Clifton “Ghost.”
Mysterious knocking.
A story reminiscent of the Guyra “ghost” incident has been received from Clifton. The facts as related are that for some considerable time the occupants of a certain house have been disturbed by a mysterious knocking above the ceiling in rear of house.
No solution could be found, and the wife of the occupant finally insisted that the house be vacated. The police investigated, and, it is said, verified the existence of the noise, for which there was no normal explanation.
During Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, of last week, a watch was kept by some hundreds of people, and it is stated that they heard a noise resembling the beating of a drum, the sound gradually lessening in volume.
It is understood the services of two well-known spiritualists are to be obtained, and to use a divining rod to prove the existence of a supposed underground stream beneath the house.
The theory has been advanced that the noise has been caused by the cracking of rafters due to the gradual subsidence of the house. On the other hand, many people, among whom is the wife of the occupant, are firmly convinced that the noise emanates from some supernatural agency.
So convincing was the story told today to “The Daily Mail” representative that Mr Dawe, Postmaster at Clifton, was communicated with by telephone, and a confirmation of the main facts of the foregoing narrative were obtained. Mr Dawe stated that he and three others were asked to investigate, but that during their watch the noise was only faint. Mr Dawe is not a spiritualist, his theory being that the noise is caused by the contraction or expansion of the galvanised iron side of the building, and the earth into which the iron is sunk owing to variation of temperature. He states, however, that some observers are emphatic regarding the nature of the knocks, which, it is alleged, can be controlled – two, three or four knocks being given in response to a request.
Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld) 25th March 1925.