An Alleged Ghost at St. Helens.
Mysterious stone throwing nightly, at Beecham’s Pill Factory, St Helens, said to be the work of a ghost, has caused great excitement in the town. Last night the building was kept clear by constables and no missiles were flung. The person perpetrating the hoax has doubtless become aware that things are being made warm for him.
Manchester Evening News, 26th August 1885.
The freaks of a St. Helens Ghost.
During the past few weeks the employees of Messrs Beecham, the celebrated pill manufactuers, of St Helens, have been alarmed by an extraordinary series of performances of what has been termed a “ghost.” The Messrs. Beecham some time ago determined to rebuild their manufactory, and for this purpose the machinery was moved into a building in Lowe-street belonging to the same firm, which had been used as a sawmill, but which for a year or two had remained unoccupied. A portion of the ground floor had recently been taken as a co-operative, and the upper room by the Salvation Army as a barracks; and Messrs. Beecham utilised the remaining portion as a temporary pill manufactory.
During the day the work goes on without anything extraordinary taking place, but as soon as darkness sets in and the place is locked up, “beings of an immortal shape” take possession. The public assemble nightly in Lowe-street watching for the “supernatural,” which, however, has not been seen. So far as our inquiries go, it seems that the “antics” of the ghost are confined to stone-throwing. The manager of the works, Mr Andrews, gives us an instance.
On Sunday night week he was in a little conservatory at the rear of the building with his son, about fifteen years of age, and started to go his nightly rounds through the building. He opened the back door and he and his son walked in, when a missile, apparently launched at him, struck the door with great force. He looked round, but saw no one, as indeed he had seen no one on previous nights when he had experienced the same thing. He moved forward a little when another stone came in a slanting direction and struck the wall. This was followed by another which struck some iron wheels making a clear ring, and the further door was struck by a fourth.
This sort of thing had been going on for some weeks, and although a number of workmen had been got together, and formed a band and scoured the place, searching particularly every nook and corner, no trace of anyone could be seen. The police had been appealed to, and constables had perambulated the premises, but with no effect, and as yet the mystery has not been solved.
Of course the excited crowds outside have imagined all sorts of things appertaining to the invisible, and have done some damage to the building by breaking glass, &c. With the exception of the doors inside being dented and a brass machine being struck by some missiles, no damage has been done inwardly.
The chief work of the police has been to keep the street clear. An entrance has not been made into the works since Sunday night week, but it is stated that the missiles can be heard flying about. This extraordinary occurrence has caused great excitement, and will continue to do so until the mystery is solved. Suspicions are fixed on a certain person who is believed to be playing an exceedingly clever hoax, but if detected in the works it will be “the worse for him,” unless he is made of stuff that the penetration of lead will not affect.
Wigan Observer and District Advertiser, 26th August 1885.
A Strange Ghost Story.
Extraordinary Proceedings.
A great sensation, and one that has occasioned very lively comment, has arisen in St. Helens during the past few weeks by the alleged haunting of the manufactory of the world-famed pills of Messrs. Beecham. To say the least, the incidents which have occurred therein have been of the most startling character, and their exceedingly mysterious nature has given rise to rumours that they are of supernatural origin. Whatever doubts may exist as to the latter theory, the occurrences are still unexplained, and the mystery still remains unsolved.
Messrs. Beecham’s establishment is situated in Westfield-street, St Helens, but some months ago they decided to rebuild it on a more extended scale. In order to carry out these operations the machinery was removed to another building in Lowe-street, belonging to the firm. The greater portion of this building was formerly used as a saw mill, but it remained unoccupied for a year or two. At present Messrs. Beecham occupy the basement, comprising three rooms, while another portion of the ground floor is taken up by the St Helens Industrial Co-operative Society, and the upper room is used as a barracks by the Salvation Army.
Each day the employees of Messrs. Beecham perform their accustomed duties without hindrance or inconvenience, but after darkness has set in for some two or three months past there have been nightly occurrences, which have given rise to every imaginable rumour as to “Ghosts and goblins.” Part of the duty of Mr. Andrews, the manager, has been to inspect the building each night after the men had left, and this has lately been an exciting and risky undertaking. No sooner has Mr. Andrews entered the works to make his accustomed rounds than he has been assailed by an alarming shower of stones, pieces of brick, copper slag, and other missiles, hurled with great force by some unseen hand. This has been an almost nightly occurrence for a considerable period, and the elucidation of the mystery has baffled the most searching investigation of police officers and other inquirers.
As an instance of the stone throwing, Mr. Andrews states that on Sunday night week he was in a little conservatory at the rear of the building with his son, about fifteen years of age, and started to go his nightly rounds through the building. He opened the back door and he and his son walked in, when a missile, apparently launched at him, struck the door with great force. He looked round, but saw no one, as indeed he has seen no one on previous nights when he had experienced the same thing. He moved forward a little when another stone came in a slanting direction and struck the wall. This was followed by another which struck some iron wheels, making a clear ring, and then the further door was struck by a fourth.
With the view of unravelling the mystery, bands of workmen have been got together and patrolled the works and its neighbourhood, while the aid of the police has been sought. Scheme after scheme, however, for the detection of the author of the stone throwing has hitherto been unsuccessful. The steps taken to secure the stoppage of the unwelcome visitations have apparently been of a most complete character. For four successive nights, from sunset till daybreak, Mr. Andrews, with a staff of men, has paraded the works, but after the closest searches they have failed to bring the mysterious individual to light.
On another occasion five police officers entered the works and determined not to leave the premises until they had captured the intruder. For that purpose the gas was left burning low, and the instant the stone throwing commenced the lights were turned up, and the searchers rushed in the direction from which the missiles had apparently proceeded, but again the search was fruitless, and the policemen left the premises disappointed. On the night in question about 30 missiles, including pieces of bricks, stones, &c., were thrown, their weight averaging from four to five ounces. A suggestion was made that the mischief maker might be a member of the monkey tribe, but dogs were introduced without success, though the stones flew about as usual.
Information as to these alarming proceedings naturally spread throughout the town, and each evening during the past fortnight the neighbourhood of Beecham’s pill works has had an animated appearance. A crowd of some hundreds of persons have nightly gathered in the vicinity. The police have had some difficulty in keeping the footpaths clear. The superstitious gossip-mongers in the vicinity have imagined all sorts of things, and rumours of “ghosts and goblins” having been seen floating about have been circulated on every hand.
It is needless to add that these and numberless other assertions are absolutely without foundation. The genuine manifestations have been confined to stone-throwing, and of these mysterious occurrences there can be no doubt. A large number of individuals have volunteered to render assistance in ferreting out the “invisible one,” and Mr. Andrews, in several instances, has permitted them to undergo the trying ordeal. He states, however, that one trial has been sufficient to test the nerves of the bravest amongst them, and they have manifested an anxious desire to escape to a place of safety with all possible speed.
Another singular part of the affair is the fact that notwithstanding all the stones that have been flying about, neither Mr. Andrews nor any of those who have witnessed the occurrences have ever been injured, or even struck by any of the stones. There have, however, been some very narrow escapes, many of the stones having passed within a few inches of the bodies and faces of those present. The only damage to the property inside has been the “dingeing” of doors and other woodwork, while a brass machine also bears evidence of having been struck by a stone. So violent and accurate was the stone throwing a short time ago that it was deemed advisable for the safety of Mr. Andrews to erect a wooden partition opposite the main entrance, and this partition still remains.
The excitement attending the affair seemed to reach a culminating point on Sunday evening when some thousands of persons visited the spot. The crush round the doors to look inside the works through crevices in the door was so great that the gate was burst open. From seven o’clock on Monday evening until two o’clock on Tuesday morning thousands of persons flocked to the neighbourhood, but the crowd was a great deal more orderly than on the preceding evening.
On Monday night two policemen and six of Mr. Beecham’s employees were stationed outside the building, while Mr. Andrews was on duty inside, with the view of capturing the “spirit.” Notwithstanding these precautions, however, when Mr. Andrews paraded the works a large stone about half a pound in weight was violently thrown and struck the wall near to where he then was. This was the only missile thrown during the night.
On Tuesday morning a member of the Salvation Army volunteered to solve the mystery, not by physical means, but he declared he would invoke divine aid, and since Monday night the stone throwing has ceased, Mr. Andrews expressing the opinion to our representative on Thursday that he thought the manifestations would cease “for the present.” He added that he did not think the occurrences were due to any supernatural agency, but he thought it was a clever dodge on the part of some scheming individual.
In their efforts to discover the latter, men had surrounded the works, been on the roof, and stood at every door, and yet the stone throwing had gone on. He observed that one constable who was rambling in the dark through the works in his endeavours to discover the marauder fell down an old saw ‘pit’ and so damaged his clothing that the firm purchased new articles of clothing for him.
The room of the Salvation Army had also been visited by the nocturnal wanderer, and on one occasion the drum and money-box were struck, sending a “rattle” through the room. Up to Thursday evening the strange affair had not been explained, but so long as it remains in its present state the excitement is not likely to diminish.
For the last two days hopes have been entertained by Mr. Beecham, Mr. Andrews, his employees and public generally that the extraordinary performances in stone throwing had ceased, and that the “ghost” had either vanished entirely or removed his quarters. About half-past seven o’clock on Thursday night, however, Mr. Andrews and his son went into the works to fetch out their overcoats, as the evening was wet. All seemed quiet, and Mr. Andrews remarked that he should very much like to do a little of the work which was in arrears owing to the disturbance, but that he was almost afraid to say. He had scarcely uttered the words when a large piece of copper slag weighing half a pound came whizzing through the air, rolled over a number of parcels, struck a bench, and then dropped to the floor. Neither Mr. Andrews nor his son was hurt.
Previous suspicions have been carried into another channel by the following letter, which was on Thursday received by Mr. Beecham:- “Dear sir, – In reference to the ghost in Lowe-st by Reports i See you cannott find anything, have you, sir, Examined the floor, it is my firm oppinion that there are someone Carrying on an illegal Business and that there are subturanean vaults of which you are not away, it may be a subturanean Passage from Cowley Hill (C.M.) Perhaps dynamitards it is advisable to be very Cautious in the Proceedings or the consequences might be fatal should you fall on them in their lair they would in all probability be desperate it is quite evident are someone there that have no business there, and you are a stumbling block in their way, and so they have formed a conspiracy to try to frighten you from the premises.”
The envelope bears the Prescot postmark, and is directed to “Mr. Beecham, pill manufacturer, St. Helens (private.”) The letter bears a signature, but until inquiries have been made it is not considered advisable to publish it. Mr. Andrews says many persons have an idea that “Beecham’s Ghost” has been “got up” as an advertisement, but he states that no such idea has been entertained, and the members of the firm are all mystified as to the extraordinary occurrences.
Runcorn Examiner, 29th August 1885.
A St. Helens “Ghost” Story.
A sensation is just now raging in St Helens, the cause of which, being shrouded in mystery, has given rise to all kinds of wild speculation. Mr Beecham, the world-famed pill-maker, has removed his manufactory to premises in Lowe-street, pending the completion of his new works. The temporary building was formerly a saw-mill. Mr Beecham occupies the basement, comprising three rooms, and the large hall overhead is utilised as the headquarters of the local branch of General Booth’s warriors.
Almost every night during the past three months there has been a stone-throwing seance in the works, performed with such success that, although the gas has been suddenly turned on, the “spirit” has escaped detection. Whether these performances have a sinister motive in their accomplishment, or may be regarded as the outcome of a sportive disposition, remains yet to be discovered. But one thing is certain, that if the unknown one who has been the cause of so much annoyance is caught, he will be speedily introduced to a magistrate.
It is the custom of Mr Beecham’s manager, Mr Andrews, to make a nightly inspection of the works. For between two and three months his entrance has been welcomed by the throwing of missiles with such velocity and accuracy of aim that it was deemed prudent to erect a door opposite the main entrance for protection. Scheme after scheme for the detection of the perpetrator has been unsuccessfully put into effect.
Whoever the individual may be he has carried out his little game with a persistency and an ingenuity that would have distinguished him if employed in a better cause. For four successive nights – that is, from night till daybreak – Mr Andrews with a staff of men paraded the works determined to capture the delinquent. The stone-throwing went on as usual, but Mr Andrews and his men failed after repeated search to bring the mysterious one to light. At last the assistance of the police was obtained.
A detective backed by five men, good and true, entered the works determined not to leave the premises until they had captured the intruder. The gas had been left burning low. The instant the stone throwing commenced the lights were quickly turned up, and the searchers rushed in the direction from which the missiles came. The mysterious one, however, had disappeared into thin air for the nonce, and the detective and his five men quitted the premises, baffled and disappointed.
On this night about 30 missiles – copper slag, pieces of brick, scraps of stone, &c., in weight averaging from four or five ounces – were thrown. Of the hundreds of missiles thrown, not one has caused personal injury, although some of them have passed in dangerous proximity to the person.
No property has been removed from the works. It having been suggested that the mischief maker might be a member of the monkey tribe, dogs were introduced, but although the stones darted about as usual no “Jacko” could be found.
Meanwhile the public got wind of the occurrence. Imaginative women, peeping through crevices, saw inhabitants of the invisible world in every shape and form floating about the air; and gossip-mongers knew for a fact that skulls had been dug up, pointing to the conclusion that all kinds of foul murders had been committed. Every night last week crowds of people thronged the streets near the works, and on Friday evening when the last seance took place hundreds of people congregated about the works, giving the streets the appearance of a fair. Fried fish sellers and hot potato vendors drove a roaring trade.
The police had a busy time of it in keeping the thoroughfares passable, and it was not until the small hours of the morning that the crowd was finally dispersed. Hundreds of people again assembled on Saturday night, but as there was no seance the police had not so much difficulty in dispersing the crowd.
The works are now being watched by the police and others, and no doubt the unknown one will cease his pranks – for the present at least.
Cheshire Observer, 29th August 1885.
The Beecham “Poltergeist”.
The stone-throwing “poltergeist” at Beecham’s pill manufactory, which caused such excitement throughout the country, some twenty years or more ago, however, turned out to be nothing more than a “ghost” in the flesh. This was a bogus and not a bona-fide “poltergeist.” The officer who is said to have been cute enough to lay the Beecham “ghost” is at present stationed in the Upholland district, beating the bounds of the “haunted” house, and it is to be hoped that his detective instinct will lead him to the solution of the Upholland stone-throwing mystery by laying hands on this – if so it be – “ghost” in the flesh.
When the stones were thrown from floor to ceiling at Beecham’s works there was a general scuffle to escape injury, and the police officers on the watch had to look out for themselves. This officer, however, noticed that a man with a Cockney accent was always on the job when the missiles were flying in the air. This stranger down from London leaned against the wall of the passage near the doorway, and the officer watched him closely. When the stone fusilade was fired by what was considered the ghostly messenger the Londoner seemed to press something in the wall. The officer, one night, after watching closely, had a conversation with the officer in charge, and the upshot of it was that he was given a free hand. The next evening the officer went rather early to the ghost-haunted works, and there, sure enough, the stranger was leaning against the wall as usual.
“What do you want?” asked the Londoner. “I want you,” was the answer. “Show me the plant, or I arrest you.” With that the officer got hold of the Londoner as if to arrest him. He laid hands on the “ghost” in the flesh. The stranger trembled, and thinking that the officer knew more than he really did, and seeing that the ghostly game was up, he led the officer to the place, and lifted the veil from the mystery. There was a sort of knob in the wall that set spring boards in action, just as one turns on the electric light. This place had been specially arranged for the stone-throwing performance, and the “ghost” had been specially staged for the sweet – or bitter, if you will – uses of advertisement.
Wigan Observer and District Advertiser, 24th August 1904.
The Beecham “Poltergeist”.
Last week I had a note in this column on the Beecham “ghost” that entertained St. Helens, and, through the press, the reading public of the country, some twenty years ago. A St Helens correspondent, who, under the nom de plume of “Owl,” has more than once sent me communications for this department, writes me as follows here anent:-
“Dear Jackdaw, – After reading your paragraph under this heading, I called and showed it to Mr Beecham. It may interest you to know that he was very much amused at your elucidation of the mystery, and remarked that although it was interesting he presumed the Upholland officer was not on oath when he furnished you with this embellished statement. This was the first time Mr Beecham had heard of this solution of the affair, which at the time was a source of annoyance, and he concludes the local Sherlock Holmes must be an adept at ghost stories and fairy tales. – Yours truly, Owl.”
It would be interesting if my correspondent “Owl” could get an interview with the Beecham poltergeist, and put the “ghost” on oath, so that the mystery might be cleared up once for all. – The Jackdaw.
Wigan Observer and District Advertiser, 31st August 1904.