Solution of the Spirits and Bell Ringing.
To the Editor of the Times.
Sir, – About a fortnight ago a gentleman – Mr. H. P., of Notting-hill, informed me that his house bells had been ringing in a most unaccountable manner. The annoyance commenced one foggy night, when, returning home late, he found his wife, children, and servant girl in a state of great excitement from the bells above a lower sitting-room door ringing violently without any apparent cause. This circumstance led to his watching outside for some time, and afterwards going to the police-station for advice.
To the present time this unnatural ringing of the bells singly, or in couples, or four at once, has continued at intervals for five weeks. Sometimes they rang very early in the morning, at others in the middle of the day, but mostly in an evening, and until a late hour.
Last Sunday evening, the master and mistress being out, and only four children and the servant in the sitting-room, the four bells all rang together incessantly, to the great terror of the children. *
On my being appealed to whether I could suggest any explanation, I called at the house, where I found that the wires of two bells proceeded from the garden-gate pillar, through a metal tube underground to the wall above the sitting-room door, where were also two other bells connected with wires from upper rooms. One of the garden-gate bell-wires had been purposely cut away on the inside, and yet the bell rang occasionally; and all had at some time or other rang so violently as to indent the wall paper at a distance below the usual position of the bell itself that could only be reached by pulling the bell with a force equal to something like seven pounds, showing the singular power exerted by some unknown agency.
There was nothing to indicate to a scientific mind that the ringing could possibly be due to electricity; and it was only just possible that rats might be working the mysterious ringing. During the two or three weeks since the investigation the occurrence coming to the knowledge of a gentleman connected with the Spiritual Magazine, he ardently lamented the scepticism of philosophers. “Of course,” he said, “they look on us as a pack of fools.” The only apology I could offer for them was their desire for facts, and for having them supplied by men competent to judge of them, according as the phenomena might require medical, mechanical, optical, chymical, or other knowledge. But as no possible excuse of mine would be accepted, I concluded by observing: – “At least, you will admit that philosophers escape the gullability to which spiritualists are always liable.” Any difficulty may be solved by attributing it to spiritualism, for inquiry cannot go further.
The same gentleman suggested to Mr. P. that he should enquire what the spirits wanted, whether they woule answer by the alphabet, and, if so, to repeat the alphabet so as to get any message spelled out! Indeed, it was suggested also, that a certain gentleman in the house was probably an unconscious medium. Such are the spiritualists’ views of all cases of difficulty like the present instance.
I was therefore referred to a similar case that happened in Liverpool some four years ago, published by a medical man in the Spiritual Magazine. Bells rang, furniture was dislodged, wine and spirits poured out, and a cucumber cut longitudinally into halves. And all this happened, as it is surmised, to signify the necessity of two old maiden ladies living apart from each other.
This morning I received the following note: – “I take the earliest opportunity of informing you that we have fortunately discovered the cause of our bell-ringing in the person of our servant, who was caught in the act. I have discharged her, and trust that in losing her we lose all further annoyance.”
Thus ignobly ends the mystery of this ghost story. Here an ignorant, stupid, silly girl, of 18 years of age, has for five weeks disturbed the domestic peace and happiness of a most respectable family, and played the fool with the eyes and intelligence of numerous witnesses to her successful simulation of spiritual influences.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant, Henry Dircks, C.E. Upper Norwood, Dec. 21.
Hampshire Advertiser, 25th December 1869.
(following a description of the above letter). It is very proper to laugh at this story now that the secret is known, but it is none the less a fact that it puzzled an intelligent household for five or six weeks, and that it may possibly have spoiled a thrilling incident in the Christmas number of our spiritual contemporary. – Manchester Examiner.
Paisley Herald and Renfrewshire Advertiser, 1st January 1870.
*given that the servant was with the children in the living room, this isn’t an entirely good explanation?