Clothes Vanish.
The town of Norton, Malton, was last night thrown into great excitement by the news that a house in Mill-street, Norton, occupied by Mrs Morley, was haunted, and had been the scene of uncanny happenings. Quite a crowd of people had gathered round the house, while masons and a chimney sweep were investigating the affair.
Mrs. Morley’s story was that strange noises had been heard during the week, and on Monday she was alarmed to see a waistbelt, which she had laid on the floor, disappear up the chimney. She was just in time to snatch the end of it and recover it.
Later, a sheet, blanket, and a quantity of wearing apparel were missed, and found up the chimney in a sooty and charred condition. A lady’s nightdress, which had been missed, was recovered from the chimney, with a large hole burnt in it.
The strange occurrences were not confined to one particular room, but manifested themselves in all the bedrooms. Mrs Morley showed a Press man a quantity of articles which had been recovered from the chimneys. Pictures had also been thrown down, but no sight of the ghostly visitor had been obtained. On Wednesday night she determined to fathom the mystery, and sent for the masons and chimney sweep, but although they made a complete search, they discovered nothing.
Naturally, the occupants of the house are much alarmed, and Mrs Morley states she has not been in bed for two nights. The matter remains a complete mystery.
Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 22nd August 1912.
Haunted House at Malton.
Weird Occurrences in Bedrooms.
Clothes vanish up chimney.
Quite a sensation was occasioned at Norton, Malton, last night, by the news that a house in the district was haunted and that an attempt was being made to lay the ghostly visitor.
On proceeding there yesterday evening our correspondent met with a strange sight. Around the house was gathered a crowd watching masons on the roof, one of whom with a walking-stick in his hand was waiting for eventualities, whilst a sweep was searching the chimney with his brushes. A few persons had also gathered at the back of the house, which is occupied by a lady, together with her sister and brother.
The lady of the house says she first noticed something unusual on Monday last, hearing noises. She found something wrong with one of the beds. A little later she saw a waist-belt, which she had just taken off, disappear up the chimney, and she was just in time to snatch the end of it, and recover it. This was just a prelude to subsequent surprises. The following morning one of the sheets had disappeared off the bed, and she found it vanishing in a like manner up the chimney. The affair was all the more mysterious as no agency could be discovered in the removal of the various articles.
Nor were the strange occurrences confined to one room. In another bedroom the same thing happened, only this time a nightdress vanished up the chimney, and on its being pulled down a large hole was found to be burnt in it whilst it was black with soot. A curious thing, too, was the fact that all the articles when recovered were wet though previously dry.
Other articles disappearing included a blanket and wearing apparel. Pictures had been taken off the walls and thrown down, whilst a skirt had been taken off a hook and pitched to the floor. The climax was reached yesterday morning, when it was found that a mattress in one of the rooms had been moved. She declared herself completely mystified, and stated that she had not been to bed for two nights.
Additional weight was lent to her story by the sight of the articles recovered from the chimney. They had been laid in a washing tub, and were shown to our correspondent, all covered with soot, and many of them charred and with holes burnt in them. Thoroughly alarmed, the occupants determined to get to the bottom of the affair, and sent for mason and chimney sweep.
They examined all the chimneys thoroughly, and burnt cayenne pepper on cotton wool with the idea of stoving out any living thing which might be lodged therein, as it was thought the occurrences might be the work of some monkey or rats. But all was of no avail, and it was made certain that there was nothing in the chimneys. The affair remains a complete mystery.
A neighbour confirmed the story, and said she had seen the pictures thrown off the wall. They could not see anything of any one moving the pictures.
The mysterious occurrences happened both day and night, and generally in the absence of the occupants. Naturally the occupants of the house are much alarmed, and yesterday evening most of the furniture and contents had been turned out of the house into the back-yard, and a search was made of the entire house.
Leeds Mercury, 22nd August 1912.
“Ghosts” at Malton.
Articles dragged up chimney and burnt.
Terror-stricken household.
Occupant complains of behaviour of crowd.
A real ghost story has thrown the town of Norton, Malton, into a fever of excitement. It was reported that a house in Mill Street, occupied by Mrs Morley, has been the scene of weird occurrences, and a curious crowd soon gathered round the house. Mrs Morley says that strange noises had been heard during the week, and on Monday she was alarmed to see a waistbelt, which she had laid on the floor, disappear up the chimney. She was just in time to snatch the end of it and recover it.
Later a sheet, blanket, and a quantity of wearing apparel were missed and found up the chimney in a sooty and charred condition. A lady’s nightdress which had been missed was recovered from the chimney with a large hole burnt in it. The strange happenings were not confined to one particular room, but in all the bedrooms.
Pictures had been thrown down, and clothes, but no sight of the uncanny visitor had been obtained.
Last night crowds gathered round the house, but if they expected to see a ghostly visitor they were disappointed, as with the shyness always accredited to ghosts it kept out of sight. The police attempted to move on the crowd, but all to no avail.
The scene outside Mrs Morley’s house this morning was a strange one resembling an eviction more than anything else. Outside were various articles of bed-clothing and wearing apparel, sooty and charred.
Our representative visited the house, and was shown the rooms where strange happenings occurred. Over the fireplace in the bedroom all the paper had been torn from the walls, and small pictures and knick-knacks which were missing from their places were found in the chimney.
Mrs Morley showed our representative the marks on the window-sill, which she thought had been caused by rats. Rats, she declared, were at the bottom of the mystery. “But do you suggest rats could move sheets and articles and take them up the chimney?” asked our representative.
“Oh, yes,” she replied, “they are very powerful indeed.” She complained bitterly of the behaviour of the crowd last evening, characterising it as abominable. “They sang ribald songs,” she said, “and suggested we in the house were responsible for the strange occurrences, as if we should have all this ‘carry on’ and mess for the sake of causing a sensation.”
Some people thought the monkey had beeen at work, but Mrs Morley stuck to her opinion that it was the rats. “We set mouse traps first,” she continued,”but as fast as it was set the bait disappeared and some brown hairs remained on the trap. Then we set a spring trap but caught nothing.”
Two masons sat in the house for part of the night, and interviewed this morning said they saw nothing unusual. After they had gone all the bedroom chimneys were blocked up with boards, thus checkmating the ghostly visitor. “I have not had any sleep for three nights,” said Mrs Morley, “and the wicked lies which people are saying about us are awful.”
Mrs Morley had the chimneys opened out this morning and is going to start fires again, and future developments are being awaited.
Yorkshire Evening Post, 22nd August 1912.
The Malton Ghost Mystery.
Footprints of “A Strange Animal.”
Malton is still excited about the ghost which is supposed to haunt a house in Norton. After the discovery of the missing wearing apparel and bedclothes in the chimney, two men kept watch in separate rooms, but they saw nothing unusual. The old lady tenant of the house, Mrs Morley, stated yesterday, however, that after the watchers had gone, the disarrangement of small articles in the house again began. She also showed to the Superintendent of Police some singular marks like the footsteps of a strange animal on the stairs leading to the bedrooms. The sooty and burned linen was also closely examined by the police, who have questioned the occupants of the house. Crowds of people have visited the place.
Leicester Evening Mail, 23rd August 1912.
Ghost or Jokers?
Some uncanny things have been happening in the Yorkshire town of Norton, and the first supposition was that a ghostly visitant had been at work. But a chimney is not a very desirable place even for a ghost to disport itself in, and there must have been considerable heat about before the bedclothes, wearing apparel, and other articles improperly appropriated by the mysterious visitor were ruined by burning. Clearly the ghost could not have been a martyr to the inclement weather unless indeed it hailed from a warm quarter.
All such incidents are susceptible of explanation, and the probabilities are that the lady residing in this haunted house is the victim of some practical jokers, although she firmly believes now that rats are responsible for her alarm and loss, for “they are very powerful” in her opinion. Neither the rodents nor the practical jokers attempted to continue their pranks when two stalwart masons awaited their appearance, and the boarding up of the chimneys has effectually stopped the strange happenings. It is a pity that the culprits were not discovered and plunged in the nearest duck pond to quench their ardour. They would then have revealed themselves as very human or we are much mistaken.
Nottingham Evening Post, 23rd August 1912.
Malton “Ghost” Laid.
The “ghost” at the alleged haunted house at Norton (Malton) appears to have been effectively “laid” by the efforts of the police and the others called in to view the effects of its pranks.
Leeds Mercury, 28th August 1912.