Mystery of a Haunted House.
Curious story from Belgium.
(From our own correspondent.)
Brussels, Sunday. – Certain events similar to those noticed not long since at Valence-en-Brie in France, to which those who are the objects of the mysterious acts attribute a supernatural origin, are causing at this moment a great deal of excitement in the quiet village of Ath and its environs.
About the middle of October a couple named Pollain took a house in Ath, a suburb of Tournai, and opened a small shop for the sale of haberdashery and groceries. They were hardly settled when certain so-called supernatural phenomena took place. Money disappeared from the till, goods left the shop without any visible assistance, and it was impossible to discover by what means such occurrences were effected. The supposition that the things were stolen proved groundless, for the articles were subsequently found concealed in different parts of the house. Sometimes the money missing from the till has been found in a linen press, of which the housewife alone has the key, at other times it has been found behind a lot of boxes in the garret. The other day a number of knives were missing just at the dinner-hour, and were found later on scattered in all directions.
Little by little the strange doings of the so-called spirits began to alarm the neighbours, as it appears that this thing has been going on for a long time, and the preceding tenants complained of the same phenomena. They frequently heard the sound of heavy footsteps on the roof. A police officer passed a night in the house and attributed the noises to rats. Up to a few days ago, the events were, however, limited to mere harmless tricks; on Thursday, affairs took a more serious turn, and a fire broke out between two mattresses on a bed which was used every day. The day before, another police officer had passed the night in the house but noticed nothing abnormal. The moment, however, he had gone, the phenomena recommenced more wildly than before.
Such startling circumstances aroused the attention of the Vicar of the Saint Martin, who went to the house, hoping by prayers to drive away the Evil One. Six men have passed the night in the house, armed; some say they have seen the spirit without being able to touch it, and here matters rest.
Pall Mall Gazette, 14th December 1896.