Is it a “ghost” at Mayanup
From time to time it is read in various magazines where “ghosts” have been reported in odd corners of the world. These reports have been treated with scorn and laughed off, but recently (last week) a report came in from Mayanup, south-west of the Kojonup district, of a suspected “ghost” which harassed native residents at the property of Mr W. Hack.
No other explanation can be made and even the most staunch disbelievers have been convinced that the happenings have not been the work of a human being. The “ghost” made its appearance on eight consecutive nights. The first night it was at work all night, but on the last night the occurrences lasted only an hour. Mr Hack first heard of the incidents when a native worker on his property, Mr Gilbert Smith, came and asked him to come to his house and find out what was throwing stones on his roof. Mr Hack told the native not to be silly and did not do anything about it that night.
The next night, however, the native’s wife begged the farmer to go down to the house. The woman was very excited and appeared very perturbed and frightened, so the farmer drove down to the house. As Mr Hack drove up to th ehouse a stone rattled on his car roof. Thinking a practical joker was playing tricks, the farmer drove his car right around the house, which stands in a big clearing, but he did not see anyone. He stopped th ecar for a second time and as he stepped out a pebble hit the car roof and rolled off on to his shoulder. As the pebble hit him, Mr Hack caught it and was surprised to find it was warm – it was a very cold night. He entered the house and stayed there some hours. Whilst there several pebbles dropped mysteriously to the floor and several stones the size of a large hen egg clanged on the roof.
After hearing of the strange happenings of the night before, the neighbours offered to keep watch that night and “lay the ghost.” all were firmly convinced that the happenings had been caused by a practical joker. That night about 30 men armed with torches, spotlights and shotguns surrounded the house and waited. They didn’t have to wait long before large stones were landing among them and on the house roof. Torches and spotlights were turned on the area from which the stones were coming, but no one was spotted. After eight or nine nights of continuous watching and waiting the farmers were firmly convinced that a ghost has been plaguing the house.
Belief of this was put down as: Complete absence of tracks in the direction from where the stones and pebbles were thrown. The fact that three kangaroo dogs in the area were completely unperturbed at the noises caused by the stones. Usually the dogs start barking at the slightest sound. Because stones were sometimes propelled at high velocity and at other times flew gently through the air. Nobody was hit with the high velocity stones, which could have knocked a man down. The fact that, though the night was bitterly cold, the stones were warm when picked up.
There have been no further incidents during the last week and Mr Hack hopes that the “ghost” has had enough for the time being.
Kojonup Courier, 16th June 1955.
Witch Doctor Called In On Mayanup Ghost.
Further to our story of last week where it was reported of supernatural occurrences at Mr W Hack’s farm at Mayanup, a second look at the weird happening was taken – with exactly the same result as the first time: no explanation. Stones have continued to fall on th ehouse of native employee, Mr Gilbert Smith, and all efforts to lay the intruder have failed. A specially ploughed section surrounding Smith’s house has revealed no signs of foot prints and nowhere has the earth been disturbed by a human being.
Mr Gilbert Smith, who has worked for Mr Hack for 12 years, is no longer afraid of the phenomena. Mr Hack travelled to Mt. Barker last week and brought home native witch-doctor Sammy Miller, who gave his advice on the matter. Sammy had told him that the “ghost” was the spirit of Mrs Smith’s father, Mr Alf Eade, who is dangerously ill. The spirit, Sammy said, would stay around until Mr Eade either recovered or died. A native’s spirit leaves him when he is close to death, Sammy explained.
Mrs Smith was amazed that the witch-doctor went to a post hole near her house and pointed to it and said, “That’s where your father’s spirit left him.” It was while digging the post hole that Mr Alf Eade had a dizzy spell and collapsed.
Witch-doctor Sammy told the native couple not to worry as it was a friendly ghost.
Later in the evening Mrs Hack sighted a light which hovered above the ground, and which disappeared very swiftly into a gully which had neither track nor road to move along.
The stone throwing continues and everyone who has witnessed the incidents has been left guessing for a sensible answer. Some have even tried lying on their stomachs to see if they could pick out a figure against the horizon. Some of the stones which have been crashing on the roof of Gilbert Smith’s hut would kill a man if they hit him, as they have been thrown with great force. Several people have tried to explain the “ghost” but all have failed. We are only left with the question: What is it?
Kojonup Courier, 23rd June 1955.
Six Weeks – and still no explanation of poltergeist.
The strange happening reported from Mr Bill Hack’s farm, 9 miles from Mayanup, are still continuing and are now in the sixth week. For forty-six consecutive nights stone throwing and strange appearances of stones inside two native huts have completely bewildered all who have witnessed the scene, including a group of scientific men from Perth.
To date over 200 people from districts as far as Beverley to Capel have been to the farm and stood watch, trying to explain the strange happenings. Many still persist that it is the work of a practical joker, but it is impossible for a human being of any kind to perform some of the feats which have taken place recently. Mr Bill Hack and his two brothers, Ron and Doug, are intelligent men and do not believe in the supernatural and are completely aghast of what is the reason for the occurrences. The scientific explanation for happenings such as are taking place is a poltergeist, or noisy ghost, and for the time being this is the only sensible explanation which can be given for the stone throwing episodes. No other explanation can be made and even the most sceptical can be convinced that the goings on have not been the work of human beings.
So far the happenings have been confined to native farmhands employed by the Hacks. Gilbert Smith, who has worked for Bill Hack over a period of 12 years, was first to be harried by the “ghost.” Gilbert, who did not believe in spirits or jannacks as the natives know them, is now practically convinced that such things do exist.
Bill Hack was first enlightened on the subject when Gilbert asked him to try to find out who was throwing stones on the roof of his hut. Mr Hack’s reply to the native was “Don’t be silly,” and did not do anything more about it. Later, however, a very frightened Mrs Smith pleaded with Mr Hack to find out about the stone throwing, so he went down to the hut to find stones being thrown or dropped on to the roof. A practical joker was the first thought but when it was found that such was not the answer, things became mystified.
Nieghbours became interested and a night watch was kept around the hut by 30 farmers armed with spotlights, shotguns and rifles, but no one or anything was seen or heard. It was decided then that human beings were not involved, as it was impossible for them to break through the cordon of watchers and throw stones and then make good their escape. Gilbert Smith’s hut is so situated that there is no cover for at least 150 yards in any direction; also, too, a plough break a chain wide was put around th ehut and no footprints were discovered on it. Nearest cover where a practical joker could hide is some timber along a fence situated about 200 yards south east of the hut, too far away to throw a stone the size of a hen egg and land it accurately on the hut roof time and time again.
Native witch-doctor Sammy Miller still sticks to his story of the poltergeist being the spirit of Jean Smith’s father, Mr Alf Eades. Gilbert Smith says that he has known of a similar happening once before in Katanning. The native involved with the jannack was told by his witch doctor to lie by a dying fire with the door open and his chest bared and the spirit would disappear. Sammy maintains that the poltergeist is a friendly ghost and will not deliberately injure anyone.
For the past 12 nights the poltergeist has been at the hut of another native, Alf Krakouer, who is employed by Mr Doug Hack. Similar happenings have taken place there, only stone throwing has become more intense, and fades on a moonlight night and during daylight hours.
Last Friday night a party of interested persons who scorned the idea of a poltergeist, were taken down to Hack’s farm by the writer of this and were introduced to the strange occurrences themselves. The party arrived on the scene at Alf Krakouer’s camp at 8.7 p.m. and had only been there five minutes when the first stone fell on the roof. Later at 8.42 p.m. a further stone fell, this time on the wooden table in the kitchen. The writer and two other members of the party were witnesses to this stone falling. It suddenly appeared out of nowhere about 18 inches above the table, hovered for a few seconds and then dropped on the table. Most peculiar of all was the fact that the stone neither rolled or moved in any way when it hit the table but just remained perfectly still. Also when picked up the stone was found to be warm near the temperature of blood heat.
Some time after, several members of the party of about 20 people on the scene sat around the table with torches lighting the room. Three torches were shone under the table and to everyone’s amazement a stone the size of a two shilling piece materialised on a bag under the table before the very eyes of those watching.
Stranger too is the fact that two stones fell on the tin roof during a heavy shower of rain, at which time all present were inside the hut sheltering. When the rain had subsided the stones were retrieved from the roof and found, (though it seems hard to believe) to be quite dry and still very warm, although they had been on the roof during about six minutes of a heavy shower of rain which caused water to run quite forcefully from the roof drain.
All the stones, or a large majority of them are gravel stones and are very numerous in the locality.
The daddy of all the strange events was Saturday night, June 18, when a large stone came through the wall of Gilbert Smith’s hut. Mr Bill Hack was sitting near the fire talking with Gilbert Smith when suddenly a stone the size of a large hen egg came through the wall, which is constructed of galvanised iron sheets on the outside and asbestos sheets on the inside, and flew at an angle of 45 degrees past Bill Hack and hit the floor without even so much as rolling one inch from where it landed. Shortly afterwards a piece of iron bar 2 1/2 inches long and three quarters of an inch wide dropped from out of the air on to the floor.
One night a stone dropped into a tin dish which was under the table in the room. To get the same noise, Mr Hack had to drop the stone into the dish from a height of two inches. This was a master puzzle because when the sides of the dish were measured they were found to be six inches high.
Research workers on the subject of spiritualists, who paid a visit to the Hack farm last weekend were not really convinced that the happenings were performed by a poltergeist, but like everyone else who has been there, they could not give a satisfactory explanation. One argument put up by these men was that dogs usually go mad if there is any trace of a supernatural near. Hack’s kangaroo dogs did not bark all night but did bark early every evening for a period then settled down occasionally barking during the night.
Mr Bill Hack said last Friday night that there has been traces of odd goings on in one of his paddocks and on an ironstone hill. Over an area of about two acres in the paddock the ground has been turned over as if by someone taking handfuls of dirt out of the ground, clods of earth have been strewn around, and several blackboy stumps have been uprooted and placed three or four feet from their original position.
On the ironstone hill, large stones have been moved from their resting place to about six or twelve inches away. Strange is the fact that there were no animals of any description in the area where these occurrences took place, and even though quite heavy rain had been falling for several days there were no footprints or tracks in the wet ground.
To date four people from different areas have seen the strange light which was first seen about 200 yards from Gilbert Smith’s hut by Mrs Hack. This light appears like a faint torch light and hovers three or four feet from the ground. When any person tries to close in on it, it disappears completely into thin air. No trace or tracks have been found where it has been seen and this adds greatly to the mystery of all events.
Poltergeist activities have now been narrowed down to centre around Alf Krakouer’s daughter who is only fourteen years of age and has just left school. Last Saturday night an experiment was carried out with her, when she left the hut the stone throwing ceased, but wherever she went away from the building, the stones fell all around her, hitting various objects.
From records of other happenings where a poltergeist has been involved it is found that the events at Mayanup are exactly the same, continuing to following one person. It has been realised since that the young girl Krakouer was at Gilbert Smith’s for a period whilst her own parents were absent from that area.
The stone throwing has reached a stage now where it is an utter impossibility for a practical joker to be operating. Whatever “IT” is, it isn’t human in any shape or form. There are too many questions to be answered. Each leaves the question: “What can it be.” Take some of the following questions or happenings, for instance:
1. Stones mateiralising out of the air before the onlookers’ eyes, then falling to the table without bouncing or moving; 2. Stones being subjected to heavy rain for a period of minutes without even being wet; 3. Why are the stones hot or at blood heat, and when picked up by a human being become cold almost immediately? 3. Why does the light fade so quickly and where does it go? 4. How can a stone appear under a table either in a tin dish or on the bare floor; 5. Ghost breaks have been ploughed and a practical joker is operating why hasn’t he or they left any footprints? Surely after five weeks a practical joker would have become tired of his own joke or been caught.
Gilbert Smith swears that one night he heard movement as if someone or something had bumped against the hut in two places. The same night he heard knocking on his door as if someone was knocking with a stone. Gilbert was inside the hut with the door shut and decided that if the “something” was outside, then it could stay there whilst he was inside the hut with door and windows shut tight.
Anyone who does not believe these occurrences is invited by Mr Hack to call into the farm any night that the goings on are taking place and see for themselves. As well, all explanations and any ideas will be welcomed by Bill Hack and his brothers Ron and Doug. It is only 36 miles to Bill Hack’s property and the ‘Poltergeist.’ Curious readers should make it their business to take a look and try to find out what ‘It’ is. The writer has seen these happenings on three occasions and is still completely bewildered.
Kojonup Courier, 30th June 1955.
Stones still fall after spirit is caught.
Uncanny is the only word possible to describe the stone throwing incidents which have entered the ninth week at Mr Bill Hack’s farm at Mayanup. Several attempts to find a logical explanation of the occurrences have failed. Even the experts from Perth have been stumped to find an answer. The happenings have reached the stage now where both Mr Hack and the native families concerned definitely want the stone-throwing to cease. Both Mr Alf Krakouer and Mr Gilbert Smith and their families are tired of sightseers keeping them up all hours of the night whilst they watch and listen to the stones falling.
Anyone at all is openly invited by Mr and Mrs Hack to look over the property during daylight or when the stones fall, and try to seek out the cause. All thoughts of a practical joker are out of the question, and anybody with any experience with similar occurrences or any scientific knowledge would be greatly welcomed to try and give a plausible explanation.
Last week, Tuesday night, July 5, two native witchdoctors, Mr Freddie Winma and Mr Sammy Miler, attended Mr Alf Eade’s camp in Kojonup to put an end to the stone throwing business. The incidents which have happened at both Gilbert Smith’s and Alf Krakouer’s residences at Hack’s farm have been the topic of conversation in the Kojonup district for weeks, and the thought that the supposed “spirit” would be laid, drew a crowd of about 150 coloured and white people to the scene on Tuesday night.
With the light of a full moon shining down on the gathering, Freddie Winma came up from a hollow south of Mr Eade’s camp with a blanket over him like a cloak. He had caught the “spirit” in the hollow and was carrying it under the blanket to return to Mr Eade’s body (Mr Eade’s spirit was supposed to have left him when he collapsed at Bill Hack’s farm six weeks ago. He has been critically ill ever since.) Mr Winma carefully made his way to the doorway of Mr Eade’s camp, where inside his assistant, Sammy Miller, was at the head of Eade’s bed facing towards Gilbert Smith’s house at Mayanup. Inside the camp the blankets were drawn from Mr Eade’s body, and bending low over him, Freddie placed the spirit back into him.
Later, Mr Winma said that Mr Eade would be all right in about a month, provided, of course, that he wasn’t given any frights and was kept quiet. Freddie said that the spirits of his two uncles and his mother had caught the spirit of Alf Eade for him. Twice, he related, it nearly got away, but he held onto it tightly under the blanket. “It was a very wild spirit and hard to catch, but I caught it and put him back into Mr Eade’s body. He will get better now and the stones should stop falling.”
This wasn’t the first spirit Mr Winma has caught. He said he had been called on many times in the past 51 years to catch wayward spirits. In fact, it was the second time he has had to catch one in the Kojonup district. He said he came here in 1915 to the Kojonup Show and caught one belonging to a native who took ill there. The spirit he caught on Tuesday night, he related, was the most difficult of all he has caught. Mr Winma stated that sometimes when a native was very sick, as Mr Eade has been, the spirit often leaves the body. Sometimes it was a friendly spirit and often as not a bad one.
Both Mr Freddie Winma and Mr Sammy Miller travelled a long way to perform the ceremony witnessed on Tuesday night. Mr Bill Hack travelled to Tambellup for Freddie and Sammy Miller was brought up from Mt. Barker by his brother. Mr Sammy Miller, who has been down to Hack’s farm before, said on Tuesday night that he thought there may be two spirits operating. At first it was thought that it was Mr Eade’s spirit, but when stones began falling at Alf Krakouer’s place a half mile from where they were falling at Gilbert Smith’s, Sammy came to the conclusion that there must be two spirits.
Mr Alf Krakouer said that he hoped the stone-throwing would cease after Freddie had caught the spirits. He had moved his camp into Kojonup and to his horror the stones fell there too.
Wednesday morning Mr Eade was feeling much better than usual, but he stated that he did not believe in Jannacks (spirits), and did not think the happenings the night before had anything to do with his health.
Upon arriving home at their house, the Gilbert Smith family were greeted by two stones falling. Later during the night two more fell, and it looked as though Freddie Winma had failed. However, the next two nights, Wednesday and Thursday nights, no stones whatsoever fell and there wasn’t any sign or sound of the Poltergeist or whatever it was. Things were much too good to last, and when Alf Krakouer and his family arrived home Friday, stones began to rain down on Friday night. Saturday night was also a boisterous night; stones fell at regular intervals and have been falling ever since.
Of late the stones have begun falling as soon as the school bus passes at about 4 p.m. in the afternoon and continue all night. Both Mr and Mrs Hack are of the opinion that the answer to the thing may be vibration caused in various ways. Whenever the car is approaching or going over the cattle pit several hundred yards from Krakouer’s camp, a stone usually falls.
Sammy Miller said that this was the first time that he has seen or heard stone-throwing with a spirit. Usually, as has happened on several occasions at both Smith’s and Krakouer’s, there are noises on the roof and scratching sounds on the outside walls. He has never known a spirit to throw pieces of iron around before.
Mr Winma said that the spirit was trying to find Mr Eade’s body so it could return to him. The reason why stones fell, he explained, is that the spirit was afraid that Mr Eade would not know where to look for it, and by throwing the stones it could be easily found. It was the spirit’s way, he said, of letting Mr Eade know it was still there. Why stones fell on Gilbert Smith’s and Alf Krakouer’s respective homes is that the spirit thought that through Mr Eade’s relatives or friends it could find its way back to his body.
The light, too, which has been seen on various nights was also the spirit’s way of letting Mr Eade know it was still there.
The spirit, Sammy Miller said, would not hurt anybody or anything, and did not throw the stones with intention of hitting anyone; it was only doing it, as Freddie Winma explained, to let Mr Eade know where to find it.
Freddie Winma stated openly that if anyone can prove that the stone throwing or other happenings have been caused by a human being, then he would give a £5 note out of his own pocket to the person who could provide the proof. In old times, Freddie said, he used to catch spirits and give them back to their owner, and if the owner died before the spirit was caught, then it was given to his nearest relative. Freddie said that he didn’t care what people had to say about him catching the spirit on Tuesday night. He had helped Mr Eade and that is all he was worrying about.
In his own words, he stated: “In my own funny way I know I have helped the old man; I don’t care what people say.” Freddie told Mr Hack that if the stone-throwing continued he would be willing, with Sammy Miller, to spend three or four days at the farm to try and find out why it was continuing. Mr Winma was born at Mungun, near Borden, 81 years ago, in 1874, and grew up with Sammy Miller, who is, he thinks, around the 75 years of age mark. Mr Winma is noted for his mystic cures around the Borden district, and a local resident who knew him when he himself was only a lad, can vouch for many a cure he has performed on people when doctors have not been able to cure them.
So the stone-throwing continues, and is put down as a strange happening or unexplainable occurrence, but the real answer to the events which have and are still taking place, may never be known.
Sammy Miller and Freddie Winma are the only witch-doctors in the Great Souther, and possibly the Sout-West.
The challenge is there, if anyone can explain the stone throwing, they’re welcome to try.
Kojonup Courier, 14th July 1955.
Stone throwing in Queensland.
The mysterious stone “throwing” is still continuing down at Mr Bill Hack’s Mayanup property, with the addition of other odd occurrences. During recent nights a high pitched whistle has been heard by various people who have been present at the scene of the activity. As well too, a cup and a bottle have been shattered on the kitchen table of Gilbert Smith’s house without the appearance of a stone or anything solid to break them.
Further activity has taken place over the two acres of crop in one of Mr Hack’s paddocks, stones have been overturned as before and yet there are still no animals present in the vicinity. The happenings are well into the third month, having commenced in May.
As there are still people in the district who do not believe the “stone throwing” has and is actually happening without the assistance of the human element, we have here under the report of a similar occurrence which took place in Queensland in 1941.
The “stone throwing” in Queensland which occurred in 1941, was confined to an old slad hut on a cattle station, and the event took place after the annual mustering had taken place. To all appearances the old hut was a thoroughly snug camp, such as would delight the heart of any bushman, but it didn’t remain so for very long! The trouble started one evening when the head stockman went to fill the billycan. As he stooped to pick it up a big stone landed near him. Thinking one of the others was having a joke, he told them to cut it out.
All the men denied any knowledge of the stone, and while they were talking another fell, even closer to the billycan. With that the head stockman stalked off to the creek in disgust, muttering to himself concerning the crass idiocy of grown up “blokes” who threw stones about like a lot of kids… He had returned, the billy was on the fire, and the party was still arguing about the stone, when a third pebble hit the billy and upset it. This was too much and caused excitement among the men. Nobody noticed where the missile came from and each immediately blamed his neighbour as being responsible. Further stones dropped and tempers became frayed, an argument occurred but was soon silenced when a hail of stones landed on the tin roof of the hut, creating a terrific din.
As all were inside the hut at the time, them men suddenly realised that no member of the party could be responsible for the stone throwing, which meant in their mind that some outside agent was playing the prank. A hurried exodus ensued but a through search of the immediate surroundings failed to reveal any trace of a human present.
The day passed without incident, but at dusk two men from a neighbouring station arrived to assist when mustering was resumed. While they were having tea somebody remarked, “Our ghost should be putting in an appearance pretty soon.” Suddenly a big stone, apparently coming from nowhere, knocked over the tin of jam on the camp table. From then on events went much as they had done the previous night.
Armed with rifles and shotguns, the party waited inside the hut while a large camp fire burnt brightly outside. Numerous small stones fell on the roof, then suddenly the party observed what appeared to be a stick, floating seemingly unsupported about four feet from the ground. Investigations proved fruitless, the silhouette vanished as investigators rushed up to it. Suddenly the fire scattered as though it had been kicked apart by some giant foot. Logs up to several inches thick and three feet long were flung aside by some invisible force. Noises in the night, in particular the sound like a wheezy organ, were heard through the roof. There was not a breath of wind to account for it, and once again investigations proved fruitless.
The following night one man sprang out of bed, deathly white and screamed that something had touched him, whatever it was had been icy cold. A snake was blamed but a search of the hut revealed no trace of a reptile. The man suffered from a bad attack of shock and took quite some time to recover.
Police were called to the hut to investigate, but nothing was found and the “poltergeist” or whatever it was disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared, and no stones have fallen in that vicinity since. All the men who were there firmly state that the strange happenings did take place.
Kojonup Courier, 25th August 1955.
Stones still falling.
Two native families at Mayanup are still being troubled by stones mysteriously falling on and in their dwellings. Farmers Bill and Ron Hack, on whose properties the phenomena are taking place, are no nearer finding a solution to the mystery than they were six months ago. They are firmly convinced that it is a poltergeist (noisy ghost) activity. Recently a group of research workers in psychic phenomena visited the farms for a second time. It is understood that most of the investigators are convinced that the phenomena are the results of poltergeist activity.
Kojonup Courier, 3rd November 1955.
Is magnetism responsible?
The unexplainable happenings which took place at the properties owned by Bill and Ron Hack at Mayanup (37 miles from Kojonup) last winter are in the news again. However these occurrences did not cease as was reported but have continued for over fifteen months. Reports on happenings at both properties were not realeased because of adverse publicity received in newspapers, and the fact that people were allowing their imagination to run away with them.
It will be remembered that during last winter the report of “jannacks” or native spirits as they were termed by some, commenced at Mayanup following the sudden illness of Mr Alf Eades. From this, two native witch doctors, Freddy Winma and Sammy Miller were called to restore the roving spirit back to Mr Eade’s body. Having carried this out at a ceremony in Kojonup, the supposed “Jannack” continued at Mayanup, despite the witch doctor’s claims that it would not, because it was supposed to have been returned to Mr Eades. It was then forecast that the “jannack” would cease upon the death of Mr Eades, this too was false as Mr Eades has been dead for many months but still the strange occurrences continued.
There is more in the Mayanup mystery than meets the eye, but it is definitely not “jannack”, spirits or whatever you like to call them. Since the happenings took place Mr Bill Hack has made contact with notable people on the subject and has obtained books by the notable American, Charles Fort, who writes of and studies these strange happenings in all parts of the world. Well known Dr Penny Cook passed on all information given him to the CSIRO section which deals with radio waves, they in turn supplied information to Dr Cook that although it is not known how or why, there are some people who are born with a radio birthmark. The presence of radio waves in these people tend to upset the balance of nature to some extent in their presence. Not being able to understand how or why, we believe that the “stone throwing” and other movements at Hack farm have a great deal more to do with magnetic influence that area than any so called “jannacks.”
In conversation with Mrs W. Hack it was learnt that considerable activity is taking place with stone movement on a hill near where the native family of Mr Gilbert Smith is living. Stones have been seen by Mrs Hack in broad daylight in the air. Mr Charles Fort in one of his books touched on the subject of “Stone throwing” in as much to say that sections of the world were formed by various gases combining together and forming into solid rock formations: his reasoning is “Why can’t this still be happening today?”
It has been particularly noticed by the Hack family that the mysterious happenings appear to be increased with an oncoming weather depression, and in particular a thunder storm. This fact builds evidence to the theory that perhaps electricity or magnetic influence is responsible for the movement of stones and other material. It is very interesting at this stage to know that there is some connection between the Sun Spots and various things which happen on Earth. To a large extent, movement of the Sun Spots regulates the weather conditions of the world, and the weather changes and rise and decline of the events at Mayanup may be linked. Changes in th eEarth’s magnetism, and in the movement of magnetic needles on the Earth, correspond in the number and size of the dark spots on the Sun.
Two stones from Mr Hack’s property were examined by an expert and found to be magnetic. Is the hill near Smith’s house a magnetic rock outcrop? Perhaps the real answer to the puzzle of events will be found one day, but it is evident that the force of nature has more to do with the mysterious events than the spirit world.
Kojonup Courier, 11th July 1956.
Mysterious stone-throwing puzzles police, scientists and pressmen.
Perth (Western Australia), May 8.
Police, scientists, pressmen and other observers are trying to find the solution to West Australia’s riddle of stones which “float” to earth from an unknown source. Boyup Brook and Pumphrey, where these things are happening, are places dotted with prosperous farms.
Stones have dropped gently, apparently from nowhere. They appear to have passed through the roof of a tent and through a galvanised iron roof without making a hole. Objects lying about are reported to have just taken off and shifted eight to 10 feet. At Boyup Brook, this sort of thing has been going on for two years. At Pumphrey, the stone dropping started only recently.
In both cases, there have been witnesses of the highest integrity. At Boyup there have been hundreds of witnesses who came to laugh, and left, some to pray, all to think deeply, very deeply.
Farmer Bill Hack of Keninup, Boyup Brook, when he has had time and the circumstances have warranted it, has kept a diary of the “incidents.” On Monday, August 20, 1956, for instance, he wrote: “1-30 p.m.: I saw a most extraordinary scene. It was broad daylight… a brick on the roof, brass tap from kerosene drum hit wall from South West. Tried to calculate velocity by throwing it back at the wall… Each time I threw, I was hit in the back by a one or two-pound stone. Challenged thrower to continue. Every time for 25 times ‘he’ responded. Then ‘he’ dropped an old cake of soap in front of us. Then a child’s shoe hit me. Another cake of soap hit wall. It was replaced on table.
“Then followed forks, spoons, a file, onions, knife, socks, ball of silver paper, potatoes. The kitchen utensils, soap, etc., did not travel more than eight to 15 feeet. The original brass tap I left lying on the ground. I walked towards the car. The tap hit me on the back. No one was within 10 feet of it.
“Then a stone weighing 35 lbs, known to have been in the fireplace, fell gently on to the tank.”
This is the record of one of the most respected men in the district, the leading flax grower, a director of the local flax co-operative and one of the best-known growers of Government-certified clover seed in the state.
A mile across a valley, between the two farms, his brother, Douglas Hack, has had similar things happen. Once, while doing a fencing job near the house, he had to leave the area because of a bombardment of stones. But, when they hit him, he said, they felt as though they were made of cork.
All the incidents reported from the Bill Hack Farm have been in the vicinity of the hut occupied by a native farm worker, Gilbert Smith. In the Bill Hack family, there are three people who have university matriculation certificates. Mrs Bill Hack used to be a school-teacher. All have been present on many occasions when these phenomena have occurred. Mrs Hack says that she has seen the stones “take shape” above Smith’s hut. They appear as specks, she adds, and then grow in size until they drop on the roof, seeming to float down until the last few inches.
A neighbour of Bill Hack has offered a £80 sterling reward for anyone who can find the thrower no one can. The Hacks, friends and Pressmen have been inside Smith’s hut when stones have dropped to the floor without leaving a hole in the roof. The place has been flood-lit with car headlights, shots fired and a circle of ground ploughed to catch foot-prints. But witnesses agree that the stone dropping continues.
On Alan Donaldson’s farm at Pumphrey, stones first fell on the tent of a native farm worker named Cyril Penny.
A well-read farmer in the area, who has studied the problem, argues that the stones are “puffed” up. At Boyup Brook and Pumphrey, he says, there are outcrops of rock which look like compressed gravel and are penetrated by long tube-like holes, making them virtual gun barrels. He believes that subterranean gases escaping through a fissure in the underlying granite could shoot out whatever had fallen into the holes. But the theory cannot explain the movement of knives, forks, shoes, vegetables and other such objects, nor why the phenomena are associated with individuals.
Another Boyup Brook farmer wrote to Dr Stuart Pennycuick, a scientific writer of Adelaide, who replied: “There is some sort of wave not believed to be associated with matter. It is a tiny radio wave specific for each living thing, individual or plant. You yourself have a ‘generic frequency’ which belongs to you and you alone. It is your radio birth mark. You are a sort of radio station in your own right. Electronics engineers call it homeotronics. Everyone knows that there are lots of strange experiences which we know little about, things which concern our very existence. Homeotronics is one.”
Nothing as yet seems to be developing in Western Australia on the lines of a scientific investigation by the University or some other interested body; the criminal Investigation Branch and the native Welfare Department, however, are inquiring into the various reports. – Reuter.
Civil and Military Gazette (Lahore), 9th May 1957.
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