Haunted house.
Sergeant and 7 policemen search for spooks.
In the heart of Aberdeen there is a haunted house that is attracting widespread interest. The tenants are Mr and Mrs Urquhart and a family of four; Urquhart being a discharged artilleryman and a laundry-van driver. The police are baffled as to the cause of the disturbances and mysterious noises.
About 10 o’clock on Tuesday night, when the family were preparing to go to bed, thuds on the wall were heard; the house shook; dishes rattled; and a small fixed bed, occupied by an invalid nine-year-old son, was raised off the floor and came down with a bang. The blows appeared to come from underneath. An inspector and seven policemen were called in. The boy lying in bed was then removed to a back bedroom, and, as the sounds seemed to follow him, he was finally sent away with a neighbour.
The rapping continued the whole night long, and a remarkable incident followed the return of the boy shortly after 6 o’clock yesterday morning. Mr Urquhart put a small dressing table in its proper place in front of the window, and immediately it was lifted right away, about a foot and a half. The police searched, but without success, for any physical cause of the extraordinary occurrence. Last night they were again to take duty in the house.
London Daily Chronicle, 8th January, 1920.
Aberdeen “Haunted” House.
Family’s Eerie Night.
Strange noises and moving furniture.
Aberdeen was yesterday greatly interested, not to say excited, over strange ongoings in a house at No. 1 Gordon Place occupied by a family of six – Alexander Urquhart, a discharged artilleryman, and a laundry vanman, with his wife and their four children. From shortly after ten o’clock on Tuesday night until about 7 o’clock yesterday morning they were disturbed by mysterious noises, the origin of which baffled the police, who heard the sounds and saw the effects, but could discover no explanation, despite the most thorough and painstaking examination. In the locality, all sorts of theories, including the supernatural, are being advanced. The police ascribe the sounds and movements to physical causes, but they have absolutely no clue to the origin of the “phenomena.”
Gordon Place is a wide court, off Oldmill Road, a narrow lane which runs from Union Glen to Marywell Street. It consists of a row of two-storied, red-tiled buildings, the dwelling houses being in the upper storey, and reached by open stone stairs. The back windows look out upon Gordon Street. The Urquharts live in the house with the gable adjoining Oldmill Road. They have three apartments – a kitchen, and two bedrooms off it. Across the passage from them resides a family named Grant. Underneath both those houses is a disused blacksmith’s shop, where it might be thought the secret of the peculiar happenings should be found.
The Urquharts have resided at No. 1 for some time. They say they have never heard or observed anything unusual within their four walls before Tuesday night. Their version of the affair is that just after 10 o’clock, when they were preparing to go to bed, they were startled to hear a thump on the wall of the kitchen. Then came a thud as though the floor of that room had been struck from underneath by a hammer or some other heavy instrument. The house shook and the dishes rattled, and when the floor was struck the small sized bed, in which an invalid boy, John, about 9 years of age, slept, was raised off the floor and came down with a bang. This was the beginning of a disturbance which went on continuously until a few minutes before seven o’clock, except for about three-quarters of an hour in the very early morning. It was this break which suggested that some night workers were on some underground job nearby, but as far as could be ascertained no electric cable subway or other kind of tunnelling is in the vicinity.
Grant, the man next door, heard the unusual noise apparently proceeding from the Urquharts house – his own had no such “visitation” – and lost no time in making his way to his neighbours to ascertain what was going on. He was not long without evidence of what was disturbing the household. The thumping wwas continuing at irregular intervals. He was standing in the kitchen with his arms on the rails of the small bed, when another bump came and he was lifted off his feet as the bed rose. All the blows or thumps came from underneath, except on one occasion when what are described as “three hard smacks and then a single smack” were heard from the wall.
The hour was late, the sounds went on without cessation, sleep under the circumstances was out of the question, and it was decided to report the matter to the police. They made a thorough examination of the interior and exterior of the house. An inspector, a sergeant, and six constables were all in the house at one time. They subjected the walls to close scrutiny for signs of cracks or other evidence of subsidence. Nothing of that nature could be discovered. By means of a ladder, the roof and the chimney were carefully searched. The disused blacksmith’s shop below was, of course, thoroughly investigated. Nowhere was anything found that could account for what was disturbing the Urquharts. the noises went on while the police were in the house and making their inquiries inside and out. It was a perplexing business.
The wooden posts in the blacksmith’s shop supporting the floor of the dwelling-house above are described as somewhat “shaky.” Their movement, some of the police think, might create a certain noise on the floor, but they confess their inability to explain how the floor apparently yielded to the thuds or blows.
The boy John was lying in the bed when the noises commenced, and it was suggested that he should be removed to the back bedroom. The sounds continued, and seemed to shift to that apartment, and, as it looked as though the noise was following him, the boy was removed to a neighbour’s house. The police wished the family to shelter for the night at the Police Office where they would be more comfortable, but this they declined to do. Neighbours took in three of the children, and Mr and Mrs Urquhart spent a sleepless night in their own house. The sounds continued all night long.
A remarkable incident followed the return to the house of the boy John. He was brought home about 6.30 and put to bed in the back bedroom. A small dressing-table was in front of the window, and it was moved half round. Mr Urquhart put it back to its position, but shortly afterwards it was lifted right away about a foot and a half from the window. The bump with which it struck the floor directed attention to the phenomenon. This was about the last “manifestation”, for after about ten minutes to 7 o’clock the noises ceased.
The family were naturally much perturbed by their experience, particularly Mrs Urquhart and the girls. Her husband said he took no interest in spiritualism himself, but that one of his daughters had attended two spiritualist meetings. He could not account for the noises in any way. An explanation is beyond the police – meantime. In the neighbourhood the affair is the sole topic of conversation. “Naething wrang wi’ the hoose,” was the comment of one neighbour, who was also at a loss. She expressed what appeared to be the general opinion in the locality. The supernatural is favoured by some. Others pour ridicule upon that theory, and, indeed, upon the whole incident. The latter attitude overlooks the fact that the experience of the householders was shared by others.
The story is not unlike those of other “mysteries” which have been recently reported in different parts of the country, and vibration explained some of those eerie “manifestations.” In the present instance, however, no cause for vibration can be traced. The police made an exhaustive daylight search of the house and the vicinity yesterday without coming upon anything that could throw the faintest ray of light upon the circumstances and help them to a solution of what up to now is incomprehensible.
Last night crowds, largely of young people, found their way to the scene, and hung about the locality until a late hour. The noise around would have made any spiritualistic test impossible, and was too much, far to much, for the “ghost,” which – or who – was the talk of the juvenile element present.
The Urquharts had plenty of visitors, mostly relatives and acquaintances. One caller was a spiritualist. A policeman was at the door of the house, presumably to maintain law and order outside, and be ready to deal – as far as he could – with anything savouring of the mysterious, not to say supernatural, that happened inside.
Would there be any repetition of the previous night’s “manifestations”? The question was uppermost in the minds of the puzzled household. And there was a repetition, which, if of brief duration, sufficed to show that the elements of the mystery were still there to be unraveled. Just about 10.20 there were a couple of double-raps, not so loud as those of Tuesday night, but quite distinct, and coming apparently from the inside wall of the kitchen pantry. Otherwise there was, up to a late hour, a complete absence of the unaccountable noise which made the lot of the household unbearable the night before. They are wondering if any water-pipes or drains beneath th ehouse are not “right.”
Aberdeen Press and Journal, 8th January 1920.
The “haunted” house at 1 Gordon Place, Aberdeen. The windows of the blacksmith’s disused premises are seen alongside the stonework of the stairs.
Aberdeen Press and Journal, 9th January 1920.
General view of Gordon Place, Aberdeen, showing, in the foreground, the house where weird happenings – a rising floor accompanied by a series of dull thuds – have taken place. An extensive examination of the house and neighbourhood has been made by the police, who have failed to discover the cause of these alarming incidents, but hold the view that they are due to structural defects in the building.
Daily Record, 9th January 1920.
Mystery Knockings.
Spiritualists and police watching for a “ghost” in Aberdeen – Bed that rises.
Crowds yesterday flocked to a house in Gordon-place, Aberdeen, in which, it is stated, remarkable rappings, the heaving of floors and the lifting of beds and tables have been going on for two days. The house is occupied by Mr and Mrs Urquhart and a family of four. At intervals between 1 and 6 a.m. the Urquhart family were perplexed by chatterings and rumblings of varying intensity in different parts of the flooring and walls. A bed on which lay an invalid boy nine years of age, was raised from the floor and dropped with a bang. The police are baffled, and local spiritualists propose holding a seance in the house.
Daily Mirror, 9th January 1920.
The House of Mystery.
Aberdeen rappings baffle the experts. Seance to be held.
The mystery of the haunted house at 1 Gordon Place, Aberdeen, continues unsolved, the police and city architects being still baffled by the phenomenal occurrences. The nocturnal noises, which caused such alarm in the Urquhart house during the whole of Tuesday night and on Wednesday morning, continued on Wednesday evening and also yesterday morning. The “ghost’s” reappearance on Wednesday night was heralded by a rap-a-tat-tat on the inner wall of the pantry. On the same night the family heard rapping on the floor opposite a gas cooker against the fire place, but the most perplexing incident was the behaviour of a toy model motor car, with which the eight-year-old son of the family, John, had been amusing himself.
About eleven o’clock the boy dismantled the toy and left the parts on the table which, on the previous evening, had caused so much alarm by its wandering tendencies. A few minutes later, when the family was at supper, a tinkling noise was heard coming from the floor. A metal part of the child’s toy had apparently, of its own accord, left the table and found a resting place on the ground about seven feet away.
Between one and two o’clock in the morning there was a succession of thumps on the wall above the bed in the kitchen, and again at fifteen minutes past three o’clock the loudest noises so far recorded were heard. So violent and insistent was the outburst that two members of the family, who were asleep, were aroused. The sounds were like those produced by hammer strokes on a solid surface, and all of them came from the floor beneath the bed, which manifested such acrobatic abilities in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
At intervals of half-an-hour till six o’clock, the household was kept perplexed by quakings and rumblings of varying intensity, under different parts of the flooring, and from behind walls of the house. The noises heard yesterday morning were accompanied by falling plaster.
The police inspector who visited the scene of the weird noises, states in his official report: – “I saw the bed rise four inches off the floor. The table also moved out of its place, and I heard any number of rappings on the wall and floors.” For two hours yesterday, a representative of the Aberdeen Psychic Society, visited Urquhart’s house, and assured the family that they were receiving recognition from the spirit world, accorded only a few. There was no doubt, he said, that one member of the Urquhart family was a natural medium, possessed of unusual powers, and he urged Mr Urquhart to take every step to develop the existence of this faculty among the children.
In response to a request, Mr Urquhart has given permission for a spiritualistic seance to be held in his house on Monday evening next, when interested parties will be permitted the fullest opportunity of developing their theories.
Nervous housewives in the neighbourhood of the haunted house are filled with consternation at the uncanny happenings, and thousands of people from all parts of Aberdeen visited the place yesterday. A strong cordon of police was necessary to protect the house. An amusing interlude was provided by a couple of University students, who persuaded the police to admit them to th ehouse. They were equipped with a stethoscope, with which they wanted to identify the timbre of the noises. Believing they were bent on a ragging expedition, Mr Urquhart asked them to leave.
The house and its surroundings were yesterday subjected to a careful exploration by expert architects, but all their researches failed to produce a reasonable cause for the untoward happenings, which have excited the public mind of Aberdeen and district as no event in living memory has done.
An added fillip was given to the affair yesterday by the recalling of the fact that decades ago an occupant of the blacksmith’s shop beneath the dwelling-house disappeared from home, and all trace of him was lost for several months. After the countryside had been scoured, it was found that he had committed suicide by taking poison, and the body was got in a wood on a croft at Countesswells. The body was very much decomposed and, when found, the skeleton fo the blacksmith’s hand clutched the bottle of poison, and in a pocket of the clothing a loaded pistol was got.
Daily Record, 9th January 1920.
The simple explanation of a haunted house.
Loose telephone wires.
The mysterious noises that have occurred at a house in Gordon Place, Aberdeen, during the past few days have a very simple explanation, which does away with any suggestion that the house is haunted or that spirits have been up to mischief. The house is a comparatively old one, with a red-tiled roof and floors somewhat ramshackle. Near the house is a substantial telephone pole carrying a mass of wires. The supports or stays of the pole are in proximity to the house, and as a result of the recent gales a piece of wood to which a stay is anchored had probably worked loose. When the wind rose the swaying motion of the heavy telephone pole caused the support to knock against the foundations of the house, thus causing the mysterious tapping which scared the tenants and mystified six policemen and a police inspector. It is quite probable, too, that the swaying of the pole caused certain movements inside the house. The floor is old, with one or two loose boards, and vibrates even under the tread of the occupants.
Under where the noises were heard is a disused smithy, the former occupant of which committed suicide some years ago. Local spiritualists have asked permission to hold a seance in the house in the hope of getting into communication with the spirit of the old blacksmith. Probably the seance will take place on Monday, but in the meantime the tenant of the house, a burly ex-artilleryman, fears not a ghost. He has won the Military Medal, D.C.M., and Croix de Guerre, and is not to be scared out of his house by mysterious noises.
Yorkshire Evening Post, 10th January 1920.
The House of Mystery.
Aberdeen Spiritualists’ “Inspiration.”
Suggested cause.
Although the “ghostly visitor” which has created so much alarm in the Urquhart household at 1 Gordon Place, Aberdeen, did not manifest itself during the nocturnal hours of Thursday, there is still a feeling of great uneasiness and anxiety. The Urquhart family declare that they “ha’e their doots,” and that the mystery will not be solved until after the seance, which is to be held in the house on Monday evening.
There was a further examination of the premises yesterday by the officials of the gas and surveyors departments of the Corporation, who acknowledged themselves baffled, and who told a “Daily Record and Mail” representative that they had found the gas and drain pipes in good order.
As showing the disturbed state of the public mind, on Thursday night, when a policeman was on his way home after a spell of duty, he was accosted by a woman in a highly agitated state, who pleaded with him to return with her, and find out the cause of extraordinary disturbances, which were taking place in the scullery of her house. The officer accompanied the woman, and on going inside he was startled to hear gurgling sounds. After a diligent search, he discovered that the noises which had alarmed the tenant had their source in an electric wet battery, which was on a shelf overhead. The chemicals in the jar, mixed that morning, apparently in the wrong proportions and in an over active state, were producing the uncanny sounds.
The number of police on duty in the neighbourhood of the haunted house has been increased, and for several hours on Thursday evening they experienced the greatest difficulty in keeping the roadways clear.
During the evening nearly a dozen persons, describing themselves as spiritualists, gained entrance to the house. They searched high and low, and, if they gained any evidence as to the cause of the remarkable happenings they did not disclose their discoveries. Four of the visitors were ladies, and for a time they buoyed Mr Urquhart up in the hope of solving the mystery by telling him that they had just come from a seance, at which they had received an “inspiration.” They gave Mr Urquhart their solution of the problem, but their information left him as “wise” as ever.
The disclosure of the past history of the blacksmith’s shop underneath the house, and the tragic fate of its occupant, has heightened the public interest, and also recalled similar tragic events which have occurred in the neighbourhood within recent years. One of these was the suicide by hanging of a vanman in a stable in Gordon Street near the haunted house, and another, also of suicide, of a labourer by throat-cutting. The third case was that of a labourer, a former tenant of the house, who was found dead in the lobby of the house.
A correspondent, “Saxon Old,” communicates to the “Daily Record and Mail” his views as to the cause of the mysterious happenings. The disturbances on Tuesday night, he says, have all the appearances of having an electrical origin. The weather was ideal for static electrical phenomena; the air was exceptionally dry; the barometer unusually high, and a cool, frosty-dry wind blowing. The house affected was old and situated over a disused smithy with, he assumes, a soot-laden ceiling of plaster and open or leaking windows. With these conditions what one would expect would be as follows: –
A cold wind blowing on a soot-laden plaster ceiling would statically electrify it. If the plaster were very dry and had a covering layer of sooty dust under the floor, an electrical condenser of considerable capacity would be formed. When the charge on this condenser rose to a sufficient pressure a discharge would take place, perhaps, through some crack in the plaster or by way of metal pipes. This discharge would produce a rapping sound, two or three taps following in rapid succession, and would be accompanied by vibration of the air enclosed under the floor, which would cause movement of the floor. If an easily-moved piece of furniture near the walls of the room became charged in the same manner as the walls it would be repelled. This, he adds, often happens when a house is struck by lightning. The lifting of the bed may have been caused by the rebound of the floor on discharge, or the metal in the mattress may have acted as a further layer to the condenser, and recoiled on discharge.
Daily Record, 10th January 1920.
Mystery of haunted house. Nocturnal noises baffle Aberdeen police. Bed and table jazz in the kitchen.
Aberdeen, Saturday.
During the latter half of the week Aberdeen and the big district around it have been much perturbed by the mystery of a haunted house – a mystery which, despite the most searching scrutiny of the police authorities and city architects, still remains unsolved. It is likely to continue a mystery, unless the effects of some local spiritualists who, on Monday night, will hold a seance on the scene of the weird occurrence, prove successful in its solution.
The house, 1 Gordon Place, is in the Bon-Accord district, off Union Street, Aberdeen’s main artery. This was the scene of the eerie noises and the acrobatic furniture “stunts” which alarmed the household of Mr Alex. Urquhart, a laundry van driver, and a discharged artilleryman of middle age, together with his wife and family of four. The phenomenal experiences of these honest folk were not those of an hour or so. From shortly after 10 o’clock at night until about 7 o’clock in the morning the family was disturbed by mysterious noises, for which no explanation could be found, despite the most thorough and painstaking search. When the household communicated the alarm to the neighbours there was terror in the vicinity all through the dark hours.
The Urquharts’ house is a very old one, and forms the gable of the building adjoining Oldmill Road, consisting of 3 apartments. Across the passage from them resides a family named Grant. Underneath both houses is a disused blacksmith’s shop. Shortly after 10 o’clock the family were preparing to retire to bed when a thump was heard on the wall. Next came a thud as though the kitchen floor had been struck from below by a hammer or some other heavy instrument.
Terror took hold of the household; the building shook, and the dishes rattled. When the floor was struck the small-sized bed, in which an invalid boy aged 9 years slept, was lifted in the air, and came down with a bang. The neighbour, Mr Grant, heard the unusual noises, and came to ascertain the cause. He heard and saw ample evidence of what was disturbing the household. The thumping continued at irregular intervals. Grant was standing in the kitchen with his arms on the rails of the small bed when another bump came, and he was lifted off his feet as the bed rose. The blows, it was observed, all apparently came from underneath, except on one occasion, when what were described as “the hard smacks, and then a single smack,” were heard from the wall.
Mr Urquhart drove to the Central Police Office. Six constables, a sergeant and an inspector arrived on the scene without delay, and made a thorough search of the interior and exterior of the house. The roof and chimneys were subjected to the closest scrutiny, as was the disused blacksmith’s shop below, but no clue could be got, and all the time of the investigation the disturbing racket continued. When the noises commenced the invalid boy was in bed, and he was removed to the back bedroom, but the sounds continued, and seemed to shift to that apratment, as though following him. He was removed to a neighbour’s house.
The police kindly invited Mr and Mrs Urquhart to spend the night in the police office, but the invitation was declined. The other members of the family spent the night in neighbours’ houses. The invalid boy was brought back, and his return was accompanied by a remarkable incident. At 6.30 a.m. he was put to bed. A small dressing-table was in front of the window, and it suddenly moved half round. Mr Urquhart put it back to its position, but shortly afterwards it was lifted right away about two feet from the window.
In the early morning the police left, but returned in the afternoon and made another search for some physical cause of the weird occurrence. They, however, found nothing, and had to acknowledge themselves beaten. Mr Urquhart told a “Sunday Mail” representative that he took no interest in spiritualism himself, but that he understood one of his daughters had attended two spiritualist meetings in the city.
Next night there was a repetition of the weird stories, and the alarm of the family was intensified when the history of the blacksmith’s shop underneath the house was revealed. It was established that 50 years ago the occupant of the blacksmith’s forge disappeared mysteriously from home, and all trace of him was lost for several months. After the countryside had been scoured in vain, it was found he had committed suicide by taking poison, his body being found in a wood on a croft at Counterswells. The body was very much decomposed, but the skeleton fo the blacksmith’s hand still clutched the bottle of poison, and in a pocket of the clothing a loaded pistol was found.
A representative of the Aberdeen Spiritualist Society visited the house and assured the family that he was the recipient of unique favours from the spirit world, and was receiving recognition accorded only to a certain few. There was no doubt, he said, that one member of the Urquhart family was a natural medium possessed of unusual powers, and he urged Mr Urquhart to take every step to develop the existence of this faculty among the children. Mr Urquhart has given permission for a spiritualistic seance to be held in his house on Monday evening first, at which interested parties will be permitted the fullest opportunity to develop their theories.
The reappearance of the “ghost” was heralded by loud raps on the inner wall of the pantry. At 12 o’clock the Urquhart family and several neighbours who were in the house heard loud rapping on the floor beside a gas-cooker against the fireplace, but the most perplexing incident of the night was the behaviour of a model motor car with which John, the eight-year-old son of the family was amusing himself.
About 11 o’clock he dismantled the toy and left the parts on the table which, on the previous night had caused so much alarm by its wandering tendencies. A few minutes later, while the household was at supper, a tinkling sound was heard from the floor, and a metal part of the child’s plaything had apparently left the table of its own accord, and found a resting place on the ground about 7 feet away.
There was a succession of what were described to the “Sunday Mail” as “thumps” on the wall between one and two o’clock in the morning. These seemed to come from above a bed in the kitchen. At five minutes past three the loudest noises so far recorded were heard. So violent and insistent was the outbreak that two members of the family were aroused from their sleep. The sounds were like those produced by hammer strokes against a solid surface and all of them came from the floor beneath the bed which manifested such acrobatic proclivities.
Up till six o’clock in the morning, at intervals of 30 minutes, the family was kept perplexed by clatterings and rumblings of varying intensity in different parts of the flooring and walls of the house. The official report of the police inspector who was present says:- “I saw the bed rise four inches off the floor, a table twice move out of its place, and heard a number of rappings on the wall and floors.”
The place has been beseiged by crowds anxious to get into the “haunted house,” and it has been found necessary to have a cordon of police round the dwelling in order to protect it.
Two University students provided an amusing ten minutes. They arrived equpped with a stethoscope, with which, they told the police, they wished to identify the timbre of the noises. They were admitted, but Mr Urquhart doubting their bona fide intentions, soon had them bundled outside. The whole district continues to be in a state bordering on consternation, and it has been found necessary to retain the police guard round the house.
Sunday Mail (Glasgow), 11th January 1920.
“Haunted” House Again.
More knocks last night.
Police return to No. 1 Gordon Place.
There was a resumption last night of the mysterious knocking which on several evenings last week so alarmed the family occupying the house 1 Gordon Place, Aberdeen. Since Friday the disturbances had ceased, but just as the household was preparing to retire last night, they recommenced with startling suddenness. A faint tapping sound was first heard on the south wall of the kitchen behind a dresser, but two minutes later a succession of loud knocking noises came from the floor and the adjoining wall. This continued at short irregular intervals for about half an hour, and were said to be the loudest which have so far been heard.
A light crib in which a boy was sleeping is stated to have risen off the floor at one end, and an empty box under the bed clattered and moved its position. The noises stopped with the last of three sharp raps on the wall above the fireplace just before midnight.
Needless to say the recurrence of the “phenomena” alarmed the occupants of the house. Superintendent Dow was summoned from the Police Office, and arranged that if the disturbances were resumed later, the family would be temporarily accommodated at Lodge Walk. The two boys were removed from the kitchen, where they had been sleeping, to another room, and a girl was taken to the house of a neighbour.
Judging by the large number of visitors to the district on Saturday and yesterday, public interest is being maintained in the unusual incidents taking place within the walls of Mr Urquhart’s home. On Saturday evening the glass panes of the windows and the door of the blacksmith’s shop below were broken, and a party of youths took possession of the deserted premises till cleared out by the police.
Chief Constable Anderson has received several communications regarding the occurrences from “experts,” who offer not only solutions, but even their services, to the authorities. Mr Urquhart, too, has had a large number of letters sent to him, one of them a trade circular from a firm in Derby, which offers “psychic mascots guaranteed to give immunity from the dangers of the spirit world” at the very low price of 12s per gross.
An Aberdeen electrical expert who has examined the house states that the electrical theory is acceptable. When he inspected the telephone pole near the building, he had an idea that the bare conductors might be collectors of static electricity under the prevailing atmospheric conditions, and that a possible discharge was taking place by means of the earth wires on the poles and its supporting stays.
The climatic state last night was favourable to such a theory.
Aberdeen Press and Journal, 12th January 1920.
Aberdeen “Mystery.”
Peculiar happenings in a house.
The mystery of the haunted house in Gordon Street, Aberdeen, is still unsolved. Several architects, a number of Corporation officials, and others have visited the house, but are unable to throw any light on the weird manifestations of the past few nights. Distinct rappings on the walls and floors of the red tile-roofed, two-storey dwelling have again been heard at intervals.
The police testify to pieces of furniture on at least three occasions having what one described as a “miniature Scotch jig.” Interviewed regarding the occurrence, the occupier, Mr Urquhart, who is a discharged soldier, said that he was not a believer in spiritualism, but was naturally interested in the peculiar happenings, which seemed to be a form of the “Black Art.” His account of the strange manifestation was corroborated by his two young sons, one of whom fell from his crib, as the result of the movement of the floor, into the arms of one of the police-officers sent to inquire into the affair (says the Daily Chronicle).
The other son, who is suffering from an abrasion on the leg, was removed from his crib to an adjoining bedroom, and shortly afterwards a small table which stood against the west wall of the room was moved a distance of over a foot from the wall. At one period in the evening the crib was lifted some inches off the floor, and then crashed. The table in the adjacent room was discovered to have been moved diagonally across the room.
Spiritualists are flocking to Aberdeen from many parts of Scotland, and four young ladies who put in an appearance mentioned that they had just come from a seance at which they had received an “inspiration.” But after they had explained their solution of the problem and departed Mr Urquhart knew no more than he did before they came.
Another theory put forward is that the noises and movement of furniture are caused by the swaying of a great telephone pole recently erected about 15 yards from the house. The supporting stays are anchored close to the foundations of Mr Urquhart’s dwelling, and it is contended that the swaying of the pole may easily cause vibration of the somewhat dilapidated walls of the house.
Spiritualists are to hold a seance in the house today.
Bristol Times and Mirror, 12th January 1920.
Experts’ hunt for ghost.
Missing blacksmith’s spirit returns.
Solemn conclave tonight.
From our own correspondent, Aberdeen, Monday.
A number of able psychists will sit to-night in solemn investigation of the strange unnatural phenomena which have disturbed the home of Mr Urquhart, of Aberdeen, and have earned for his dwelling the name of the “haunted house.” If the psychists are unable to discover the ghost or make any communication with the restless spirit which has been banging the walls and lifting the beds, then it is suggested that application will be made to Sir A. Conan Doyle to apply his powers of deduction (as illustrated in the cheerful Sherlock), or his belief in the supernatural (as announced in his lectures on Spiritualism). In any case, it is held that a really good detective is wanted.
There have been several developments since the story of the haunted house was first mentioned in the newspapers a few days ago, and a lively time is promised the investigators; but though many theories have been advanced there has been so far no solution of the mysterious disturbances. It has now been discovered that several decades ago the occupant of the blacksmith’s workshop, which is underneath the house, disappeared. For months every effort was made to trace him. The country districts were scoured by the local police, but finally, when all hope was given up, his body was discovered in a wood near the homestead by a Mr Cowie, the tenant of the croft of Hoggin, Countesswells. The body was much decomposed, but the skeleton hand still clutched a pistol, and in a pocket was found a bottle contining poison. Some say there was a hatchet near the body. It is locally believed that the spirit of the blacksmith has returned to haunt his old earthly dwelling and wants the place to himself.
It is strange that a clairvoyant in London who was asked if he could find the explanation of the hauntings has during the week-end made a few statements which will be tested at to-night’s investigation. One of these is the description of the dead blacksmith, which tallies with what is known of him.
For the last few days, however, the mystery has been gaining increasing fame in the city, and many people seriously declare that it is “the work of the devil,” while one local clergyman delivered a warning to his congregation against “tampering with Satanic forces,” and exhorted them to have nothing to do with the haunted house.
On the other hand, some of the more prosaic citizens, with true Scottish logic, have been advancing theories, and the house has been tapped, searched, bored, examined, and generally overrun by self-styled detectives to an extent which might scare any respectable ghost. Every suggestion that could be made has been put forward, from the idea of an imprisoned cat or rat to the whistling of the wind in the hollow walls. It was believed that the wooden supporting pillars beneath the roof of the blacksmith’s workshop and under the dwelling-house were sagging, and the noises and movements were caused by the “creak.” This has been negatived.
There are outer and inner walls of lathe and plaster in the house which are shaky. It was advanced that the movement of the joists with this shaky plaster would give forth the screams and “human” sounds. But these and many other thoeries have been found untenable after long examinations by Scottish builders, than whom there is none more thorough.
The police inspector who saw and heard the disturbances still swears that he saw a bed rise four inches off the floor, a table move twice out of its position, and heard a number of distinct rappings on the walls and floor. Even the toy motor-car of a child of the tenant, after being dismantled, began to stray, parts of it moving to various positions in the room.
During the week-end crowds of visitors came to look at the house, but the police kept them from entering the premises, and Mr Urquhart and his wife and family had the ghost to themselves yesterday. They are hoping for some explanation after the psychists have had their investigation and “called up spirits from the vasty deep” tonight.
Globe, 12th January 1920.
Aberdeen’s House of Mystery. What of tonight’s seance?
The origin of the uncanny noises and the cause of the mysterious movements of articles of furniture in the house of the Urquhart family at 1 Gordon Place, Aberdeen, remain unsolved. The unusual happenings have not been repeated, but there continues much speculation as to reasons for such occurrences. Great public interest is being evinced regarding the spiritualist seance which Mr Urquhart has consented to being held in his house tonight.
There is an idea among some people that the seance will reveal a solution, but, on the other hand, a big number of the citizens believe that the disturbances are due to what are considered more natural causes. Nevertheless, public interest as to the outcome of tonight’s seance is very great.
“Old Saxon’s” theory – given in Saturday’s “Daily Record and Mail” – of the disturbance having an electrical origin has been much discussed. Ex-Lord Provost Sir James McTaggart, Aberdeen, shares this view.
Daily Record, 12th January 1920.
Mystery House Seance. Shocks for people present. “Spirits” appear.
The mystery of the weird rappings on the walls and floor and the strange behaviour of the furniture in the house at 1 Gordon Place, Aberdeen, remains unsolved. The absence of the noises for a couple of nights had in some measure restored confidence in the household, but this feeling was rudely disturbed as the midnight hour approached on Sunday. With startling suddenness, a faint tapping sound was first heard on the south wall of the kitchen, behind the dresser, and fully two minutes later there were successive noises of knocking from the floor adjoining the wall.
For about half an hour this continued at brief irregular intervals, and these were described by Mr Urquhart, the tenant, as the loudest which so far had been heard. A crib of light weight, in which a boy was sleeping, rose at one end on the floor, and an empty box under the bed was heard to clatter and move its position. Three sharp raps on the wall above the fireplace brought the strange happenings to an end. This time the occupants were thrown into a state bordering on frenzy, and a messenger was sent on haste to the Central Police Office, where arrangements were made for the temporary accommodation of the family for the remainder of the night.
Mr Urquhart says that his little dog yesterday behaved in a curious fashion, whining and showing a restless desire to leave the house. It liked to be fondled by the invalid boy, whose bed in the kitchen has been moved several times; but it now refused to be petted, and it bolted at every opportunity. When the disturbance commenced on Sunday night the animal barked furiousl
A crowd of several thousands, in the most intense state of excitement, last night awaited the conclusion of a seance, which was held in the “House of Mystery.” Those who attended the seance were representative of Aberdeen’s leading spiritualists, and all had gathered to investigate the possible “second” cause of the remarkable happenings. The seance commenced at 7.30, and lasted till 9 o’clock. The services of two leading exponents of spiritualism were obtained, and the company included the Urquhart family, and also friends and neighbours. About 40 people were present.
The following report was given to a “Daily Record” representative: The proceedings from start to finish were characterised by much solemnity and impressiveness, and the verdict of the mediums at the conclusion of the seance was that the disturbances could not be definitely ascribed to any supernatural cause. Several members of the Urquhart family received what are claimed to be remarkable revelations. The first spirit “called up” was that of Mr James Downie, a former friend of the family, who died about five years ago. The presence was also detected of a soldier nephew of Mrs Urquhart, who, after spending his last leave at the house, returned to France and was killed by shell fire.
The most curious feature of the proceedings was the vision which is said to have appeared to Mr Sheriff, who lives on the opposite floor to the Urquhart’s house. This gentleman had strongly advised Mr Urquhart not to have any dealings with the spiritualists’ company, but he had been pressed to remain to the end of the seance. During the proceedings he scoffed several times at what was taking place, and when one of the mediums described the presence of an elderly grey-haired lady, he immediately identified the spirit as that of his wife, and he burst into a loud fit of weeping.
Other spirits which were “called up” with the exception of two, were recognised by members of the company. At the end of the seance, the conditions were declared by the mediums to be unfavourable to proper reseach, and the seance was adjourned till later in the week.
Yesterday afternoon, several noises similar to those heard on Sunday night, again disturbed the family, and although the disturbances did not last long they gave additional alarm to the household. One of the beds was also taken off its supports.
An Aberdeen electrical expert, who has made an examination of the house, told our representative that the electrical theory put forward by the “Daily Record and Mail” is acceptable.
Daily Record, 13th January 1920.
Aberdeen “Spooks” Not Yet Found.
More weird noises.
The failure of the spiritualistic seance to solve the mystery of the haunted house in Aberdeen has only served to intensify public curiosity. A week has now elapsed since the “ghost” started to disturb the Urquhart family in their abode at 1 Gordon Place in the Bon-Accord district of the Granite City, adn since then the peregrinations have been daily and nightly.
Following the seance on Monday night, strange noises and tappings were again heard at intervals yesterday. A police inspector who with a staid army of constables, kept a vigilant watch in the house, testifies that he saw a bed rise four inches off the flour. Other strange happenings vouched for are: Repeated thuds on the kitchen floor, gurgling sounds and groanings, toy engine lifted off table and thrown violently upon the floor, bed lifted off floor while neighbour was standing with his arms leaning on bed-rail, rap-a-tat-tats on the walls, tremblings of the floor dishes on shelf rattled violently.
The house of three apartments, forms the gable of a building adjoining Oldmunn Road, and is occupied by Mr Alexander Urquhart, his wife, and family of four. Urquhart is a laundry van driver and a discharged artilleryman. Across the passage reside a family named Grant, and underneath both houses is a disused blacksmith shop.
It has now been discovered that several decades ago the occupant of the blacksmith’s workshop disappeared. For months every effort was made to trace him. The country districts were scoured by the local police, but finally, when all hope was given up, his body was discovered in a wood near the homestead. The body was much decomposed, but the skeleton hand still clutched a pistol, and in a pocket was found a bottle containing poison. Some say there was a hatchet near the body. It is locally believed that the spirit of the blacksmith has returned to haunt his old earthly dwelling and wants the place to himself.
It is strange that a clairvoyant in London when asked if he could find the explanation of the hauntings, made a few statements, including a description of the dead blacksmith, which tallies with what is known of him.
Theories of all kinds have been advanced, but the mystery of the haunted house defies solution. Many people seriously declare that it is the “work of the devil,” while a local clergyman, it is stated, delivered a warning to his congregation against “tampering with Satanic forces,” and exhorted them to have nothing to do with the haunted house.
It was believed that the wooden supporting pillars beneath the roof of the blacksmith’s workshop and under the dwelling houses were sagging, and the noises and movements were caused by the “creak.” This has been negatived.
There are outer and inner walls of lathe and plaster in the house which are shaky. It was advanced that the movement of the joists with this shaky plaster would give forth the screams and “human” sounds. But these and many other theories have been found untenable after long examination by Scottish builders.
Edinburgh Evening News, 14th January 1920.
“Haunted” house speculations.
The letters “A.E.L.Q.,” which were communicated by a table at Aberdeen’s “haunted” house on Monday eveningn should provide the speculative with much innocent entertainment for the remainder of the winter. What do the letters stand for? Had they been the letters “A.D.L.L,” one might have supposed that Jonathan Oldbuck of Scott’s “Antiquary” had been exerting some influence in the spirit world! These initials he asserted with characteristic pomposity stood for “Agricola Dicavit Libens Lubens,” but Edie Ochiltree dashed that fantastic theory to the ground by stating that they only meant “Aiken Drum’s Lang Ladel”, Aiken being one of the “kale-suppers” of Fife!
The Electric Theory.
In one household at least the cause of the disturbances at 1 Gordon Place, Aberdeen, is set down without question to electricity. The “guid man” was reading the “Evening Express” to his better half and repeatedly alluded to the word “electricity.” “I weel believe,” said she, “that that scoundrel Eleck Tricity has t’ dae wi’t!” It reminds one of the surprise experienced by an old lady when she read the following announcement in her favourite newspaper: “At — South Africa, Mrs So-and-So, of a daughter. By telegraph.” “Eleck” is indeed a wonderful fellow.
Aberdeen Press and Journal, 14th January 1920.
Ghost
No. 1 Gordon Place. New tenant for blacksmith’s shop.
The occupants of the house 1 Gordon Place, Aberdeen, were again disturbed yesterday by a recurrence of the unusual noises, which have been heard every night, except one, during the past week. The “knockings” on the walls and floor recommenced in the early hours of the morning, and continued, off and on, till nine o’clock last night. The sounds were particularly loud between two o’clock and five o’clock in the afternoon. During the evening large crowds again gathered in the district, and were interested in the fact that the blacksmith’s shop beneath Mr Urquhart’s house had been re-occupied by a new tenant – a demobilised soldier – and was brightly illuminated by incandescent light.
Aberdeen Press and Journal, 14th January 1920.
Ghost Haunted House.
More weird noises in Aberdeen. Still a mystery.
The failure of the spiritualistic conclave to solve the mystery of the haunted house in Aberdeen has only served to intensify the public curiosity. A week has now elapsed since the “ghost” started to disturb the Urquhart family in their abode at 1 Gordon Place in the Bon-Accord district of the Granite City, and since then his peregrinations have been daily and nightly. Following the seance on Monday night, strange noises and tappings were again heard at intervals yesterday.
A police inspector, who, with a small army of constables, kept a vigilant watch in the house testifies that he saw a bed rise four inches off the floor. Other strange happenings vouched for are: – Repeated thuds on the kitchen floor. Gurgling sounds and groanings. Toy engine lifted off table and thrown violently upon the floor. Sledge-hammer blows awakened family next door. Bed lifted off floor while neighbour was standing with his arms leaning on bed-rail. Rap-a-tat-tats on the walls. Tremblings of the floor. Dishes on shelf rattled violently.
The house, of three apartments, forms the gable of a building adjoining Old-munn Road, and is occupied by Mr Alexander Urquhart, his wife, and family of four. Urquhart is a laundry van driver, and a discharged artilleryman. Across the passage reside a family named Grant, and underneath both houses is a disused blacksmith shop.
It has now been discovered that several decades ago the occupant of the blacksmith’s workshop disappeared. For months every effort was made to trace him. The country districts were scoured by the local police, but finally, when all hope was given up, his body was discovered in a wood near the homestead. The body was much decomposed, but the skeleton hand still clutched a pistol, and in a pocket was found a bottle containing poison. Some say there was a hatchet near the body. It is locally believed that the spirit of the blacksmith has returned to haunt his old earthly dwelling and wants the place to himself. It is strange that a clairvoyant in London when asked if he could find the explanation of the hauntings, made a few statements, including a description of the dead blacksmith, which tallies with what is known of him.
It was believed that the wooden supporting pillars beneath the roof of the blacksmith’s workshop and under the dwelling-houses were sagging, and the noises and movements were caused by the “creak.” This has been negatived.
There are outer and inner walls of lathe and plaster in the house which are shaky. It was advanced that the movement of the joists with this shaky plaster would give forth the screams and “human” sounds. But these and many other theories have been found untenable after long examination by Scottish builders.
Daily Record, 14th January 1920.
What the “spirits” mean.
Sir, – I sometimes go to seances and circles, and, though I do not say I am fully convinced of the truth of my experiences, I have had enough to show me that there is a power behind, new to orthodox teachings. Were the delicate child in the Aberdeen mystery a child of my own, I would accept the rappings and the lifting of the bed as a message that I ought to lift the sufferer up out of his present surroundings, and that, by so doing, the change would be beneficial, and might restore him to better health. T.W.
Haunted house mystery.
Sir, – As an explanation of the mystery of the Aberdeen haunted house, is it not quite feasible that, as an instrument in Paisley can record earthquakes in Mexico, a house in Aberdeen may be susceptible to similar tremors? To me, it seems quite possible that the house in question may rest on a particular “nerve” of the earth. X.
Daily Record, 15th January 1920.
Mysterious Letters.
A correspondent writes – “The letters ‘A.E.L.Q.’ which were spelled out by the table at the seance in Aberdeen’s ‘haunted’ house, might well afford much diversion, as you say, to those speculatively inclined. Such a pastime was indulged in in Germany in the fifteenth century, when Frederick III stamped the vowels A.E.I.O.U upon coins and medals and inscribed them on public buildings. It became a favourite exercise for learned and ingenious men to fit n ew readings to the motto, and Rasch, the organist of the Schottencloster, discovered no less than 200 possible readings, which he gave to the world about 1500. Now that the students of Aberdeen University are apparently interested in the ‘haunted’ house, what do they make of the letters “A.E.L.Q.’?”
Aberdeen Press and Journal, 15th January 1920.
Night in Mystery House.
“Record” Investigator Watches For Aberdeen Spooks.
Highland “Second Sight.”
In Haunted House. A “Daily Record” Investigator spent last night in Aberdeen’s mystery house as the guest of Mr Urquhart, the tenant. If there are any more mysterious knockings to hear he will have heard them.
Another Seance. Today he gives a description of the experiences at the second seance which the local Spiritualists have held in the “haunted” rooms.
Sleeping in the “Haunted” Chamber.
Aberdeen Mystery Still Unexplained.
From our own reporter. Aberdeen, Wednesday night.
Has the ghostly destroyer of the peace of the Urquhart family in their now famous house at 1 Gordon Place, Aberdeen, departed for good? Today has passed entirely undisturbed by the impressively persistent rappings, which have occurred incessantly, day and night, for over a week. There are two new claims. The young invalid boy Urquhart is said to be gifted with Highland “second sight.” A “spirit” is said to have told Mr Urquhart to “get out of the house.”
Mr Alexander Urquhart, the head of the haunted household, is firmly convinced that the sounds have stopped for good, quoting in support of this belief the fact that a second spiritualistic seance was held in the house at midnight on Tuesday. On that occasion, he says, his father appeared and delivered a definite message. During the hours immediately preceding the sitting, the ghostly knockings were continued and were premptory, but since then there has been no unnatural sound, and on Tuesday evening, the family enjoyed the first full night’s sleep that has fallen to their lot since the mysterious noises began a week ago.
Tonight, however, another seance is to be held, making three in all, and I have been invited by Mr Urquhart to attend. He has also given me permission to spend the whole night in his house to give me an opportunity of studying for myself the disturbing phenomena, should they again manifest themselves. Mr Urquhart assures me that he has now become definitely converted to spiritualism. His experiences of Tuesday night have banished all his scepticism, and he is now fully persuaded that the knockings and the disturbance of furniture were caused by the shade of his deceased father, who was endeavouring to get into communication with him.
In giving me an account of the seance of Tuesday night, Mr Urquhart explained that the medium through whom his father delivered his messages is a complete stranger to the family, and was introduced to them that night for the first time. Another peculiar feature which Mr Urquhart claims absolutely to prove the certainty of his father’s presence is that the old man was also seen by the 14-year-old boy John. The lad, who has been confined to bed suffering from a badly-burned leg, seems to have had an irresistible attraction for the ghostly visitor. His was the bed which was moved, and the mysterious rappings have always been heard in close proximity to him. The position of the boy’s bed has been altered several times, but the noises have always followed him and been repeated, either on the floor immediately next to him, or on the wall against which his bed was placed.
“Just before he died,” continued Mr Urquhart, “I was sure there was something he wanted to say to me. He tried to speak, but could not, and passed away with his message, whatever it was, left unuttered. I am not surprised that my father has tried to get into communication with me through John, for even in his babyhood days the laddie could twist the old man round his finger. My mother lives with my married sister, and she has been in ill-health for the past three weeks. Probably that has been the cause of my father’s anxiety. Her condition is, however, now much improved.”
This lady, to whom the late Mr Urquhart senior delivered his message, told me that she was sure the boy John was intensely mediumistic. “His temperament,” she said, “is ideally that of the recognised clairvoyant.” Mrs Strachan, the boy’s aunt (Mr Urquhart’s sister), told me that even when he was six years old John displayed uncanny powers of “second sight.” “My husband died eight years ago. He was a lance-corporal in the Gordon Highlanders, and his battalion was represented at his burial. Before the party arrived wee John told me there were 10 soldiers coming to his uncle’s funeral. Sure enough, when the party did turn up, the exact number was ten. There are many other cases which have proved to us that John possesses unusual psychic powers.”
Daily Record, 15th January 1920.
House Spook Laid.
“Record” Man’s Midnight Vigil.
(From our own reporter). Aberdeen, Thursday night.
Aberdeen’s “haunted house” is no longer a place of mystery. The “ghost” seems to have made its departure. As arranged with Mr Urquart, I remained in the house at 1 Gordon Place until an advanced hour this morning, but the mysterious noises which have caused so much speculation were not repeated. In fact, nothing unnatural has occurred since the spiritualistic seance of Tuesday night, and Mr Urquhart is assured that the spirit message he says he received from his deceased father on that occasion is the end of the whole business. The local spiritualists who held the seance are of the same opinion, but Mr Urquhart bases his assumption on additional points which he claims cannot be neglected.
Of these circumstances the most significant to Mr Urquhart’s mind is the remarkable recovery of spirits on the part of the twelve-year-old boy, John, who is said to have given such a remarkable display of his mediumistic powers during the seance. Throughout the week of terror the lad was dull and listless, and could not explain his loss of vitality. Now he is the happy, lively boy who was the life and soul of the household before the mysterious occurrences a week ago.
The family pets, a cat and a dog, also gave evidence of great uneasiness during the time the noises were heard. The latter refused to stay in th ehouse over the week-end, but ran to and from the door whining and whimpering. Both animals now behave quite normally.
Mr Urquhart told me today the whole affair is likely to have a satisfactory sequel. He has been informed that certain Aberdeen Town Councillors are interesting themselves on his behalf with a view to securing a new residence for him and his family.
Mr Urquhart states that the house at 1 Gordon Place is much too small for his requirements. He would have removed long ago only the house famine forced him to remain where he was.
Many months will elapse before the Urquhart household recovers from its terrifying experiences. All, particularly Mrs Urquhart and the two daughters, have been deeply affected by the strain upon their nerves. Even the smallest and most natural of sudden noises causes them to start.
The house continues to have a magnetic influence on curious sightseers, many of whom have resorted to very questionable “practical jokes.” One example of this peculiar form of fun was the tying of a rope, ankle-high, across the stairway, and a caller narrowly escaped sustaining severe injuries through stumbling over the obstacle.
Daily Record, 16th January 1920.
Aberdeen ‘Spooks.’
Split among the spiritualists.
Ghost with an Irish brogue.
A remarkable sequel is reported in connection with the Aberdeen “haunted house” mystery. Professor John Coates, a London investigator, who travelled to Aberdeen to inquire into the phenomena, has been refused permission to hold a seance in the house at 1 Gordon Place, and a serious “split” has taken place in local spiritualistic circles.
Since the seance of Tuesday night there has been no repetition of the mysterious knockings on floor or walls, and the furniture has remained undisturbed by spiritual influences.
Professor Coates, who arrived in Aberdeen yesterday, made the journey from London at the instance of a London spiritualistic organ. He called on the Chief Constable of Aberdeen, to whom he stated his intention of inquiring into the Gordon Place phenomena in the early hours of the morning. He asked for police protection from the sensation-hunting crowd which gathers nightly in the neighbourhood of the “house of mystery.”
Mr Urquhart granted permission to Professor Coates to proceed with his investigations, and shortly before midnight the professor arrived at Gordon Place. He was accompanied by Mrs Murray, the president of the Bon Accord Spiritualist Church, and, following hard on his heels, there arrived a party of the spiritualists who had conducted the previous seances. The latter declared that no seance was to be held that night. Mr Walker, one of their number, said that Mr Urquhart had entrusted him to take charge of any further investigations, and that all rappings on the walls of the house had now ceased. He also assured the professor that the noises had been caused by the presence of the spirit of Mr Urquhart’s father, and that there was apparently no necessity for further inquiry. Professor Coates and his lady friend were politely but firmly asked to leave.
Later the professor told a “Daily Record and Mail” representative that all the seances held in the house had not produced the slightest particle of evidence that the knockings were caused by a supernatural power. If there had been, he said, they would have been continued until they were interrogated, and would assuredly have indicated that there was an intelligence behind directing them. “I will not decry the seances which have been held, but, in these circumstances, it is quite possible that some people may have imagined they saw spirit forms.”
Referring to what the invalid son and Mr Urquhart had said regarding seeing the spirit of the grandfather, Professor Coates said he had questioned the lad, and it seemed to him that the lad had been worked into a state of excitement by the conduct of the people at the seance. Professor Coates said he would not have investigated the phenomena to the accompaniment of the hysterics, claptrap, and nonsense of the previous seances. “I brought with me a most remarkable clairvoyante,” he said, “and my purpose was to see that there was no objective demonstration.”
“One of the mediums at the last seance, Mrs Bowman, professed to be controlled by an Irish guide, who said, ‘Sure and bedad,’ and used the expression ‘damned.’ I am an Irishman myself, and know the characteristics of the people of my native land, and can vouch for the fact that none by [but?] an Irish comedian on the music-hall stage would use the words, ‘Sure and bedad.'” “Spiritualism,” concluded Professor Coates, “must be raised to a higher level than that before we can get at the truth.”
Public opinion in Aberdeen is now sharply divided on the true explanation of the Gordon Place phenomena. One side accepts the spiritualistic solution; the other is still waiting for a natural explanation of the mysterious occurrences. Large crowds continue to gather in the vicinity of the house, and all sorts of jokes are resorted to to relieve the tedium of waiting for the “ghost.”
Edinburgh Evening News, 17th January 1920.
The Aberdeen Mystery House. An exclusive photograph of the interior of the house at No. 1 Gordon Place, concerning which so many extraordinary stories have been told. The boy in bed is fourteen-year-old John Urquhart, through which the spirit message is said to have been received. The bed is that which was reported to have moved, and the room is that in which the noises were heard.
Sunday Post, 18th January 1920.
Boy and Rapping Ghost.
Week of terror at Aberdeen.
From our own correspondent. Glasgow, Saturday.
All Scotland today is athrill with interest in a remarkable boy medium who solved the mystery of a haunted house in Aberdeen. The lad is John Urquhart, the 14-year-old son of Alexander Urquhart, of Gordon-place, Aberdeen. For an entire week the Urquhart house-hold was terror-stricken by mysterious knockings on the floor and walls of the house, and by the displacement of furniture.
The lad was confined to bed through severe burning injuries, and the strange fact was that the phenomena were always apparent in his immediate vicinity. He was moved from room to room, but the sounds persisted in following him.
A police inspector who spent the night in the house declares that he saw the boy’s bed lifted four inches off the floor, although there was no appreciable movement of the floor itself. Extensive examinations of the building were made by builders, plumbers, and gas and water engineers, but no physical explanation of the mystery could be found.
At last a Spiritualistic seance was held in the house, and the spirit of the lad’s grandfather, who died six years ago, was described and recognised by Mr Urquhart and his wife. Apparently, however, the old man could not deliver his message through the mediums, and the seance was suspended, but before the mediums left the house the boy sprang up in bed in a trance and shouted, “It’s grandad, and he wants you to take care of grandma.” Immediately the lad burst into violent weeping, declaring that he had been in a dark hole and was terribly afraid. He also explained that his grandfather wanted the family to remove to another residence.
Since the seance there has been no repetition of the ghostly sounds.
Weekly Dispatch (London), 18th January 1920.
Ghost mystery solved.
Night vigil under haunted house. What Smithy ceiling revealed. Spook myth exploded.
By our special investigator. Aberdeen, Saturday.
My instructions were to “bring back the spook, dead or alive.” Unfortunately I cannot do so, as that would necessitate the transport of the entire row of houses known as Gordon Street, not to mention the slope on which they are built, and the fine sand underneath them. I have to give “Sunday Mail” readers an account of how I finally solved the mystery which has been a source of so much conjecture. Genuine spiritualists need not be offended at the explanation. It does not disprove spiritualism, and I have excellent grounds for stating that many influential spiritualists will accept the natural solution of the mystery.
When I reached No. 1 Gordon Place, I found the customary crowd of sight seers around the gable wall, which appears to have been the seat of all the trouble. I made a leisurely examination of the main features of the building. The first unusual thing which struck me was that a high telephone pole had been erected close to the house, and one of the two metal guy-ropes disappeared into the ground just beside the gable. The heavy beam to which this wire stay is fixed must be immediately below the foundations of the gable, I thought. There was a second wire stay in a direction at a right angle with the first.
The gable end of the house, I observed, was not perpendicular, but slightly overhung the pathway. Also, the tenement to which the house belongs is built on a considerable slope, No. 1 Gordon Place being at the foot, and the gable was not supported by any buttresses. The houses are by no means modern, and are roofed with red tiles. The small windows of the disused smithy underneath the “haunted” house were for the most part broken.
On entering the smithy I paid particular notice to the fact that the large space of flooring above seemed to be supported only by two slim wooden pillars in the centre. The space covered by the boarding above was about 15 by 25 feet, and there were large bulges apparent over the surface. There was no visible support for the boarding or ceiling. It was nailed to the joists above, consequently any bulge in it corresponding to some sort of strain in the flooring above the joists.
I arranged with Mr Scott, the tenant of the smithy, that I should remain in the place all night, not that I expected any recurrence of the strange happening, but more in order to get an opportunity for a thorough investigation. I had some time to pass before nightfall, and utilised it in finding out whether any electrical explanation of the disturbances was possible. As no cable save the telephone one passed neare the house than 100 yards, I dismissed the electrical theory. The forty volts or so of the telephone cable was not enough to make a bedstead jazz, and would not affect wooden articles of furniture.
On further inquiry, however, I was able to confirm some information which had a very direct bearing on the problem – namely, that there was a stratum of fine sand underneath the whole district.
Mr James Nelson, a young friend of Mr Scott, when he heard of my determination to spend the night under the “haunted” rooms, at once offered to accompany me, and I was glad to accept, asI then had a witness in the event of anything unusual occurring. I also informed the police of my intention, and I am glad to acknowledge the kindness and assistance I received from that quarter in solving the mystery.
During the night, with the aid of an electric torch, I examined every inch of the boarding under the haunted house. It betrayed unmistakable signs of recent movement, and, at two or three of the seams, marked bendings had been produced. The floor moved when anyone walked over it – a fact also noticed from above, and which is corroborated by the police. A constable who was present during the alarming disturbances of the first night informed me that the mere act of walking on the floor caused “the dishes on the dresser to dance.” “It acted like a springboard,” he said.
I think I have mentioned all the facts necessary for an explanation of the sudden outburst of noises, alarms and floor movements. At the risk of disappointing any readers who may be spiritualistically inclined, therefore, I venture the following interpretation of the phenomenon. This theory, on account of the weight of evidence behind it and its correspondence with all the known facts, may be regarded as authoritative and conclusive. The gable wall has been subject to pressure outwards for some time on account of the slope of the ground, and has been inclined at an angle of several degrees from the perpendicular.
When a hole was dug recently into the foundations of the gable in order to erect the telephone pole, an opportunity was given for a slight shift of the sand underneath the wall. What would be the result? The long joists – in two or more sections – running from end to end of the smithy, would be pulled downwards at the gable wall, causing a bend in the floor of the house, so slight, perhaps, as to pass unnoticed. Underneath the joists, the ceiling boards of the smithy would be subjected to a variety of stresses, and would bend wherever possible.
The whole floor of the “haunted” house, at this stage, is like a spring waiting for release. Gradually the pressure on the ends of the joists increases. They cannot move downwards because they are resting on a recess in the wall. But they may be moved upwards. All this accumulation of force seeks an outlet. On a critical evening, one of the joists springs at last, and the heavy thud startles the occupants of the house. The loud noise is followed by the sound of falling plaster. Perhaps a loose stone or two in the aperture between the double wall of the gable topples down and adds to the consternation of the tenants.
As for the walls dividing the rooms of the house, they are affected even more than the stauncher outer walls, and the weird knockigns and rappings from them cause further alarm as the structure readjusts itself to the new position of the joist. Then another part of the flooring springs into a new position, and an article of furniture seems to jump suddenly as if of its own accord, owing to the springboard action of the floor.
Rusty nails in the woodwork are forced out with peculiar rapping sounds, another and another board or beam accommodates itself to the new positions of its fellows, and so the noise goes on. This sort of thing may be compared to the creaking of a basket chair long after one has sat upon it; the very same property of wood is there manifested.
I spent the entire night in the smithy underneath the “haunted” house, and observed the arrivals and departures of several spiritualists, including Professor Coates and Mrs A.J. Murray, the president of the Bon Accord Spiritualistic Church. The privilege of holding a thorough investigation, it is alleged, was denied to Professor Coates, an eminent London investigator, who had brought with him a remarkable lady clairvoyante. Mrs Murray, and the Church with which she is associated, deny any participation in the seances held in the “haunted” house.
Sunday Mail (Glasgow), 18th January 1920.
The Gordon Street Ghost.
Where was the Cinematograph man with his box of tricks when those mysterious happenings were going on in the haunted house in Gordon Street – Aberdeen, not Glasgow? The phenomena witnessed there would have made capital material either for a drama, comedy, or topical film, but the only “Johnny” on the spot with his camera was the Express photographer. No need for me to recount the mysterious manifestations, as they appeared in all the lay press throughout the country. Indeed I saw one Glasgow contemporary making the unkind comment that a ghost with such furniture-removing abilities might, considering its native city, be expected to make some money assisting at “flittin’s.” I can only add that this money-grabbing Aberdonian so often spoken of by “Clydesiders” is at the best only a ghost.
Scottish Cinema, 19th January 1920.
Haunting the Haunted House.
Before Baillie Ness in the Aberdeen Police Court yesterday, four young lads pleaded guilty to having, on the 18th inst., conducted themselves in a disorderly manner and committed a breach of the peace at No. 1 Gordon Place. The accused were Norman Anderson, Dee Village Road; Alex. Proctor, jun., Dee Village Road; Edward Bell, Menzies Road; and John Patterson, apprentice carpenter, Crown Street.
The Fiscal (Mr Gavin Sinclair) – What were you doing in Gordon Place? The Accused – Doon tae see the haunted hoose.
The Fiscal – Did you see the ghost? The accused did not reply.
The Fiscal – This is the famous haunted house occupied by a Mr Urquhart, who, I think, has been getting a little more attention than he bargained for. These young men were there on the Sunday night in question. There were many others there whose curiosity had been roused by the happenings at this famous house, but they were quiet. Those youths, however, were not, and were kicking up a row. Some one threw a tin can full of water on to the roof of the house, and as it fell down again it hit a man in the crowd on the head. He became angry, and one of these young men challenged him to a fight.
The magistrate ordered each to sign a bond for his good behaviour for six months.
Aberdeen Press and Journal, 30th January 1920.
Jan. 7th, 1920.
Mr and Mrs Alexander Urquhart and their family of four had a remarkable experience in their house at 1 Gordon Place, in the Bon Accord Street district last night. From shortly after 10 o’clock until about 7 o’clock this morning they were disturbed by mysterious noises, the origin of which baffled the police, who heard the sounds and saw the effects, but could discover no explanation despite the most thorough and painstaking search. The incident has created quite a sensation in the district.
Gordon Place is off Oldmill Road, which runs from Marywell Street to Union Glen, and is a wide court lying behind Gordon Street. The buildings are two storeys high, the dwelling houses being in the upper storey and reached by open stairs. The Urquharts live in the house which forms the gable adjoining Oldmill Road. They have three apartments, a kitchen and two bedrooms off it. Across the passage from them resides a family named Grant. Underneath both those houses is a disused blacksmith’s shop.
Nothing peculiar had been heard or observed about the house until last night. The family were preparing to go to bed shortly after 10 o’clock when a thump was heard on the wall. Next came a thud as though the kitchen floor had been struck from below by a hammer or some other heavy instrument. The house shook and the dishes rattled, and when the floor was struck the small-sized bed, in which an invalid boy, John, about nine years of age slept, was raised off the floor and came down with a bang.
Grant, the man next door, heard the unusual noise and came to the Urquharts’ to ascertain what was going on. He entered their house and heard and saw corroborative evidence of what was disturbing the household. The thumping was continuing at regular intervals. Grant was standing in the kitchen with his arms on the rails of the small bed, when another bump came and he was lifted off his feet as tthe bed rose. The blows or thumps all apparently came from underneath, except once, when what are described as “three hard smacks and then a single smack,” was heard from the wall.
The police were called, and at one time there were an inspector, a sergeant, and six constables all in the house, while the noises continued. They made a thorough search. A ladder was procured, and the roof and the chimneys were subjected to the closest investigation. The family are perplexed, as well they might be, by the disturbance, and the female members, as may be understood, are greatly upset.
Jan. 8th, 1920. Ghost of a blacksmith.
A good many decades ago the occupant of the blacksmith’s shop beneath the dwelling house disappeared from home and all trace of him was lost for several months. After the countryside had been scoured in vain it was found he had committed suicide by taking poison. His body was found by Mr Cowie, the tenant of the croft of Hoggin, Countesswells, in a wood near the steading. The body was very much decomposed, but the skeleton of the hand still clutched the bottle of poison, and in a pocket of the clothing a loaded pistol was found.\
It has been suggested to the local Spiritualists that the spirit of the blacksmith has returned to his “smiddy” perhaps to work the forehammer at the deserted forge in the hours of the early morning.
There have been several similar tragedies in this neighbourhood in recent years. A vanman was found dead, hanging by a rope from the rafters of a stable in Gordon Street, and a labourer who occupied an adjoining house killed himself one day with a razor. It is stated also that a former tenant of Mr Urquhart’s house died under tragic circumstances about 50 years ago, but it is difficult to establish the facts of that case.
Jan. 15th, 1920.
The mystery of the “haunted” house in Gordon Place, Aberdeen, has been solved, at least to the satisfaction of the Spiritualists. In the early hours of yesterday morning a party of psychic experts held a seance in Mr Urquhart’s house, and as a result declare they have found the cause of the disturbances of the past week, and that there will not be any recurrence of the alarming noises in the walls and floors of the house.
The origin of the sounds is stated to be due to the presence in the house of the spirit of Mr Urquhart’s father, a commercial traveller who died six years ago, and who returned to this world to communicate a message to his son. Shortly after midnight a seance of six sitters – four women and two men – was constituted. Mr Urquhart’s 14-year-old son John, was in bed with his brother, and there were also in the room Mr and Mrs Urquhart and two male visitors.
The spiritualists’ reports say that the manifestation proves the theory of Sir A. Conan Doyle that the knockings are just the ringing of a psychic telephone bell, and that once the message is delivered, the summons of the spirit will cease. After yesterday’s seance, everyone in the room declared that the atmosphere had changed, and were certain that no further knocking would take place.
Reprinted in the Aberdeen Evening Express, 15th November 1979.
The disturbances at the “haunted house” in Aberdeen have ceased, and whatever the agencies were by which they were caused, like Prospero’s actors, they have vanished into air and left not a wrack behind. One thing they did while they lasted, namely, to prove what an extraordinary amount of crude superstition still lingers among the mass of the peoples, when many of us were of the opinion that the spread of education had entirely rooted it out. Yet the Aberdeen fiasco does not stand alone, adn it would be interesting to know how many persons of reputable intelligence could be found who entertain scruples about beginning an enterprise on Friday, or sitting down with 13 at a table, to say nothing of spilling salt or meeting a cat first thing in the morning, and so the inmates of all glass houses must take heed how they throw stones. – Tullochgorum.
Buchan Observer and East Aberdeenshire Advertiser, 3rd February 1920.
Haunted House. An Aberdeen Mystery.
Early in January Aberdeen and the big district around it were much perturbed by the mystery of a haunted house – a mystery which, despite the most searching scrutiny of the police authorities and the city architects, remained unsolved.
It is likely to continue a mystery, unless the efforts of some local spiritualists, who were to hold a seance on the scene of the weird occurrence, proved successful in its solution. The house, 1 Gorton [sic] Place, is in the Bon Accord district, off Union street, Aberdeen’s main artery. This was the scene of the eerie noises and the acrobatic furniture “stunts” which alarmed the household of Mr Alex Urquhart, a laundry van driver, and a discharged artilleryman of middle age, together with his wife and family of four. The phenomenal experiences of these honest folk were not those of an hour or so. From shortly after 10 o’clock at night until about 7 o’clock in the morning the family was disturbed by mysterious noises, for which no explanation could be found despite the most thorough and painstaking search.
When the household communicated the alarm to the neighbours there was terror in the vicinity all through the dark hours. The Urquharts’ house is a very old one, and forms the gable of the buildings adjoining Oldmill road, consisting of three apartments. Across the passage from them resides a family named Grant. Underneath both houses is a disused blacksmith’s shop. Shortly after 10 o’clock the family were preparing to retire to bed when a thump was heard on the wall. Next came a thud as though the kitchen floor had been struck from below by a hammer or some other heavy instrument. Terror took hold of the household; the building shook, and the dishes rattled. When the floor was struck the small-sized bed, in which an invalid boy aged 9 years slept, was lifted in the air, and came down with a bang. The neighbour, Mr Grant, heard the unusual noises, and came to ascertain the cause. He heard and saw ample evidence of what was disturbing the household.
The thumping continued at irregular intervals. Grant was standing in the kitchen with his arms on the rails of the small bed when another bump come, and he was lifted off his feet as the bed rose. The blows, it was observed, all apparently came from underneath, except on one occasion when what was described as “the hard smacks, and then a single smack,” were heard from the wall.
Mr Urquhart drove to the Central Police Office. Six constables, a sergeant and an inspector arrived on the scene without delay, and made a thorough search of the interior and exterior of the house. The roof and chimneys were subjected to the closest scrutiny, as was the disused blacksmith’s shop below, but no clue could be got, and all the time of the investigation the disturbing racket continuted. When the noises commenced the invalid boy was in bed, and he was removed to the back bedroom, but the sounds continued and seemed to shift to that apartment as though following him. He was removed to a neighbour’s house.
The police kindly invited Mr and Mrs Urquhart to spend the night in the police office, but the invitation was declined. The other members of the family spent the night in neighbours’ houses. The invalid boy was brought back, and his return was accompanied by a remarkable incident. At 6.30 a.m. he was put to bed. A small dressing table was in front of the window, and it suddenly moved half round. Mr Urquhart put it back to its position, but shortly afterwards it was lifted right away about two feet from the window. In the early morning th epolice left, but returned in the afternoon and made another search for some physical cause of the weird occurrences. They, however, found nothing and had to acknowledge themselves beaten.
Mr Urquhart told a Sunday Mail representative that he took no interest in spiritualism himself, but that he understood that one of his daughters had attended two spiritualist meetings in the city.
Next night there was a repetition of the weird noises, and the alarm of the family was intensified when the history of the blacksmith’s shop underneath the house was revealed. It was established that 50 years ago the occupant of the blacksmith’s forge disappeared mysteriously from home, and all trace of him was lost for several months. After the countryside had been scoured in vain, it was found that he had committed suicide by taking poison, his body being found in a wood on a croft at Counterswells. The body was very much decomposed, but the skeleton of the blacksmith still clutched the bottle of poison, and in the pocket of the clothing a loaded pistol was found.
A representative of the Aberdeen Spiritualist Society visited the house and assured the family that he was the recipient of unique favours from the spirit world, and was receiving recognition, accorded only to a certain few. There was no doubt, he said, that one member of the Urquhart family was a natural medium possessed of unusual powers, and he urged Mr Urquhart to take every step to develop the existence of this faculty among the children. Mr Urquhart has given permission for a spiritualist seance to be held in his house, at which interested parties will be permitted the fullest opportunity to develop their theories.
The reappearance of the “ghost” was heralded by loud raps on the inner wall of the pantry. At 12 o’clock the Urquhart family and several neighbours who were in the house heard loud rapping on the floor beside a gas-cooker against the fireplace, but the most perplexing incident of the night was the behaviour of a model motor car with which John, the eight-year-old son of the family was amusing himself. About 11 o’clock he dismantled the toy and left the parts on the table which, on the previous night had caused so much alarm by its wandering tendences. A few miinutes later, while the household was at supper, a tinkling sound was heard from the floor, and a metal part of the child’s plaything had apparently left the table of its own accord, and found a resting place on the ground about seven feet away.
There was a succession of what were described to the Sunday Mail as “thumps” on the wall between one and two o’clock in the morning. These seemed to come from above a bed in the kitchen. These seemed to come from above a bed in the kitchen. At five minutes past three the loudest noises so far recorded were heard. So violent and insistent was the outbreak that two members of the family were aroused from their sleep. The sounds were like those produced by hammer strokes against a solid surface and all of them came from the floor beneath the bed which manifested such acrobatic proclivities. Up till six o’clock in the morning, at intervals of 30 minutes, the family was kept perplexed by clattering and rumblings of varying intensity in different parts of the flooring and walls of the house. The official report of the police inspector who was present says: “I saw the bed rise four inches off the floor, a table twice move out of its place, and heard a number of rappings on the wall and floors.”
The place has been besieged by crowds anxious to get into the “haunted house,” and it has been found necessary to have a cordon of police round the dwelling in order to protect it.
Two University students provided an amusing ten minutes. They arrived equipped with a stethoscope, with which, they told the police, they wished to identify the timbre of the noises. They were admitted, but Mr Urquhart, doubting their bona fide intentions, soon had them bundled outside.
Southland Times, 7th April 1920.
Assault in “Haunted” House.
The house at Gordon Place, Aberdeen, which, about three years ago, was alleged to be haunted, was the scene of an assault made upon one of the occupants, and in consequence four persons appeared before Baillie Tindall.
The accused were Mrs Catherine Mann, Bernard Mann, labourer; Robert Mann, motor mechanic; and Mrs Jane Mann, all of Kintore Place. It was alleged that on 29th December, in a house in Gordon Place, they assaulted John Urquhart, labourer. Urquhart, it was stated, was seized hold of, thrown on the floor, knelt upon and held down, and kicked repeatedly upon the body and legs. He had also been struck many times on the head, face, arms, body, and legs, and injured to the effusion of blood. The accused were also charged with having committed a breach of the peace.
They pleaded not guilty, and Mr Stuart McKay, solicitor, appeared on their behalf.
In the evidence for the prosecution it was stated that after Mrs Grassick, one of the witnesses, had returned from the Central Police Office, where she had been in connection with a charge which had been made against the boy Urquhart, John Urquhart came into her house with blood oozing from his nose and mouth, while his eyes were swollen. He fainted, and when he came round said that two men and two women had done it. He was carried to his own house. Another witness described the assaulted lad’s face as being unrecognisable, and said that he had complained of pain in his side. By other witnesses he was described as being “in a terrible mess.”
Mrs Catherine Mann, in the witness box, said that when she came home from the Police Office, where she had been in connection with some charge against the boy Urquhart, she told her husband about it. She was then informed that her sons, the male accused, had left the house for Gordon Place. She tried to stop them, but was unsuccessful. They went up to Urquhart’s house, and the boy Urquhart came to the door. He was recognised by a girl with witness, and one of the sons went into the house. She admitted he struck him. She “minded that that was the ‘haunted’ house,” and she had opened the door.
In reply to a question put by the Fiscal (Mr Gavin Sinclair) as to whether she was frightened that her son would hurt the boy, she replied “No, but I’m feart at ghosts.” She had done nothing to restrain her son from hurting the lad.
The accused, Robert Mann, admitted that he alone had struck the boy, and the Magistrate fined him £5, or 20 days’ imprisonment – 14 days being allowed to find the money; while the charge against the others was found not proved.
Aberdeen Press and Journal, 13th January 1923.
In the Courts. Aberdeen boy fined for serious offences.
John Urquhart, a 16-year-old message boy, 1 Gordon Place, appeared before Sheriff Laing at Aberdeen yesterday charged with disgraceful offences. He pleaded guilty to having in July and August last, the particular dates being unknown, indecently assaulted a number of young girls, whose ages ranged from 6 years to 8 years, at 1 Gordon Place, a woodyard at the junction of Albury Road and Springbank Terrace, and in a lane in Holburn Street; and indecently assaulted a 10year-old girl in the Queen’s Cinema, Union Street, on 23rd ult.
Mr J. Speid Benson, solicitor, appeared on behalf of accused, and said that Urquhart did not quite realise the seriousness of the offences he had committed. He had already been severely punished for his offences. One of the parents had given him a severe thrashing. As a result the parent appeared in the Police Court and was fined. He asked that the boy be dealt with leniently.
The Fiscal (Mr Thomas Maclennan) said that if accused had been older he (the fiscal) would have asked that the boy be sent to a higher court for sentence. Accused was on probation for a previous offence.
In passing sentence, the Sheriff said it was deplorable to see a lad just over 16 years of age charged with such offences. He had received a good thrashing from one of the parents, but people could not take the law into their own hands like that; still, one could easily appreciate the anger they cherished. Had accused been younger he would have received a sound birching. He imposed a fine of £5, with the alternative of 30 days imprisonment.
Aberdeen Press and Journal, 18th January 1923.
Aberdeen Lad’s Frauds.
A long list of charges of obtaining money and articles by false pretences was brought against John Urquhart, labourer, Gordon Place.
Urquhart was charged with having on August 16, in a shop in Rosemount Place occupied by the Buttercup Dairy Coy., pretended to an assistant that his name and address were “Durach, 13 Princes Street,” that he bought and sold empty boxes, and that if the assistant would give him some boxes he would pay for them the following day. He thus induced the assistant to give him on credit 30 empty boxes which he appropriated to his own uses, without paying or intending to pay for them. He was also said to have, on August 20 or 21, in the same place, on a similar pretence, obtained 50 empty boxes.
On September 26, in a house in John Street, occupied by James Donaldson, joiner, accused was said to have pretended to the housekeeper that he was selling peats on commission, and that if she would pay him 2s he would deliver two bags of peats the following day, and thus induced the housekeeper to give him 2s, which he appropriated. He had also, it was stated, on the same day, in another house in John Street, by means of a similar story, obtained 2s; and on September 28, in premises in Jopp’s Lane, by pretending that he was purchasing empty boxes for a firm, been supplied on credit with seven empty boxes, which he appropriated without paying or intending to pay for them.
The lad pleaded guilty to the charges, and admitted a previous conviction for theft. His father said he had done his best to keep the boy under control.
Mr Gavin Sinclair, the fiscal, said the boy had proved himself a problem to his people. He was clearly shaping in the direction of prison or Borstal. The total value of the articles was £2 2s 11d.
Baillie Anderson continued the case until to-day to see what could be done with the accused.
Aberdeen Press and Journal, 6th October 1923.
Father’s plea for son.
John Urquhart (17), labourer, 1 Gordon Place, Aberdeen, admitted to Sheriff Laing that he was guilty of five separate acts of fraud. His dishonesty consisted of pretending to several local shopkeepers that he bought and sold empty boxes, by which means he obtained boxes for sale to the value of £2 2s 11d without paying for them. He also pretended that he would supply two householders with two bags of peats each, for which he received in advance 4s, which he also appropriated.
Mr T. Maclennan (the fiscal) said the case had been remitted from the Police Court, as the lad’s father stated that he was beyond his control, and that he would be better in a Borstal Institution for a period. He, accordingly, asked that the case be continued for a week to have a report as to his suitability for such treatment.
Mr R.S. McKay, solicitor, said the father was most anxious that the son should have another chance. The father, who was in Court, said he had now changed his mind, and thought that, if his on got another chance, he might pull himself together. He would try to get employment for him at a trade.
Mr McKay said the lad had been selling peats, coal, and cinders on his own account without any capital, and that his father would have been better to have had him in a situation.
Mrs Urquhart, mother of the accused, said there had been no trouble with the lad before, but the Fiscal said that was not the case, as he had committed a series of grave offences already.
Mr McKay objected to these ex-parte statements as quite irregular, but the Sheriff held that anything relating to the boy’s previous history was quite relevant as to deciding whether he should be sent for Borstal treatment.
Sheriff Laing said he would give accused another chance, and imposed a fine of £3, with the alternative of 20 days’ imprisonment. He also ordered accused to find caution for £2 for his good behaviour for 12 months, or go to prison for another 14 days. a fortnight was granted to find the money.
Aberdeen Press and Journal, 9th October 1923.
There was no ghost.
Re: The Evening Express story about a haunted house. There wasn’t one, it was the son himself who did all the “haunting.” He used to bang on the wall and rock his chair about, but not when people were in the house. Nobody ever saw that boy out to play. I stayed in Gordon Street so I know what went on.
Mrs E.T. Aberdeen.
Aberdeen Evening Express, 30th May 1989.