Violent “Ghost”
Woman lifted over bannisters and dropped
Weird happenings in Georgian house
An astonishing series of “ghostly” incidents are alleged to have occurred in a Liverpool house.
A man states that he was flung downstairs and a woman asserts that she was lifted bodily over the bannisters and dropped to the floor. The woman was taken to hospital suffering from severe body injuries and nervous trouble.
The house is an old Georgian structure which was recently occupied by several families.
On the night of occupation a house-warming party heard strange noises. The party disbanded, and a search was made but nothing was found.
During the next three nights unearthly sounds were heard, and the men decided to inform the police. They were leaving the top rooms when there was a crash, and a man was found at the bottom of the stairs. He asserted that he did not slip.
The climax came on the fourth night. Some families were preparing to take out furniture, and men went upstairs, followed by the eldest of the women. Suddenly she screamed when at the top of the stairs, and was seen to go over the bannisters and fall to the hall floor.
All concerned assert that she appeared to be lifted bodily over the bannisters, surrounded by a strange illumination. The woman, who is conscious, yesterday stated that she felt herself lifted by invisible hands.
Nottingham Evening Post, 8th April 1932
A woman lies in a Liverpool hospital suffering from severe body injuries and nervous trouble, and a strange story surrounds her illness. Edgar Allen Poe wouldhave needed little more material to have made one of his fascinating tales.
This woman a few days ago, together with the families of certain relatives, went to live in a large house, each family to have its own rooms. The district and the names of the persons concerned are, of course, withheld.
A family party was arranged for the first evening of their tenancy, and various friends were guests. About nine o’clock a gloom descended on the party, for a visitor suddenly mentioned that she had heard strange noises from above. She thought it sounded like someone drawing back a bolt of a door upstairs and paddling about. The tenants had also heard something they could not account for. When the party disbanded, a careful search was made of the house. Nothing was found, except that in a cock-loft a sack and a milk tin, containing a candle stump, were discovered.
The women in the party became so nervous that three of their menfolk decided to report the matter to the police. They left their room on the first floor, and suddenly there came a crash. The women screamed, and rushing out found one man at the bottom of the stairs in a dazed condition. He had been descending the stairs, with one man in front of him, and one man behind him, when the crash occurred.
After repeated questioning he said: “I didn’t slip. It seemed as though two ghostly hands seized me round the waist and sent me gliding into the air. I was wafted down the stairs.”
The police were informed, adn the tenants decided they must not be foolish – they would stay on in the house and ignore the incidents.
During the next three days all recorded strange noises in the night – or they fancied they were. The climax came on the fourth evening. The parties decided to get all the furniture to the ground floor ready to depart on the morrow; that all would stay the night with relatives.
Three men went up the stairs, and they were followed by the eldest of the women. When she was nearly at the top of the first flight of stairs she screamed. The women below dashed out of the room, and, together with the men, saw her go over the bannister and end on the hall floor.
This is the description of the incident by one of the women.
“She seemed to be lifted over the bannister by invisible hands. She was poised in the air for a moment, and then came floating down to us, twelve or thirteen feet below. Her arms were outstretched, her eyes were bulging. She seemed to be surrounded with a strange illumination. She landed on her feet with arms still outstretched and then slid into the room. She was unconscious. I shall never forget the scene.” All the others at the scene give the same version.
Today the woman is conscious, and she says: “I felt as though invisible hands took hold of my shoulders, turned me round to face the bannisters, lifted me onto them, and then pushed me into space to float down to the hall.”
The doctor, who was called in, says he was very impressed when the facts were related to him, and he has made personal notes on the case. He has examined the house, but everything was all right in daylight.
Liverpool Echo, 7th April 1932
I don’t know, I think this is probably all guff what with the floating down business and lack of names and places. Who knows.