Ventriloquist Ghost.
To the Editor of the Norfolk Chronicle.
Sir, – The account given of the Ghost at Syderstone in your paper of the 1st instant, induced me to think of addressing you, but I declined it, hoping the true cause would be discovered; that appearing not to be the case, perhaps you will deem my statement worthy of insertion. About 20 years ago, when I resided at Reedham, in Norfoolk, an occurrence so similar happened at my house that I almost think the same performer must have found her way to Syderstone Parsonage; my family consisted of Mrs. Baker, myself, and six or seven children, with a governess, three maid servants, a woman who was nurse, and her husband (both between 30 and 40 years old), we were disturbed by noises nearly similar to those lately heard at Syderstone, and had I not taken the utmost pains to prevent alarm and to find out the real cause of the outrage, similar excitement would have taken place as at present.
The maid servants slept in two beds in a large attic, they were first disturbed by a knocking heard at one side of the room next the floor, this was told to the nurse, through whom it was communicated to me; I determined, as alarm was created, to sit up in the parlour the next night, desiring the nurse and her husband to wait till a signal was given from above of the intruder; about eleven, being informed the Ghost was at work, I proceeded with the man and his wife to the scene of action: the three girls were all in one bed between terror and mirth, “laughing in their fear,” nothing was heard till the candle was put out, presently a slight rapping was heard as before, I immediately decided and said it was a rat, soon after we heard a noise as if that animal was biting the boards, this confirmed me in my opinion – after waiting two hours it nearly ceased and we retired;
next night it was still more violent and began soon after the servants went to bed, I was again summoned, the same party went again to the room, the noise was from the same place and of the same sort, but louder, the rapping was like wagging of the tail of a pointer dog against a door, and the scratching like that of a cat against the boards violently – the noise was too loud for a rat, neither was it likely that the creature would choose the time for intrusion when several persons were talking, laughing and screaming near to it – after waiting about the same time as the night before it ceased and we left the room.
I was, I confess, rather “bewildered,” the following night I was obliged to be from home, but I charged that the affair was not spoken of in the village; on my return I learnt that the servants were so terrified that they had removed their bed into the nurse’s room, and that exactly the same sounds were heard there; it occurred to me that one of the girls must be a ventriloquist; next night at bed time I had the one I suspected employed below with the nurse, and sent the other two to bed, nothing was then heard, frequent messages were sent upstairs to learn the state of things in that quarter, but all was quiet; about one I think, we who had sat up, all went to bed, but very soon we were roused, the Ghost had not only been heard in its usual place, but had gone to the side of the bed whence the same noises proceeded; again the servants were removed to the nurse’s room.
Next night the same happened, with the addition that after knocking and scratching at the bedside something was felt distinctly by the girls to trample over them, the watchers were now increased, the governess taking part in the enquiry; we four placed ourselves on chairs near the feet of the bed, all was quiet as usual till the light was extinguished, immediately on this being done the sounds were heard in different parts of the floor and soon the girls screamed, declaring the Ghost was on the bed, I endeavoured to pacify them, it came again and again; suspecting that one of the servants had put her hands out of bed whilst the other two were covered over head by the bed clothes, I went down stairs and lighted my dark lanthorn, which I brought up closed, and placing myself as before, I had the chamber candle extinguished; we soon heard the noises, and presently the screams gave notice of the trampling on the bed, I turned my lanthorn and distinctly saw the suspected girl’s hands applied to the counterpane which covered her terrified partners, this fully satisfied me that the whole was done by this person, she having the power of ventriloquism or conveying sounds to a distance, but as this could not be understood by some of my companions, and as the Ghost had frequently made particular noises when I defied it, I proposed that the suspected one should be placed in bed between her partners, each holding one of her hands, when I defied the Ghost to come on the bed, it did not come;
I then said, by way of taunt, and to convince us that it would have done so if it could, “It cannot make any noise in the floor so long as you hold her hands fast,” almost immediately the sounds were heard as before; the trampling on the bed as they called it did not occur again.
I discharged the servant and we were no more troubled with the Ghost. – I have often mentioned this affair to my friends and neighbours; and the man and his wife, who are very decent people, are now living somewhere in Norfolk. I ought, perhaps, to add, that if living, my ventriloquist is about 40 years old, her parents lived in the parish of Freethorpe. I can feel no doubt, but that the Syderstone Ghost is a ventriloquist, and although it may be difficult to get positive proof of the fact, yet I hesitate not to say that I think the performer may be found out who was on or near the bed when it moved?
Hoping that the matter will be fully discovered and accounted for, I remain, Gentlemen, your obedient servant, John Baker. Leeds, 18th June, 1833.
Norfolk Chronicle, 29th June 1833.