The Little Tew Ghost; or Another Cock Lane Story.
Under this head, appeared the following letter in the Oxford Herald of Saturday last, which we recommend to those skilled in the science of Demonology:-
After the Rev. Mr Jordan’s recent admirable lecture on ghosts and supernatural agencies, I was anxious to know something about the strange noises, appearances, &c. now going on at Little Tew, near Deddington, in this county, and having some leisure I spent a few days on the spot, and will first give you such particulars as I gathered from others, and then what I witnessed with my own senses, carefully separating what I had on the testimony of others, no matter how respectable, from what I can speak to of my own knowledge.
The cottage in question is the property of Exeter College, whose steward, Mr. John Davis, has issued a handbill offering a reward for the detection of the offender. The premises were originally a farm house, which, about thirty years since was converted into three cottages. I know the locality well, as I was born in the very one where now the disturbances take place. It is the end one of the three, and occupied by Charles Milling, a widower, aged 73, a man of excellent character; the inmates with him are Thomas Hall, aged 25, his wife, aged 23, and an infant. Hall’s wife has been subject to fits; when single, she lived servant at Chipping Warden, where she disobliged an itinerant sybil, who threatened her that she should lose her place in two months, and within that time she was frightened in the field by a snake, which brought on fits, and she was obliged to leave, which fits she remains subject to, although she has had none for the last six months, till recently.
In the next cottage live George Turfrey, aged 40, his wife, a little older, and two daughters, aged about nine and fifteen. In the farthest cottage live William White, 29, his wife 20, and two young children, all people of good character. There are no garrets to any of the houses, nor any up stairs communication whatever.
About seven o’clock on Sunday evening, the 25th ult. as G. Turfrey was reading the Testament, first chapter of St. John, and the neighbours about half a dozen, sitting in the house, a round table, in the middle of the house, moved without any one being near it, on which Turfrey put his hand to steady it, when it started from his grasp the distance of two feet for a very sensible period, and then returned to its place. This very much excited the company, and Turfrey offered up an extempore prayer, when a voice, as if from the oven, close to him, distinctly said, “If it is in the salt box let it come out.”
This so frightened Turfrey’s youngest child, that she ran towards the door to escape; she was invisibly pulled back, screamed out, and became so ill as to be carried to bed. The party then sang hymns, and the voice accompanied them, but in a tone of discordancy and ridicule, and on a previous occasion, while a person was praying to have the evil taken from them, the hidden voice called out, “no, no, no.” On one occasion the concealed voice told the old man, Milling, to lock up his money. On his answering he had none, he was replied to, “It was in the loft of an outhouse.” He went there and prayed, but was greatly annoyed by discordant noises.
The above is but a small portion of what all the neighbours assert to be true. One of Milling’s sons committed suicide about 18 years ago; the other son was killed by lightning about 12 years since. These invisible annoyances have been in operation for several months past.
I now come to what I myself witnessed, and am ready to make oath to the correctness thereof. To be quite satisfied, I sat in the haunted house for several days together. On the Thursday, while sitting by the fire, I heard close to me cries of thrilling distress, in a tone between that of a female in agony and the discordant noise of a cat; each moan continued for about half a minute, and was repeated from various parts of the house, at short intervals, for ten hours; my little boy, six years old, heard the same, and mimics the noise to his playfellows. Friday and Saturday, in every respect the same as Thursday. Monday morning the same; in the afternoon the whine continued, but in a key far gruffer than any man, with noises on the floor above, like the hard hit of a carpenter’s heavy hammer; and later in the afternoon, but while quite light, a stone, weighing a pound, came into the room, but without any sound whatever, and as if dropped perpendicularly.
After dark all the noises continued, and the dough-trough lid, with two loaves on it lifted up, and fell down again with a loud clap, and overturned the bread. On Tuesday morning about eight, while sitting alone, I heard noises in the fire like the tinkling of brass and iron struck together. I called in others who all heard the same, and while conversing on the subject, an unoccupied chair, in the middle of the house, spontaneously jumped up, and fell on its side violently. About 11 a.m., two distinct raps on the floor above, as on Monday, but hard enough to force down the whitewash from the boards, and five minutes afterwards a violent kick at the door, which we immediately opened, but found no one there. From two till six in the evening the moanings and hammerings continued, and the dough-trough lid again lifted up, on which Hall’s wife fell into a fit, which lasted fifty minutes, during which time I felt a smart and forcible tap on the shoulder, and am quite sure no human being was within reach of me.
I then left and have not been in the house since, nor have heard anything from that neighbourhood, except that some one has removed Hall’s wife to a distant village to be out of the way of the disturbance. I enclose you a rough ground work sketch of the premises, and should any respectable person wish for further information, you are at liberty to give up my name, and any letter addressed to me, at Adderbury, post paid, shall be attended to. – Yours, &c. E.W.
Westmorland Gazette, 22nd December 1838.
The Little Tew Ghost. To the Editor of the Oxford Herald.
SIR,– Your insertion of “E.W.’s” letter in the last Herald entitled you to the thanks of the whole community as well as those of the regular readers of your respectable and influential Paper. It was, indeed, high time that the notice of the thinking part of the public should be drawn to the Little Tew ghost, legerdemain, or witchcraft – call it which you will. “E.W.’s” character is known to be beyond suspicion, and his letter has produced an impression on the public mind, which cannot fail to end in good.
Think, Sir, of the guilt that will be incurred, if the simple inhabitants of a large rural district have been alarmed and deluded by the contrivances of this woman herself, who is the subject of the supposed witch’s vagaries! I have no reason to say that this is the case. I do not know that she has ever drawn a sixpence from any one by her story. But if she is innocent, this makes the matter only worse; since it follows that a poor blameless woman is the victim of artifice, which (the fits produced being real) seems likely to terminate in her becoming the inmate of a madhouse, or, more probably, the speedy tenant of the tomb! Add to this, thousands of villagers are led into the belief of stories of witchcraft. Truly there is great guilt somewhere, which, aroused by the publication of “E.W.’s” letter, the reflecting portion of the public will, I hope, unravel.
As “E.W.” stated, the bewitched woman was removed from Tew, and, as it was hoped, out of the reach of her supposed enemy. On her way, the evil genius is nevertheless said to have accompanied her. On occasion of her requiring to be lifted, one of her legs weighed a ton, and it was some time before such a weight could be moved. Taken, at last, to her mother’s at Hook-Norton, the terrors of the evil one, who still followed her, occasioned her soon to be driven even from that asylum. But one thing was now discovered – Tew was quiet : the terrible visitant had fled thence. Removed to a fresh abode, persons flocked in numbers to see the woman. For some time strange stories continued to be set about, and respectable neighbours were called from their beds to witness chairs and tables jumping about the house as nimbly as parched peas in a shovel.
One day, it is said, four Baptist preachers knelt down in prayer by the bed-side. Mr. Devil thought that a proper time to appear, and the Baptist ministers were soon scared from their knees, and the house, by his awful presence. Now as this last story is undoubtedly a falsehood, it may be well to consider how much of the rest is also mere rumour. The stories which are told are as endless as they are foolish, and as foolish as they are endless.
But another light has been thrown on the matter. There were some persons at Hook-Norton and elsewhere who were likely not to suffer the public to be deluded, but to sift the matter to the bottom. It was, therefore, most desirable for Mr. Devil, supposing him to be an imposter, to scuttle away while he could do so with a whole coat. He is said, therefore, to have appeared under the woman’s pillow. Someone who heard him took a fork, and by a wary and sudden effort, stuck through pillow, devil, and all, on which blood (or something like it,) oozed from the pillow!!! the spell was broken, and neither noise, witch, nor devil have been heard of since!!!
I leave all your readers to draw their own conclusions from this sudden departure, and in the mean time I hope the magistrates will cause proper inquiry to be made. Merely to laugh at tales of witchcraft is not wise. The thing may be play to us, but it is death to others. Let me hope these hints will not be thrown away.
I am, Sir, your constant reader, A FARMER, Bloxham, Dec. 19th.
We believe the Rector and Fellows of Exeter College have taken the only effectual method of laying the ghost, by informing the inhabitants of the haunted tenement, that if the ghost does not quit, they will have immediate notice to do so themselves.
Oxford University and City Herald, 22nd December 1838.
Little Tew Ghost Again. To the Editor of the Oxford Herald.
Sir, – I have this day had some conversation with the father and the husband of the woman Hall, who is now occupying so much of public attention; they seem to be two unassuming, steady, and respectable men, and very guarded in advancing any thing they cannot fully substantiate. The husband was returning from the cunning man and water doctor, at Croughton, whom he had been consulting on his wife’s case. The doctor, willing to turn an honest penny, though he said but little, gave, or rather sold, his opinion, that the woman was not bewitched, but tormented with a devil, and sent some pills, &c. to purge out the foul fiend, but whether that sable personage is obnoxious to physic, remains yet to be seen.
They fully confirm all that has been stated in your last two Heralds on this subject, with the exception of the woman’s leg weighing exactly one ton; and farther state, that when the husband, in mid-day, was removing her in an open cart from Tew to Hook-Norton, they were accompanied by all imaginable unearthly and repellant noises, as if issuing from the box on which she sat, and while so sitting with one foot a little forward, all at once she lost all power of voluntary motion, the limb became as rigid and immovable as if struck with catalepsy; the husband tried with nearly all his strength to raise it, but without effect, and was only deterred from using greater force from fear of jerking her out of the cart. After a mile or two’s journeying, they were suddenly startled by a loud and frightful shriek from behind a hedge close by, on which the woman as suddenly recovered the use of her limb. When arrived at Hook-Norton, all the disturbances commenced there as vigorously as they had been at Tew, and whenever she visited a neighbour’s house, the noises there accompanied her.
She first took up her abode at the outskirts of the village, but the neighbours were so disturbed that they induced her to remove to the other extreme end of the town, and there the ghost is now clattering away at railroad pace, howlings, growlings, screamings, hammerings, bull bellowings, and furniture tumbling to an extent all but insufferable. The husband declares, that with but one interval of exception, he has not had one whole night’s rest for the last eight weeks; the various noises are frequently going on while the woman is in uninterrupted conversation with her neighbours and visitors.
She is in good health and spirits except occasional fits, and cheerfully goes about her household affairs. But when the noises are very sudden or vociferous she starts, flushes in the face, and her eyes become wild and excited. It was about midnight on Saturday, the 15th inst. when some person ran the fork through the pillow, and from that time till the following Friday, the 21st. the disturbances quite ceased. I may here remark, that a person who examined the bed clothes assert, that there were marks of blood on the sheet under the pillow, and outside the pillow case, but none on the inside, and whatever shape the disturber might have assumed, it could not have been thicker than a sixpence.
Neither is it unimportant to notice, that the woman or her relatives do not refuse any trifling silver that visitors may offer, by way of providing the necessary extra coals and candles that are unavoidably consumed.
Multitudes firmly believe in an unhallowed influence, among whom I may mention Mr. John Godson, of Hook-Norton, a man of strong mind, quick discernment, and unimpeachable character; he frequently visits the house, and witnesses the various disturbances. William Lucket, of Hook-Norton, publican, was with the woman and several others sitting by the fire, when a round three-legged table, at the farther side of the room, and no one near it, pitched over and rolled on its side. At another time while the woman and friends were round the fire, and with them John Cox, blacksmith, he and they all saw a chair, quite away from every body, spontaneously tumble over towards them; the chairs are flag bottomed and lean backwards, yet they always fall forwards.
— Horwood, baker, Over-Norton, heard the noises last Friday, and saw something run across the room that very much frightened him. He exclaimed “Oh! it’s the devil”; when a very gruff voice called out, “You’re a fool.”
Last Sunday night, between eleven and twelve o’clock when all were in bed, the loud hammerings in the next room, where two persons were sleeping, were so violent, as to throw the woman Hall into a fit, and were not only heard, but shook the bed and furniture in the next house.
Thomas Bench, Mrs. Hall’s father, seems fully impressed that she is bewitched, and that by the old fortune teller at Chipping-Warden, whom she offended, and who he says approached her in the shape of a viper. I purposely abstain from hazarding an opinion, yet cannot but think it quite time the Magistrates, or other authorities, should thoroughly investigate the matter. It is become offensive to public comfort and decorum. Could not the neighbouring clergy and medical men remove the woman to some place of stricter observance, or take turns in waiting on her, and make such other arrangements as must of necessity unravel the mystery, and abate the nuisance.
The next good thing is to give it all publicity, thereby inviting a stricter criticism of all that is passing, so that truth may be elicited. I cannot conclude without thanking you for the insertion of the letters of “E.W.” and “A Farmer”, as I am sure good must ultimately accrue therefrom.
I am, yours, &c. Another W. – Adderbury, Dec 27th 1838.
P.S. The ghost has been rather quieter for the last few days, but has not yet left off all its gamesome tricks. The woman is taking ghost mixture, and last Friday she carefully placed the bottle in a box, in the house, downstairs; in about ten minutes after, it was found in the cradle upstairs, and no hands had visibly moved it. – January 3rd, 1839.
Oxford University and City Herald, 12th January 1839.
The Little Tew ghost is again attracting the attention of our neighbourhood, and playing its usual vagaries. We are assured hundreds have been to witness its performances lately, but it still eludes the most vigilant attempts at discovery, and remains to the present time involved in mystery. We hope next week to give some further account.
Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette, 23rd March 1839.
To Correspondents. “Little Tew Ghost” next week.
Several articles of intelligence and Advertisements omitted this week will appear in our next publication.
Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette, 30th March 1839.
Little Tew Ghost.
The excitement occasioned a few months ago in the peaceful village of Little Tew by a report that the wife of an industrious mechanic, named Hall, who resides there, was molested by some mysterious and invisible agency, has by no means subsided. Contrary to what might have been expected the effect of time has been, not to detect the imposture, for a gross and shameless imposture it unquestionably is, but to add to the prevalence of the ridiculous rumour. It is in every body’s mouth, though it does not appear that any respectable individuals come forward to vouch for the truth of the statements, that persons while reading the Holy Scriptures in her house, have been interrupted by such exclamations as, “you are a fool,” in a voice resembling that of a musical instrument at a distance, with many blasphemous and obscene expression; that the chairs and tables move about as if they were alive; and that on one occasion, her wedding ring having fallen from her finger in an unaccountable manner, her daughter tied it on by means of a string attached to her wrist, but it came off again notwithstanding, to the amazement of the woman, and a highly respectable, but of course nameless tradesman of the village who was present. A powder flask jumped from a table and struck a poor fellow on the side of the head. Were it not that a number of persons are persuaded of the truth of these statements, and an impression of a pernicious tendency produced upon the minds of those whom it is desirable to preserve free from error and delusion, it might be enough to mark this fraud by silent contempt, but under the circumstances described, it becomes indispensable that the matter should be sifted, in order to disabuse the minds of the credulous.
Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette, 6th April 1839.
Little Tew Ghost.
A correspondent informs us that this troublesome visitant is at length laid, and by what means think you, good reader? A certain Baptist minister has taken the matter in hand, and so successfully, that the intruder has promised never to offend again. How long he or she may keep this promise is another matter.
Oxford University and City Herald, 20th April 1839.
Adderbury.
Alas, and is Tommy really gone? Yes, poor Tommy, talking Tommy, the ventriloquist is dead. […] A wandering life was his Alpha, a joke and companion his Omega; many a time have his ventriloqual powers been in requisition to send truant boys to school, refractory children to bed, and to deter servant maids from walking in the shrubbery by moonlight. In one instance, at least, he benefitted, as well as amused, society, by silencing the Little Tew ghost; Tommy went over to Tew, got the ghost’s twang, and directly set up as opposition ghost, and soon had all the custom, at which the real Simon Pure was so displeased that it left off ghosting and the neighbourhood together. The above Thos. Day (sunshine and shower) was a good workman, as a saddler, got into an adventure at Daventry and thereby lost his life, aged 34. “Peace to his remains.”
Oxford University and City Herald, 13th July 1839.
Just published, price 6d. Personal recollections of the Little Tew Ghost, reviewed in connexion with the Lancashire Bogie, and the Table Talking and Spirit Rapping of the Present Day; by Edgar Hewlett, Minister of the Gospel, Wigan. London: Aylott and Co, 8, Paternoster Row; and all Booksellers.
Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette, 7th January 1854.
In laying the following narrative before the public, I beg to assure them that it is no overdrawn picture; but a true statement of only a portion of the facts connected with this singular case; – if all the particulars were recorded, they would fill a volume; – should any person doubt my veracity, I beg to say that there are many witnesses still living in Little Tew and its neighbourhood, who are fully acquainted with all the particulars, and who would readily confirm what I have written, though “some are fallen asleep.”
Christian friends have advised me to publish the account, and I sincerely hope it will be the means of doing some good. The perusal of these facts will forcibly remind the reader of that awful delusion of Satan, the Table-Talking and Spirit-Rapping of the present day.
Reader, I solemnly warn you to avoid such things as you would a pestilence. Do you say, what harm is there in it? My reply is, much, very much in a temporal point of view; but who can tell how much when viewed in connexion with the being, the well-being of an immortal soul? The lengths to which it is carried are awful in the extreme, especially in America; and the fatal consequences attending the same are dreadful to contemplate, and should operate as a solemn warning to us not to tempt God, or give heed to seducing spirits; but that we should resist the devil, that he may flee from us. It is to be feared that many who profess and call themselves Christians, know nothing of the devices of Satan, and are therefore led captive by him at his will.
I had in my hand a few days since a list of the names of about twenty persons who had indulged in this sin, and I am sorry to add that the whole number are now either in madhouses or in premature graves. Perhaps these persons once said, “what harm is there in it?” And now where are they? Reader, are you a Christian? If so, have no fellowship with the workers of iniquity. “Should not a people seek unto their God?” “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,” &c. &c.
Fearlessly oppose all that is contrary to godliness in word and practice. Seek his glory in all you say or do, put your whole trust in him, and you shall never be ashamed.
Personal Recollections…
During the years 1838-39 I was frequently called upon, in the providence of God, to visit the village of Little Tew, in Oxfordshire, for the purpose of preaching the gospel, and thus became acquainted with several families of respectability, and many amongst them were persons who feared the Lord.
Mrs. K., a very respectable farmer’s widow, and her daughter, a middle-aged lady, were of the number, and near to them was a modest, quiet, and unassuming young woman about twenty years of age, named Hannah, to whom they were attached on account of the probity of her conduct, and kind disposition. This young woman stated that an old woman one day presented herself at the door, and wanted to tell her fortune. She reproved the woman, saying that she was an impostor, and could not look into futurity, and had better go about her business. At this the old woman, greatly enraged, said she would tell her fortune, that she would be married to a young man in three months, and gave some description of his person.
Hannah accused her of telling lies, and shut the door in her face. Shortly afterwards she discovered, or imagined that she saw, something very ugly resembling an eft or asker, as they are commonly called in Lancashire, hanging upon her gown, which so greatly alarmed her as to occasion a violent fit; her troubles had now commenced, she became subject to fits which so much affected her health as to unfit her for service; she therefore left her situation, and went to reside with her relatives: here her health soon improved, and within three months, as previously intimated by the old woman, she was married to a respectable young man with whom she had before kept company.
I do not remember what interval elapsed between the time of her marriage, and the strange sounds being heard in her dwelling. She had an infant child when I first saw her, and at that time was evidently suffering much both in mind and body, from some invisible agency. Unearthly sounds were heard to proceed from various parts of the house, which greatly terrified her, and threw her into violent fits, in which she frequently lay for many hours, and was at length with much difficulty restored to consciousness.
The sounds heard in the house varied much; being sometimes like a scratching noise, at other times as a moaning sound, and frequently as a shrill whistle.
For some weeks they went on in this manner, tormenting the poor woman day and night. Others would hear the sounds, but were not affected by them in the same manner as Hannah.
At length this evil one appeared to grow more bold, and not content with sounds, it began to display its power upon inanimate things. The medicine sent by the medical man for Hannah’s use, was usually placed on the dresser shelves, but was several times thrown to the floor in the middle of the room by an invisible hand, when no person was near to it; or, when about to be taken, the cup into which it was poured had been dashed out of her hand and broken to pieces on the floor. In consequence of this proceeding, Miss K., the lady before referred to, kindly undertook to keep the medicine in her own house, and Hannah went there, at stated times, to take it from her hands.
When she was seated by the fire, it would frequently pull her gown with a downward tug, and at other times untie her apron, and throw it to the furthest part of the house in an instant. Among other mischievous freaks, it would take off her wedding-ring, and hide it in some part of the house, or secrete the key of her door in a place where no one would think of looking for it, or break the windows of the cottage, thump the bed-room floor, or lift up the lid of the kneading trough, and let it fall down with violence.
These things frequently occurring, caused great commotion in the village and neighbouring towns, and formed the chief topic of conversation. But when a voice was heard, some of the people were filled with terror and dismay, while others doubted, and many declared they would not believe there was anything supernatural; yet how to account for what was heard and seen they could not tell. Amongst the latter number was a strong hearty widow woman who kept a public house in the village, who said she was determined to be satisfied about the matter, but for her own part she believed it to be some trick of Hannah’s. Accordingly she went to the cottage, and on being told that the windows had been broken by this unknown one, she expressed a wish to examine the bed-room windows, and went up stairs alone for the purpose of doing so; but how great was her surprise when she was lifted from the floor towards the ceiling, and again replaced upon her feet, without sustaining any injury to her person. So great was her terror of mind, that she instantly returned home, and was confined to her bed for several days, owing to the shock her nervous system had sustained. She went no more to the cottage, so that I presume she was fully satisfied.
It had now become quite a familiar spirit in the house, such as we read of in the eighth chapter of Isaiah, and nineteenth verse [“And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?”], and it not only peeped and muttered, but at times spoke audibly, using very vulgar language, and sometimes swearing dreadfully.
Those who knew the poor woman, sympathized much with her, and were anxious to get rid of so unwelcome a guest as speedily as possible; they therefore determined on holding a prayer meeting in the cottage, in hopes it might thus be driven away from the place; but to their surprise, no sooner were they assembled together at the time appointed, than it was evident there was an uninvited and unwelcome visitor amongst them reminding us of that remarkable passage in Job ii.1.[Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.]
When either of the brethren engaged in prayer, an unearthly voice ironically shouted aloud Amen. One of the persons present ventured to interrogate it, asking who it was, and why it came there, and also entreated it to leave; but all the answer obtained was a chuckling fiendish laugh. On another occasion a person was more successful in obtaining an answer; various questions were put, and a rambling answer was given, that he was the spirit of a departed person; at the same time giving his name, and stating some circumstances in his history, nearly all of which on inquiry proved to be false; thus provig him to be a lying, mischievous, and malicious spirit.
Hundreds of persons visited the cottage from all parts of the neighbourhood, the Oxford newspapers had several letters in them, headed “The Little Tew Ghost;” and one letter in particular stated that the Rector and Fellows of Exeter College, Oxford (to whom Little Tew belongs), were about to use means for the speedy removal of the troublesome one; but it treated all these letters as so many idle threats, and continued to maintain its hold both upon the house and the woman. The prayer meetings were continued at the cottage, and a strange shrill voice, louder than the rest, was frequently heard joining in the songs of Zion.
On one occasion the same voice said, “Sing such a hymn,” and at the same time gave out the number of the hymn, and again the voice was heard above the others; the hymn was not familiar to me, but I perfectly remember it was a precious one, full of Christ and salvation by Him. My readers will perhaps wonder that they should so readily comply with so strange a request, but some allowance will be made when it is remembered that they were simple-minded country people, and that familiarity had taken the place of fear and dread; it was a “familiar spirit” in the fullest acceptation of the word.
Mr. R.R., a particular friend of mine, a man who fears God above many, went to one of the meetings, held at the cottage, and was in the act of looking out a hymn, when he felt a pressure on his knee, and immediately a shrill voice imitating the crowing of a cock was heard, as coming from his knee. He then made some remark respecting it, and a slight pressure came on his shoulder, and at the same time a loud voice shouted in his ear – “you’re a fool” — “you’re a fool” — which seemed to be a favourite expression, if we may judge from its frequent use.
It continued to treat the poor woman in a merciless manner, often throwing her into a fit, in which her teeth were set together for eight or ten hours. Some days passed quietly, and then it would again commence hostilities by throwing a saucepan, hatchet, or stool at her head. Many blows she has received in this manner, and several times escaped unhurt.
On one occasion it suddenly dashed the child from her lap to the fire on the hearth, but it was providentially preserved from injury.
One day she was regretting to a friend that it had taken her wedding ring from her finger, and she feared it was lost; a voice immediately declared that it was in the handkerchief on the table, and on unfolding the handkerchief it was found. Mr. S.G. being present, said, “Give it to me, Hannah, and I’ll keep it for you, and take care he does not get it again; and he then placed it on a ring attached to his watch chain; but was repeatedly called a fool for so doing.
Owing to her continued illness, and fearing to be left alone, she was obliged to have some one in the house with her to attend to her domestic affairs, her husband being from home all the day; her mother therefore came to stay a short time, and while she was there the key of the house door was lost, for which they looked all over the house in vain. One of them observed, “Depend on it that thing has got it hid somewhere;” a shrill voice then replied, “It’s in the pail of water, it’s in the pail of water!” A pail of water was standing near at hand, and the old woman put her hand into it to feel for the key, and not finding it, exclaimed, “Drat that lying thing; it is not here;” whereupon the same shrill voice quickly rejoined, “It’s in the pail of water;” again the old woman put her hand into the pail on the other side, and there indeed was the key standing on its end; a stifled laugh was heard when the key was found.
The old woman returned to her own home, and a sister of Hannah’s, who had been out to service, being unwell and advised to go into the country for a change of air, came to stay a little while with her. One day while they were together in the court yard outside the cottage, paring potatoes – a loud noise was heard inside, and in going in the floor was wet, and the fragments of a quart bottle were strewed in all directions about the house. The young woman, it appears, had been recommended to take a small quantity of porter daily, and thinking she might not be able to get it good in the country, had brought a bottle full with her, and left it in her box upstairs; but a thief who could bid defiance to the most vigilant detective, opened the box, took out the bottle and dashed it with violence on the floor below.
One evening as two men were returning from their work in a state of drunkenness, they entered the cottage, vociferating, “Have not you a ghost here?” They then began to swear, and beating the chairs and legs of the table with sticks, challenged it to appear, at the same time using the foulest and most disgusting language. They were quickly expelled from the place, but the language they used, and the lesson they had taught, was not forgotten; frequently afterwards the same disgusting words were heard in that cottage, uttered it may be by one not more sinful than the drunkard, who blasts his prospects, beggars his family, ruins his body, sins against God, damns his own soul, and probably by his pernicious example leads others to that place where hope never comes.
Reader; are you a drunkard? If so, listen, I beseech you, to what the most high God saith concerning such characters in His holy word, 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10, “Know ye not, that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor idolaters, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
Being so continually harrassed, the poor man and his wife could get but little rest, nor did they like to be left alone in the house; for in the dead of the night this intruder would perch himself near the bed, and sometimes on the pillow, and crow or chirp in a frightful manner; and on more than one occasion has lifted them from the bed, and laid them down again without altering their position, and apparently with as much care as a tender nurse would use towards a sleeping babe. Hearing of these things, a kind neighbour of theirs, named T., offered to sleep in the same apartment with them, and a young man called Tom, volunteered to sleep with him. His courage was soon put to the test, for on the first or second night he also was favoured with a lift from the bed, but from some unexplained cause the nurse was not so gentle in laying him down again, which occasioned some fear and trembling, but a screeching voice exclaimed, “Cheer up, cheer up, cheer up.”
Another night, when all was silent, and nothing was heard save the ticking of the clock, a rushing sound came through the room, and something fell heavily upon the bed, between the two men. T., who was awake, sprang up in the bed, grasped hold of it, and exclaimed, “I’ve got him, Tom, I’ve got him;” trembling as he spoke, for it was cold and slippery to his hand, and loose and rattling; imagine then his astonishment when he found that he was firmly grasping a pound of rushlights. Yes, the same invisible hand that took the bottle out of the box, and broke it into a thousand pieces, now seized upon the rushlights which had been deposited also in a box, and sent them with electric velocity to the bed of the two faithful sentinels.
The poor villagers supposed all this was done by the power of witchcraft, but the prevailing opinion amongst respectable farmers in the neighbourhood was, that the woman was a ventriloquist, and could imitate any voice, and cause it to be heard in any place; and to satisfy themselves and the public generally, they engaged a very clever ventriloquist (at a cost it is said of £10), to come and prove the deception.
I was afterwards credibly informed that he quite failed in producing such unearthly sounds as were heard in the cottage, although a clever man, and eminent in his profession.
The medical gentleman (whose name I do not remember) was next applied to for his opinion; he shook his head mysteriously, and said he thought the woman must have something to do with it; this was soon repeated to her, at which she felt much hurt, and said that she would tell him her mind whenever he called again to see her. Seeing him ride into the village soon after, I accompanied a friend (Mr. K. by name) to the cottage, to meet the doctor, as he was usually called, when the following dialogue took place:-
Hannah. – “I understand, Sir, that you have been making very free with my name; and asserted that you thought me guilty of deception. I consider it unjust and ungentlemanly of you to so speak of me; have you any reason for speaking so? If so, please to state it.”
Doctor. – “I certainly did speak of you in the manner you state, for the circumstances were so extraordinary and unaccountable, that I thought you must have something to do with it; I admit that I did wrong; I ought certainly to have investigated the matter before passing such an opinion.”
Hannah. – “Well, Sir, before you leave I should like you to examine my person and premises, and you will then perhaps be better satisfied.”
Mr. K.– “Yes, here is the house open to your inspection at all times, and here is my purse also; if money is wanting, do not spare it; if there is any deception, I wish to have it detected; but do not let us condemn an innocent person.”
We then all three searched the house and premises together; the doctor also examined Hannah, to see if there was any peculiar formation in her throat, and we were each fully satisfied of the innocence of the poor woman.
A respectable man, a draper by trade, called one day at the cottage. Having asked several questions, he took up a stool, and said, “Is this the stool it has thrown at persons?” and making some other remark, put it down again. On leaving the cottage, it was thrown against his leg by an invisible hand with much violence; and he observed, “I shall never forget it.”
At one time they could not remain in their cottage in consequence of the annoyance, and a neighbour kindly admitted them into their house, and while they were there a person asked permission to inspect the inside of the cottage; T. took the key, and let him in; he walked up stairs, and while looking about the room, two violet thumps were given to the floor between his legs, as though it had been done with a sledge hammer; the blows were so violent, that it caused the whitewash to scale and fall from the underneath part of the boards on the floor below.
Mrs. K., a kind Christian lady, visited Hannah, when confined to her bed by illness, and she also had her garments pulled by the invisible one; and then it appeared to raise the bed quilt as though some living thing had been creeping underneath. Her son, a youth about twelve years of age, being present, said, “There it goes; shall I stick it with my knife?” Soon after this, I preached again at Little Tew on the Lord’s day, in a chapel that Hannah attended when her health permitted, and whither her tormentor has sometimes followed, and given evident signs of his being present by pulling her clothes and snatching away her hymn book. On this day she was absent, but all remained quiet at the cottage.
As usual I stayed at the residence of my kind and hospitable friend, Mr. K., and on the following morning (Monday) a little girl came from the cottage for milk, and other little comforts the benevolent Mrs. K. used so kindly to bestow upon the afflicted and needy. In reply to questions put, the girl said, “Hannah is very ill this morning, for that thing has just thrown a saucepan at her, and has been swearing dreadfully.” I finished my breakfast as quickly as possible, and walked down to the village, where I had the account confirmed by Mrs. and Miss K., who said that there had been sad work going on at the cottage that morning. Miss K. further informed me that two respectable men had asked permission to go in, having walked from Banbury, a distance of twelve miles, to satisfy themselves as to the truth of the reports in circulation.
On my entering the cottage I found them in conversation with Hannah; she was seated, and they were standing in the middle of the room; she appeared to be low and dejected, and said “that thing” had used her very ill, and tried to kill her that morning by throwing a saucepan at her, and she feared that at some time he would succeed. I sat down and endeavoured to direct her to the strong for strength; at the same time assuring her if she put her trust in the Lord, no power of darkness could possibly, ultimately, prevail against her, however sorely she might be tried; the three persons listened attentively, but made no observation. Presently a faint murmuring sound was heard. “That is it again,” said poor Hannah, as she sat trembling upon the stool. A death-like stillness prevailed for a few moments, and then the sound was heard again, as though it proceeded from the breast of the chimney over the fire place.
Again all was silent, and we were each buried in our own reflections; for my own part, I felt that the wished-for period had arrived, when I should see or hear for myself, and, if possible, make a decided stand against the powers of darkness; and I hoped as an instrument in the Lord’s hand to exorcise the evil one. The indescribable sound was again heard. “There it is again,” said one of the men, addressing me, “Did you not hear it, Sir?” I said, “Yes, it sounds strangely.” Instantly a loud sepulchral voice (which in depth of tone resembled the deepest notes of an organ) shouted, “You’re a fool, you’re a fool.”
The unearthly voice was exactly in front of me, as though I had stood face to face with the adversary. I could have placed my finger on the very spot from whence the voice issued, it was so awfully distinct; I felt as though I was in the immediate presence of Satan. I stood fearlessly in the Lord’s strength, and realizing in my heart those blessed portions of God’s word: “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence,” &c., &c. “Resist the devil, and he shall flee from you.”
With my eyes rivetted to the spot from whence the voice came, I exclaimed aloud, with boldness, “Who are you? I defy you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the name of Jesus I bid you depart and trouble this woman no more.” All was again still, and we waited some minutes in breathless suspense, till one of the young men said, “I think that you have spoken properly to it, Sir.” Hannah then said, “I do think that he is driven away.” I then read a suitable portion of Scripture out of one of the Gospels, showing the power of Christ and his disciples over evil spirits. Having made a few remarks upon the same, we each fell upon our knees before God, and I implored his blessing, and especially besought Him to look in mercy upon the poor woman in His presence, turn her captivity, and deliver her from the power of every spiritual enemy. I then left the cottage, promising to return again in the evening, as it had been previously arranged that there should be a prayer meeting held that night.
According to promise, I returned again in the evening; a lady from Oxford was present, and several neighbours and Christian brethren, and Hannah appeared to be much more comfortable; we conversed together, read the Scriptures, sung hymns, and prayed, till nearly midnight, without the least annoyance; some thought it had quite left, others feared it would return. Hannah said, “I do not want any one to stay with us to-night; I have no fear of its returning.” We again sung praise to the Lord for his goodness, and returned to our respective habitations.
As I was about to leave the village, I visited Hannah again on the following morning, and was agreeably surprised to find her busily employed at the washing-tub. Her countenance was cheerful, and she appeared to be an altered person, both in mind and body; she had slept well during the night, and said she believed she should not be troubled any more by the evil spirit. I saw her only once after this, and then she appeared to be in her usual health, and free from the Satanic influence which had so greatly afflicted her, but I have since been informed that she was slightly affected at the time I last saw her.
However, the reader will be pleased to learn that she was delivered from her enemy, and that those annoyances she had been so long subject to, entirely ceased. In the providence of God I was removed into a distant county, and Hannah’s husband having employment at another place, they left Little Tew, so that I am unable to furnish my readers with any more particulars of this case, or of the eventful history of Hannah H.
I am disposed to believe that those Christian friends who visited her, and held a parley with the evil spirit, should have boldly withstood it at the first, and much suffering might have been prevented. At the same time I am fully convinced that they acted with the kindest feelings and purest motives. Should a similar case arise (and I think it highly probable, seeing that such things are much sought after and encouraged, such as table-talking and table-rapping, and other strong delusions of the enemy), the true Christian will find heavenly directions what to do in Ephesians the fourth, that he may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Having now detailed the leading particulars of this remarkable case in a simple and truthful manner, I fully expect that many objectors will appear, and I shall not be surprised or offended if many persons say, “I cannot believe it; I think Mr. H. must have been deceived.” To such persons I can only say, that those who know me best, do not consider me credulous or superstitious; and it was not until irresistable evidence was afforded and testimony of persons given, whose characters could not be impeached, that I came to the conclusion that, beyond a doubt, there was an evil spirit in the cottage at Little Tew.
[…] I am fully aware that there is much in this statement that is ludicrous in the extreme, and such as would appear to be altogether incompatible with an entirely spiritual existence; but as I have never yet been able to reconcile these things in my own mind, of course I do not undertake to reconcile them to the minds of others. But of this I am persuaded, that if we believe no more than our natural reason can comprehend, our faith is not such as is described by the apostle Paul in Heb. xi. 1, and consequently is nothing worth. [Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.]
http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/178162
also includes boggart story with some comparisons in behaviour of the spirit obvious
Personal recollections of the Little Tew ghost, reviewed in connection with the Lancashire bogie, and the table-talking and spirit-rapping of the present day. By Edgar Hewlett, Minister of the Gospel, Wigan, Lancashire, 1854.