A Haunted House at Dum-Dum.
The Patrika publishes the following extraordinary story which, if nothing else will be acceptable at Christmas: – Babu Srihari Kundu is the name of a Railway Police Head Constable, who resides at the quarters adjacent to the Dum-Dum railway station. Those that have passed by Dum-Dum Cantonment might have noticed a big two-storied building a little to the north of the station contiguous to a tank. This building is divided into two parts. The front half is occupied by the Station Master, who resides there with his family. The other half to the east, is occupied by Babu Srihari Kundu and family. The building is surrounded by a high pucca wall. To the south of it are a tank and the road leading to the station to the west of the Station Master’s quarters, and on all other sides of the building there are houses of neighbours.
The family of Babu Srihari Kundu consists of the widow of his departed brother, his wife, his nephew and himself. They were residing in the house for nearly a year. But all on a sudden on Sunday before last, just at nightfall, brickbats were seen to be thrown in by some unknown agency. They took it to be the work of budmashes. But budmashes are generally seen to give a wide berth to the houses of those that serve in the Police Department, and after careful search by a dozen of men, including local watchmen, Srihari Babu was convinced that it was not the work of rogues after all.
The brickbats continued to be cast in till 11 P.M., gradually convincing all the members of the family that there must be something wrong somewhere. There was nothing remarkable the rest of Sunday night. The next day, Monday, again from evening the same thing occurred. But last day the stones were thrown outside the rooms, but that day (Monday) they were seen to come inside a room in which all the doors and windows were carefully bolted.
From Tuesday the ghostly pranks took a remarkable shape. On the first two days, the troubles were only nominal. There was only the throwing in of the brick-bats. But Tuesday, from the very noon, bricks were seen to come in incessantly. After nightfall, when Shrihari Babu’s wife was cooking the rice with her sister in law (ja) in the kitchen, the big stone (sil) that was put erect on the wall fell down all on a sudden. A brass dish was thrown down with tremendous noise. Two pieces of dirty rags were seen near the rice handi; whence they came none could ascertain.
Then when Srihari Babu and his nephew were taking their supper, a jar full of salt was raised up and thrown down at a distance of 4 or 5 cubits of them. A brinjal that was in a basket suddenly rose up and fell down as if by magic. From off a shelf a bagful of spices was thrown down, by whom none could see. This came to the jar of drinking water.
It would be easily imagined that the unfortunate family was in a great panic, and lay down on their bed in terrible anguish of mind. The Station Master and his family members came to see the plight of the haunted family with Babu Devendra Nath Ball, C.E., and another gentleman, who was an Engineer. And just before their eyes blows were heard to beat against a window and panes came down all shattered. A looking-glass, a comb and fan were on a raised shelf, and all came down at a trice.
Underneath a plank there was a brush, and before all these gentlemen the brush came on the floor. A shoe that was placed inclined on a wall suddenly disappeared and was found after a time nearly 20 cubits away from where the gentlemen were seated. Then a much more wonderful thing occurred. A piece of stone, just of the size that could be found on road-sides, was seen to be thrown in, and all these gentlemen felt it to be very hot – as if just taken out of a furnace. These lasted up to 12 P.M., Tuesday night.
Then dawned the day. On the morning of Wednesday a lamp was suddenly removed a few cubits away just as a ball is rolled on. Again a blow on the sashes of the window, and they were shattered before the watching eyes of a number of by-standers. A bundle of quilts that was kept on a chair was thrown down. At 10 A.M. a few books that were placed on a box all on a sudden tumbled down with the box. A metal glass, that was on the floor, was thrown out in the yard below, and it broke instantly. Then when the widow was cleansing the floor with water and a rag, by some unknown and unnoticeable hand the water pot was taken away, and could be found nowhere. All these happened in broad day light.
On Wednesday night an inkstand was removed from one room to another, and the ink was seen to be spilt on the wall of the second room. An axe was seen to have been raised up and dropped down, how no one knew. Then at about 10 P.M., when Babu Rameswar Guha, the Sub-Inspector of Police, Babu Rajani Kanta Banerji, the Overseer, and many other gentlemen were present there, a pot of lime was seen to be removed from one room to another, making all of them dumb founded. Then it was quiet for sometime.
On Thursday the intensity lessened a good deal, only brick-bats were thrown now and then. The brick-bats are being thrown even now, but the members of the family appear to have become a little habituated to it.
Madras Weekly Mail, 3rd January 1901.