For several days past the family of Signor Pasquali, living in the Calle Goldoni, Venice, has been much upset by a series of mysterious happenings. Violent blows, repeated at long intervals, have made the walls shake, bells ring, and doors rattle, but the cause of all this disturbance could not be ascertained. Even the police have tried to solve the mystery, but in vain, and now everybody is persuaded that the house is haunted by spirits.
Yesterday evening (says the “Daily Telegraph” correspondent) Antoinetta Angelini, a young domestic employed in the house, was found to possess extraordinary powers as a medium. It should be stated that hitherto she has had nothing at all to do with what is known as Spiritualism. Last night some friends of Signor Pasquali, amateur spiritualists, wished to inquire into the mysterious phenomena by table-rapping, and the young servant was summoned to complete the “circle.” It was quickly observed that only Angelina exercised some influence on the results of the experiments. The table, when “questioned,” replied that the noises were really caused by the spirit of a relative of Signor Pasquali, who died about a year ago. Asked again in the blows would be repeated that same night, the table answered affirmatively, and under the dictation of the table the young servant wrote down the hour when the knocks would be heard – 9.56.
Precisely at four minutes to ten the house began to resound with the mysterious thunder. Venice is now talking about nothing but the “house of the spirits.”
Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough, 22nd February 1910.
The Barrow News version also mentions that ‘a commissary and various agents inspected every room in the house, ascended to the roof, and kept long vigils through the night. But the mysterious blows were repeated, despite the presence of the representatives of the law.’ (26th February 1910)