Thumps in the night.
“Ghost-seekers” who have failed.
Three Chiswick gentlemen have this week been endeavouring to elucidate the mystery of a “haunted house” at Northolt, Greenford, and have failed. The house is an old inn, and for a fortnight the proprietor has been visited by nocturnal knockings, to the great discomfort of himself and his family.
The “knockings” first occurred on Monday, the 8th February, and have been repeated on six subsequent occasions. The mysterious bangings usually do not occur until the whole house is plunged in darkness and the inmates make their way upstairs to prepare for their night’s repose. As soon as they have retired to their respective bedrooms, extremely loud and weird knockings, like a panel of a door being struck smartly with a thick stick, occur, and despite an exhaustive search of the house and its immediate surroundings by the proprietor and his family, their efforts, so far, have been futile.
On Saturday last, three well-known residents of Chiswick, and perfect strangers to the landlord, spent the night in the house with the laudable intention of trying to unravel the mystery, but, although the noises were distinctly heard by every person present, their efforts to discover the cause were of no avail.
The following night (Sunday), four persons, including two who had been present on the previous evening, cycled over to join others who had gathered to solve the mystery. Upon arriving at the house, the following plan of campaign was arranged: – Two persons were placed in each beddroom, and the rest distributed over the various bars and rooms on the ground floor. The lights were then extinguished, and within the comparatively short space of two minutes, loud knockings were heard over the whole house, and were repeated at about a one-minute interval.
The whole party then commenced an immediate systematic search of the premises and surroundings, but with no result. All then returned to the house, and the matter was again discussed, and upon each person present being asked to give his opinion as to the exact location of the sounds, no two opinions agreed.
The party then re-arranged their positions, three, in company with the village policeman, standing immediately outside the front of the house. On the lights being again extinguished, the noises were again repeated, and were heard by the whole of the party, including those outside. A further minute search was immediately instituted, without the slightest clue being revealed. The lights were later on extinguished, but there was no further disturbance.
A thorough examination of the house and surroundings in daylight fails to reveal any clue as to the mystery. No scratches or indentations on the woodwork of the doors or window frames have been discovered, adn their absence indicates that noises are not caused by either the door or window frames being rapped with a stick or other similar instrument.
The family occupying the house are quite terror-stricken, and refuse to go to bed until dawn, with the inevitable result that their health is being seriously affected. These strange sounds have been heard on three separate occasions by members of the local police, who are unable to advance any theory as to their cause.
Chiswick Times, 26th February 1909.