Spirit Rapping. (?)
To the Editor of the Reading Mercury.
Sir, – Will you please give the following account a place in your Paper? – At Pishill Bank, mid-way between Henley and Watlington, in an old house, lives J. Beisly, a man about 73 years of age, his housekeeper, who is a cripple, and a young girl, aged about 14 years.
Beisly has resided in the house undisturbed about 53 years, but for the last eighteen days the inmates have been continually alarmed by a rapping on the front and inner doors: upon the doors being opened no one is to be seen; the rapping is continued at irregular intervals through the afternoon and evening: at first the family thought that it was some person playing a trick upon them, and Beisly and a neighbour loaded a pistol and gun and fired out at the front door, but as soon as the door was again shut the rapping was repeated with increased violence; from that time the occupants of the house have ceased to consider it caused by human agency.
On hearing of these facts from Beisly (on whose veracity I could rely), I went myself to the house, accompanied by a respectable neighbour, and looked thoroughly over the premises to see if it were possible to solve the mystery. While in the garden in front of the house, we heard “rap rap” on the front door. We then moved towards the door, and again came the “rap rap;” my friend opened the front door, and whilst he had the door in his hand, there came the “rap rap” on the inner door; he then went in the room and sat down, and I remained ouside.
The “rap rap” was again repeated; he then came out and I went in and took a seat close to the door, and hten again there was the clear and distinct “rap” three or four times. We came away both satisfied that it was no human trick. I have been several times since, and have heard the rapping very loud on the door; I have also heard rappings upstairs and at the end of the house.
A number of persons who have visited the house have also heard the same noise, and although some have accused those residing therein of being the cause of the mystery, there has been no discovery made up to the present time to prove it a trick.
I am, Sir, yours faithfully, S. LOVEGROVE. Pishill Farm, Feb. 13th, 1868.
Reading Mercury, 15th February 1868.
A Haunted House.
The neighbourhood of Watlington has been somewhat startled during the past fortnight by a story that a house in Pishill, on the road midway between Watlington and Henley, was visited by spirits. Of course all kinds of rumours have been afloat, and some of them have been too startling to be credited.
The house in question is occupied by a man named Beasley, his wife and cripple, and a young girl who acts as servant, for both the man and the woman are advanced in years. A few weeks back these people were disturbed by a violent knocking at the door, which continued at intervals, although no one could be seen about the place.
At first these knocks only took place after dark, but within the past few days they have been heard even ere “the witching hour of night.” These “visitations” were soon talked about among the neighbours, and the old couple were soon called upon by those who wished to hear for themselves these unaccountable noises, and amongst these there are various opinions, some are well nigh scared, and others appear to take little notice of the matter. One man, however, has courageously taken up his quarters there, and remains all night upon the premises; he has now become accustomed to the sounds, but the first time he heard them he says he felt his hair stand on end.
The description given of the sounds implies that the blows are as if produced by an ashen stick, beaten very heavily upon the doors, invariably heard by those inside the house, and by no one outside, and only once has it been heard within the upper part of the dwelling – as the people were going to bed.
There is one thing rather marvellous in this story, and that is that when a few only are present does the ghost confess his (or her) presence, and give the usual raps, and one would be led to suppose that this was a solitary turn of mind.
Nothing has at present turned up that will in any way elucidate the difficulty, or tend to end the fears of the many who believe in this kind of thing.We hear that a party from Watlington paid a visit to the house on Monday evening, the 10th inst., and they made a most searching enquiry into all the particulars, but arrived at no result beyond conjecture. One of these says, that on approaching the house any one with “bogey-thoughts intent” might easily have surmised all kinds of things, as there were dark objects flitting about with fiery eyes, and in the obscurity of the evening before the rising of the moon, at such a time too, they were likely to be distorted into most fanciful shapes, and the beholder would fly in abject terror. The stronger minded, who were bent upon enquiry, would on inspection find these objects were beings like themselves, and the flashing orbs nothing more than the pipes by which they were seeking solace on such a trying occasion.
There were not many amongst the number collected about the cottage on Monday evening, who believed in the matter at all, several had been there more than once, and had never been witnesses of anything unusual, and the only conclusion to arrive at, is, that a very short time will prove that the whole thing is but the result of a practical joke.
Thame Gazette, 18th February 1868.