A Prankish Ghost at Grimsby.
The greatest curiosity is excited in Grimsby in consequence of the occurence of some marvellous performances which no one as yet can account for by a natural hypothesis. These extraordinary manifestations occur almost daily, it is said, in the workroom of Mr George Allington, sailmaker and smack owner, Fish Dock Road.
Two men and two boys are generally employed in the room, and they say that their knives or rubbers (instruments used in the trade) are at times suddenly sent whizzing across the room by some unseen agency. Small metal rings called thimbles which are rove on strings and hung on the walls, have been seen, it is positively declared, to start one after the other from their places and fly across the room.
One of the boys, named Harry Woods, is said to be occasionally subjected to very rough treatment, having been thrown down violently, especially when he has stepped on a particular spot near the fireplace, and now he carefully avoids the spot in question.
A correspondent spent an hour in the room on Friday, along with some other curious persons, but nothing unusual then transpired. A gentleman, however, whose veracity could scarcely be doubted, assured him that the day before he saw a knife, which no one was near, suddenly bound across the room.
The foreman, a man named Ward, relates that on returning from dinner the other day he found one of his boys suspended head downwards by a rope attached to one leg, and fastened to a beam above. The boy was almost stupefied, but he afterwards narrated that he was on some planks which are stretched across the beam, and on which some sails and cordage are stored, when he felt something twine around his leg, which, on glancing down, he saw was a line with a reef knot, and the next moment he was precipitated below. The distance from the planking to the floor is only about seven feet, and his leg was fast close to the beam, so he did no sustain any injury beyond the fright.
The foreman also alleges most positively that he himself one day saw the fire shovel, which was reared against the wall move slowly round in an erect position to the front of the fender, where it remained until removed. Among other singular occurrences, it is also stated that some 3 cwts. of rope fell from the planking before referred to on to the floor beneath without any ostensible cause, and on another occasion a coil of rope, one end of which hung through a hole in the planking, suddenly ran out to the length of seven or eight fathoms, and afterwards as mysteriously went up again and recoiled itself.
Suspicion has been expressed that the boy Woods had been playing tricks, but the men assert that similar events have taken place from time to time during the last ten months, and Woods has only been there six weeks; moreover both boys have been sent home and there has not been a cessation of the phenomena. A religious gentleman the other day offered earnest prayer in the room, hoping thereby to exercise what many people are evil spirits, but the manifestations are said still to occur, and scores of persons visit the place daily.
Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 13th March 1882.
The Grimsby Ghost Mystery.
The peculiar manifestations in the sail loft of Mr. Allington, smack owner, Fish Dock Road, which have been the cause of so much sensation in the neighbourhood, have been continued during the present week, and their origin remains as mysterious as ever. The proprietor of the place was absent at Brixham when the greatest excitement prevailed at the latter end of last week, but he was summoned home by telegram from his wife, who was unable to sleep at night in consequence of the extraordinary stories which were told her. Mr. Allington’s presence, however, has had no allaying effect on the mysterious influences which have been at work.
Brass thimbles, which were kept in a desk, have been flung sharply across the place when there was no one near the desk. The foreman says he was struck on the cheek bone one day with a “rubber,” which caused a bruise. The boy Woods has been knocked about several times in the presence of persons who have been there for investigation, and these persons declare that whilst looking at the boy they have heard a sharp thud as from a blow, upon which the lad’s heels have darted into the air, and he has fallen backwards heavily on the floor. The lad got up, said he had been struck in the face and hurt a little, but not much.
Mr. Allington has had to put a stop to much of the visiting, owing to the interference with business, and it is stated that in order to ascertain whether any trickery is being practised, all the hands employed have had notice that if the presumed ghosts do not leave by the end of this week, they (the hands) must.
Kirkcaldy Times, 22nd March 1882.
[mostly as above, then] All who have seen the various manifestations are agreed that if there is trickery it is very cleverly done.
Hull Daily News, 18th March 1882.
The Grimsby Ghost.
The unquiet spirits which for a time so disturbed the usually calm precincts of Mr. Allington’s sail loft in Fish Dock road, Grimsby, have apparently entirely forsaken this favourite haunt, as no evidences of their presence have occurred since the last we recorded. Some spiritualists of the town, who spent the hours from about seven o’clock to half-past ten on two separate evenings in the loft, claim credit for having exorcised the mischievous elves by their prayers and incantations; but it is hinted in quarters likely to be best informed that the spirits inhabiting certain well-known forms of flesh and blood which may be seen with the naked eye almost any day in the neighbourhood of the pontoon have been the primary cause of the disquieting influences that have been at work, their infernal machinery being neither more nor less than an electric battery and wires so fixed by accomplices as to be the means of producing effects very startling to person having no suspicion of an electric agency.
Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 30th March 1882.
“The Grimsby Fish Dock Ghost Yarn.”
To the Editor of the Hull News.
Sir, – Allow me to correct some erroneous statements which appeared in your paper of April 1st, in a paragraph headed “The Grimsby Fish Dock Ghost Yarn.” which evidently had been copied from the Grimsby Observer.
It is there stated that the phenomena, accounts of which appeared in the public papers some short time ago, were produced by the agency of electric batteries and wires, worked by accomplices in the neighbourhood of the said loft; this information it is stated has been received from the best informed authorities. Now, sir, any one who read the accounts in the papers will at once see the absurdity of such a statement. When it is recollected that part of the phenomena consisted of hurling articles at the workmen, removing things, such as casks, boxes, or desks, from one place to another, uncoiling rope and recoiling it, &c., any one possessing the very smallest share of knowledge on the subject of electric batteries and wires, will see at once that such phenomena are entirely without the range of electric wires and battereis, had it been possible for such things to have been worked for 12 months or more by accomplices in the neighbourhood without the knowledge of the owner, therefore our wiseacres will have to seek out some other cause.
It is also stated that some spiritualists spent two nights, from seven to ten o’clock each night endeavouring to lay the ghosts by their incantations and prayers. Here again the writer has largely drawn upon his imagination for his facts. That a few spiritualists did spend a couple of hours on two succeeding nights for the purpose of investigating the phenomena is true, but that they used any incantations and prayers to exorcise the ghost, as it is called, is not true. Spiritualists do not profess to use incantations and prayers to exorcise spirits. They leave such matters to their orthodox neighbours, who profess to know so much about such things.
Spiritualists believe the universe to be governed by law and order, and not by chance. Therefore it is no astonishment to them when they read of such occurrences as those which are recorded as having taken place in the sail loft at the Grimsby Fish Dock. They know such things cannot occur without a cause. It is not denied by the best informed authority that strange things did take place, but it has been attributed to an agency which it has been clearly shown was impossible.
Having glanced over these two points, I will come to the question of what is the agency or what we consider the agency, in these phenomena, if, as it can be proved, things can be moved without contact of hands, in presence of certain organisations (read 2nd Kings, 6th chap., 4th to 7th verse), then, given such conditions, such things can be done again.
Now one of those who visited the place was a seer, and can see and describe the invisible. She saw and described a man, whom, from the description given, formerly occupied a dwelling on the site of the existing sail-loft, and from the description given, a gentleman present recognised the individual who had formerly resided in the house on the site of which the sail-loft is built. As the lady is a comparative stranger to Grimsby, knew nothing whatever of the existence of such dwelling, much less of the man and woman who resided in it, I ask by what occult power was she able to give a description of persons she had never seen and had no knowledge of?
The inference to me is clear, let others think as they may, and confirms a doctrine or opinion held by Spiritualists, that many, though they pass from earth bodily, remain here spiritually and are still drawn towards their earthly associations and surroundings. I will go into no arguments, but leave it with your readers to digest such an idea as best they may. – Yours truly, Truth Seeker.
Hull Daily News, 15th April 1882.
poss more to find in this paper then.