Young couple living in fear of poltergeiest.
Priest blesses house.
By Tony Pastor, Daily Post Staff.
A couple who believe their house is haunted by a poltergeist have called on the help of a local priest. Tom Hanlon and his wife Jeanette are at the end of their tether after six months of inexplicable goings-on in their home in Old Swan, Liverpool. Their possessions disappear, Roly the dog won’t go near the stairs, ghostly hands stroke Jeanette’s face in bed and the slightest suggestion of annoyance on the couple’s part results in petulant displays from their spooky lodger. To cap it all, things really do go bump in the night.
“On Sunday me and my wife were in bed and we heard someone walking on the stairs,” said Mr Hanlon. “I grabbed a stick and went down but there was no one there. When I got back into bed there was a big bang and our Pekinese started barking. Then something touched my wife’s face in bed and it wasn’t me.” Shortly afterwards, the couple’s house in Rock Street went freezing cold, and the next day Mrs Hanlon fell down the stairs when she said “I hate this house.”
Mr Hanlon decided enough was enough and called in his local priest, Father Gerald Wharton from St Oswalds Church. “I blessed the house and sprinkled it with holy water,” said father Gerard yesterday, although he was unable to say whether the house was haunted. Strangely, when a crucifix was pressed against the wall it broke, although Father Gerald believes he may have pushed too hard. Now the couple are living in fear over the Christmas period waiting to see if the poltergeist has gone.
“To be honest, I’m absolutely terrified. One of the neighbours said the people here before said the house had been nothing but bad luck to them,” said Mr Hanlon. There is speculation that the old houses on Rock Street were built on top of an ancient graveyard.
Liverpool Daily Post, 26th December 1994.