Cock-Lane at Kensington.
To the Editor of the Morning Post.
Sir, – The undermentioned phenomena are so extraordinary that I feel justified in soliciting a portion of your space wherein to recount them.
We live in a suburb of London, W district, as my card, which I enclose for your satisfaction, will show. Our house is a corner one of a batch of four, and is moderately large. On Ash Wednesday last our visitors’ bell began ringing somewhat violently, and it continued to do so until about 10 p.m., when I sought a policeman, and asked him to endeavour to catch the supposed runaway. But he did not; and this ringing continued daily (but less frequently in the day) until Wednesday, 21st February. On several occasions I had been at the dining-room window, which overlooks the gate at the foot of the house-steps; but although I heard the bell ring clearly enough, I could see no-one.
After the above date there was no more mysterious ringing, but on Thursday, 22d February, something equally startling occurred. At the foot of a staircase leading to the various domestic offices, and under the stairs, is a cupboard, doubtless intended to act as a small wine-cellar, for it is fitted up as such. Well, nothing would keep its door shut (we had lost the key, so we placed various weights against it, which were very quickly sent flying. Then we nailed it up very securely, but equally unsuccessfully, for the nails were soon forced out. I then placed a chair with some large heavy pots on top of it against the door, and, in addition, a large horse-bucket full of water, inside a small arm-chair, of which the seat was knocked out, so the pail stood on the ground.
I must now mention that I got all my household into my “study” with me, together with a young friend who was visiting me. In about seven minutes we heard a slight noise, and on descending found the bucket removed from its original position about a yard. We then searched the house all over, but to no avail. We returned to the “study” before mentioned, where we somewhat anxiously and curiously canvassed the subject in our minds – “the pail excursion.”
Almost immediately that we ceased so doing (in about 20 minutes I should say) we again heard a slight noise outside the door, and, on my opening it, I found a chair placed at right angles across the threshold of the opposite room, having some babies’ clothes on it. This chair had apparently descended, by some unknown means, from the nursery over head.
But now comes the climax. This day, Thursday, March 1, I was sitting with a young friend, the nephew of a well-known baronet (whose name I disclose to you in private to show that I am no imposter) in the said “study,” when we heard a thump overhead; and directly the children’s nurse ran down to inform me that something had upset in the top bed-rooms, she being underneath at the time. I ascended with my friend, and, to our mutual amazement, we found an iron bedstead turned on to its side, and a washing-stand and fittings sprawling before us, with the water, of course, upset, but the china unbroken.
No one that we know of was up stairs further than the first floor, but another, whose name and address I also furnish in confidence, remained with me, when lo! sir, my mahogany chairs, under our very eyes, upset of themselves, one by one, and became – two of them – perfect wrecks.
My wife and children’s nurse witnessed this as well as my friend. I called in various neighbours to see the result of these phenomena, but we could come to no satisfactory solution of the difficulty. – Apologising for the length of my letter, I am, sir, your obedient servant, E.G. – London, W., March 1.
(We shall be glad to hear from our correspondent whether any change in the phenomena occurs when “the nephew of a well-known baronet” has terminated his visit).
Morning Post, 3rd March 1877.
Sir, – In reply to your foot-note of my letter of Thursday’s date, I beg to state that “the nephew of a well-known baronet” visits me only for a short time in the morning, and lives at least two miles away. It only chanced that he was a hearer of the noise caused by the upsetting of the bedstead, &c., and a witness of the consequent confusion. Things happen quite as frequently – nay, more so – in his absence, as did the breaking of the chairs which took place about half an hour after his departure.
I may as well now mention that on Thursday I called in a policeman (after the suicidal wreck of the chairs) to inspect the house with me, and that I literally bundled my wife and bairns into the streets, without waiting for outdoor dress, &c., fearing the house might fall about our ears through what I then imagined might be the shock of an earthquake, or explosion of some kind. But, sir, since Thursday I have been favoured with various coincidences which dispel my former idea of the earthquake, although, perhaps, we may attribute the phenomena to electricity brought about purposely for a hoax, but this is only a passing thought.
Last night a lady friend of my family called upon us. She ridiculed the whole story which we related to her of the furniture’s misbehaviour. We invited her to see the bed-rooms and some of the upset furniture, not then replaced. She accepted our invitation, and ascended with the children’s nurse. Hardly had she entered a bed-room (so she says) when a bedstead moved diagonally towards her. This was enough for the lady! She was so impressed that she insisted on all of us passing the night at her house.
I consented to this arrangement on account of the illness of my wife consequent upon these unexplained facts and night watchings. I am no believer in ghosts of any kind, and have simply written to you in order to – as I said in my previous letter – obtain, if possible, a satisfactory solution of the difficulty. – I am, sir, your obedient servant, E.G. – London, W., March 3.
Morning Post, 5th March 1877.
Cock-Lane at the West-End.
Since the troubles which recently afflicted E.G. have driven him from his home, there have been fresh instances of liveliness in new directions on the part of the spirits. The most notable, certainly, is a phantom brougham which lies between Albert-gate and Hyde-park-corner. The joke it indulges in is less practical than those of which E.G. was the victim, for the brougham neither smashes itself nor any other vehicle. Its strange career is enlivened by constantly playing on the nerves of passers-by, who have witnessed it, in most determined form, charging and apparently annihilating persons who are in the act of crossing the road. These persons, however, are none the worse for the spiritual assaults, and are, indeed, unconscious of the peril so visible to others. This new mystery will no doubt furnish a fair amount of that pleasing excitement which those addicted to the careful investigation of spiritualistic phenomena so rejoice to indulge in.
We subjoin a communication from E.G. , with some last particulars of his recent visitation.
To the Editor of the Morning Post.
Sir, – I beg to thank you for forwarding me the letter of a correspondent on the subject of “Cock-lane, at Kensington” (as you pleased to term it), which was from a scientific gentleman who has for some time past been engaged in examining the alleged phenomena of spiritualism, but has hither to met with great difficulties owing to all the available professional “mediums” requiring darkness as a condition sine qua non. I have replied to this gentleman privately, and shall be only too glad to give him every opportunity in my power to investigate my “ghostly experiences,” provided that I can obtain the necessary consent of my late landlord, who is naturally averse to too much publicity on the subject, as detrimental to letting, &c. I, on the other hand, of course am only too anxious to get a solution of the phenomena, by any means and on any terms whatever.
I must add that I quitted the house on the 10th inst., and so have no further power of my own to show it to visitors; but some 40 or 50 gentlemen have already well inspected it. Should the gentleman referred to as anxious to investigate the case come to any conclusion, I shall be most happy that he or I communicate the result to you.
I append a list of occurrences, some of which I omitted to send to you before, in my hurry and excitement, and others which have happened since my letter to you of the 5th inst. – I am, sir, your obedient servant, March 19. E.G.
When I ascended with my friend to the bed-rooms after the rush of the bedstead, &c., I was brought to a halt on the top landing (as far as which I had rushed as quickly as my legs could carry me) by seeing all the linen out of the press and strewed over the floor, the doors of the press being wide open, which were previously locked. When, after this, we had inspected the rooms and the loft, we returned to the “study,” but had only been there a few moments when another bedstead and child’s cot overturned in the bed-room opposite the one to which I have referred. Again we could trace no agent.
On Saturday afternoon, March 3, the bell again began ringing violently, while two visitors were in the house; they ran to the window, I to the door, but, as usual, we could see nothing extraordinary. The same afternoon, soon afterwards, we heard a noise below; we went to the kitchen, from whence proceeded the screams of my wife and a servant, who happened to be there, and who witnessed a table overturn of itself, and in so doing broke off one of its legs.
A curious fact came under my own eyes. A servant was putting some Brunswick black on the fire-grate; she had for that purpose two round brushes (such as are used for black lead), which she placed in a saucer. All at once she cried out, “Oh, look, sir!” I went quickly, and found the brushes performing a circular quick motion, just above the saucer, in the air.
On Saturday, March 10, my wife was packing up some things previous to her departure, when she missed her sponges, which she had only just placed close by her, and on searching for them she suddenly espied them up the chimney; how they got there no one knows. Again, a child’s worsted sock would not remain on a table on which it was placed, but continually concealed itself behind a box in the “study.” A dressing-table in my wife’s bedroom walked out, so to speak, from the wall before her eyes, about half a yard, and a chest of drawer on the other side of the room moved of itself. This same dressing-table a day or two later overturned and smashed the ornaments, &c., which were upon it. A shovel also was found with the scoop bent at right angles to the handle, and then broke when touched. From a bookcase in the study some eight or nine books, on more than one occasion, projected themselves one after the other in quick succession on to the floor before me and two others. This bookcase was well examined by several gentlemen, who could trace no clue in this matter or in any other.
Morning Post, 20th March 1877.