“Spirit-rapper” in Sheffield. Extraordinary Scene.
In this practical age it is the custom to pooh-pooh ghosts and spirit-rappers, but certain residents in Johnson’s yard, Pearl street, off Sheffield moor, are becoming convinced, like Hamlet, that supernatural beins are not such strangers to this world as some would imagine. Johnson’s yard is connected with Pearl street by a narrow passage, on each side of which are two single houses. The occupants of these cottages have for the past week been greatly disturbed nightly by an incessant knocking, the origin of which cannot be ascertained. It generally commences at ten o’clock, and goes on at intervals until midnight, and is making the people thereabouts very nervous and miserable. At first it was thought that leaking water pipes were responsible for the methodical rapping, but on taking up the pavement it was ascertained that the pipes did not leak, and that the noise must have some other origin.
The tapping is noticed more particularly in the lower rooms, and seems to arise from some industrious mechanic hammering away in the cellaring, but as no one can possibly get into the cellars without the knowledge of the tenants the belief is growing that some spirit is playing his pranks there, with the intention of frightening people out of their wits. The ghost, or goblin, must have a very guilty conscience, and a very restless disposition, for he is scarcely ever quiet at night time, and turns up with his vigorous knocking in all sorts of odd places. As soon as ten o’clock approaches, Pearl street is crowded with curious people, anxious to hear the spirit rapping. Whatever the cause of this rapping, it is, with the unruly crowd it brings, a great nuisance and inconvenience to the neighbourhood; more particularly to to one family, that of Joseph Hodgkinson, a grinder, whose little girl is seriously ill, and painfully irritated by the hubbub the thoughtless make about the cottage door.
Every night the throng grows greater, and if this unearthly knocking continues, the police, who have hitherto been very considerate, will be obliged to resort to stronger measures to quell the disturbances.
Sheffield Independent, 8th December 1881.
“Spirit Rapping” in Pearl Street.
For some few days past the neighbourhood of Pearl street has been thrown into a state of excitement by a rumour that “spirit rapping” had been heard in and about Johnson’s yard, a court in that street. This has caused large crowds to assemble in the street each night, and has, in fact, caused considerable inconvenience and annoyance to persons resident there.
Ten o’clock is the hour “arranged” for the “spirit” to carry on his rapping, and each night at this time hundreds of persons have congregated round the front of No. 13 court to await the phantom’s appearance. Last night the “ghost” was rather disappointing; two or three thuds only were heard. Still this small performance satisfied the crowd, who were apparently prepared to remain in the cold all night, so long as the representative of Spirit Land was willing to knock.
Whether some practical joker is at the bottom of the matter is not at present known. Certain it is that leaking water-pipes do not account for the phenomenon. In consequence of the annoyance to the residents caused by crowds patrolling that portion of the street where the knocking is heard the police were called upon to guard the premises, and last night from ten o’clock till after the “witching hour” several of the preservers of the peace were on duty there. But their presence did not at all interfere with the pranks of the crowd or the “ghostly” visitant.
One effect of the knocking last night was that a female living near to the entry to the court was seized with a fit, and medical assistance had to be obtained. Up to the present the cause of this strange rapping, which is heard in the lower rooms of the tenements in the court has not been ascertained.
Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 9th December 1881.
The “Spirit-rapping” in Pearl Street.
The “spirit-rapper” of Pearl street attracted a good deal of attention last night, and at ten o’clock, when he was expected to begin his nightly knocking, there were at least 1000 people in the thoroughfare. It was difficult to find anyone who had really heard the perturbed spirit rapping, but several persons said they had been told that many of the tenants near Johnson’s yard had been frightened at his monotonous tapping against the walls of the cottages they occupy. It was suggested by one person in the crowd that people who believed in ghosts and spirits (that were not intoxicating) were “silly, ignorant asses;” but this man was set down as an utterly unromantic being, who ought to be cured of his disbelief by a few minutes’ probation in some phantom’s clutches.
Whilst some of the men and women who gathered in the street treated the knocking as a lark, and an incident to be laughed at, others viewed the question very seriously, and their faces, full of concern, indicated that they were not free from superstition. The matrons, not a few of whom, no doubt, are acquainted with Zadkiel’s almanack, and admire Mother Shipton, inclined to the opinion that the mysterious tapping was the forerunner of an earthquake. Various other explanations were hazarded as to the reason of the noise. One story was to the effect that a man, weary of this world and its troubles, had cut his throat by the fireside in some habitation near, and that his spirit was trying to find out his old haunts. Other stories equally absurd were bruited about, but they obtained little credence.
The ghost is said to knock at eight o’clock in the morning, four in the afternoon, and ten at night, so that his labours extend over a considerable period. It will be a blessing for the neighbourhood when he becomes fatigued or loses his hammer, for the rabble that gathers expecting to hear him tapping is not of the politest, and last night the police had to do a little tapping as well as the ghost. There were four officers on duty, and they were obliged now and then to use their sticks, so unruly were some of the mob. One woman fainted, and many others were very terrified; but their terror arose quite as much from the conduct of the crowd as from any fear of the mysterious ghost.
Sheffield Independent, 9th December 1881.
[…]
The “spirit-rapper” attracted a good deal of attention on Thursday night, and at ten o’clock, when he was expected to begin his nightly knocking, there were at least 1000 people in the thoroughfare. The ghost is said to knock at eight o’clock in the morning, four in the afternoon, and ten at night, so that his labours extend over a considerable period.
Sheffield Independent, 10th December 1881.
“The Spirit Rapping” in Pearl Street.
Singular Death of a Midwife.
The mysterious producer of “the rappings” which have, during the past week, attracted hundreds to No. 13 court, Pearl street, appears to be of somewhat regular and precise habits, for it is only at stated times that the manifestations are to be heard, and, moreover, unlike the spiritual visitants who, if the writers of most tales and mediums are to be believed, plays fantastic tricks which entirely upset all human arrangements. This Pearl of “rappers” makes his presence known in the broad light of mid-day, as well as in the darkness of the night. With the approach of the working men’s dinner hour the “rapper” commences his knocking, which has been likened unto the sound produced by blows struck with a mallet upon some hard substance, as if denoting his desire for a meal of a more substantial character than that served out to the denizens of thin air and space. These raps only continue for a few moments, and then cease only to be resumed on the hands of the clock indicating the hour of ten at night. The raps then continue for a longer period – some ten or fifteen minutes – and then all is silence again. This has been the programme carried out by the rapper of late – at least so the persons resident in the vicinity assert – though there are others who deny that the rappings did occur on Thursday night.
Be that as it may, several hundreds of people visited Pearl street last evening with the hope of hearing the energetic spirit at his self-appointed task, and found to their disappointment that the police would not allow them to approach near to the houses wherein the noises are to be heard. The constables dispersed the little crowds which formed, and by sheer energy kept the mass of people on the move. To their credit it must be said that the crowd took the matter in a very good humoured manner, and jokes and badinage meant the ghost reigned everywhere. The noise created by the moving concourse was naturally great, and if there had been any rappings it would have been impossible for anyone to hear them.
Some, however, chiefly females, asserted that shortly before ten o’clock they heard several blows struck near the foundation of 71, Pearl street, and these statements were received with awe by some and incredulity by others. The throng continued in the street until close upon midnight, despite the fog and cold prevailing, and then separated to their homes.
One of the most unhappy and unfortunate circumstances connected with this mysterious affair is the death of Mrs Coldwell, a midwife, who resided in Cemetery road. On Thursday night, shortly before ten o’clock, she mingled with the crowd assembled in Pearl street for the purpose of hearing the “spirit rapping,” when she suddenly fell to the ground in fit. At that time no one had heard the rapping, and it is supposed that the excitement prevailing and the pushing of the crowd brought on an apopletic fit, to which she was subject. She was at once removed to the residence of Mrs Oxwell, opposite the house visited by the “spirit,” and Mr A H Laver was sent for, but as he was from home Mr J W Harrison attended the poor woman. She continued in a dangerous state during the whole of yesterday, and though Mr Laver did his utmost to sustain life she died about eight o’clock last evening. She was 45 years of age.
Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 10th December 1881.
The “Spirit Rapping” in Pearl Street.
Death from excitement and fright.
The unaccountable sounds in Johnson’s yard, Pearl-street, have had a very tragic and altogether unexpected effect. Attracted by the rumours of what could be heard in Pearl street, Mrs Coldwell, a midwife, who lived in Cemetery road, went there on Thursday night, and formed one of a crowd of about a thousand persons who stood outside Johnson’s yard. Whether she heard the “rappings” or not is not known; but shortly before ten o’clock she was observed to be seized with sudden illness and to become unconscious. She was taken to a house near, and the attendance of Mr J.W. Harrison, surgeon, summoned. On his arrival he found that she was suffering from apoplexy, the result, in all probability, of excitement and fright. Her condition was so serious that her removal to her own house was impossible, and she remained in Pearl Street the whole of yesterday. Death took place last evening. A large crowd again assembled last night outside the yard from which the sounds proceed, and it required the combined efforts of several policemen to keep it in anything like order. The rough element largely predominated. There was a rumour yesterday that the occupiers of the houses in Johnson’s yard had received notice to quit. The rumour is, however, without foundation. It originated, doubtless, in the suspicion that the “rappings” are not unassociated with the movements of one ormore of the tenants living in the yard.
Sheffield Independent, 10th December 1881.
The ‘Spirit Rapping’ in Pearl Street.
The supposed ghostly inhabitant of a tenement in Pearl street, whose nocturnal rappings have caused so much excitement in the neighbourhood, appears to have been “laid.” During the last week or so, so runs the story, the residents in the vicinity have heard mysterious knockings proceeding from the cottage at a certain hour in the evening, generally about ten o’clock, which they have been unable to account for, and this statement having got abroad, there have been nightly large crowds gathered in the street waiting for the phantom to demonstrate its presence in the customary manner.
On Saturday night some 300 or 400 people assembled in front of the “haunted” house, where Sergeant Swift and half a dozen constables were stationed to keep order. Plenty of “chaff” and badinage was indulged in for some time, but as ten o’clock approached comparative silence was observed by the people, who were listening intently for the knocking. They were doomed to disappointment, however; the “ghost” refused to assert itself, and the crowd, after waiting for some little time, gradually dispersed.
Sheffield Independent, 12th December 1881.
The mysterious “visitor” in Pearl street.
Last night the “ghost” was timed to arrive in the region of No. 13 Court, Pearl street, at ten o’clock. Long before that hour many hundreds of people, kept back by four or five policemen, had collected to hear the “spirit rapper,” whose visits seem quite regular – twelve o’clock at noon and ten o’clock at night. Between nine and ten o’clock a few gentlemen proceeded to a cellar close to the place where the rappings have usually been heard. Those of the company who had listened to the mysterious sounds before were very confident of the time the noises would be heard, and they waited quietly till close upon ten o’clock, when some one in the cellar exclaimed, “Here it goes!” and all ears were attentive bent.”
The sound seemed to come from below the ground, and resembled the thuds of a pavier’s hammer coming in violent contact with causeway blocks. Four or six knocks were distinctly heard, and then the hammering ceased. If the matter is a practical joke, it has been carried far enough – indeed, too far. That it has been successful no one can deny, and that ought to satisfy the person or persons who may be carrying it on. But the serious aspect of the affair is this: In one of the houses close to where the mysterious “visitor” is heard there is a sick girl, whose rest has been not only disturbed, but whose condition has been rendered almost critical through the peculiar occurrence, combined with the consternation it has cauased among persons in the neighbourhood. If, then, a practical joker has been at work we hope he will be wise enough to refrain from “carrying the joke too far.”
Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 13th December 1881.
The spirit rapper in Pearl Street.
Last evening the usual crowd assembled in Pearl street for the purpose of hearing the Pearl street spirit rapper resume its customary ten o’clock operations. Unfortunately for the crowd there also appeared Detective-officer Womack, of the Highfield division, and his ghostship must evidently have surmised that that intelligent officer was “on the spot,” for both the spirit and the rapping were unseen and unheard. It should, perhaps, also in justice be remembered that Mr W.F. Cooper was present, for the purpose of continuing his investigation, which he has been good enough to carry on.
The little girl who has been poorly and confined to her bed was able to be removed downstairs for a short time last night, and it is to be hoped that her recovery towards convalescence will not be interfered with by any further repetition of the practical joke, which the “jokists” themselves must now admit is played out. It is singular perhaps that the cessation of the knocking should be simultaneous with the little girl coming downstairs. That is a point which might admit of inquiry.
Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 15th December 1881.
The Pearl Street “Spirit Rapping.”
A number of people, though not so many as on previous occasions, assembled in Pearl Street last evening to hear “the rapper” at work, but only met with disappointment, for no unusual noises were heard. The afflicted little girl who has, by public rumour, been associated with the rappings, was removed to a sofa in the lower room.
Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 16th December 1881.
The Pearl Street “Spirit Rapper.”
A correspondent writes: – This farce is almost played out. The most careful investigations have been made during the week, and a definite conclusion arrived at. The sounds are produced by no supernatural means, neither are they the result of magnetism, electricity, or the escape of gases from the underlying coal. They are the result of human agency, in the shape of a strong arm and a heavy hammer or hatchet head wielded in a cellar not far distant from the well-known Court No. 13.
On Wednesday night three gentlemen waited in the house of Mr Hodgkinson until ten minutes past eleven, but the spirit did not come to order. There were about a thousand people collected in the street, five or six policemen with difficulty keeping them in order. Sergeant Swift stationed himself near the door to be in communication with his superior, Inspector Bradbury, the poor dying child in the house lay upon the sofa, but no sound was heard. The crowd waited patiently until about half-past ten, when the police advised them to retire. At 10.45 the street was nearly cleared, and at 11.10 the three gentlemen decided to follow their example and retire. At 11.40 the rappings were heard both loud and deep. The detectives had been watched out, the sounds followed.
Since then I have visited the “haunted house” repeatedly without success. the affair is in the hands of two of the shrewdest men in the police force and it is hoped his “ghostship” will soon be brought into contact with a police magistrate. it is an utter impossibility for the sick child to rise from her bed. It would be impossible for a child paralysed as she is to lift the hammer used to produce these sounds.
Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 17th December 1881.
The Pearl Street “Spirit Rapper”.
The mysterious noises in Pearl street, with which the town has already become familiar, are continued. A scientific inquiry into their cause has been commenced, so far without any definite result. Many-tongued rumour has been, as usual, very busy, giving to the supposed supernatural visitor a regularity in his attendance which he by no means merits. Amongst the absurd rumours is one of “A death from fright.”
The real facts of the case are simple: A fortnight since Mrs Coldwell was proceeding up Cemetery road, when she accidentally fell and injured her head. Last week she called at one of the “haunted houses” in Pearl street in the afternoon, and after resting for a short time she suddenly put up her hand, exclaiming, “Oh, my head,” and was unconscious to the end. A bloodvessel had burst on the brain, causing her death. Her body was removed in the evening, in the sight of some waiting to hear the noises, and the rumour quickly spread that her death had been caused by the sounds.
Rumour again asserts that the rappings are heard at four in the morning, but such is not the case. They are heard twice only in the 24 hours, and that at by no means a regular interval. We have gathered our information from the tenants of the houses more immediately the objects of the visitation, one of whom has lived 14 years in the house most disturbed. It appears that the first indication of anything unusual took place on the evening of the 22nd November, when the occupant was disturbed by what she thought was someone knocking. She inquired of her neighbours. They had all heard the same noise. Since that day the sounds have been continued, with some intermission, at noon and at night.
On Friday evening it was determined to investigate the sounds scientifically. A visit was paid to the celebrated Cour 13. After waiting in the fog for an hour no sound was heard. On Sunday evening the noise was heard distinctly in the passage – four distinct thuds, which could only be compared to those produced by the thump of a pavier’s mallet when laying stones in the street. On Monday noon the raps were loud, and continued for more than half-an-hour. On Monday evening a visit was paid to the cellar of the principal house with the most delicate instruments capable of detecting the slightest vibration, or the least display of magnetic or electric currents. These were carefully scrutinised with a powerful lens, but not the slightest vibration or the least trace of a magnetic current could be detected.
The rappings in the cellar were scarcely audible, but in the room above they were loud. They appear to vary in intensity, being louder at times, when from the density of the air they should theoretically be less distinct. The houses are built over the Whinmoor coal, a very thin seam, not worked anywhere in the neighbourhood. The noises cannot be the results of any underground workings; neither do the houses communicate with the main sewer, except by surface drainage.
The whole weight of evidence points to a practical joke, but if it be so, it is a very silly one, as the inhabitants of the house are not in the least alarmed, but much annoyed by the crowds of noisy roughs attracted to this usually quiet street. If a joke it is also a very cruel one; in one case a young girl is slowly dying with a brain disease, and during her conscious intervals she is much annoyed by the lads climbing up to the window to look in to see the ghost.
The police, under the superintendence of Inspector Bradbury, are using every means to detect the joker, and a great deal of extra duty is entailed upon the guardians of the peace.
Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 17th December 1881.
Intelligence of the “spirit rapping(?)” in Pearl street has made its way through the columns of the Independent to Palermo; and a letter to the editor from a correspondent there has been handed to me for publication. It is evident that the “rappings” are viewed more seriously in Palermo than they are in Pearl street. I can assure the writer that the mysterious noises have nothing to do with an intended robbery. At best they are but a silly hoax. The idea of a big robbery in Pearl street is amusing.
Here is the letter:- Dear Sir, – I have been much impressed by reading the article headed “Spirit-rapper in Sheffield,” in your issue of the 8th inst., and particularly so at the fact of the noise being heard more distinctly on the ground floor. Now, allow me to inform you that this sort of rapping has often been heard here, and the result has been robbery. In one case quite a tunnel had been made, which took the thieves many months to complete. It commenced from a poor dwelling, and terminated under the Government Pawn Establishment. Perhaps my remarks may lead thinking men to act promptly, and search diligently for the real cause of the rapping, more especially in these disturbed times. Yours faithfully, Ambrose Pare Brown, Palermo, 15th December.
Sheffield Independent, 22nd December 1881.
The Retirement of Inspector Bradbury.
In the retirement of Inspector Bradbury, of the Highfield division of the City Constabulary, the police lose the only remaining representative of the force which was in existence when the present Chief Constable came to Sheffield. According to the minutes of the Watch Committee, Inspector Bradbury is to be permitted to retire on the 4th of March. He is 71 years of age, and has served 45 years and two months in the force, the allowance to which he has become entitled being a life pension of £6 13s. 4d. per month. During his long service in Sheffield the retiring Inspector has earned the respect of those with whom he has come in contact as a steady and reliable officer. He has indeed become known by the venerable title of “father of the force.” He was made an inspector three years before the establishment of the Highfield district as a separate division, and he went there on its formation 23 years ago. For ten years prior to his promotion to an inspectorship, he was a sergeant, and for five of those years he was appointed inspector of cabs when first that duty was taken over by the police. Of exciting incidents with which he has had to deal in this long period, the most notable were the murder of Mr Dyson by Charles Peace at Banner Cross, which came within the division of which he had control, and the Kate Dover poisoning case. He has also had some experience of ghost-laying, and in particular was instrumental in discovering the deception practised on the credulous in the Pearl Street ghost mystery some years ago.
Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 10th February 1896.