A Haunted House.
Mysterious phenomena near Paris.
(From our own correspondent). Paris, Feb. 11.
I have already mentioned at different times the growing interest shown in spiritism and psychic phenomena. Today the growing number of adepts have much to talk about in the case of a haunted house which is reported at Saint Michel de Maurienne, near Chambery. In the district there the whole populace is agitated in its mind concerning the disappearance, in mysterious circumstances, of innumerable small objects from a room occupied by three workgirls and a forewoman. Incidents of the kind have happened and different intervals during th elast few months, but the matter has come especially to notice since last Friday.
On that day eight pairs of scissors, a dozen and a-half packets of needles, and several boxes of hooks and eyes and steel pins disappeared without there being the least trace of any human agency. The disappearances have continued, and yesterday another incident of the kind added a further piquant note.
“I was working at some sewing,” said one of the workgirls, Mlle. Ralfo, “and I had my thimble in my hand. Intuitively I clutched at it to prevent it from falling, when all at once I felt my wrist being gripped, and for a second or so suffered a sharp pain. I thought this too uncanny to be taken seriously, and laughingly I said to the others, ‘There, my thimble is going; but if I hold it hard it will not escape.’ The pain, however, became so violent that I opened my hand, and the thimble fell. This is not so strange as that I should have been unable to find it on the floor when I looked for it immediately afterwards.”
The several societies engaged in the study of such psychic peculiarities, after being assured of the good faith of the witnesses in this case, have sent for further information. So far, however, there is some scepticism. M. Henri Durville, the editor of the International Newspaper of Magnetics and Psychics, after examining the story I have given, together with other evidence, said: “Under the circumstances, and until these incidents have been verified in the most scientific manner, the most plausible hypothesis is that the medium in question is an hysterical subject and an unwitting self-deceiver, who hides the objects which are said to have disappeared.
“If, however, there is no trick of this kind, the phenomena may be explained by a concurrence of radio active forces such as are emitted by certain persons commonly called mediums. The existence of these forces has been shown in many experiements, such as the encouragement of the growth of a plant and by mechanical devices invented by Crookes. In this case Mlle Ralfo is a medium of most exceptional force, for no case has been discovered hitherto of a medium with such radio activity as will displace such objects at such a distance.”
London Evening Standard, 12th February 1912.