An Ancoats “Ghost” Laid.
Stolid neighbours who wanted their rest.
Three young men of Italian extraction are having an unhappy time in a house in Blossom Street, Ancoats. During the past week or so their nerves have been badly affected, they allege, by ghostly manifestations. There have been knockings where no knocks should be, footsteps where no feet should be, and horrible feelings that should never be felt at all. It was so disturbing that they told, among others, a priest, stolid English neighbours, and a newspaperman. The resulting publicity, neighbourly indignation, and general commotion was overwhelming. So much so, in fact, that it proved the greater evil. They now wish it to be known that there will not be any more manifestations. That seems a satisfactory conclusion.
The neighbours will be pleased, not because they are superstitious – on the contrary, they are all incredulous – but because they dislike having their sleep disturbed by the excitement of the Italians and the alarm of small children.
The stories provoked a vigil, which lasted into the small hours of yesterday, and the curious and excited crowd that gathered outside the house by its noise caused neighbours to take part in the vigil too. They would not be so annoyed – even if some of them do have to be at work at five in the morning – if they believed in ghosts. but most of them have lived in the district so long, disclaiming knowledge of any act of violence or peculiar happening in the house concerned during the past thirty years, that they are quite unable to credit the arrival of anything so fantastic as a Poltergeist in their quiet street.
The Italians – they are three brothers, Dominic, Franz, and Peter Rea – have not wasted time in detecting the peculiarities of their house, for they have been in occupation only three weeks and are in the midst of extensive renovations. One of them is an organ-grinder who has achieved a certain fame by going on his round dressed as a dancing girl. Together with several friends, they expressed themselves, wen a “Manchester Guardian” reporter called yesterday, as being very upset by all the disturbance that had been created.
“But it won’t happen again,” they remarked confidently. “Nothing happened last night. Everything will be quiet now.” They added that nothing would induce them to leave the house. But they are still hoping that a priest will come to bless the house, just to make sure that all will be well.
The Manchester Guardian, 15th March 1930.