A Haunted House
Mystery in St. Sidwell’s.
Black spirits and white, and an eerie light.
“A Ghost! A Ghost!” They whisper it with awe in a certain part of St. Sidwell’s where some “mysterious visitations,” strange unaccountable rappings, and the sudden appearances and as sudden vanishings of a dark shadowy form at stated intervals have thrown the family who occupy the “haunted house” into a state of dire alarm.
It is now over a fortnight since the mysterious visitations began. First at a late hour, a strange knocking was heard at the back door of the house. But no one was to be seen when the summons was answered. Then the latch of the door began to rattle. Still no one was to be seen. Nor, though a search was made, could anyone be found near the house – at least in the garden or backyard. Yet no sooner was the door closed than the noises commenced again.
The occupants of the house began to feel more than a trifle scared. They could not conceive how it was possible for anyone to be playing larks on them. Watchers took their places by the windows and peered out into the darkness. Presently, what was that? It was not so dark but that a shadowy figure, evidently that of a woman, was sseen to move silently across the yard. In most ghost stories the spirits appear robbed in white. But this one seemed to have made a departure from the orthodox fashion, and came “dressed in black,” mayhap for similar or somewhat similar reasons as influenced the lady of the song. But that is of no particular moment. There she was, slowly silently pacing to and fro, before the terror-stricken eyes of the beholders. The unearthly looking visitor continued her perambulations for a few minutes; and then passed in front of a monument which stands in the yard. That for some cause or other seemed to excite her, for she began to throw her arms about, as if alternately threatening and entreating.
It was apparent she did not like it, for, as the stone remained unmoved, and quite heedless of all her gesticulations, suddenly, quicker than a flash of lightning, the spirit disappeared. That concluded the performance for that night. That an examination by daylight showed no signs of any footprints made the visit all the more uncanny.
Next night there was more of it. The mysterious rappings came again at the same hour, the same unaccountable shaking of the latch. the same dark figure paraded the yard, and vanished as suddenly just where it stood. It happened, so we are told, that the household cat was in the yard when the ghost made her sudden appearance. With a terrific yell, Tom scooted across the yard, over the wall, and has not since been seen or heard of.
Every night the same performance was gone through to the increased alarm of the haunted family, who were gradually losing their nerves. One night last week they called in some neighbours to watch with them. Perhaps the spirit discovered this and resented her actions being watched by so many, for she did not finish up that night with the show int the back yard. The family and their visitors were sitting with blanched cheeks tremblingly discussing the visitations of the awful spectre – more awful because of its silence than for any harm it had done so far – when in the dark room in which they had been watching a faint light suddenly appeared. It gradually assumed a human form, and then it was seen that if this was the same ghost which perambulated the back yard, she must have changed her dress, for now she was robed in white. She did not seem to have come there with any particular object. She simply stood a moment or two, and then made fireworks of herself. As one of the eye-witnesses said: “Suddenly it (meaning the ghost) changed to a bright light, and shone up the room something splendid for about five minutes.”
But worse was to follow. Another morning about half-past one o’clock, after the usual visitations, one of the daughters of the house boldly went into a back room to shut a window. The other hearing “something” followed her and found her lying unconscious on the floor. When she recovered she explained that when she entered the room she found herself gripped by the shoulders. She could see nothing, and her fright was so great that she fainted away.
Later information shows the ghost to be exhibiting moribund symptoms. It is not impossible that he may have seen Mr Chevalier in “The Land of Nod” at the Theatre Royal, and come to the conclusion that his performance was, in comparison with that of Ruhah Ramja, too insignificantly poor to be continued and so departed. It is now stated by those who may claim to have authority to speak, that the apparition was principally composed of imagination, the balance being one of those little incidents which the gregariousness of human kind calls into being. This much may be said on behalf of the proprietor of the premises – that there is really no foundation for assuming that the house is “haunted” in any way. Of the genesis of the rumour we can say nothing, for nothing is known as a certainty. Our business has simply been to record the existence of a rumour and its visible effect.
Exeter Flying Post, 31st July 1897.