Poltergeist at work in Austrian town.
Things are really jumping in the little Austrian town of Brucks, according to Vienna Press reports. The townspeople blame it all on 10-year-old Caroline Chalupka and her out-of-this-world powers. Caroline’s father, a railway employee, says it all began last Friday night as he and his family of eight prepared for bed. Combs, hairpins and brushes “flew” from the kitchen table into Caroline’s bedroom.
Papa Chalupka turned on the lights to see which of his seven children were playing games. Caroline was sitting up in bed, taking it all in. The other children in the room were frightened.
Suddenly the door of the kitchen cupboard opened and a number of knives and forks jumped out and made their way to Caroline’s bed. The alarm clock, also in the kitchen, jumped on to the bedside table.
Neighbours were awakened and brought into the house to see the strange events. The show continued until Caroline finally went to sleep at about 2 a.m. When the family awoke, Ma Chalupka found all the clothes in the closet on the floor. No matter how many times she hung them up they dropped right down again. She looked over at Caroline, just in time to see a large block of butter jump from the window sill to the top of Caroline’s ead.
Later, Caroline made herself a piece of buttered bread. The bread flew out of her hands and was eventually found in the bedroom.
The police in Brucks told the A.P. yesterday: – “Everyone says it’s happening, but we do not believe it.” They said Caroline’s schoolteacher told them that her pencils, erasers and books had the disturbing habit of jumping all over the room.
The papers quoted a Graz University professor, Dr Freissling, as saying “the girl seems to have unusual powers.” When the A.P. tried to reach him yesterday, University colleagues said he had gone back to Brucks to take another look.
Northern Whig, 12th April 1949.
A poltergeist – maybe.
“Mail” London Office.
It wasn’t surprising that a small girl was connected with the Chalupka case; most cases of poltergeists (noisy ghosts who pushed things around) were associated with children or adolescents. That was how Dr D.J. West, British Psychical Research Society research officer this week approached the strange story of 10-year-old Caroline Chalupka, who lives in the little Austrian town of Brucks. Caroline was said to have developed supernatural powers. Combs, hair pins and brushes “fled” from the kitchen table of her home into Caroline’s room. A cupboard opened, knives and forks jumped out and made their way to Caroline’s bed. It all amused Caroline, scared the rest of her family of eight.
A poltergeist might be at work in Brucks. But, said Dr. West, there had been no authentic cases of poltergeists in Britain for the past 20 years at least. Said he: “I am not prepared personally to admit fully the presence of poltergeists. Opinions about them in the Psychical Research Society are divided. “There are several historical cases, however, where the known facts are puzzling. One of these occurred in the 18th century at Epworth Rectory, the early home of famouse evangelist John Wesley. Objects moved mysteriously and there were strange noises and lights – but the vicarage at the time was full of small children […]
The Mail (Adelaide), 16th April 1949.