The Ballygarvan Ghost Story.
Not for a long time has anything occurred so favourable for writing about at length as the doings of a supposed ghost at Ballygarvan, but, unfortunately, it comes at a time when we are incapacitated for long writing. The doings of this ghost have set this district by the ears for a couple of weeks past, and stories weird enough to make your hair stand on end were circulated far and near.
Ballygarvan is about eight miles from New Ross, in a southerly direction. Members of three families live in a house at Ballygarvan, where the visitor from the spirit world makes itself felt. In this house a noises resembling the striking of an empty barrel with a mallet covered with a soft covering were heard, one night about three weeks ago, when the witching hour was drawing near. The sounds continued for several nights, and then some of the occupants of the house became alarmed. To their minds the house was haunted , and the sounds were made by an inhabitant of the ghostly sphere.
Other members of the household thought the noise might be made by some persons playing a trick upon them. This view prevailed, and the police were apprised of the fact. Duly the police visited the house, and stationed themselves inside and outside when the shades of night had gathered, and when, it is supposed, to be most favourable for the doing of evil deeds either by creatures mortal or ghostly.
At the usual time the noises were again heard, but it was impossible to find out what caused them. This was not satisfactory, and the police visited the house again and again, both by night and day; but without satisfying themselves of anything save the fact that the noises were not caused by anyone from outside.
A number of children were occupants of the house, and it was remarkable that the noises never began until they had retired to rest. To clear up the mystery one fo the police determined to remain in the room over night where the children slept, while his confrere posted himself outside. The children had no sooner retired to rest than the unearthly noises were heard, and despite the most vigilant searches by the guardian of the earthly law he was unable to find out the cause of the noise. Armed to the teeth with all the instruments of defence and aggression which ingenious mortals could devise, he was powerless against the supposed creature of the spirit world.
Everything about the house was ransacked in the search for the ghost – cupboards, presses, and all the other domestic paraphernalia were opened, examined, and shifted hither and thither, but without avail. Under the bed and over the bed where the children lay was searched, but nothing resulted, and still the noise continued. The situation was becoming terrible. Some members of the household were looking desperately ghost-like when the streaks of dawn relieved the situation for the time being.
The noise continued with clock-like regularity every night as soon as the children retired to rest, but not until then. This fact gave the clue to some of the many fellows who used to congregate in the house every night “to hear the ghost.” The room where the children slept was over the kitchen, and around the kitchen fire each night stories terribly awful were recited of the doings of other ghosts. These stories, coupled with the inexplicable noise, were having a bad effect on some members of the household, who were beginning to wear a ghost-like appearance before the mystery was solved.
A little girl about ten years was the occupant of one of the beds in the “haunted” room each night, and incredible as this seems, this wee lassie was the cause of all the hubub. The frame of the bed was of iron tubing, which, when struck with the hand, gave forth a hollow sound. This wee lassie used to strike the frame of the bed unobserved by keeping her hand covered by the bed coverlets. Thus the supposed unearthly sounds were produced, and the efforts of those to find out the cause of them defied. It took a good deal of time and diplomacy on the part of those who found “the Joker.”
New Ross Standard, 8th October 1909.
A Ghost At Ballygarvan.
From Ballygarvan, near Cusserane, comes the story of weird happenings that have mystified the people of the locality. The strange occurrences at Ballygarvan are briefly explained thus – a man named Scott, a returned American, owned a house and farm at Ballygarvan. He recently auctioned the place and went back to the land of the Stars and Stripes. The new owner of the farm divided the dwelling into two apartments (it is a roomy two-storey house), and in one end of the house a sister of the former owner resides, and in the other a workman lives.
About a fortnight ago at night time a strange rapping noise was heard in the workman’s portion of the dwelling. The sound consisted of a double knock and could be heard over a quarter of a mile away. The peculiar tap, tap continued each night, until the following Sunday when it ceased. During the week various unsuccessful efforts were made to locate the sound by the workman and some neighbours. On Friday night last the sound again commenced. The local police from Tintern barrack were called on the scene, but all their efforts could not elucidate the mystery.
Various theories are advanced as a reasonable explanation of the peculiar noise. The real trouble is that the sound cannot be properly located. It proceeds from the house, yet on entering the house it is impossible to say with any degree of certainty where it originates.
Perhaps what is really required at Ballygarvan now is a spiritualistic medium. One who really believes in the direct intercourse of the souls of the departed with mortals who still inhabit this sublunary sphere. To the ordinary everyday person the extraordinary tappings would only cause mystification and astonishment, mingled perhaps with a little superstitious fear, but to the spiritualist the occurrences would be capable of a very ready explanation. The believer in the doctrine of spiritualism would say “Why it is simply one of the dear departed who wishes to get into communication with friends left behind.” All that is necessary, therefore, is to procure the services of a medium, darken the room or house by extinguishing all the lights and observe complete silence. When the spirit raps the medium will rap back, and there you are, you can at once hold converse with the troubled soul, which seeks perhaps to your aid.
In the Ballygarvan case it is to be feared that the ordinary tables would not suffice to rap back. The ghost in this case knocks very loudly, and it follows, must be rather deaf, and therefore nothing less than the drum of a fife and drum band would do to reply. It would not be advisable to procure the services of the whole band because although the noise would be tremendous the music would be all sufficient to make any self respecting ghost fly in terror, and thank his stars he had escaped from a world where such things as fife and drum bands exist.
A certain very able London journalist is a strong believer in spiritualism, and has lately established a bureau wherein communication can be held with departed friends and relatives, on payment of, we believe, half a crown. Of course, as was only to be expected, a great many people scoffed at him. But now is his opportunity to reply to critics, and silence at once every doubter under the sun. Let him at once cross to Ballygarvan and get into communication with the tapster (we apologise to the ghost for bringing in a bar room expression, but when we think of spirits, tap rooms, and other things run into one’s mind). It is a rare opportunity, the chance of a lifetime in fact, and the journalist in question ought not to lose such a golden opportunity. Failing him, perhaps some members of the Psychical Research Society could be induced to make an attempt to solve the mystery.
Free Press (Wexford), 9th October 1909.
The Ballygarvan Ghost.
Once again peace and quietness reigns at Ballygarvan. The nocturnal noises heard at the witching hours of midnight by the affrighted residents of the district will disturb their rest no more. The “ghost” has been laid. The mystery of the eerie sounds has been solved, and that, too, without calling in the aid of any members of the Psychical Research Society. No! some intrepid members of the local R.I.C. and a few neighbours have at last succeeded in discovering the cause of the unearthly sounds which disturbed the peaceful equanimity of the people of Ballygarvan for some time past.
And what a pity the explanation of the mystery should prove so ridiculously simple when everybody was so positive that a real live ghost had been discovered at last. Why, if the ghost had been a ghost, what notoriety might not Ballygarvan have gained? What case for spiritualists, Psychical Research Society men, and last, but not least, those in Ballygarvan who for the past three weeks have nightly related veracious ghost stories to all and sundry who listened, and solemnly averred that the Ballygarvan ghost was a ghost and that it was nothing short of sacriligious to make an attempt to discover a human explanation of the mystery.
And what was the explanation of the mysterious tapping which has been the cause of so much comment? The question can be easily answered within the space of a dozen lines. A child of about ten years of age was the cause of all the hubbub, and incidentally nearly gave to the world another “well authenticated” ghost story. But to get on. The child slept in a room over the kitchen in an iron bedstead. Every night, with monotonous regularity, the little girl struck the hollow tubing of the frame of the bed with her hand. At first she probably did it to amuse herself, but later, on finding the excitement she created she repeated the sound with clockwork precision and regularity. Her hand was concealed by the bed coverlets, and thus her action went unobserved. The iron tubing, of course, gave forth a hollow sound which puzzled all who heard it. The real difficulty which the searchers had to face was to locate the noise. Once they succeeded in doing this, the discovery of the author of all the mischief was a matter of little difficulty.
Free Press (Wexford), 16th October 1909.