A Staffordshire Ghost Story.
The Staffordshire Times gives to its readers a local ghost story. Considerable excitement has prevailed throughout the neighbourhood of Alsager’s Bank, near Newcastle, for the last three or four weeks, owing to noises that have been heard at several of the doors of the inhabitants. One house in particular has been subject continually for these last three weeks to noises enough to frighten even the stoutest individuals.
The curious sound generally commences about six or seven o’clock in the evening, and first one door rattles and then a window, sometimes with such violence that anyone inside would imagine that the door was coming through. There have been various means tried to fathom the mystery. Sometimes there have been about a dozen people placed round the house in all directions, and on several occasions they have had an officer of police with them, but up to the present they have not found out what is the cause of the disturbance. The public opinion of the matter is that it is a two-legged ghost.
A gentleman, writing on the subject, says: –
“I have inquired all that I could respecting it. I went to the house, and asked the man that occupied it all that he could tell me, telling him that I desired the truth, and the man, who is a very respectable inhabitant, and to be believed, told me that the noise had troubled them every night nearly, and some mornings when he started to work, almost before he was out of the house, he heard knocks that nearly frightened his wife into fits. On one occasion, as soon as his wife had reached the top of the stairs, a crash was heard, and the poor woman fell down, hurting herself severely.
I then asked him if it had been that night, and he replied, “Yes, nearly two hours since,” and it was only eight o’clock then; and he added, “If you will stop a while you may hear it for yourself.” I replied I should like to hear it very much, and then I should have proof.
The man’s brother-in-law was playing the piano, and I said, “Play up, perhaps the ghost is close to, and fond of music.” He started a lively polka, but before he had arrived at the second part a crash was heard against the window. We sprang to the door as quickly as possible, but there was nothing to be seen, and the night was very clear and moonlight. It was Monday night, the 18th inst. We searched all round, but could find nothing. The next neighbour’s door, which is about three or four yards off, was open a few inches, “and I feel convinced,” adds our informant, “that the ghost was inside, and this is the public opinion.”
North Briton, 6th February 1875.