“Ghost” hunt near Blaydon.
There was an alleged haunted house near Blaydon, occupied by a widow and her family. Sounds of mysterious tappings had been heard recently. Offers to assist the old lady in “laying the ghost” were accepted, and the ghost hunt begun. But although groups assembled in the kitchen, their efforts to “lay the ghost” failed. Salvation, however, was at hand. A happy idea struck one of the party who resolved to remove part of the floor to get at the bottom of the “tap, tap, tap” mystery. Part of the floor was removed, when the company had the satisfaction of witnessing a stampede of “ghosts” in the shape of a swarm of retreating rats.
Shield Daily Gazette, 26th December 1901.
Ah yes, those infamous tapping rats. I include this especially given the date.