A Cardiff Ghost Story.
Haunted House in Roath.
Strange Experiences.
Mysterious knockings heard.
“It is not often,” writes one of our representatives,”that it falls to the Pressman’s lot to investigate the strange phenomena of the spirit world. More often one’s lot falls among the more sordid, clearly defined, and prosaic realities of the purely mundane, but yesterday I went upon an errand of investigation that has opened new possibilities. I began incredulous. I ended it baffled and mystified.
The story I tell is a plain unvarnished narrative, and the persons who themselves witnessed the strange sights and heard the strange sounds (as recently as a few days ago) are in Cardiff to-day and are willing to vouch for the truth of the narrative. It was told to me by the chief occupant of the house, which, it would appear, is the favourite recreation ground of the disembodied spirit in question, and all the nerve shaking and uncanny experiences set forth below were experienced either by himself or by members of his family.
The house in question is situate in Montgomery-street, Roath, not a stone’s throw distant from the Recreation Ground. Of old time the haunts of spirits “revisiting glimpses of the moon” were old castles and manor-houses grey with age and remote from men and cities. The phantoms that frequented them always appeared well armed with horrible excuses for their untimely reappearance. A deed of blood or of inhuman injustice in some exaggerated form was always understood to be the exceptional circumstance which warranted their fitful re-entry into the sphere of mortality. It would appear, however, that your modern spectre is “of earthlier make,” for to the scene of the story I must take you not to the moated grange, or the ivy-covered manor house, but to a newly-built street in Roath, to a modern brick tenement rejoicing in a tiled floor, slate roof, and stable adjoining.
It sounds prosaic enough in all conscience, and when I visited it and went over it in the broad daylight I must confess I felt a sense of disgust that one of so distinguished a race as had from time immemorial perplexed mankind with unexpected visits should have so degraded itself as to pitch upon so humble an abode, even in a town where the rates are as exorbitant as is the case in Cardiff.
Let me say a word at the outset regarding the plan and structure of the house, that my readers may obtain a clear idea of the surroundings amidst which this latest apparition takes its walks abroad to the horror and consternation of the former inmates. On the ground floor the house is but one room wide, for the reason that half its width is taken up by a gateway leading to the stables and coach shed at the rear. The ground floor consists of a hall and kitchen. On the upper floor are four bedrooms, two of which are over the archway mentioned before and two over the hall and kitchen. Of these, the front room, that over the hall, was used as a sitting-room by the late occupants. The other three rooms were used as bedrooms, the occupant of the house and his wife sleeping in one, their two daughters in another, while the third was occupied by his two sons, the elder of whom is 24 years of age.
The house in question has been built within the past four years, and the tenants, whose experiences are here set forth, went into the house between three and four months ago, and left it only last week, having gone to reside at a house only a few doors away on the other side of the street, for the convenience of being near the stable, which the late tenant of the house still rents. The late occupant, who told me the story, is not the man to whom you would ascribe ability to concoct experiences such as are here related. He is not evidently of a highly nervous or excitable temperament, neither is he other than a highly respectable man, judged of good repute among his friends, and one whose word is treated with respect. As he told me the story and conducted me to the scenes in which the events were enacted, I was struck above all things else with the man’s sincerity. He believed himself every word he told me – that was apparent.
“It’s only a few days since we left the house,” he said. “I couldn’t stand having the nerves of my family upset as they were continually while we were here, so I moved out, and very glad they are to be out of it.”
“Now tell me all about your experiences,” I said. After a little hesitation he was persuaded to tell the story. “Now what I’m going to tell you,” he said,” are just the plain facts. After we came into the house in the late autumn everything was quiet and proper for about a fortnight, and then one night my two sons, who were sleeping together, heard rapping in their room during the night. They said it appeared to be on their clothes box, which stood near the bed. When they told me I replied that it was all bosh, all humbug. After that the knockings were heard by other members of my family, but still I thought it was mere imagination, and that there was nothing in it. However, shortly afterwards, one evening when my wife and I had retired to our bedroom we heard two very loud and distinct raps on our bedroom door. I said to my wife that I supposed it must be one of the members of our family, and I got up quickly and opened the door, and to my astonishment saw nothing.”
“When was the first sign of a figure seen?” “I’m coming on to that now. Very early one morning soon after, I believe it was about 2 o’clock, one of my daughters woke up suddenly and saw a shadow on the wall of her bedroom, and at the same time heard a curious noise. Her sister who was sleeping with her also woke up and remarked upon the noise, asking her what time it was, and she said she supposed we hadn’t all gone to bed as she could hear the chink of money as if I was counting up.” “Of course you were not up?” “Oh no; I had been in bed a long time.”
“Any more experiences?” “One night about that time my wife distinctly heard the door of the front room, which she had left latched, open and shut again, and when we looked in the morning it was closed just as we had left it over night.”
“All the manifestations have been in the house, I suppose?” “No, they have not. Indeed, the most alarming ones have been outside. Of course, I have been for a long time past in the habit of going out late at night, between 11 and 12 o’clock to stable up the horses down at the bottom of the yard. Several times when I have been out there alone I have distinctly heard footsteps on the ceiling of the stable, as if someone were walking about in the loft overhead. Several times when I have heard this I have immediately gone up the steps from the yard, for there is no other entrance to the loft, to see if anyone was about, but I have never seen anything there at all. I thought at first perhaps it might have been the dog, but that was impossible as two or three times when I have heard the noise he was asleep in his kennel.”
“Now I must tell you of one of the most extraordinary occurrences of all. Last Boxing evening I had come in pretty late, and had sat down by the fire in the easy chair, my wife being near me. My elder son, who is 24 years of age, came in after me, and seeing me in the chair with my eyes closed thought I was asleep. He said to his mother, “Father looks fairly tired out, I’ll go out and see after the horses.” I heard him say this, and said “Yes, do, and I’ll come out as well in a moment.” A few moments later I went out after him, and when I got as far as the stable door saw how frightened he looked. He was all of a tremble, and in his endeavours to strike a match had dropped nearly half the box full. I asked him what was the matter, and he then told me that after he had come out of the door and was walking down the yard to the stable, passing the shed, which was empty, he suddenly saw quite plainly and distinctly the figure of a woman clothed in white, which stole silently along at the back of the shed. He watched it glide along until it came to the end of the shed abutting on the back of the house, and when it came to the wall it vanished.”
“A brick wall more or less is of little matter to a disembodied spirit,” I responded. But my informant told the story in such good faith that I was forced to listen respectfully. “My son was very much scared,” he continued. “He never fairly believed in ghosts before that, and now doesn’t know what to make out of it.”
“These are all the experiences, are they?” “There are certainly, at least, two more that I must tell to you,” my informant went on. “As I told you before, we moved out of this house only a few days ago. One evening last week one of my daughters was in one of the upstair rooms, about 5 o’clock in the evening, taking down a picture, when suddenly she felt a tug at her dress behind. She looked round, fancying it must have been a sister, but to her astonishment she saw no one.
“Now the last experience which occurred to myself is different from all the others. A fortnight ago last Tuesday I was going down town, and before I went out I went upstairs. My wife asked me if I wanted a candle, and said no, I could find what I wanted without the aid of a light. As I was going up the stairs all of a sudden I had a most strange and extraordinary feeling, quite different to anything I had ever experienced in my life before. On a sudden my blood seemed to grow quite cold, to freeze within me, as if something had passed through me, and then after a moment I felt all right again. I seemed before it came on to have the sensation that something was coming down the stairs and was passing me, but though I looked and could see nothing. Now what was that do you think? I never had such a feeling before. as for me, I’m thoroughly interested in the matter now, and should like to get to the bottom of it.”
“Who lived in the house before you did?” I asked. “I can’t say; but I have heard since that strange tappings were heard then, and that one night the lodger got up and came down, and went to the stable to see if anyone was about. I also heard that a woman died in the house, but cannot be sure of it. But as I said before, my family were all greatly scared by what they saw and heard, and are very glad they have moved.”
South Wales Echo, 16th January 1897.
Cardiff’s Alleged Ghost.
The Landlord’s Opinion.
Further inquiries into the sensational ghost story related in our columns on Saturday have been made by one of our reporters. The landlord of the house in Montgomery-street, Cardiff, which is alleged to be haunted, was seen, and in the course of an interview declared that the story was, in his estimation, all humbug. It was strange, he remarked, that Mr Latham, after having such strange experiences as he alleged, should now have had erected premises adjoining those wherein the ghost is alleged to walk, and separated from the spirit’s favourite promenade by nothing more than a brick wall, which is, to say the least of it, as easily penetrated by a disembodied spirit as a hoop of tissue paper by a circus rider.
Subsequently our representative visited a former tenant of the house in question, who informed him that during the time he lived in th ehouse now alleged to be haunted he never heard rappings or anything that would lead him to believe that the tenement possessed supernatural tenants.
The past and present tenants.
Mr Mark Veysey, 51, Upper Kincraig-street, Roath, writes as follows – “Having read the account of the ghost story in the papers, and being the previous tenant, I think it is a lot of rot, having been in the house and yard at all hours, and never having heard or seen anything to indicate a ghost.”
South Wales Echo, 18th January 1897.
By an odd coincidence the current issue of the Bristol Observer contains an account of Bristol’s Haunted House. It is a very different affair from the simple tale of the Cardiff Ghost(!) for the house was an old one in the neighbourhood of the ancient Deanery, under the shadow of the Cathedral, and surrounded by dingy-looking buildings. Bristol, too, is an ancient city, hoary with superstition and age, and there appeared to be some reality about the story which used to frighten timid souls as they passed the Haunted House. But in a new Cardiff street, in a small brick tenement, without cellars and with single brick partition walls – why, all the powers of all the Mediums and Spiritualists in Cardiff and the West of England could not make a new Cardiff cottage uncanny. I mention the silly story again but to laugh at it. The landlord of the house laughs at the idea, and the last tenant of the place writes to say that it is all – rubbish!
Here is one man who takes it seriously: – “Dear Man About Town, – Regarding the ghost, etc., at Roath, providing the landlord of the house is agreeable, I am willing to endeavour to explain the noises, and by occupying the house at night, try to see the apparition. Affairs like this want settling one way or the other for the good of the owner of the property and the public in general. Whoever is interested by communicating with you can have my address. “Chunker.”
It is useless to slaughter the slain!
South Wales Echo, 19th January 1897.
The Roath Ghost Story.
“The Woman in White.”
Considerable interest continues to be manifested in the ghost story connected with a house in Montgomery-street, Cardiff, and the following letters have reached us concerning it: –
Former Lodger Heard Footsteps.
To the Editor: Sir, – In your paper on Monday a report was published from Mr Mark Vasey concerning the Cardiff ghost of Montgomery-street, saying it was all rot and that there was nothing there. I wish to contradict his statement. Some time ago I lodged in the same house, and one evening while sitting in the kitchen between 9 and 10 o’clock I heard footsteps, apparently of a man, walk through under the archway. I thought it was someone requiring a cab and at once went out to see, but could find no one. I closed the small door of the large ones and went back by the fireside. I had not been sitting down very long when I heard footsteps again quite plain walking back through the archway. I went to the front door of the house, but I saw no one, so I am convinced there was something mysterious there then, and that it cannot be superstition. I am, &c. One Who Heard.
Mr Latham repeats his statement.
To the editor: Sir, – In answer to the letters which appeared in your paper on Monday wherein the landlord of the house described the strange noises as humbug, I wish to state that I or my family are not in the habit of spreading untrue reports. Every thing I have stated is the truth. Ghosts have not been my invention. I never at any time believed in such nonsense as that, but I took the noises as a warning of sickness or death, as many other people do.
I also wish to state that I never left the house owing to the noises; it was through the landlord trying to sell the premises. I had arranged about stables before Christmas. I did not want to have to turn out of the place and have nowhere to put my things. The landlord never mentioned selling the property when I took the house. Trusting I am not trespassing too long on your valuable space, but I should like the public to know the truth. I am, &c., J. Latham.
South Wales Echo, 21st January 1897.