Singapore’s Haunted House.
“Poltergeist phenomena”
Police officer’s story of weird happenings.
House pulled down.
A haunted house in Singapore which was visited by a European police officer and a party of constables is described in the current number of the “Malayan Police Magazine.” Various remarkable happenings were seen in broad daylight, and the police officer was so impressed by the absence of apparent cause that he decided that “some mysterious power was at work.” These phenomena were of a type familiar to psychic research, and are supposed to be caused by a force or spirit known as a “poltergeist.” The house in which the events occurred was one of a row of detached railway quarters in Scotts Road.
The story begins with a report made to the Orchard Road police station on May 18, 1928. The complainant, a clerk, declared that someone had “charmed” his house so that large and small stones fell into the rooms, articles kept in drawers and in the meat safe flew from one place to the other, and knockings were heard on the walls. So unpleasant were these disturbances, said the complainant, that he had vacated his quarters.
The sequel was a police investigation, and the officer who conducted it describes his experiences as follows: “Upon receiving the above report I arranged to visit the “haunted house” taking about half a dozen constables with me and placing them at intervals round it. The house itself was an old wood and attap whitewashed structure; it was on short wooden piles and steps led up to it. It was one of many such houses and was close to some coolie lines, all railway quarters, in Scotts Road. The quarters were in the course of demolition to make room for the present Government Trade School. It was about 5 p.m. when I entered the house with the subject of these “devilish actions.” There were several strands of white cotton encircling the house, also other things, placed there by different “pawangs” to combat the agency responsible for the mystery.
“I was shown through a small hall into the living room to the right. The room was empty except for a wooden bed, desk and a chair or two. The windows and outer doors were closed; the door leading into the hall was left open. I sat on the wooden bed with the “victim” close by on a chair. While waiting for something to happen I was informed that one day, during the incantations of a certain “pawang” in that room, the curry stuff grinding stone had suddenly dropped on to his chest together with other large stones. This grinding stone was usually outside in the kitchen. As everybody knows, these stones are rather heavy. The “doctor” did not remain any longer!
“After waiting about five minutes a very large snail fell on to the bed close to me. Later a large granite stone fell into the middle of the room. It was impossible to throw anything into the room between wall and overlapping attap roof so I immediately went outside to question my men – all was quiet. Next, a small penknife hit the “victim” and fell to the floor. The usual place for this was in one of the drawers of the desk. I had not previously seen it lying about. Then a small empty ink bottle, originally on a little shelf in one corner of the room near the door, fell to the floor. These articles were never seen moving through the air.
All the notice one got was the noise of the dropping article, no matter how vigilant one was. Most uncanny! We next moved into the little hall, where I made a thorough examination of every possible hiding place. During this examination there was a sudden clatter and I found the wooden cross-bar used for locking the front door lying on the floor. This had been in the corner of the hall near the closed front door. We next went out by the back door. Here there were three or four steps leading down to the kitchen a few yards away. The small back yard was enclosed. I was standing at the top step when suddenly crash!! – at my feet there was a large earthenware cooking vessel broken to smithereens. This was originally in the kitchen opposite. I at once entered the kitchen to investigate. It was very dark and small. No one was there, but during my search a bottle fell on to the ground making me jump! When returning to the house up the back steps a large piece of firewood whizzed just over my head, ruffling my hair, and fell a few feet away in the back yard. It came from behind me, yet nobody was there.
We returned to the living room in which we were first seated and waited and watched for some considerable time. Nothing further happened so we left the house. The constables on duty outside had not seen or heard anything out of the ordinary. I did not get the opportunity to return to the house as, during the next few days, it was pulled down with others according to plan, thus finally freeing the victim from further “devilish actions”. I feel certain some mysterious power was at work.”
Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle, 10th February 1934.