourth or fifth after her arrival, I discovered some water poured out on the floor of the entrance-hall. It was a small pool of water about 2-300 cmm [sic] a little way out from the wall between the doors marked A and B.
It was one afternoon when my wife and I were at home, and Hannie occupied in the kitchen. In passing through the hall I saw the water and admonished Hannie to be more careful in carrying water and to mop it up whenever she spilt it at once. The girl looked at the water with astonishment and declared that she had not spilled it.
I did not wish to make further inquiry about so small a matter, and therefore only told her to dry it. But the same thing happened the very next day and again Hannie was admonished, this time more sternly. On th ethird day the same thing occurred under circumstances which establish some control of the conditions under which the phenomena occurred. At about 5 p.m. I passed the hall on my way from Room A, through the kitchen to Room B, in which my wife was. The door between the kitchen and Room B was wide open, and my wife was speaking to Hannie, who was standing near the window in full view of her. After some minutes I returned to A by the same way, and on entering the hall I there found again the well-known pool of water exactly in the place where it had appeared before. I instantly told my wife, who assured me that the whole time I had been in B, she had had Hannie under her eye. Either then my wife and I had in an interval of absent-mindedness allowed Hannie to deceive us, or else the thing was beyond normal explanation. Be this as it may I found myself convinced of nothing, and bent on greater care in watching events.
I called on a friend, Count L—, a man of experience in occult research, to visit us in the hope that he might find a way of furthering the elucidation of the mystery. He came for a few days’ stay, but not caring to await the spontaneous occurrence of phenomena, he decided to hypnotize the girl. Hannie, after a few passes, went into the magnetic sleep, but all effort to induce phenomena or movement of objects was vain. For about half an hour she would answer questions put to her, but later even this became impossible. She sat with her legs and arms stiffened without motion, and exhibiting no reaction either to words or to magnetic passes, and all attempts Count L— made to awaken her were unsuccessful. In this state she remained from 8.30 p.m. till 7 the next morning, when suddenly she awoke of her own accord.
The experiment had failed, the only result being that Hannie was very angry and thought herself more hardly treated than ever. I decided therefore to make another sort of experiment.
The Seance.
I knew a family who held regular spiritualistic seances. Their medium is a boy of fifteen, whose physical development has been retarded by privation of food. As he is too weak to produce phenomena of any remarkable nature unaided, he is assisted by an “auxilary” medium, who is a girl of about twenty. They use a dull red light. Soon after commencing to sit, the boy regularly falls into trance, and then, at his command, which is given in a whisper, the girl who is seated near him, also falls into trance. The further progress of events seems to depend upon the variable state of the boy’s health.
The usual phenomena are luminous specks or small clouds, which at times tend to develop into human outlines. I was not greatly interested in these results, but remembering that all results are modified not only by the powers of the medium but by the influence that the sitters may exercise involuntarily, and that whilst the presence of some individuals inhibits phenomena that of others may be conducive to results, I decided to take Hannie to a seance, and this I thought would enable me to assess her mediumistic power in comparison with others. I thought it better that nothing should be known as to HAnnie and her powers, and so I introduced her simply as my servant, stating that I could not leave her alone at home. I did not inform Hannie of my intentions, and she had never attended a seance and was therefore unfamiliar with the nature of it.
She was placed at a point furthest from the boy and girl mediums in a circle of about ten persons and was told to remain silent and not to move from her place. The mediums were entranced as usual; first the boy and then the girl, and then we waited for something to happen. And for a long time it seemed as if it was to be really a “waiting” seance, for nothing happened, and Hannie found it no doubt extremely dull. To sit in a darkened room, with two people fast asleep and the rest all keeping silence, must have seemed to her a dull proceeding, and I felt her glance bent on me in doubt as to my motive for remaining longer. Now an hour had passed, and at last the mediums began to move restlessly, and little by little to show signs of fear. Simultaneously they commenced to move their arms as though to defend themselves against some being approaching them from the direction in which Hannie was seated. These movements of defence rapidly became more pronounced and the faces of the sleeping boy and girl now began to betray in their expression an increasing fear and abhorrence. Unable to speak, they both began to moan, and with a great effort, rose from their chairs and fell to the floor whimpering and sighing continuously, continuing their movements of defence which were directed towards Hannie’s seat. The sitters now became agitated and anxious owing to the strange behaviour of the two mediums.
One made vain attempts to calm them, but they were neither to be calmed nor awakened. At normal seances the boy, whilst still entranced, awakens his “auxiliary” medium by gently blowing upon her, after which he himself awakes. This he was seen to be trying to do now, but without result. Both still remained in trance. It was only after long and painful effort that he succeeded in stammering out the words “I cannot awake your mediums. Stronger forces are here, and they are trying to take possession of the mediums and I am quite helpless against them.” This presumably from the “guide.”
On this I thought it best to bring Hannie away. Next day I was told that the two mediums had awoke an hour after we left the seance. After this interesting experiment I was convinced of Hannie’s mediumistic powers, but I felt less than ever competent to handle them, and decided to force nothing by any further experiment. If my Carinthian friends had told me the truth, I should certainly sooner or later have evidence.
Towards the end of April Mr and Mrs Hewat McKenzie came to Braunau, and became acquainted with Hannie. Mr McKenzie, after testing her by hypnotic passes, concluded that she was a psychic sensitive and had strong mediumistic powers, but as I had not up to this time any personal experience with her of a reliable nature I feared that in engaging her for his Psychic College he might be “buying a pig in a poke.” Events still to be recorded, however, proved the correctness of his judgment.
Hannie was due to remain in my house for a few weeks longer, before she could proceed to England with her new friends. She had now a companion with whom she could be on terms of equality, as we were housing for a fortnight the cook of some friends of ours. The two girls became quite friendly, and we often heard Hannie’s laughing voice when we passed the kitchen door.
The Poltergeist Outbreak.
One of my Carinthian informants had asserted that the phenomena were subject to the influence of the moon, as they developed with its increase and strengthened towards full moon. And now it was but a few days from full moon, which would be on the morning of May 11th. It was the evening of May 5th when my wife, being in the room A, heard the cook raising her voice in an excited manner in the kitchen. This surprised her, as the girls had never quarrelled.
Shortly afterwards, the cook darted into the room, forgetting even to knock at the door. On her face were evident signs of great agitation. “I really don’t know what is the matter with me!” she exclaimed, clasping her hands before her head, “but I can’t have been mistaken when I saw one of my boots which I kept in the cupboard (marked 1 in plan) move out to the middle of the kitchen, where it is lying still.” My wife concluded that Hannie had been practising a joke upon the cook, and finally quieted her agitation by persuading her of this. But no more than a quarter of an hour had passed when again she burst in and with a trembling voice exclaimed, “Now it’s a candlestick that has gone the same way, it has been in the cupboard behind the curtain and now suddenly it has come out all by itself and has gone where my boot was before. Hannie has certainly had nothing to do with it this time, for she has been at the window all the time; and now I’m troubled, and I can’t stay in the kitchen any longer.”
“Don’t be afraid,” said my wife: “keep your eyes open for what happens and you may let the doors stand open if you like, but go back to the kitchen.”
Silence now prevailed in the kitchen as all the girls’ natural gaiety had deserted them, and even Hannie was impressed by what had happened. Suddenly the silence was interrupted by a sharp clang. The poker which always lay on the hearth had been thrown into the sink in the further corner of the room (see plan).
I was not at home when these things occurred and my wife reported them to me on my return. As she was in Room A she did not see what happened in the kitchen, but the cook’s fright was too obviously real to have been simulated, and it is less easy to believe that she had been the victim of a trick, as the kitchen is brightly lit with an electric lamp, and, moreover, after the first phenomenon, the doors between were kept wide open, and Hannie had been watched from two sides.
On the following day, May 6th, my wife reported to me that she had herself witnessed the movement of various objects in the kitchen whilst the girls were engaged upon their work. I then remained in the kitchen for some time, but saw nothing. At about 5 p.m. I chanced to be again in the kitchen giving some orders to Hannie, and even as I was speaking to her, I heard something fall to the floor, and saw a small iron box which was kept on the board marked (2) in plan, was lying beneath my feet. I cannot say that I had observed this box to be standing in its ordinary place when I entered the kitchen, and consequently I did not see how it was seized and thrown. I only heard the noise and then observed the box lying on the floor. But I can vouch for the fact that Hannie was not moving either hand at the time, and I was looking at her whilst I spoke to her. The cook was not in the kitchen with us. Neither did I on any subsequent occasion see how things were thrown, because the phenomena always happened at unexpected moments, and I have never yet outwitted the mysterious doer, though I have done my best to that end, and have never relinquished my attitude of suspicion for a moment.
I finally received the impression that my thoughts were all in some way guessed beforehand, and that a superior intelligence was at work in the production of the phenomena and was able to make a fool of me.
I next took the iron box, and putting it back in its customary place I demanded that it should be thrown once more. Hannie was in the meantime seated at the window, occupied with some needlework. I was standing at the door leading to Room B, and from this position I could best overlook the kitchen, and could observe both Hannie and the box. I waited for five minutes – for ten minutes – life has taught me patience; and suddenly a smart “bang,” and the fragments of a porcelain cup were on the kitchen floor! This cup was kept on board (2). Who could have thrown it? Not Hannie, for she was seated at the window under my eye, at no more than four yards distance. Or myself? I must ask this preposterous question, for there was no one else in the room. Between 5 and 6 p.m. on the 6th May it would hardly be dark, and there were no shutters to the large window. So I must suppose an Invisible Third.
The smashing the porcelain cup cooled my wish for further experiences of this nature, as my cupboards were full of glass. At noon, when the phenomena ceased for the day, I had to mourn two porcelain dishes and one cup as the victims of this interesting performance. That afternoon came a pause, for which my wife and I and the cook were equally thankful. Only in the evening, about 8 p.m., when the cook was preparing supper, she had been the object of some minor attentions on the part of the poltergeist.
A ladle and a spoon which the cook had laid on the upper part of the stove were thrown into pots standing on the hearth, and these throws were made with precise aim, and never failed the target. So both ladle and spoon went straight into the sauce. I do not think that Hannie was anywhere near at the time; she was always a good distance off when these things happened, and was sometimes actually outside the room. The cook was by this time in a highly irritable frame of mind, and would have been inclined to catch Hannie out if she had had any suspicion that she had been “supporting” the poltergeist. It was just as if a third servant were present, whom she could neither command nor punish, and the last consideration was perhaps the most grievous to her, for the poltergeist developed an extraordinary malignity. The cook was putting some spoons and forks away in their usual place when one of the spoons removed to another place which it seemed to like better. It was no sooner replaced, than a fork found occasion to move. Under such circumstances, the poor cook’s interest in the occult evaporated and was replaced by a sense of irritation. But her mood did not commend itself to poltergeist, and the more angry the cook, the more malicious the spirit. Realizing this, the cook’s irritation gave place to a deep resignation, and her countenance became rueful. She went about her work in silence, patiently hunting for objects which were persistently thrown out of their places.
After the day’s work, the girls withdrew about 9 p.m., the “invisible third” with them, and for a while silence prevailed in the house.
Episode of the Ladder.
Suddenly a heavy booming sound was audible under the roof. I felt bound at once to ascertain what might have happened there, and did so, though with no pleasurable sensation in regard to what I might encounter. Rushing upstairs I could already hear from a distance the girls crying in their rooms, the doors of which I found closed. I found a heavy ladder, about three and a half yards in legnth, which had always been leant against the wall, had now fallen and lay across the attic floor. It was the fall of this ladder that had caused the resounding crash that had so alarmed us (see plan of top floor). I found it hard to allay the fears of the girls, but I finally persuaded them that the poltergeist would do them no evil if they would not mock at him. They faithfully promised that they would follow my advice, but would not on any account agree to pass the night in separate rooms. So Hannie’s bed was transferred to the cook’s room. The attics are just above Room A (our bedroom) and the house is lightly built. During the night I several times heard a noise like something sliding on the floor above me, but had no distinct impression as to what it might be, and said nothing about it next morning. Later, the cook came to my wife, and related that after she and Hannie had gone to sleep she was awakened by certain movements, and that when fully awake she saw with the greatest horror that her bed was slowly sliding hither and thither about the room, Hannie being all the time sound asleep. But we had not yet reached the culmination!
This came on Monday, May 8th. We were awakened by cracking noises coming from the direction of the kitchen, where it was found that keys, potlids, forks, spoons, cups, ladles – in a word, all moveable objects, were flying about intermittently. I had had enough of the poltergeist, but no endeavour of mine to stop him in his busy work was of any avail; on the contrary, two knives were thrown at me on my uttering an incautious word of disgust.
The cook had to go to the cellar for wood and coal, but the cellar-key which was always kept hanging on the keyboard (marked in plan), was now missing and did not turn up until a long time after. She went to her room for another pair of boots, and we saw the key flying away before our eyes, too quickly for pursuit. The cook’s attempts to find it, as she eventually did, involved a further disappointment, for as she opened her room, she found her boots gone! Poltergeist’s prediction for throwing away keys was an uncomfortable one, and relief from this was urgent, so all the keys kept in the kitchen were tied together and the cook wore the bunch of them around her neck.
She was about to write a postcard which she laid on the table (4) and then for a moment turned to get her pencil from the drawer behind her (5), but as she did so the card vanished, and was found some time later on the chest (5). She then wrote the card and had it ready to post, but a moment of inattention enabled the poltergeist to take it away again, this time to return no more. The same afternoon, our teabox lid was missing, and on discovering it I said, “Now, wouldn’t you be kind enough for once to bring back what you have taken away?” After some minutes, the said lid came rolling in from the hall! At this time there were with me in the kitchen both the cook and Hannie, and I had both under observation. In Room B was my wife with Frau R.—, and both the ladies had been witnesses of this strange occurrence as the door between B and the kitchen had remained open. No other persons were in the house at the time. This was the sole proof of anything like friendly sentiment on part of the poltergeist since the phenomena had broken out.
The cook’s resentment had been increasing, and towards evening she could no longer refrain from cursing the thing. But the grievous words had hardly escaped her lips when a sharp hissing sound was heard in the air, followed by the frightened cry of the girl, who fled with both hands to her head. Though present, we heard nothing fall, and though we thoroughly inspected the kitchen and the rooms adjoining it, we discovered no object which could have been thrown against the cook’s head. It must have been heavy and sharp, for we found her head swelled in one place and a small cut in another, which was bleeding. This was the end of our cook’s occult experiences, for she straightway left the house, minus her overcoat, two pairs of stockings and one pair of boots – all discovered some days later in different parts of the house. The cook gone Hannie declined to sleep alone in her attic, so her bed was brought into Room B, from which all breakable objects had been removed. After the cook’s departure phenomena seemed to slacken. She had obviously been a natural auxiliary, and I remembered that my Carinthian informants had told me that phenomena had been strongest at Lieserbrucke and of less intensity at other places where the girl had been later on, and I coupled with this the knowledge that at Lieserbrucke there had been another girl with whom Hannie was very friendly.
Though calm by comparison with former days, poltergeist was still alive. My wife, accompanied by Hannie, made a tour of inspection of the top floor, which had all the appearance of a battlefield as it was strewn with fragments of all sorts and sizes. Glasses, tiles, stones, together with pots and toilet articles belonging to the cook or to Hannie proclaimed the busy activities of the poltergeist.
Episode of the Inkstand.
I must now relate that for a fortnight I had been unable to find an inkstand, which always stood on my desk. All search for it had been vain. All the rooms in the house had been visited, including the garrets, as it seemed just possible that one of the girls had taken it, though doubtful, since it was a large one and there were plenty of smaller ones in the house. But while my wife was up under the roof, and Hannie close by her was engaged in sweeping and cleaning, suddenly there was a whistling sound from the further end of the large space, where no one had been standing, then came a crash, and the inkstand fell at my wife’s feet, shivered to fragments, the ink it had contained running about over the floor. Shortly afterwards, pieces of coal were thrown, and as my wife and hannie were not daunted, but continued their sweeping, an old unused flowerpot came hurtling through the air from a corner in which it had long rested, the earth with which it had been filled being sprinkled over the newly swept part of the floor (see plan). After this the work of cleaning was stopped, and as my wife saw an axe suddenly disappearing before her eyes, she quitted the room. All this had happened between 10 and 12 noon, and the light was good for exact observation.
Later, Hannie was busy cleaning the staircase where two electric lamps hung, one on the first floor just before our doorway, and the other in the hall below, just before the entrance door. They both hung at a height of over ten feet and could only be reached by a stepladder. My wife heard a breaking noise on the staircase and on looking for the cause she found some of the glass pendants which hung around the lamp were broken. The same damage was done to the other lamp (see sketch). On this day also Hannie lost her only good pair of boots .We searched the house for them, and Hannie was in very low spirits about her loss, as she was to leave next morning for Berlin to join Mr and Mrs Hewat McKenzie. The boots were definitely gone, and it was a blow to her feminine self-respect. She had to compromise with her feelings by wearing a pair of my slippers as far as Munich, where, by arrangement, poltergeist’s latest misdeed was repaired to its medium’s highest satisfaction.
On the 10th July, that is to say, two months after the occurrences related, our late cook called upon my wife to say thatt that very evening it seemed as if someone had told her where to look for Hannie’s boots, and she asked my wife for the keys of the top rooms, as she said she would like to look for them. She received the keys, and after an absence of some minutes returned with the boots in her hands. They had been found by her in the exact place where she had been told to look for them. {Curiously on this very date, although no phenomena were noted in June, there were many happenings in London, where Hannie is now located.}
The January number of ‘Psychic Science’ will continue the narrative of these poltergeist experiences as observed since arrival in London. We append a translation of the Austrian newspaper report, which first called Mr McKenzie’s attention to the phenomena. (Ed.)
The Haunted House at Lieserbrucke.
Report from local paper, the “Karntner Tagblatt,” 15th Feb., 1922.
“The first outbreak of phenomena at the inn at Lieserbrucke in Austria, took place on November 24, 1921. On the first floor of the house is a maid’s room, used by two girls, J.P., referred to later as Hannie – fifteen years old, and S.S., twenty years of age. These two girls were employed as servants in this village inn. Adjoining the room are two others, which were used by the son of the innkeeper and his sister.
“During the night of November 24-25 the girls heard a shuffling noise, which was described as being like the breathing or blowing of a cow when laying itself down. On the evening of November 25, at 7.30, several other persons were present in the chamber besides the girls, and there was no light in the room. All heard heavy blows seemingly dealt on the door and chairs, and other objects were moved; in addition to which an intermittent shuffling noise was heard. The phenomena lasted until 5 a.m. The next day the writer of this article was summoned to the inn, and experienced similar happenings. During the following day the noises increased, the blows, which hitherto had been only on the maids’ door, being heard now on other doors. Other strange phenomena were also noted. When Hannie neared the threshing floor, the windmill suddenly began to move its wings, bells started to ring in her neighbourhood, the cattle became restless and the horses began to rear, the dogs showed signs of fear and ran about with bristling hair. Sometimes the girl has been seen surrounded by a white cloud. All the inhabitants were much agitated by these occurrences, but soon took them as a matter of course.
“Towards the end of December the phenomena seemed to gather round smaller articles and became destructive in tendency. Domestic utensils were the objects of attack. Glasses, cups and bottles were thrown about, beer casks were sent rolling; wood, potatoes and ropes were used as if they were feather balls. The enamel was scraped from a pot; panes of glass and lamps were broken. An iron weight was thrown for several yards, and an attempt to fix it with a chain did not prevent it being moved.
“The innkeeper hoped that the disturbances would cease as quickly as they had arisen, but the damage grew to such an alarming extent, that he could not keep the girl Hannie any longer, and so she was moved to another place on January 31, 1922. From that day the haunting of Lieserbrucke ceased.
“The theory of fraud does not seem to cover the facts in this case. The girls seem to have no influence whatever on the phenomena, which made them afraid, and caused them to seek help from others. Sometimes they felt a drawing of their limbs, but not always. The phenomena took place irrespective whether it was dark or light. Hundreds of persons have witnessed one manifestation or another, but many others who journeyed to the inn were disappointed and saw nothing. The very attitude of patient expectation often seemed to hinder the coming of the phenomena.”
Psychic Science, October 1922.
“Poltergeist” Phenomena at the British College in London.
By Barbara McKenzie.
(The first article dealing with the medium concerned in these outbreaks appeared in the October issue of “Psychic Science,” and to this we must refer new readers. Copies can be obtained from the College.)
Introduction.
The account of “Poltergeist” happenings in Austria, by Commander Kogelnik, in the last issue of “Psychic Science,” has aroused much interest in our readers. Dr. Schrenck Notzing has asked if he may have the article translated into German by the writer, as he regards it as possessing the greatest evidential value, and the continuation of the story after the arrival of the girl H— in London will be eagerly read.
“Poltergeist” happenings have been recorded in all ages and all countries, from Glanvil’s “Drummer of Tedworth,” recorded in 1660, to the present year, when outbreaks in Scotland, in Africa and in Canada have occurred. Last year the Principal spent a considerable time in investigating the case at Hornsey, London, and was convinced from many evidences that the happenings were genuine. But to have “Poltergeist” phenomena in one’s own house is another matter, and perhaps never have such phenomena been waited for and received in such an understanding spirit as were the occurrences described in the present article.
It has usually been noticed that “Poltergeist” phenomena occur in the presence of young persons, boys or girls, and usually before the age of puberty. As a rule these happenings have been so annoying and destructive that the suspected child, or children, have been removed from the scene for the sake of peace, when, as a rule, the phenomena have entirely ceased. This took place in the Hornsey case.
In the present instance the occurrences were the subject of interested observation. Nothing particularly destructive happened and no one was much frightened, so there was every hope that some substantial knowleedge would be gained. This has not been the case up to the present, but the record will stand alongside those in the previous article and together form a substantial contribution to the study of the subject. From the girl’s arrival the problem before the College organizers was: – Can these disorderly mediumistic phenomena be produced in an orderly fashion by encouraging the girl to sit regularly for the development of her mediumship with a sympathetic group of persons? With the object of eamining this same problem a few experiments were carried out at the College with one of the boys, through whose mediumship the Hornsey “Poltergeist” disturbances were produced in 1921, but in his case the results were negative – nothing took place in his presence during these seances.
A series of sittings for the same purpose was begun, once a week, with the girl H—. Six College members, with the Principal, undertook regular attendance. These weekly sittings, with a break of some weeks, were carried on from the time of the girl’s arrival at the College in June until the end of October, but throughout no psychic phenomena occurred. The medium was allowed to sit for a time in a normal condition, but without result. She was then placed under hypnotic influence, to which she readily responds, passing into a semi-trance sufficiently deep to produce the cataleptic state. During these trances she is incapable of speech, but seems to make an abortive attempt to respond to suggestioins that she shall answer questions. In this trance condition there is no evidence that there is any spirit “control,” nor has there been any evidence of supernormal physical phenomena. These sittings are still being continued regularly by several members, and a report will be issued later if any results be secured.
The Medium’s Arrival in England.
When abroad in April-June, my husband and myself finding that the girl Hannie, around whom these strange disturbances described by Commander Kogelnik took place, had no friends or relatives in her own country (Austria), and had left the situation in which she was engaged as a maid servant, undertook to bring her to England, and give her every care while making observations upon possible phenomena.
During a stay of three weeks in Berlin, and during the journey to England in the first week in June, no phenomena of note were observed – the new conditions operating, and probable excitement in the girl’s mind, being quite enough to hinder any manifestations. One very slight incident, however, was recorded by one who shared her room in Berlin. She noted that during the girl’s sleep, a slight rustling sound such as might be caused by the crushing of paper was heard distinctly in the room on two nights successively. This was heard intermittently, and no ordinary reason could be assigned for the noise.
Previous to the girl’s arrival, Mr McKenzie had told Mr and Mrs L—, the porter and housekeeper, and M—, a maid, something about the girl H—, and the strange happenings in Austria, of which she seemed to be the innocent cause. Mr and Mrs L— have been in the employment of the College since January, 1922, and are most reliable and trustworthy persons. They know nothing of psychic science except what they may hear indirectly or may read in any of the publications to be found at the College. The maid, M—, has been in the family for some years, and is a quiet, steady girl. Mr McKenzie’s story appeared to them impossible, and, although they listened to it, it seemed to them quite beyond the bounds of imagination that anything of this kind could happen in a well-ordered English kitchen.
H— was put in charge of Mrs L— to assist her in light household duties. The kitchen staff all received the girl in a very friendly way, and, from the beginning, took a personal interest in her – helping her with her clothes, taking her out with them, and generally doing their best for a friendless girl in a strange land, who had only a few words of English to get on with. The girl was very happy, and at first had a sleeping room on the top floor, but some time after her arrival she was transferred to a dressing room on the basement floor – the same floor on which Mr and Mrs L— slept, for purposes of observation. She was separated from them by a short passage, and complained of feeling nervous, although she was provided with light and her door was left open. She would get up and walk about during the night, and disturbed the others. M—, the other maid, who slept on the top floor, then, very kindly volunteered to share the basement room with her, and from that time H— settled down quietly.
Although, naturally, of a happy disposition, she was sometimes sulky and stubborn when thwarted in her desires, and occasionally deeply offended the others. She picked up English very quickly, and was wide awake to all that concerned herself. She began to take an interest in her personal appearance, which changed greatly for the better under the influence of good clothing, good food, and generally better conditions than could be had in Austria in her station of life, owing to war and post-war conditions.
Nothing happened for three weeks to indicate that she was in any way abnormal, until June 29th, when Mrs L— reported strange happenings going on in the various rooms of the basement. The staff were incredulous, suspicious, and slightly nervous, but kept a sharp look out on H—, as they had been instructed to note where she was at the moment of the happenings as far as possible. L— is quiet and level-headed, and made notes which he submitted to me daily. The outbreak continued sometimes day and night till July 9th, and was followed by a cessation of happenings until July 16th, when further incidents took place which kept up intermittently – chiefly at night, until July 26th. Things became quiet again until August 18th, when some slight incidents were reported, and again on August 25th, September 29th and 30th, and November 3rd.
During the first days of the outbreak the girl was distressed and sulky and frightened. To quieten her the housekeeper would sometimes assume that the disturbances were caused by the other maid, M—, at which H— would laugh. It transpired, from a conversation held with her, in her own language, that she was afraid that she might be sent away, as had happened before when these outbreaks took place, owing to the damage caused by breakages. On being assured that this was not likely to take place she became happier.
It had been intimated to us by Captain Kogelnik that the “Poltergeist” disturbances in the presence of the medium H— began about the time of the new moon – gradually increasing in intensity until the full moon – gradually increasing in intensity until the full moon, and gradually ceased on the wane. The two previous outbreaks had corresponded with these phases. It was noticed that the disturbances in England often coincided with the same natural phenomena, and a note of the dates of new and full moon has, therefore, been made. The question has also often been discussed as to whether the female periods affected the phenomena in the case of H—, but, so far, we have not found that the two were in any way connected.
The following records, although somewhat sketchy, are as exact as could be obtained from the eyewitnesses, who were chiefly the domestic staff. For the first few days the disturbances were continuous, and it is impossible to give in detail all the conditions. But Mr McKenzie and myself are satisfied that the record made, often at the moment of the happenings, is a correct one, and as they are similar to those recorded in the presence of other careful eyewitnesses abroad, whose records were unknown to the kitchen staff at the College, it may be safely assumed that in the presence of this girl abnormal incidents occur at times.
Points of special interest in the Report.
A question may arise in the reader’s mind regarding the evidence of the phenomena being limited to the domestic staff, who presumably have little or no experience of psychic manifestations and whose testimony, therefore, lacks weight. It is the fact that whenever an official or a member of the College made an attempt to become a spectator of the phenomena produced in the domestic quarters, nothing took place, with the exception of the one case of a knife apparently dropping from above in view of the Hon. Secretary and two others. This is quite in conformity with the testimony of many other “Poltergeist” investigators, who complain of the shyness of the intruder in the presence of strangers or newcomers to the spot. Doubtless the medium becomes self-conscious when strangers are present and passivity is hindered.
The operating intelligences behind the manifestations may also find difficulties in the new magnetic conditions brought by each fresh person into the surroundings. These require that the person should stay on the spot for some time to allow adjustment before a psychic balance is secured in which the psychical phenomena can again take place. The same delicacy of conditions is perfectly well known in the early stages of all seance work.
A query may also arise as to the possibility of the phenomena testified to being the result of good humoured tricks played by the domestics for their mutual entertainment. There is no ground for believing this; as a matter of fact the whole staff, including the girl herself were, for the first few days, seriously disturbed and frightened, and all of them exceedingly annoyed by the disturbance in their regular work caused by the continuous interruption. They were all heartily glad when the occurrences diminished and ceased, and I think myself fortunate in not losing the services of excellent helpers because of these manifestations.
Mr and Mrs L—, the housekeepers, are both serious-minded workers, who felt the importance of the whole matter, and took every precaution to verify all that was happening. This was specially impressed upon Mr L— by the Principal, who pointed out to him that it was possible for a medium to produce unconsciously the movement of objects by ordinary physical means, and that attempt to do this by the girl H— might lead him to suppose that she was simply playing tricks upon them. So strong was this suggestion that towards the end of July, when phenomena were much weaker, Mr L— gradually became obsessed with the idea that the medium must be providing them artificially. There seems no ground for this suspicion until the month of September, when peace reigned, and all had recovered their normal composure. An incident then happened which suggests that the medium resorted to a trick to mystify her companion, M—. On the evening of September 21st, after they had retired to bed, a water tap in the room commenced to run – and H— professed to think that it must be due to “ghosts.” In the morning a string was found attached to the handle of the tap, the other end of which passed to the bed of the medium – thus proving that she had been playing a trick. If she had been of such a character as would lead us to suppose that all the phenomena had been produced by trickery, in spite of four pairs of observant eyes, she would have taken precautions to remove the string before the morning. I am of opinion that this trick was played purely as an amusement on the part of H—, or it might have been done to create in her companions a renewed interest in herself, and gratify her vanity, not at all an unknown weakness amongst mediumistic persons.
The subsequent weakness and cessation of the “Poltergeist” phenomena may be accounted for by the fact that the medium is now receiving a much more plentiful supply of food than has been her good fortune for years, as, through war conditions, many of her class in Austria have suffered semi-starvation. Fasting is certainly a condition conducive to the production of psychic phenomena. The “soul” or “spirit-body,” through which all phenomena of a psychic nature are made manifest, is by this means released more easily from the grip of the physical. Doubtless also the girl’s intellectual qualities have been stimulated by the new conditions, as her former life was spent in very simple agricultural surroundings, where she was kept in a much more passive state. She is also changing from girlhood to womanhood, and cessation of phenomena has often been noted in young people at this age.
If it be possible to obtain the permission of the authorities to keep H— in England for a longer period, the College is willing to do so, and will continue its efforts to develop her mediumistic powers. The girl has no relations in her own country. She is much more contented than on her arrival, and interested in the weekly sittings held with her. She has now a good command of English for general purposes, and communication with her is naturally easier.
Further reports will be made in the Journal should occasion arise.
Psychic Science, v1 no 4, January 1923.
Report on “Poltergeist” Phenomena.
Notes given to the Editor by L— on June 30th.
(Edited by Mrs. McKenzie).
(New Moon: June 25th; Fully Moon: July 9th.)
June 29th, 1922.
In the majority of these happenings it was physically impossible for the girl to have thrown the various articles, as she either had both hands full or was talking to someone in full view at the actual moment of occurrence. We all took special care to note this, as advised by Mr. McKenzie.
About 10.15 a.m. Key drops on floor of scullery; probably extracted from box of keys in cellar store; a dishcloth disappears from table by sink in scullery for some few minutes, and returns to shelf over sink in scullery for some few minutes, and returns to shelf over sink after new one has been fetched. A thimble, placed on the dresser shelf the evening before, dropped on to floor of basement hall, a distance of about ten feet.
11 a.m. A key always in lock is missing from Hannie’s bedroom cupboard and cannot be found. Mrs L— walks out of this room, and a small key falls, striking her on the back before reaching the floor. This key does not fit cupboard, however. Sounds as of articles dropping on the floor of basement hall heard by several persons, but nothing found. A night-light moves from place to place five times in about twenty minutes in scullery. Hannie’s brooch is found on floor two yards away from where placed a few minutes previously on a shelf. Curtain-ring falls in corner of kitchen: I do not know where it came from. I picked it up and placed it on table near kitchen window, from where, at 3 p.m., M— saw it come through the air and drop near her feet, close to the dresser. Ball of wool thrown on kitchen floor. Hannie nowhere near the direction from which these came.
About 12 noon a raw potato was heard to fall behind hamper in scullery. No one near. I picked it up and put it on the table. At 3 p.m. it was taken from the table and thrown near gas-stove opposite. I saw it in the air myself in a kind of curve from the table to the stove. Hannie, at that moment, had both hands occupied with washing up. A pair of steel pliers in the scullery, probably from tool house in store. She had just previously stated that she did not believe such things could take place. Breakfast room hand-bell heard to ring, the door being shut, room empty, all the staff in kitchen. It has a small sound compared to the front door and side door bells, and no other bell is used in the house. Hannie kicked M—, presumably unconsciously, at the time, but no notice was taken by H— of the occurrence. [This may have been a possible reaction of the medium. – Ed.]
3.15 p.m. Hannie, M—, Mr and Mrs L—, all together in housekeeper’s room. A crash heard and a detachable teapot-spout was found broken in basement hall. The crash resembled an explosion, and all thought a plate at least had gone.
3.30 p.m. Mrs L— saw a small china powder box go from dressing table, in Hannie’s bedroom, to a point underneath table near bed, but contents were not spilled, nor was box broken. Hannie was close to Mrs L— at the time. A ball of wool was thrown into water where Mrs L— was washing in Hannie’s room. The ball had been taken from the kitchen by H—, and put in her box in her room. M— sees flash of light in kitchen like lightning, but more local. Hannie frightened by a banging she heard on floor of her room, but this was not heard by others. Her hair-slide disappears. The girls look for it for ten minutes then it drops in middle of kitchen floor, broken. Hannie declares something is hitting her leg while sitting in kitchen. During lunch, Mrs L— was kicked twice (apparently by no one visible).
June 30th. 11.15 a.m. A brush, which must have been moved from far end of scullery, was found at door of housekeeper’s room. Mrs L—, at the actual moment, was holding Hannie’s hands in her room and both heard the brush fall, and no one else was near. A knife fell and was picked up by me in passage, between coal cellar door and scullery. This knife had been used on some clay a few minutes previously in scullery near sink. Hannie was in kitchen.
Hannie sleeping alone in a room near housekeeper’s was nervous at night, although a light was left burning with her; she spoke of seeing someone and feeling hands.
July 1st. Phenomena commenced about 7 p.m. Mr and Mrs L— out, and M— and Hannie alone in the kitchen. A key and glass-cutter fell on floor, apparently from top of hot-water cistern in scullery. The key was found to belong to the china cupboard door, and the glass-cutter had been taken from window ledge in kitchen. A teapot lid was removed from scullery table to top shelf in scullery over sink. This is the fourth time this article has been moved. A ball of black wool from Hannie’s room was dropped in basement hall just in front of M—; the fourth time this article has been used in this way in kitchen. Some money, which Hannie had in her pocket previously whilst she was standing at dresser end of kitchen, dropped altogether, in M—‘s sight, on window table (three coins), a distance of fourteen feet from Hannie. A piece of whitening dropped in kitchen and broke in pieces; M— and H— talking, with backs turned to place where it dropped; H— sitting in chair in kitchen. Money heard to drop out of her pocket (6d., 1/2d., 1d., 1/4d.) and appeared on another chair near. On going to pick it up, fifteen minutes later, it was missing. M— suggested looking in Hannie’s room; on going in at the door money dropped in various places, seemingly from above, and was found excepting the sixpence, which was heard to fall in small passage-way between the two doors of H—‘s room. Hannie and M— were later both looking in a trunk in kitchen, and a tea knife, seemingly thrown from behind, lands near their feet.
Hannie was very lively and slightly hysterical during the evening. It appears that it is very seldom that articles are thrown from the direction of the medium, but rather more towards her. Also there seems a special intention to throw small metal articles.
[The objects do not appear to come at an angle, but as if they drop immediately from above, disproving any theory that the medium throws them. This is constantly reported. When the phenomena happen in the scullery it would appear, from the reports, as though Hannie’s thoughts are elsewhere. She has been noticed to walk the whole length of the scullery and then pull up with a jerk, as though realising where she is. – Ed.]
Report by L—. Notes made at the time.
July 2nd. Disturbances commenced again about 7 p.m. A marked penny was taken from kitchen dresser to housekeeper’s room, also a small curtain ring.
9 p.m. Mrs L— was clearing the breakfast room table, and H— stood near, looking at a glass with a smashed cake in it, which seemed to amuse her. Suddenly two plates began to move on the surface of the tablecloth from different directions, for about two feet towards one objective (a cup and saucer) making some noise in touching them. M— and I went in as we heard them speaking excitedly, and were looking at the table when my cigarette case (metal) clattered down near the window with such force that the case opened and the cigarettes fell out, and rolled all over the room. This had been left by me on the table in the housekeeper’s room.
July 3rd. A box of matches, evidently taken from gas stove, was found in the kettle with the lid on . A teapot lid from kitchen dresser was heard to fall, and was found on kettle lid on the gas stove in scullery. About 7 p.m. M— and Hannie both sewing, close together, in the kitchen near window; cotton, wool, needles, thimbles, were all missing at intervals, and the cottons were found in three different jugs all containing milk. M— picked her cotton out of the milk and placed it in a jug of water to clean it. A few minutes after this it was found balanced on the point of a lemon-squeezer on the second shelf of the dresser, on the other side of the room. Hannie did not leave her chair until the various articles were missed from where they sat, when they both searched together, M— finding most of them. One piece of cotton was found inside a teapot on a side table, with the end hanging out.
July 4th. Comparatively few disturbances, but these were spread over the whole day. H— in cheerful, but not excitable, mood. About 12 noon, a glass inkpot, empty, crashed on the stone floor of hall, and rolled into the kitchen. It was not chipped or cracked. Do not know where it came from.
Hannie missed a small chain necklet from the dressing-table in her room, about 7 p.m. It was searched for without success, and she was annoyed that she could not find it to wear. When Hannie came downstairs, after a seance, about 10 p.m., Mrs L— happened to mention the chain, and asked if she had found it. Hannie, who speaks very little English, answered: “My chain I saw – black room” (seance room). Mrs L—: “Where was it?” Hannie: “Your room, in box. Little thing on top.” We then searched every box in our room with Hannie protesting the while, and saying: “Not now.” It was most certainly not in the room at 10.15 p.m. About 10.30 p.m., H— mentioned powder box, chain, Mrs L—‘s room. M— went to our room and found the chain immediately, in the powder box under a tight lid, and covered by a small puff. Hannie had not been in the room meantime, and is never in it alone.
[This seemed to be a little clairvoyance, one of the few instances noted with H—. – Ed.]
July 5th. A teapot missing from 9 a.m. It was found at 3.30 p.m., on a ledge near the coal-cellar, though it was not there shortly after being missed, as I remember looking there. About 8 p.m. H— prepares to write, and lays her pen on centre of kitchen table. Gets ink and sits down. Pen disappears. She borrows another, and in some way loses that. Borrows another, and the second returns in the corner of the kitchen. Half-an-hour later the first one comes down near the kitchen door. In this case there was no one near except Hannie herself, and the foregoing is from her own statement. About 9.45 p.m., bread and bread-board missing from the kitchen table. We all searched the whole of the basement floor with no success until about an hour later, when the board was found behind a trunk in the kitchen, where we had already looked for it twice. We are still waiting for the bread. A key is heard to fall in larder a long way from H—, sitting in the kitchen.
July 6th. 8.30 a.m. The teapot before mentioned [this seems to be a special favourite of “Poltergeist.” – Ed.] was taken up on breakfast tray by H—, who had a small tray in both hands, to second floor, when the teapot was found to have vanished, much to her annoyance. More tea was made in another pot, and the first was found forty-five minutes later on the top of a box under kitchen table, still containing tea.
M—‘s watchkey falls in scullery near her. It was brought from the kitchen dresser. This happened last evening in the same way and at the same place. M—‘s linen cap, which she had left clean in the bedroom (which she shares with H—) at 7 a.m., when looked for a little later could not be found. Later, when the breakfast room was being cleaned, the cap was found, crumpled and soiled, at the back of the stove. The same morning an apron of Mrs L—‘s disappeared from the scullery, and was found, later, wet and crumpled in fireplace in scullery.
2.30 p.m. The bread which went on the previous evening was found in the afternoon, in the scullery, inside a portion of a tin steamer. The other portion was on top. Mr McKenzie found this. Mr and Mrs L— declare they looked twice in this tin and in all pans the previous evening, as they had no bread for supper. [The bread completely filled the diameter of the steamer – Ed.]
My pipe disappears from kitchen. A little later Mrs L— left kitchen, passing through scullery to go to wash-house. Before she reached it she heard a splash in the wash-house copper, in which some water stood. She examined this immediately, and found the pipe floating on the top. H— was in the kitchen with the others, and kitchen and wash-house do not communicate. Five different boxes of matches have disappeared within a few days, and twice a box has been found in the kettle in water.
10.30 p.m. M— and H— went to bed, and when H— was in bed the electric light was turned out by M—, and the red light turned on. Two single beds are used, with a small table between the beds, and a strip of matting on the floor between. As soon as M— got into bed something was heard to fall from the mantelpiece, which is on M—‘s side of the room. M— got up, turned on the light, and found the candlestick gone from the mantelpiece and lying on the floor. M— got into bed again, and H—‘s hair-slides were thrown at her from dressing table. Some small tin tops of oil cans were also thrown at her, these were in a cupboard in the room. Articles of Hannie’s clothing were thrown from one side of the room to the other into the fixed handbasin, which contained water. M— got up again, and a small doll, which H— keeps near her, touched her and fell in opposite corner of room. A small looking-glass, which was shut in a case on H—‘s dressing table, was carried to the other side of the room, and fell in washbasin and broke. H—‘s handbag, which she stated had been in a drawer, fell closed near M—‘s feet, and a handkerchief, said by H— to have been in it, was thrown in another corner of the room. Two pennies, a halfpenny, and safety pins were thrown near washhand basin. The two girls were both in bed, and the white light on, when the chamber bowl was brought from H—‘s bed and rolled like a top into the middle of the floor. After about half-an-hour the movements stopped, and there were no more disturbances until 4.30 a.m., when both were simultaneously awakened, and two marking-ink bottles, apparently brought from the kitchen, were found on the floor. H— is a very heavy sleeper. The cardboard top of the box of one hit M— on the head, in bed. [It should be noted that at this time H— had very few possessions of her own, and the smallest thing broken or spoiled annoyed her. – Ed.]
Notes by Editor of the Report.
This is the only instance which can be vouched for by others of the household than the kitchen staff.
July 6th, 1922. I was seated at lunch in breakfast room, at the head of the table. Frau Silbert was on my left, with her back to the fireplace, about three feet behind her. My daughter sat on my right. We were discussing H—‘s phenomena, and I had jokingly said that there seemed to be plenty of happenings, but none came under our observation. The maid, M—, entered the room, and was clearing the first course, leaving the door open, and was behind my daughter’s chair, with her hands full. Suddenly we all heard a clatter as of something hard striking a hard surface, and, looking towards the fireplace, I saw a knife in the act of falling about a foot above the fender and within it, and we all heard the second noise made by its fall. It fell at the end nearest me. The first sound that attracted us all was evidently made by the knife striking the mantelpiece at A. My daughter, who was seated facing the mantelpiece, said at once that she saw an object just above it strike the mantelpiece, at the opposite end from where the knife actually fell, but she could not have told what it was.
I picked up the knife, a small one, and verified silently the fact that the cheese knives on the table, which had not yet been used, were all there, and sent M— to the kitchen next door, where H— and the housekeeper were, to see if a knife was missing. She returned at once, asking if it was a cheese knife, as one she had placed ready to her hand on the end of the kitchen dresser close to the door was gone. She stated that H— was in the kitchen all the time with Mr and Mrs L—, and this I verified from them.
Report by Editor, from notes made at the time during conversations with Mr and Mrs L— and M—, on July 8th.
July 7th, 1922. M— put 2 1/2d., in coppers, in a box in her bedroom in the morning. Later she found they had gone, and asked H— if she had seen them. H— said she knew nothing of them. Later, M— was dusting the breakfast room, and having finished one chair and proceeded to another, happened to look back, a second later, at the one she had previously dusted, and saw the 2 1/2d. lying upon it in a pile. H— was not in the room, and the coppers were warm. [The latter point is interesting, as it has, on various occasions, been mentioned in connection with “apport” phenomena. M—, the maid, knew nothing of such views, and simply stated her own experience. -Ed.]
In the afternoon, a felt hat of L—‘s disappeared from the kitchen table, and a week later had not been found, although searched for diligently everywhere. (See note: July 21st.)
H— and M— retired to bed about 10.30 p.m. The red light was used, and for about a quarter of an hour small articles, chiefly pins and combs, were thrown about. Hannie’s shoes were thrown out into middle of floor from under bed. M— got up and put them in a closed cupboard, and in the morning she found one under her bed – she was always the first awake. After she returned to bed again, a thin counterpane on her bed was lifted right up and thrown over the foot of her bed. H— complained that all her bedclothes were slipping off, and M— rose and turned on the white light and found they were certainly all pulled off in a strange fashion, and she helped her remake the bed.
July 8th. In the evening at 9.30, Mrs L— came upstairs to the private sitting room on second floor with H— carrying a tray. While Mrs L— was in the room, H— went downstairs again to the kitchen. As Mrs L—, a few seconds later, went down from the second to the first floor, a silver salt spoon, which had been missing since the beginning of the outbreak, June 29th, and also a cork, both struck her in the face. She was very much astonished. No one was above her, and Hannie could be heard walking on the stone basement stairs, two floors below. Mrs L— followed her down, and coming upstairs a few minutes later reported this.
Notes made by Editor, from conversation with M— on July 10th.
July 9th. 5.30 p.m. H— and M— alone in kitchen, the housekeeper being out; everyone else on second floor. Both heard three bangs, they went into their bedroom and found a looking-glass that hung on the wall near window, by a strong cord, lying on the floor at the foot of Hannie’s bed, glass downwards, cord was broken at top, and yet did not seem frayed. They knotted the cord and hung the mirror up safely, and half-an-hour afterwards on going into the room, the mirror was again on the floor in the same place. They had heard no further noise, and neither girl had been in the room. Hannie at this time seemed afraid to be in her room alone. The mirror had hung there for eighteen months, and has never moved before.
Hannie complains, on many occasions, of being bumped on the knee whilst sitting at the table with the others, and blames them for having a game with her. They assure her they do not touch her. On one occasion she sat well back from the table, and again felt the blow on her knee, although nothing was to be seen.
Notes made by Editor, from conversation with M— on July 18th, 1922.
July 16th. M— and H— had gone to bed about 10.30 p.m. H— went to sleep, but M— was still awake; there was no light, but the blind was up, and the street lamps illuminated the room. In about half-an-hour M— heard a curious rolling sound under H—‘s bed.
July 17th. 6.30 a.m. M— was awakened by a noise. H— was still asleep. On the floor, at the bottom of H—‘s bed, M— saw a soap dish, and a piece of soap lay further away. Dish and soap had been brought from a window with fitted wash-basin, several yards away, and the noise had wakened M—. A few minutes later a comb from H—‘s dressing table fell between the two beds. H— seemed still asleep, but M— heard the noise as it fell, and assured me that the comb had not been left on the bed overnight. Immediately after, both girls being still in bed, there was a noise as of falling pins, and M— found at the side of her bed, and next to the dressing table some hairpins and a safety pin, which she thinks were brought from the dressing table.
A pair of shoes under H—‘s bed were moved towards the comb which lay in a space between the two beds. H— was still asleep; M— heard a shuffling noise and, on raising her head, saw the shoes by the comb. A noise was heard near the window, and M—, on looking, saw on the floor a magazine which had been on the table near her bedside the previous night. H— was still asleep.
July 19th. The hat belonging to Mr. L—, reported missing from kitchen on July 7th, was found on this day. In the morning H— said she had a dream that she saw a woman unclothed, with the hat upon her head, standing in the boiler in the scullery that provded hot water for the house. This story made L— get the stepladder and look on top of the boiler, and, to his amazement, the hat was there. A quantity of dust lying on the boiler top was not disturbed, as Mr McK— verified a few minutes later. When the hat was lost the whole basement was searched, a stepladder being used to examine all the high places, including the boiler top.
July 20th. M— reported that she and H— were in the kitchen about 6 p.m., and a noise, which seemed to come from H—‘s room, startled them both. There was no one else on the basement, as the housekeeper was out, and everyone else upstairs. They found in H—‘s room a mirror, size two and a half feet by two feet, which stood on the dressing table, with its back to the wall, and out of any reach of draught, lying at the foot of H—‘s bed, face downwards and unbroken. On the front of dressing table immediately in front of where mirror stood were a large cardboard box and a number of trinkets. None of these had been knocked down. The glass of the mirror is rather loose in the frame, and the noise the girls heard in the kitchen seemed to carry a rattling sound with it, such as a loose glass on wood might make.
(New Moon: July 24th; Full Moon: Aug. 7th.)
Notes by Editor.
On Thursday morning, July 20th, I gave Frau Silbert a large, heavy canvas army food bag, with wooden handles, to use for clothing which her suit case would not hold, for her return journey to Graz. It was not packed, and lay on the foot of her bed, on the top floor of the house. When Frau Silbert came to look for the bag on the morning of the 21st it was nowhere to be found. I enquired everywhere for it, and L— looked in every cupboard and high place, even to the cisterns in the roof, I had to find another bag for Frau Silbert, who had only a suit case in addition, and says that her “guide” would not play such a prank. It certainly seemed more like the action of the playful forces behind H—. Two days later the bag was found in the coal cellar off the scullery, in basement.
July 23rd. M— placed a clean garment in her bedroom, and when she and H— went to bed this was gone. H— curiously made a remark which seemed to indicate that she knew something about it, and yet denied touching it. The pillow of H—‘s bed was also gone, and on a search being made, the article of clothing was found amongst soiled clothes in the washhouse, and the next day, in a cellar, the pillow was found. Nothing was said about the pillow being found, and it was put in another place unknown to her, to see if it would be moved again, or any enquiry be made by the girl regarding it, but this did not happen.
July 24th. After M— and H— had gone to bed, no light on, and were just dozing off, about 11.30 p.m., both heard a sound, like that made by a stuffed mattress being turned on a spring bed. M— got up and turning on the light found that a strip of matting, six feet long, which lay on the floor between the two beds, had een moved to a point under her bed, and they surmised that it was the movement of this that had made the peculiar sound. M— got into bed again, leaving the red light on, and soon felt her eiderdown quilt being strongly pulled. This continued for about two minutes, while she held on to it. The pulling seemed to come from under the bed, and offered as great a resistance as the girl did.
July 25th. Both girls had been in bed and asleep some time, when both were awakened by a sound of shuffling, such as a mat would make. M— lit a candle, but found nothing amiss, and put out the light and got into bed. She immediately felt something large pass by her face, and thought it might be a pillow. She got out of bed and put the light on again, and found that the strip of matting between the beds was doubled right over, she believes this is what she felt passing her face. M— now put the chair on the matting between the head of her own and H—‘s bed; on the chair were some garments of H—‘s ; she put the red light on and got into bed again. The clothes on the chair fell on the floor, and then the chair was tipped over. M— lifted the chair up and kept her hand upon int. She felt it move again, and ran her hand up the chair back, and touched what seemed like a hand. H—, who was awake, said that she had not touched the chair. She was, however, in a position to do this, and we cannot verify this more fully.
July 26th. M— moved the two beds a little further apart. Just before going to sleep she heard something move under her bed, a moment later she heard a shuffling near the cupboards. H— seemed to be asleep. M— got up and put on the white light, and found under her bed a rubber ball which had been last seen in the kitchen that same day. This had evidently been moving under her bed. She could find nothing to account for the shuffling near the cupboard. M— put out all but the red light and went to bed, and again felt a tugging at the eiderdown, as on July 24th. She held on to it again, and it stopped after a minute. Again the pull seemed to come from under the bed.
(New Moon: August 22nd.)
August 19th. M— was awakened by a noise apparently, and an enamelled candlestick, which stood on a small table between the two beds, was then thrown past her head and fell on the bed. She sat up, and H— seemed to do so simultaneously. They then heard a cracking sound, and a small ornamental plate, belonging to H—, which stood on the same table, but nearer her bed, was found to be cracked across and on two places near the rim. It was perfectly whole on the previous evening, and both the plate and the candlestick were in their usual place. As this was a plate H— had only recently bought with her own money, it does not seem likely that she would destroy it. She apparently was grieved, and cherished the pieces for some time.
August 25th. M— reported that in the early morning, about 4 o’clock, before it was quite light, she and H— were awakened by a loud crack in their room. They both sat up simultaneously. It resembled the cracking of the plate reported previously. They turned on the electric light, but could see nothing which would account for this, and a subsequent search in the morning revealed nothing. The girls are good sleepers and the noise must have been very sharp to awaken both. Their room faces the back of the house, with a garden between it and the road. No one else was sleeping on this floor of the house on this occasion.
Report by L—, October 2nd.
(New Moon: September 21st; Full Moon: October 6th.)
September 29th. 10 a.m. I was in the area and Hannie was in the scullery, washing dishes. There was a mild explosion, and Hannie, appearing rather frightened, ran out to me asking what it was, and mentioning the coal cellar. I investigated, and found the remains of an electriic lamp in the passage way leading to the coal cellar. The light was fixed with a shade over the coal cellar door, and was found at a distance of about a couple of yards from the door. The whole of the lamp had been detached from the holder. It had been used two hours previously and was in good order. It was practically a new lamp, and I can safely say that it was fixed in a proper manner, and the holder in good condition.
September 30th. 8 a.m. A similar occurrence took place with one of the kitchen lights. It fell on a strip of carpet which would be about five feet from a spot immediately underneath the bracket. It is a three-light bracket, with switch holders, two being used only. The fallen one was the disconnected one, but a perfectly good lamp. At the moment it fell I was just entering the kitchen by the door nearest the dresser, whilst H— was standing by the cupboard, about a couple of feet from me.
I have endeavoured to get some sort of explanation of these two cases from the electrician. He informs me that, providing the holders are in good order (not bent to allow the points to slip off, etc.), it is a mechanical impossibility. I can prove the fittings were both serviceable. In the eight months I have been in the College I have never known such a happening, although there are dozens of lamps in use.
(New Moon: October 20th; Full Moon: November 4th.)
November 3rd. L—, a new maid in the house, when sitting at dinner with other maids, next to H—, felt something push her in middle of back. She turned immediately to H—, who had her hands occupied with knife and fork, and asked if she had touched her. The girl answered in the negative.
Notes by the General Editor.
The accounts given by the domestic staff of the College, and edited by Mrs McKenzie, bring into prominence two or three new aspects of the Poltergeist phenomena. The first of these is the question whether any of the occurrences mentioned can be certified to involve the passage of matter through matter, e.g.: the removal of objects from covered receptacles without the opening of the same, or their deposit within such receptacles under like conditions; also the transfer of objects from room to room or from floor to floor through closed doors. The alternative, in the case of the large handbag, would seem to be that it was transported unobserved through physical space, either by the Poltergeist or by Hannie herslef as the unconscious agent. It is not altogether easy to suppose that so ponderous an article could have been transported in the supernormal way, and without observation. The staff, whom we have questioned, are clearly of opinion that in this instance Hannie was the physical agent of transmission, and they hold the same view as regards the pillow episode; but they seem to think that these acts were unconsciously performed. We are reminded of the story of the Tappington ghost in the Ingoldsby Legends, where our readers will remember that a gentleman was troubled by the loss of his trousers, one pair after another disappearing until the poor man was reduced to a single pair of inappropriate style; the seequel being that the “ghost” was watched for and discovered to be the victim himself in a state of somnambulism, stealing down the garden in the small hours and burying his trousers, which were all recovered from the hole wherein they had been severally interred.
We have, however, the definite assurance that in the following five cases – which are really more than five – physical obstacles have been transcended in the passage of smaller objects.
- As to the key dropped on the scullery floor, and which they think must have been taken from the keybox in the cellar-store. This box, they say, was kept closed.
- As to the box of matches taken from the gas-stove, and afterwards found in the kettle, with the kettle lid on. This lid does not seem to have been removed, and they consider that the box must have found its way into the kettle when closed. (The staff say that this phenomenon has occurred on more than three several occasions.)
- As to the chain found in the powder box under the puff. Mr L— asserts that the staff are of opinion that the chain found its way into the closed box.
- As to the tops of the oilcans brought from the cupboard. They affirm that this cupboard was closed when the phenomenon occurred.
- As to the marking ink bottles brought from the kitchen into the bedroom, they state there were two doors between, and that both were certainly closed.
The other point of interest raised by the narrative is that of the entry into Hannie’s dream-consciousness of the figure of the woman wearing the porter’s lost hat, which fact led to the finding of it. Hannie must now be credited with a certain degree of subliminal activity, and the question of a dissociated personality cannot be altogether ignored. At the same time there is another possibility that must not be overlooked. This may be illustrated by reference to a case which occurred several years ago in a northern suburb of London, and which was communicated to the Editor by a later prominent member of the Theosophical Society who was brought into the enquiry. The Poltergeist, in this instance, moved heavy objects, throwing open the doors of a linen cupboard and scattering its contents, throwing stair-rods about javelin-fashion, and making play with a cricket bat. The phenomena centred around a kitchen maid, and according to the information given us, the household, who were anti-spiritualist, were persuaded after much protest to hold a seance, at which a message was given purporting to come from the mother of this girl, saying that she had died three months before, and was trying to make known her wish that her daughter should return to her father, who was left alone and needed her attention. The fact of the mother’s death being verified, the girl was permitted to return to her father, and the trouble ceased at once. Hannie is unaware of her parentage, and does not know whether her father or mother is still living. Have we here another case of similar nature?
Psychic Science, v.1 no. 4, January 1923.