Mischievous Freaks.
A good deal of excitement and gossip, says a correspondent, has been occasioned in the village of Churchill, in consequence of a report that extraordinary noises had been heard in the house of a clergyman at the end of the village.
It is said that the bells in the house were frequently set ringing, to the terror of the inmates, that china and crockery-ware were frequently swept off the dresser with a terrific crash; and, in fact, such a clean sweep had been made that there was scarcely any left for use.
The services of the police, it is said, were brought into requisition, and numbers of persons visited the spot to gratify their curiosity as to this extraordinary state of affairs, believing that some supernatual influence was at work. It is said, however, that since the police have been called into the house the unearthly noises have ceased, and it is believed that the affair has been caused by some mischievous individual desirous of playing upon the credulity of the inmates.
This locality – including Claverham and Congresbury – seems to have been specially selected for this grim kind of joking.
Western Daily Press, 7th March 1871.