Tellicherry is now Thalassery.
Strange Experiences of Retired Official.
From India, the land of inexplicable mysteries, comes the strange story of a retired official, who is being bullied by ghosts.
Poltergeists, or “noisy ghosts,” are often reported to be active in various parts of the Indian sub-continent, but the terrifying experiences of a former Deputy Collector in Tellicherry seem worthy of special mention, says Reuter, from Calicut.
The hobgoblins – or whatever the invisible forces may be – which have selected his house for their hair-raising demonstrations give the bewildered ex-official no peace. This is the sort of thing he complains of:-
One day his pillow catches fire – for no apparent reason whatever – is burnt; and the mattress on which it lies is not even scorched. The new pillow disappears and is found at the bottom of a well. Crockery smashes itself to smithereens all over the house. Large stones whizz through the rooms. The key of his cashbox vanishes. A new key made specially to replace it is itself mysteriously replaced by the old one – and later the new key is found locked up inside the cashbox.
Arich Moplah, landlord, also who lives in Tellicherry, was recently obliged to flee from his house, owing to the unwelcome attentions of supposed poltergeists. All kinds of household utensils disappeared – even when carefully watched – and then the landlord’s money, and even his spectacles evaporated into thin air. Finally, as a last indignity, dirt was thrown by some unseen hand into his food.
The victim surrendered. He abandoned his large and newly-built house to the hobgoblins.
Derry Journal, 15th July 1931.