The Cradock Ghost Scare. By Kirkham Evans.
For more than a month the north has been in a disturbed condition on account of a wonderful ghost story which has been freely circulated through most of the newspapers in the colony. I have been invormed that upon the approach of Sissy Schultz wonderful raps – sometimes as though a sledge-hammer had struck the wall – were heard, electric shocks felt, and on one occasion an apparition was seen by the child. These stories spread about in the neighbourhood and lost nothing in the telling. The good people of Cradock and Blackrock imagined the devil or some accredited representative was in their midst. I heard a gravely told description of the spirit of the girl’s mother communicating that the child must be allowed two sticks of toffy per day.
On Wednesday morning, June 1, my interest in psychical research caused me to leave Adelaide for Blackrock. Arriving there late in the afternoon I made my way at once to the “disturbed home,” and received a kindly reception from Mr Rodeghiere, who said that Mr J.A. Jones, the resident schoolmaster, would take care of me. I was pleasantly surprised on approaching the schoolhouse to meet a gentleman well known as a student of psychical subjects, and with some experience of cases of this kind. If I had wanted any assistance a better man could scarcely have been found. He said he had been experimenting with the child, and although he had not come to a decision he saw nothing to warrant the supposition that the girl was possessed of supernatural powers.
Armed with a small tin of flour, some black lead, string, an electric magnet, a bottle of strong ammonia, a thermometer, etc. etc., we again made our way over to the store. It was getting late, and a large number of visitors were waiting to obtain a glimpse of the child, or for an opportunity of looking into the matter themselves. Some had travelled very long distances, but we decided it would be unwise to admit any, with two exceptions – the Rev. Mr Hancock, of Port Augusta, and Mr A. Heally, of Blackrock. We saw Sissy, a plain-looking child of nine years but tall for her age, at times full of life and activity, bold and fearless, simple in manner, but upon entering into conversation with her she showed remarkable cunning, suggestive of “I know you’ you are laughing in your sleeves;” a remark which, by-the-way, we once heard her make. After a few preliminary preparations we entered the child’s bedroom at the back of the store, and from a hasty glance I was convinced that there was nothing of a suspicious character. One or two boxes and a few sundries were all to be seen. In one corner of the room, on a pug floor, the bed was arranged, consisting of a mattress and the usual bedclothes.
Before calling in the girl – or, rather, when in the store – I ascertained from the father that the only “manifestations” that had ever been witnessed or felt at any of the seances were the electric shocks and the raps. It is important that this should be remembered, being the sum-total of all the excitement. In one account it is stated the spirit of the mother would appear to Mr Schultz at 12 o’clock at night; but as he informed me it did not appear no importance can be attached to this. We decided before entering the house first to find out by experiment if the girl was really asleep or shamming, and then to ascertain how the raps were made. Having stated our chief objects I will now proceed to describe the seance, and will then give th eresult of the experiments and the reasons which caused us to believe the child to be a trickster.
Sissy ran into the room full of excitement, and expressed her willingness to retire. She was undressed and put into the bed made on the pug floor. It was a double bed, and when the child lay in the middle with her arms stretched out she could not reach over to touch the floor, but by rolling over to her left side she could easily tap the floor with her fingers under cover of the bedclothes, and in this way unseen. Strange – very strange.
The child had not shown the slightest sign of sleepiness, and yet in one minute and a half she appeared to be in a deep slumber, notwithstanding the talking going on in the room, and refused to answer when spoken to. By-and-bye she commenced to roll her head about and breathed heavily, the father immediately ejaculating, “It’s coming, put out the light.” We failed to see why this should be done, but wishing to give the “spirit” every chance, complied. As this was being done I noticed the child turned over on to its left side, away from us, facing the wall, and stretch out its left arm under the clothes. Presently very faint raps were heard. Questions of an ordinary character were put, and raps received in reply. No question was asked but what any one in the room might have easily answered or made a good guess at, nevertheless the “spirit” was not always correct. The raps exactly resembled the tapping of one’s fingers on the pug floor; in fact, once or twice I tapped with my own finger and tapped out the replies, and these raps were not distinguished from the others.
Undoubtedly the girl was producing the raps. Although the lights were out the moon shone through the window just sufficiently to enable us to recognise the form, and no raps occurred except when she was lying in the position already described, the only position in fact in which she could produce them without fear of detection. On the night previous a hammock was improvised and the girl placed in it, but no raps came. A box was now placed near the girl on the bed, but as one end had been blackleaded she was too cunning to rap upon this. Having convinced ourselves that the raps were made by the girl we next proceeded to try by experiment if she really was asleep or shamming. I should mention that before this, when the girl was awake, Mr Jones gave her several doses of ammonia, and thus caused her to dread the bottle. Relighting the candle we remarked, in the hearing of the child, it would be better to rub the bottle well and make it extra strong. Immediately this was said, before we had any opportunity of applying it, she covered her face with her arm. Later on we really did apply the bottle, and she quickly buried her head. Another time we touched her nose gently with the end of the thermometer, and just as quickly she again buried her head. At the same time no amount of shouting or shaking had any effect, but presently she threw her arms behind and appeared to go into a state of catalepsy. Then she drew them in, shaking her hands violently – a very pretty piece of acting. Probably the girl was practising this when one of your correspondents said he felt the electric shock. No person in Blackrock, as far as I could ascertain, ever felt any, and certainly on this occasion we were not favoured. We had an electromagnet to test this, but from questions asked we concluded the electrical idea was only an imaginary one, and thus there was no need to try it. Your correspondent might perhaps have used the words nervous shocks more correctly.
Signs of heavy breathing reappeared, and we were again informed that the knocks were coming. Mr Jones lay down between the girl and the wall, I lay on the other side, but no more raps; the father told us they would not come while we were on the bed. We tried other experiements by making suggestions, and were perfectly successful. These alone would have convinced us of the fraud. Mr Jones was the originator of these.
At the conclusion of the seance we expressed our regret that the raps were not more distinct; but the father said if I would stay another evening he would lay her on a boarded floor, and they would then be much louder. I agree with him there, but did not think it necessary to waste another evening. The temperature of the child’s body before going to bed was 87 degrees, during the morning 94 degrees; pulse regular. The next morning the following document was drawn up and signed: –
“We agree from the observations of Wednesday, June 1. = 1. That the child is awake or semi-conscious, and we believe she shams asleep. 2. She produces the raps herself with her hand, or any available object, this including her own body. 3. The raps could be easily simulated. 4. That she is open to suggestions. 5. From the observations we made on this particular night we don’t feel justifed in imputing to any person in the room the charge of collusion with the girl. – W.H. Jones, Kirkham Evans, Blackrock, June 2, 1887.”
As stated before, Mr A. Heally, the Blackrock correspondent, whose reports have appeared in the newspapers (I believe the only reports ever sent from Blackrock), was present, and as the result of an interview afterwards the following was prepared:-
“Mr Heally stated that he had never at any of the previous seances witnessed anything more extraordinary than that witnessed by him in our presence on the evening of June 1. – W.H. Jones, K. Evans.”
Mr H.A. Stanley, of Petersburg, sends the following letter: “Petersburg, June 2. Mr K. Evans – Dear Sir – Mr Williams, of the Petersburg Hotel, and Mr Opie, police-trooper here, wish me to write you, stating they are prepared to swear that they heard the child whispering, and also that they are confident in their own mind that the thing is an imposition, and any assistance they can give you by making a statement as to what they heard and saw during their visit they will only be too happy.”
We have abundance of other evidence confirmatory of the foregoing, but believe enough has been written to convince any intelligent persons that the “Cradock scare” is no longer a mystery. It will probably be asked – What is the motive? This I am not prepared to say, but do know that many extraordinary deceptions have been carried on by people with no apparent motive but to attract attention. Again, some may ridicule the idea of so young a child being capable of such fraud. I have been connected with several similar cases where children of tender years have carried out the most deliberate frauds. For instance, the Shropshire mystery in 1883. A child scarcely any older than this one caused buckets to move about and upset. Coal hammers bolted and domestic utensils moved about when the child came near; a hymnbook jumped off the table; bricks and dirt flew about the house; and I heard a report, actually credited by the farm yokels of Weston Lullingfield, that upon Emma Davies going into the yard four pigs stood upon their heads and sang the National Anthem (vide Liverpool Mercury of November 16, 1883, and the principal English papers). The girl confessed afterwards to Dr. Corke and others that she had caused all this by trickery, and showed how she did the tricks.
So much for the so-called Cradock ghost mystery, which has disturbed the repose of a wide district for an entire month. The credulous rustics have unconsciously invented most of the ridiculous tales, scaring themselves with imaginary terrors. And now, as Mr Rodeghiere, in reply to one of your correspondents, offered to give the sum of £5 to any person who would give a satisfactory solution of the matter, if he is still prepared to do so, I shall have much pleasure in naming to him several asylums where victims of similar frauds are now confined, and who are in need of help.
The Express and Telegraph (Adelaide, SA), 10th June 1887.
A Ghost Story.
A mysterious ghost story comes from near Yanyarrie, about 17 miles from Cradock, South Australia. At the house of a farmer named Hamdorff, during April, an unaccountable knocking was heard at various parts of the building.
Mounted-constable Mitchell, accompanied by Messrs H. Hayward and A.J. Graham determined to thoroughly investigate the matter. The party arrived at the house about half-past 8 on April 25, and found the place a pine-and-pug tenement on the banks of the Boolcunda Creek, about 30 yards from a waterhole.
The proprietor had left for Quorn, taking with him his wife and a little girl about seven years old. Two boys, aged fourteen and nine respectively, were keeping house. At 9 p.m. the light was blown out, the boys having stated that the “ghost” appeared soon after the light was extinguished. Within two or three minutes, two of the party heard a low distant sound as of a splash from a heavy stone dropped into a pool of water, followed by footsteps, immediately succeeded by a distinct knocking at the outside of the chimney. Two at once went outside, but could see nothing (it was a dark night), but heard the knocking on the inside.The knocking was as loud and distinct as an ordinary knock at the door.
After a few minutes Mr Mitchell went outside, and Messrs Hayward and Graham took his place inside, but to each the knocking appeared to proceed from the other side of the wall. They asked various questions, which were replied to by knocks, and on one of the parties asking the knocker to “knock louder,” the next shook the building. After nearly an hour’s duration the noise ceased about 10 p.m., and the party soon after proceeded to “camp,” but not to sleep.
About 2 a.m. the sounds recommenced, and continued till nearly 3 a.m., when the “supernatural visitant” decamped, leaving no trace behind. During the second visit they each went round and round the house in turns, but to no purpose, though the knocking was heard at almost every part, and several times so sharp as to make the building tremble.
Many of the neighbours and residents of Carrieton attest the reality of the sounds. Of course there are incidental rumours afloat of a shepherd drowned near the spot many years ago, and of a flitting form having been observed by people out at night horse-hunting.
It was in consequence of their observing that the knocking was only heard when their little daughter was present that the Hamdorffs took her to Quorn. No sounds were heard there. They returned to their house on the 27th, and on the evening of that day the little girl was sitting on an empty box about a foot square when knocking was heard within the box. Mrs Hamdorff, on retiring, took the child into her own bed, placing her on the inside, next the wall. Shortly afterwards a loud knocking took place in the wall just where she lay. The little one was then put in the middle of the bed, between Mr and Mrs Hamdorff, and immediately the sounds proceeded from the end wall exactly above the girl’s head. The following day they removed from the house, as they could not suffer it any longer. – Australasian Sketcher.
East of Fife Record, 8th July 1887.