A Haunted House.
A marvellous sensation has been
created in our town within the last few days by the discovery that a
ghost has taken up its quarters, evidently for the winter season, in a
secluded dwelling on the Anisby-road, where it is likely to obtain as
great a notoriety as the celebrated Cock-Lane Ghost. Some little
distance beyond the end of Walker-Street and Great Thornton-street, on
the left hand side of the Anisby road, is a quiet lonely lane, known by
the name of Wellington-lane, at the bottom of which stands the "haunted
house" - a respectable looking tenement, occupied by an elderly
bed-ridden dame, her son-in-law, and daughter, and a female domestic.
It
seems about a month ago the inmates were startled in the stillness of
the night by a sharp sudden knocking on the walls of the room from some
invisible hand. At first no notice was taken of this, but to their great
dismay, at irregular intervals, the same strange noise was repeated, a
distinct knocking upon the wall being heard in the very appartment where
they sat, and when no visible hand was raised to strike. For four
successive weeks the noise was repeated, until the inmates grew
seriously apprehensive that some supernatural agency was at work. Their
fears were soon communicated to the neighbours, and speedily reached the
public ear.
The love of the marvellous is the most
powerful and easily raised passion of the mind, and on Wednesday not
fewer than a thousand persons visited the spot, lingering in the
neighbourhood and straining their ears to catch the sound of the modest
ghost, who now and then indulges them with a colirary muffled rap tap,
tap. For our own part we are really apprehensive for his ghostship's
knuckles, which must suffer materially from such constant exercise.
Yesterday
night, although it was dull, drizzly, and cold, crowd upon crowd
beseiged the spot, standing, in spite of cold and wet, 100 yards from
the haunted house, anxiously discussing the nature and object of the
ghost's visit, and waiting to learn from the police, or those who were
fortunate enough to get near the house, "when it had knocked last." One
or two policement have been stationed in the house, with the view of
detecting the cause; and although it is seriously affirmed that the
strange noise is still heard at intervals, it baffles all ingenuity,
even on the part of the vigilant detectives, to discover whence it
proceeds.
Yesterday, two or three thousand persons
visited the spot, many of whom lingered until nearly midnight, a
detachment of police being present to preserve order. It is impossible
to describe the sensation which has been created by the discovery of the
affair, and credulity could hardly be carried further. The police
declare that many would actually remain by the door of the house the
whole of the night if they would only permit them.
-- Hull Packet
reprinted in the Weston-super-mare Gazette, 30th October 1852.
