Morlaix.
Plouneour-Menez.
Une ferme hauntee.
Au village de Karranborn habite la famille Croguennec. Cette famille habite une tres grosse ferme; sa fortune s’eleve a 16,000 francs de rentes. Or, depuis plusieurs mois, une veritable terreur, augmentee par la superstition paysanne bretonne, pese sur le pays.
La ferme est, dit-on, hauntee.
Presque toutes les nuits, les membres de la famille Croguennec sont en proie a une peur atroce, tourmentes qu’ils sont par les esprits qui se presentent devant eux sous des formes terrifiantes. De plus, les esprits s’amusent a rapper a coups redoubles dans la chiminee, a trainer des objets lourds sur le parquet, a ouvrir la porte bien qu’elle ait ete soigneusement fermee lesoir, les chevaux se detachent dans l’ecurie et se blessent, les vaches mettent bas avecdes difficultesinoules.
Ce sont non seulement les membres de la familee Croguennec qui racontent ces choses, mais les autres habitants qui affirment avoir vu et entendu, de sorte que tout le village est pris d’une sorte de folie.
Une tante de la famille Croguennec leur laissa une fortune assez elevee en mourant. Les uns croient que c’est elle qui vient les persecuter, parce qu’ils n’ont pas assez fair prier pour son ame; d’apres les autres, ils sont victimes d’une sorciere qui leur a jete un sort, pour se venger de leur peu de generosite.
Quoiqu’il en soit, deux jeunes filles sont devenues folles. Les malheureuses ont ete interneesa l’asile de Morlaix. Le parquet de Morlaix s’occupe de cette affair.
Echo de Bretagne, 1st August 1913. (weirdly, after the English reports below, so just copied from the Paris paper, despite this being a Brittany paper).
Google translation:
In the village of Karranborn lives the Croguennec family. This family lives on a very large farm;
his fortune amounts to 16,000 francs a year. However, for several months, a real terror, increased
by the Breton peasant superstition, weighs on the country.
The farm is said to be hauntee. Almost every night, the members of the Croguennec family are in
the grip of an excruciating fear, tormented as they are by the spirits who present themselves before
them in terrifying forms. Moreover, the spirits amuse themselves rapping with redoubled blows in
the fireplace, dragging heavy objects on the floor, opening the door although it has been carefully
closed in the evening, the horses come loose in the stable and hurt, the cows give birth with
innocuous difficulty.
It is not only the members of the Croguennec family who tell these things, but the other inhabitants
who claim to have seen and heard, so that the whole village is seized with a kind of madness.
An aunt of the Croguennec family left them a fairly large fortune when she died. Some believe that
it is she who comes to persecute them, because they have not made enough prayers for her soul;
according to the others, they are victims of a witch who cast a spell on them, to avenge themselves
for their lack of generosity.
Anyway, two young girls have gone crazy. The unfortunates were interned in the Morlaix asylum.
The Morlaix public prosecutor's office is dealing with this case.
Girls Driven Mad
Paris, July 24. A whole village in Brittany is in a state of commotion owing to the strange happenings at a farm inhabited by a family named Broguennec, well-to-do people, who farm a considerable number of acres, and have an income of about £600 a year. For months past they have had no rest. They are said to be continually haunted by spirits which assume terrifying aspects and are all night long “rapping in the chimney and dragging heavy pieces of furniture about.” It is impossible to keep the hall door shut. No matter how carefully it may have been locked the night before it is always wide open in the morning. The horses break loose in the stable and injure themselves in their terror, and the cows appear to be under the spell.
It is not only the Broguennecs who relate these happenings. All the inhabitants of Kerranborn are ready to bear them out as to the truth of their statements. Whatever the cause, the effect on the superstitious peasant has been disastrous. Two young girls have gone mad and are now inmates of Morlaix Asylum.
Derry Journal, 28th July 1913.
Police v. Spooks.
Weird story of wild cries and terrible visions.
For eight years a Breton farmer’s family has been haunted, and the latest phase is that a daughter has been taken to a lunatic asylum, and the police have come in to see if they can lay hands on the spooks.
The family Groguennec, poor but honest peasants, lived content and undisturbed, according to a correspondent of the Daily Graphic, till eight years ago, when an old aunt died and left them a small fortune. Then their troubles began. The ears of corn dried on the stalks; the cows gave no milk; the horses slipped their halters in the stables and strayed. At night-time the house seemed filled with a rushing wind; chains clanked; the furniture, even to the heavy Breton wardrobes, was thrown about.
They called in the priest to counsel and pray and just for so long there would be truce, but whenever the family was alone and the last candle blown out, again began the uncanny doings.
Six years ago the father died, terrified into his grave, then the mother began to fail with a mysterious malady, and one day in broad daylight in the fields an invisible giant hand seemed to grip the younger son, and ever since agonising pains have seized him at intervals.
Three weeks ago, in the middle of a religious ceremony in the village church, the old mother disturbed the service with wild cries, and told of a terrible vision which had come to her of the assassination of her son. Next morning the whole family – mother, two sons, and a daughter – were found crouching on the threshold of their farm, with staring eyes and terrified gestures. The peasantry have no doubt at all that someone has cast a spell on the family, and scoff at the idea of calling in the police to deal with things of the other world.
Swindon Advertiser and North Wilts Chronicle, 29th July 1913.
Cries of ghost drive two French girls insane.
The inhabitants of Kerranborn, in France, can talk of nothing but the haunted house which has been discovered on one of the farms on the outskirts of the little town. Not to accept the ghost as an accomplished fact, let it only be said that his cries have driven two young girls quite mad.
The family Croguennec, which lives, or did live, in the haunted house, consists of the mother, 55 years old; two sons, Bernard and Francois Marie, and a daughter, Alexandrine. They live on a large farm that yields an income of $3000 a year. Now, for some months a great terror, heightened by the superstition of the peasants of Brittany, weighs upon all the countryside. The Croguennec homestead has been found to be haunted! Nearly every night, says the Boston Transcript, the members of the family become the prey of an atrocious fear, tormented as they are by the spirits, which appear in many terrifying forms. Worse, the spirits amuse themselves by knocking loudly on the chimney, driving heavy objects over the ceiling and opening the door, although it has been carefully locked the night before. The horses get loose in the stable and become injured and the cows can not be persuaded to give down their milk without the most unheard of difficulties.
San Francisco Call, 26th September 1913.