Things that go bump.
‘Scared stiff’ family say house is haunted.
Things that go bump in the night have upset a family so much that none of them will stay in the house alone. The Thomas family have heard weird sounds in their home, in Charlotte Street, South Shields. Marion Thomas, the 17-year-old daughter, has heard: Footsteps on the staircase when there has been no one there; Banging noises in the kitchen; The front door slamming when the passage is deserted; Sounds of children bouncing a ball on the floor of the empty attic; and Scraping noises under her bed.
Miss Thomas, who works in a biscuit factory, said: “I will not go into the house by myself. I am scared stiff. It’s not my imagination. I am sure the house is haunted.”
Her father, 42-year-old Mr James Thomas, has similar experiences. He has switched on the light, only for it to go off again within minutes. Furniture in the 100-year-old terrace house has been moved, the garage doors opened mysteriously, and cigarette smoke has been seen coming from nowhere.
Mr Thomas was out shopping with his wife, Mrs Isabella Thomas, yesterday, and his brother Joseph was working in the garage when he heard someone walking around in the empty house. Mr Thomas said: “I am convinced w have a ghost – and I think I know where it comes from. I have done some research and find that originally the house was the first Jewish synagogue in the town and I believe the ghost stems from there. I wish we could get rid of the ghost, or move to another house.”
Newcastle Journal, 16th September 1964.