Spooks at Blackburn.
Story of a haunted family.
A succession of mysterious events has occurred in a workman’s home in Blackburn. For several weeks, pots, ornaments, and vases have been flung about the rooms in which the family were seated, propelled by no visible hand, and sometimes with great force. Two clocks have stopped on three successive days at 12 noon.
A few days ago the husband, on visiting Lancaster, learned that two relatives had died within a week. The strange occurrences ceased on the day of the funeral.
Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, 6th May 1908.
Bewitched Crockery.
Strange incidents in a working man’s house.
Extraordinary events in the house of a working man are reported from Blackburn. During the past few weeks crockery and ornaments of a breakable description have been falling from their resting places and hurling themselves about the rooms, while a plant pot of good proportions went so far as to make a savage attack on the kitchen door, which was badly injured, a piece of jagged pottery being deeply embedded in it.
The family kept diligent watch to discover the cause of these strange happenings. Doors and windows were kept closed, and sentries were posted at keyholes to watch suspicious looking characters among the mantlepiece ornaments. But though articles came tumbling at the feet of members of the household, no human agency could be discovered to account for the mishaps.
Fortunately, not one of the occupiers was injured; though one was considerably alarmed when chased downstairs by a large vase.
Another unusual thing was the stopping of two clocks at midday on three successive days. Several days ago the father paid a visit to Lancaster and learned that two of his cousins, who were sisters, had died during the previous week. One of them was buried at noon on the same day that one of his clocks stopped. From this particular time, too, the suicidal tendancies of the crockery ceased to manifest themselves. He was also informed that a sister of the deceased had received similar shocks to those of his own family.
Councillor J.T. Ward, who is president of Blackburn Spiritualists’ Society, and has interested himself in the matter, stated when interviewed that such occurrences were worthy of scientific investigation. There must be a cause for them which was not yet understood. From what he knew of the circumstances no human being could have created the disturbances without discovery. — “Daily Mail.”
Derry Journal, 8th May 1908.