A recent Irish poltergeist.
In connexion with the article in our last number on “A City of London Poltergeist”, we venture to submit, for what it is worth, the evidence of another case. It is a specimen of a type of disturbance which is by no means rare, but which oowing to such causes as shyness, or fear of ridicule, or illiteracy on the part of the sufferers, rarely attracts public attention. Some little time ago Father M.N., a priest in Ireland, and member of a Religious Order, was kind enough to bring this alleged manifestation to our notice, and with the writer’s permission to send on the letters he had received upon the subject. One gathers that the writer of the letters is the wife of a decent farmer in a somewhat remote inland district of County Cork. Obviously, as the letters show, there is no thought of self-advertisement, or wish to attract publicity; no familiarity with poltergeist literature. It also seems hard to understand how some of the incidents described could have been the work of any mischievous child. We give the letters in the order they were received by the priest who sent them to us.
M… L…, Co. Cork, Nov. 6, 1928.
Dear Father M. N., A very extraordinary happening has occurred in my house and place for the past six weeks and is still going on. I cannot account for it, unless it is what people call a “Pishogue” or a demon sent to annoy us. The inanimate things move within the house, the bedclothes are taken off the bed and go out at the window. Any article taken goes as far as the boundary of my land and is found. I have three children, 14, 12, 10 years. The eldest (a boy) sees nothing; the two younger (a boy and girl) say they see strange people about the farm and sometimes at the window. There is a tapping at the window heard very often, and scraps of paper found around with threats written on them. We were annoyed while saying the Rosary on Saturday night. We got pinches in the head and balls made of paper thrown as if from the ceiling. These things are recurring all the time. I had our own C.C. (country curate), Father D…, say Mass in the house three weeks ago, but still the thing goes on. I have great faith in the Holy Mass to conquer this thing, whatever it may be. Mrs J. O… is my sister in law and was here yesterday. She advised me to write to you.
The letter is signed in full and ends with a request to the priest to offer Mass for the cessation of the trouble, an alms being enclosed. The next letter, dated Nov. 12, 1928, runs as follows:
Very many thanks for your kind and sympathetic letter. I shall do all those things you mention. I have given small phials of Holy Water to the children and grandmother who lives with us. It still goes on. Yesterday it was very active; the knives, clothes, pieces of soap thrown around the house. Grandmother’s cap was pulled off while we were at the cows, and she is much annoyed as she is almost eighty years. About the same time my two younger children were out in the front field where there are some stacks of straw. An old woman took the overall she (presumably the little girl) had on and told her she would take her dress off if she were around again, as she wanted it for her own. The little brother was with her. They tell me there were a great many around the straw; they thought only a few men with flowing grey beards wearing high hats. The most were women and small boys barefooted; they thought some dressed in white. All had leather belts round their waists. One seemed to be walking on his head; they thought he had no feet. I now keep them inside as much as I can. The overall was on the gate next morning. She had an Agnus Dei in the pocket and (it) was not touched. Very little of the straw was found burned.
I had a servant maid since January until this thing commenced in September, when she was reprimanded about some meat found outside on the field; she left that evening. The servant boy tells how she was up at nights previous to that, he heard her laughing and crying at intervals. The threats come in scraps of paper and signed with this girl’s name (K… O’N…). In one, “We will work it on you while the three of you are there.” “It is a pity I cannot work it harder.” “I will come down the chimney tonight and take Nana’s glasses,” and several other threats saying: “It is over now, it is on for five weeks.”
On Saturday last I took my three children to confession. Our C.C. Father D… would not give absolution to my eldest boy, as he would not admit he was doing these pranks on us. I am quite positive that this thing is a charm or something worked by the girl I had. I shall take my child to another priest, on Saturday, and before he hears his confession I will explain what Father D… did. Will you offer holy Mass that this thing may come to an end.
A third letter was written a week later (Nov. 23rd). It runs as follows:
Very many thanks for your letter. The trouble still continues, but not as active as it was. The written scraps of paper are still coming. It was only yesterday we were forced to take any money we had in th ehouse to the bank, as it was written on one of the scraps of paper we would be left without a penny. There were some few shillings taken, and I got written slips saying it was they took it. I also had my younger boy home from school and I was told if I did not take him along he would be well pulled while I was away. He got several pinches that morning. One Saturday evening about 4 o’clock, my little daughter, aged 10 1/2 years, said she saw the servant maid I had employed ride up the yard on a horse, her mother following after on a motor bicycle, and then followed a long train of red coated figures on horseback. The servant said, when passing the child, “Good-bye, May, for ever.” In the slips of paper found in the house it was written that they were going to C…, that is a famer residing about half a mile away, but within the parish. I have heard that these occurrences have started there now. Some of the slips of paper are signed: “K… O’N…” That was my servant maid’s name. They seem to hear every word that is spoken in the house, because answers are written on some of the slips. I do anything you desire me; my relatives have joined me in the Novena to St Gerard.
The next letter forwarded – there is nothing to show whether the series is complete – is a very brief document, dated 22.12.28., written in a different handwriting and with faults of spelling.
Dear Rev. Father, Just a line to let you know that work is gone from us, T. God. I am continuing the Novenia (sic) over and over again to St. Gerard. Many and greatful (sic) thanks for your prayers. I never will forget your kindness. Wishing you a very happy Christmas and very many happy returns. I remain yours sincerely M… K….
The last letter (which is in the same handwriting as the first three) runs thus:
Jan. 19, 1929. Rev and very dear Father M.N, Many thanks for your letter of the 5th which I duly received. You can send my letters to Father Thurston and should he want any further details I shall let you have them as well as I can. The trouble now seems to have disappeared; we have seen nothing for more than a fortnight. The last thing we had was a queer looking black cat. It would seem very small at times, and very big at other times, with very long hind legs. It would get into a bed during the day and give annoyance. In the evening the younger children could see it get out of the window, though it was shut. It would get into a hen coop sometimes as if killing a rat, but in reality the eggs were taken. Some time before this cat appeared, we did away with our own two cats. There was also a pick-axe taken from us and returned broken with the broken pieces also “saying how it was used at the other house and they could not help breaking it,” that was in one of the old scraps of paper.
My husband was coming from the farmyard after looking up the cattle before going to bed, and when coming near th ehouse, he would hear a great many voices, as if there were a number of people in the yard. Although he was nervous to come on, as he was alone, (sic: it looks as if something had been left out. Is this letter the original, or a copy) but when he arived at the house he saw nobody, but he did not go alone after that, as he was afraid. That was also when the trouble was coming to an end. I shall never forget your kindness to me and my family, etc., M… K…
Extravagant and preposterous as much of this must seem there are curious features of interest in it. If the first letter stood alone, one would be inclined to say that it conformed in many respects to a type of poltergeist story which is quite well attested. The pulling off of the bedclothes is one of the commonest features (witness the Enniscorthy case recorded by Sir William Barrett) and so also is the movement of inanimate objects. When the writer says, “we got pinches in the head,” she seems to include herself, and one wonders if a child could play such a prank upon the mother without detection. Father D… obviously believed that the elder boy was the culprit, and he probably knew the family well.
On the other hand, it is possible that in such cases when some strange excitement, such as unaccountable movements, knockings and whiskings off of bedclothes, comes to enliven the monotony of everyday life, the children are tempted to join in the fun and let their imaginations run riot. This may well have been the case with Molly and Dobby Giles at Bristol (see ‘The Month’, August 1928). But on the other hand we cannot altogether shut our eyes to the fact that this peculiar sensitiveness of young children to phantom appearances is often alleged. The Grosserlach poltergeist of 1916 supplies a notable instance. In the case before us, the ready credulity of all concerned, and of the father in particular, is a very conspicuous element in the story, and children are quick to take advantage of such a disposition in their elders. H. T.
The Month, July 1932.