A Ghost Story at Reading – Serious Consequences.
The all-engrossing topic of conversation in Reading during the past week has been about an unearthly “something,” for it can scarcely be defined, which has manifested itself to a respectable tradesman and his wife, who reside in that town and carry on an extensive business. Although the strange affair might appear at first sight somewhat absurd, it will be seen on perusal of the particulars given below that the result has been of a serious and distressing nature.
It appears that about three weeks or a month ago the parties referred to were awoke from their peaceful repose by a most singular noise, of which they took no particular notice at the time. However, a few nights afterwards they were again disturbed in a similar way, and they were naturally seized with alarm, which was considerably increased by the noise returning twice ere the light of morning had entered their apartment. They were willing to attribute this disturbance to some natural cause, but after an absence of one night the same sound returned shortly after midnight, and it was heard distinctly three times in the course of an hour – on each occasion appearing to arise from between the parties as they lay in bed, and is comparable to nothing but a death gasp, which continues a few seconds, and nothing is heard until the lapse of a quarter of an hour, when a deep groaning sound runs through the room. Another silence follows, but after an interval of perhaps half-an-hour, it is broken by a loud, shrill shriek, which startles those who had by this time become frightened to a fearful extent.
The pastor of the chapel where Mr. and Mrs. — attend, was consulted on the matter, and he, at their request, consented to sleep in the house, in the hope that he might discover the cause of this serious alarm to two of the members of his congregation. One of the rev. gentleman’s deacons, possessing the same hope, also slept in the house; but during the first night they were there no noise was heard. But the parties were satisfied that they were not the subjects of a hoax, and lights were kept burning in the room. These, however, did not dispel the sound; for, on a subsequent night, it again visited them in precisely the same manner, and nearly at the same hour.
Mrs. — , who had been lying awake (as had also her husband) then rose up in great fright, and, calling to the rev. gentleman, said, “Here it is!” Although he was enjoying a sound sleep at the time in an adjoining room, he was awoke by the cry, and immediately rushed into Mrs. –‘s apartment; but the noise, which had always been of very brief duration, had ceased. In order that they might be perfectly satisfied that this strange sound was not caused by rats, or any animal of that kind, the floor of the room was taken up, and the chimneys were examined with a view of ascertaining if any member of the feathered tribe had secreted itself in them.
Various measures were adopted to discover the nature of this mystery; but all proved of no avail, and it was determined upon that on the night of Sunday week last Mrs. — should sleep at the house of a friend, residing at a village a short distance from Reading. She accordingly retired to rest in an apartment occupied by two of her friends, but most extraordinary to relate, she and the two persons who bore her company were alarmed by the same strange noise in the dead of the night. The parties were thus satisfied that the cause of their great fright proceeded from nothing natural, and that it was not confined to the house in Reading.
Repetitions of this – which is now generally believed to be supernatural visitation to Mr. and Mrs. — subsequently took place last week in other rooms of the house, and the sounds were heard by the domestics. Mr. –, who, it is understood, has generally been known to possess great strength of nerve, was thrown into a state of severe mental depression, and Mrs. — is also much indisposed. It is painful to be obliged to record the fact that Mr. — was compelled to take to his bed, and is now constantly attended by Dr. C–, who has pronounced his condition to be such that it would be dangerous that he should be visited by any of his friends.
“What can cause these alarming sounds?” is the question in everybody’s mouth, and many and strange are the suppositions, one of the most absurd being that a person who has taken the adjoining premises, and intends opening them for the purpose of carrying on the same business, has employed a ventriloquist to exert his powers in order to frighten Mr. and Mrs. –, and thus compel them to take up their residence in another quarter of the town; but there is not the least foundation for this, as it was unknown to any person beside herself and husband that Mrs. — intended to sleep at the friend’s house where the noises visited her. The affair has caused a great sensation in Reading and its neighbourhood.
Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette, 22nd January 1859.
The Ghost Story at Reading.
Considerable excitement has been occasioned by a paragraph that has been going the round of the London papers, under the above heading. The paragraph is something like the play of “Hamlet,” without the character of Hamlet, for after reading the head, one would naturally expect to find that some apparition had made its appearance at the “witching hour of night,” and rendered itself visible. But no such thing. However we will first give the paragraph:
[as above, until ‘visited by any of his friends’]
The party referred to was Mr. Hutt, boot and shoemaker, London street. This gentleman has called upon us during the week, and complained of the account as being one grossly exaggerated, and which never ought to have been made public. The following is the account Mr. Hutt gives:-
“Mr. and Mrs. Hutt have for the last month been several times awakened about one or four a.m. by a sudden noise resembling a suppressed cry or squeal, apparently starting from the bed or bolster, and usually repeated twice afterwards, at half-hour intervals. Change of room, and in one case change of place, have no preventative power, and up to the present moment the cause of the phenomena is obscure. It has not been accompanied with any appearance, or other form of disturbance, and Mr. Hutt’s consequent illness is a pure fabrication. It is highly probable that a simple solution may hereafter present itself; but as the affair has unfortunately been made public, it is thought better to make the above statement to avoid ceaseless misrepresentation.”
In yesterday’s Times the following letter appeared:
Sir. – In your impression of Wednesday appears a paragraph headed “A Ghost Story in Reading.” I know not to whose inventive faculties that report may be attributed, but as the person alluded to, I beg to inform you that it is a gross exaggeration from beginning to end; that “I have not been compelled to take to my bed,” and I am not aware that my condition has been “pronounced so dangerous that I am not to be visited by any of my friends.” I may state that last week I had a bad cold, and was prevented from attending to my business for a day or so; further your account is thus far correct that I have been disturbed by noises on a night in my bed-room, but which, though unaccounted for at present, I have no doubt in the course of time will be explained. I am, sir, your obedient servant, H. HUTT. Reading, Jan. 21.
Berkshire Chronicle, 22nd January 1859.