Haunted Magazine Issue 24: All About Ghosts by Dead Good Publishing Ltd

CO NTENTS EDITORIAL In 1977 I read a book, not just any book, but a book about ghosts, haunted house and strange happenings AND it never left me, the impact it had on me, the paranormal tattoo it left on my brain is here for all to see today. My love for the paranormal is not cos I want to prove that ghosts are real, nor do I want to prove that ghosts aren’t real. Anyone who knows me knows how I see and view the paranormal, whilst I respect it, I also write about it, I take the mickey out it, make fun of it, tell jokes about and offer a curio type of nonexpert opinion of it. I always say that I visit places that may or may not be haunted using gadgets that may or may not work and try to make contact with ghosts that may or may not exist. That sums up the paranormal it to me, it’s fun, it’s exciting, it’s a lifestyle of choice and it’s one that should be enjoyed as much as possible. Now that book is back and we couldn’t let its republishing, its reprinting pass without paying homage to it, the book that inspired a generation of paranormal lovers and definitely one of those books that inspired me all those years ago, so much so that when I created Haunted Magazine, that book was never far away from my mind. Enjoy this issue, it’s nostalgic, it’s spooky, it’s funny, it’s nasty and it’s full of paranormal pleasure.

Paul

#DontBeNormal BE PARANORMAL!!

SHOOK UP .. Nicky Alan on what might be the case, often 04 ALL aint the case A BELIEVER .. Justin Cowell, 30 East Drive, the truth, the 06 I’M whole truth and nothing but the Paranormal truth FOR SORROW, TWO FOR JOY .. Vicky & James join forces to 11 ONE investigate the Magpie Mine STRINGS ATTACHED .. Barrie John asks if “Paranormal folk are 15 NO puppets, muppets or real genuine people” OF DARKNESS .. The book you can partly blame for 16 REPRINTS Haunted Magazine is back from the dead YOU WERE ERIE? .. Well now you can be as Spook-Eats 19 WISH checks into and checks out The Eagle Hotel (in Erie, of course) AND SEEK .. Jane Rowley asks whether it’s time to ask 22 GUIDE spirits to help us communicate better IN THE SCREAM .. MJ Dickson dons her Hazmat Suit 24 ISLANDS and visits the Island of Poveglia ENTERTAINMENT? .. TV or not TV, that is the paranormal 28 THAT’S question Morgan Knudsen asks. ON THE HILL .. Hubert Hobux loves a castle or two, a 30 CASTLE match made in Staffordshire ORDERS ON LOVECRAFT LANE .. DR Q is back in a HP 33 LAST Lovecraft fused story.. Saucy AND SHIPS .. Leonard Low and the Key Largo (jumbo 37 FISH battered) Fishing Boat SKIP AND JUMP .. Katie Waller investigates a brutal 40 CHOP, Brighton butchery SHEARSMITH .. Exclusive interview with the man who 44 REECE thinks Bigfoot is daft and the Loch Ness Monster is just a seal. VERY CAREFULLY, WE WILL SAY THIS ONLY ONCE .. Sam Bennetts writes about EVPs 47 LISTEN 48 PERVERT POLTERGEIST .. No jokey tagline here, just an 51 THE investigation that no one forgot 53 THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT .. And the Ministry of Defence, apparently. Penny Griffiths-Morgan and the lost village of Tyneham

THE PRICE IS RIGHT .. if it’s in your genes, there’s a good chance it will be in the rest of your clothes. Meet Louise Price, great, great, great Niece of the most famous of all “paranormal” Prices’

OF THE BLUE GHOST .. Jason Fellon writes about the 56 SPIRITS Ghosts of the USS Lexington STEP BY ESTEP GUIDE .. There’s no clowning around when 59 THE you’re on the hunt for the spirit of a Serial Killer 666 .. Mike Covell, the Big Daddy of Hull’s 63 WRESTLEMANIA Spooky History brings us yet another Yorkshire Ghost Story

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Nicky Alan’s

A CHUNK OF BURNING LOVE

s I stepped out of the car, I breathed in the crisp fresh mountain air accented with the subtle tones of flowering heather. I looked around taking in the majestic mountains and the stunning Scottish moor landscape. I could hear and see an emerald sparkling river trail past the back of the hotel. The Inchbae Lodge hotel was to be my base for a spiritual retreat that I was holding for the public. Nestled in the isolated landscape near Inverness, this cosy cottage hotel held no foreboding as I approached it despite hearing the stories of the hauntings. It wasn’t until I passed the threshold that the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. I immediately looked into my mind and found the hotspot instantly. It was on the first floor. As I looked deeper through my third eye, I could see a four-poster bed and a man, he liked it in there, I could feel it. On speaking to the owners, I was happy to discover that I was right, many

residents had reported being awoken in the early hours by an apparition, a man who was bare chested, his legs invisible in the four-poster bedroom. I felt a thrill of excitement. I couldn’t wait to meet and chat with this entity. My students arrived in high spirits. I told them nothing of the haunting, I wanted them to experience it for themselves. There is nothing worse than telling them what to expect as that’s when imagination can start dwindling its way into your logical mind. The following morning, as we were sitting in the conservatory taking in the stunning landscape one of my students approached me and reported being woken at 3 am with a bare-chested man looming over her face. I couldn’t contain my excitement as I explained he was the resident spirit here. He was not a nasty spirit

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but certainly disconcerted any witnesses with his presence. He did not look happy the lady reported. Ten minutes later, a couple who were staying in the fourposter bedroom also reported the same phenomena, a bare-chested man staring at them in their beds. People were also reporting doors being slammed in their faces. During the day we visited various beautiful locations for meditations, era blending and dowsing. I loved every minute of my retreats; however, I was dying to hold a séance that night to try and locate this curious spirit and find out why he roamed the rooms bare chested to the unsuspecting public. That night there were about ten of us sitting around a solid twelve-foot table, the rest of our group sat around the table behind us. This table could not be moved unless serious effort was made by several people to budge it. I lit a candle, started the recording device and asked everybody to link hands. Following a short blessing we were good to go. It was not long before

There was a huge crash in the middle of the table as if someone had landed right in the middle of it. We all jumped in reaction to the velocity of the sound. The whole table jolted with the impact. “Hi love, “I said, “Thank you for coming to see us, tell us your story.” Now patrons sitting around the table would assume that the candle being pushed over and the loud bang was from a menacing entity, but all I could feel was sadness, guilt and anger, signs of a spirit in grief. One of the ladies then got pulled away from the table in a violent burst of energy. Her chair nearly fell backwards but luckily, she managed to pull herself upright again.

I felt the presence of two men. They communicated through my mind telling me they had crash landed in a small plane nearby. They were very pleasant and interacted by rapping on the table to questions asked. They were not grounded and after a short time left the ether. The air then grew cold and people around the table mentioned the short gasps of air rushing past them. The room appeared to darken even more and then the candle was pushed over. I immediately jumped up and placed the candle back up. The flame had extinguished so I left it unlit. It was then that I sensed our bare-chested man standing to my right. This is when respect and practice come into play. Every spirit has a story to tell or they wouldn’t interact. My bug bear is when investigators cajole the spirit or disrespect it. I wanted to know his story, I wanted to know why he was still here.

I assured the sitters that this man would not hurt us. As I said this another huge crash rattled through the table. I felt the energy pulsate and that is when this spirit started to move that solid table around like a ping pong table. It was shifting in all directions, we had to keep re positioning to stay in place at the table. This was some herculean effort the spirit was making to be noticed. I ascertained that his name was Robert Moore. Every time I confirmed what he was putting in my mind a huge rap on the table confirmed I was right. He would then drain one battery after another from the camera that was filming the séance.

AS HIS ENERGY GREW, HE BECAME MORE CONFIDENT. I COULD FEEL HE WAS MISERABLE AND IN SO MUCH TORMENT. It transpired that he had fallen in love with the lady of the house in the last century. The only problem was she was married to someone through an arranged marriage. Robert and his love started and maintained a passionate affair which resulted in a daughter being born. The man of the house assumed that it was

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his. After an eternal torment of forbidden love, Robert decided to put an end to this love triangle. He started a fire in the stable block that was adjacent to the house. He knew that his love and his daughter were not at the house, he would burn the husband alive and then live forever with his true love. All did not go to plan, however. His love and their daughter had remained in the house unbeknown to him. After the fire had burned down to molten ashes, it was then that he discovered that he had killed the two most precious things in his life. He stated that he had wrapped his child in his shirt, thus explaining his bare chest. From that day on filled with guilt and remorse, he remained grounded at the hotel. He needed to tell his story and afford some sort of repentance, but no one had listened decade after decade. You could feel his relief as we assured him this was all a terrible accident and that he should forgive himself and end his torment. It was a very emotional séance. I tried my best with my guide Julianus to send him over in order that he find his true love and his daughter. To this day I have heard no further reports of his presence, so I hope dearly that he is reunited with his loved ones. Local research at Ross Shire and Inverness corroborated all information obtained during this séance. A recent archaeological dig has discovered foundations of a stable block and building that the spirit had identified as burning down. No one in the area knew that this building had existed. The evening resulted in a peaceful conclusion, with the spirit Robert calm in the knowledge that he had reached through the veil and had been heard and understood by the living. The footage of the seance has been made into a DVD. All the information that Robert provided was historically correct. The airmen killed in the plane crash were also later validated by local knowledge and reports. It just goes to show, we must never assume a spirit is menacing until we hear their full story…

Nicky x

Nicky Alan, Psychic Medium, Spiritual Writer and Author, International Columnist, Angel expert & Author of M.E Myself and I: Diary of a Psychic - out soon www.nickyalan.co.uk

30 EAST DRIVE, PONTEFRACT “I’ve got to record it.”

THE NIGHT WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGED By Justin Cowell, Paranormal Investigator Paranormal Truth

quickly made my way upstairs and placed a Tascam voice recorder in the centre of bedroom from which, moments earlier, repeated loud knocks were emanating. I wasn’t remotely worried or apprehensive about going in. I just wanted to get in, set the recorder down, and get out. No calling out. No spirit boxes. There was no need. It was happening. I had no idea what to expect but as far as I was concerned, I just wanted it to continue. I knew that such activity was incredibly rare and quite frankly, I didn’t want it to stop. Not until we had it on a voice recorder.

I made my way downstairs, back into the kitchen where Dale Makin, my fellow investigator from Paranormal Truth, and our invited guests were still stood standing, not quite believing what was going on. Less than fifteen minutes before, our female guests had been sat in a circle, conducting a séance, calling out as many regularly do each week, trying to entice some form of spirit activity to occur. They reported a distinct chill around them, and one particular guest felt she was becoming a focus. She reported feeling a hand grip her arm. At that moment, they decided on a new tactic. Whatever

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‘it’ was, they would ignore it. The ladies joined the rest of the group downstairs and made a conscious effort not to discuss what had occurred, to have a break and to chat about other matters entirely.

Evidently, ‘it’ did not like to be ignored. With nobody upstairs and everyone accounted for, a series of loud knocks began directly above our heads. The knocks were clearly coming from ‘Philip’s room’, one of three bedrooms in the semi- detached property and most importantly, from the room furthest away from the adjoining property. Whatever was causing the knocks to occur, it was clearly not being made by Carol Fieldhouse, the next-door neighbour.

“30 East Drive in Pontefract, England has quite the reputation for poltergeist activity.” BANG…. BANG…. BANG… BANG…. We fell silent in the kitchen.

BANG…. BANG…. BANG…. 30 East Drive in Pontefract, England has quite the reputation for poltergeist activity. In fact, at the height of its activity in 1966, it was labelled the “most violent poltergeist case in Europe.” Incidents involved all manner of poltergeist activity was said to have occurred, including, most frighteningly of all, an incident in which the youngest member of the family, Diane Pritchard, was supposedly dragged up the stairs by her neck, from an unseen force. Over the years, the property had grown in reputation as being one of the most haunted properties in the United Kingdom with thousands of alleged incidents

that have been witnessed by numerous individuals and ghost hunting groups. I’ll not go into detail here, but if you’re interested then you can pop along to 30EastDrive.com for more background information on the property. The goings on at East Drive were predominantly a topic of conversation for the locals of Pontefract for 20 or so years and only truly came to wider public attention in 1981 when it was included in Colin Wilson’s book, Poltergeist. As with any good ‘haunted’ house, in 2012 the events of the Pritchard family also became the basis for a film, ‘When the Lights Went Out.’ In more recent years, the property was visited by Nick Groff and Katrina Weidman for their Paranormal Lockdown series and most notoriously of all, was the location for a particularly infamous live episode of Most Haunted.

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Despite the huge reputation and media coverage that this property has garnered over the years, before entering the property last August, my feelings about the property were clear. I was thoroughly unimpressed. This was not based merely on the sparse furniture, cramped kitchen or dated interior, I was unimpressed based on at least 15 prior visits to the property both as part of Paranormal Truth, but also as a guest and former team leader with a ghost event company. Although I had witnessed certain unusual incidents, such as countless tapping noises, a door opening on its own and a plastic ball seemingly appearing from nowhere in the living room, as a grounded sceptic, I was confident in my opinion that although interesting, there was nothing that I had witnessed that couldn’t be put down to perfectly natural explanations. Those taps? The expansion and contraction of floorboards and wooden furniture as the outside temperature cooled. The opening door? It had merely not closed properly and had opened due to gravity and the movement of air within the house. The tales of black monks linked to the property? A fiction. If there was any truth to the events of 1966, then that poltergeist, like all poltergeist cases, would have been short-lived and the phenomena would have ceased over 50 years ago.

In short, 30 East Drive was not haunted.

BANG…. BANG…. BANG... BANG! Downstairs, I was elated. It dawned on me that this was what myself and Dale had been searching for since we started Paranormal Truth. Something tangible. Dare I say it, something real. Something that wasn’t due to dodgy gadgets so favoured by other paranormal groups and nothing that could be easily dismissed. Dale Makin started Paranormal Truth because he wanted to capture the paranormal, purely and simply on camera or through the use of audio equipment. He was sick of all the gadgets, flashing lights and reliance on equipment such as spirit boxes and SLS cameras to provide ‘evidence’ of the paranormal that could be described as unproven at best. He wanted paranormal investigations to go back to basics. To capture the paranormal as simply and straightforwardly as possible. I shared exactly the same views as Dale. We got talking. Then we teamed up. It was as simple as that.

The knocking sounds seemed to stop from above us. I quickly went back upstairs, retrieved the voice recorder and listened back to the recording on headphones. There they were. As clear as crystal. We had recorded at least 9 knocking noises from within the empty room. On headphones I could even make out that the noises were coming from the wooden furniture in the room. My guess was the large wooden cupboard, which was against the far wall, a 1980s era television set sitting firmly on top. These were no light taps either. The volume, timing and intensity of the knocking sounds were constant, loud and seemingly becoming louder and incessant with each knock. I replayed the audio again and again, a wide grin on my face. I felt like a kid in a sweet shop. We’d finally got evidence which was hard to dispute.

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Everyone was accounted for and the noises were clearly coming from within the room. I passed the headphones around to Dale and to the other guests, allowing them to listen to the recording too. What I didn’t expect, what none of us expected, was what was about to happen next. From above our heads, moving diagonally across the ceiling, across what was formerly Philip Pritchard’s bedroom upstairs, the loudest, stomping footsteps we had ever heard. Not walking. In fact, not footsteps. Stamping. My mind was racing. I quickly looked around the kitchen. Everyone was there. We were all looking up. A light in the kitchen diner area, directly below the bedroom, was swinging. It was swinging due to the energy and force of the stamping. I looked at Dale and he looked back at me. We were laughing, grinning, swearing. What the hell just happened?! I had spent years dismissing 30 East Drive. I was secure and comfortable in my opinion that there was nothing there. That it was a money-making scheme with a huge reputation but little or no evidence of the paranormal. In that moment, right there, probably before the light had even stopped swinging, I knew that I was spectacularly wrong. 30 East Drive was most definitely haunted. And I couldn’t have been happier to admit it. Since that extraordinary evening, both myself and Dale have been back to 30 East Drive (how could we not!), for a five-night investigation accompanied by numerous guests including fellow investigators and parapsychologist, Dr. Ciarán O’Keeffe. Yet again, we were able to record unusual activity, most notably whilst the property was locked and empty. Unsurprisingly, there was no repeat of the monstrous sound of footsteps this time round, but I don’t think either myself or Dale truly expected this to happen. What we were left with however, is the unshakable feeling that we witnessed something that was paranormal that night and that despite our scepticism on countless previous visits, we were wrong to dismiss the claims of this property. Perhaps that should be a lesson for us all. Just because a property doesn’t provide any evidence of paranormal activity on repeated visits, we should be very wary of dismissing their claims out of hand. We need to at least remain open to the possibility that paranormal activity could conceivably still occur and although we should always remain sceptical and look for alternative, natural explanations at all times, we must undoubtedly still be open-minded enough to visit a property numerous times in order to try to substantiate other’s claims. It took a combined total of over 20 previous visits to East Drive before myself and Dale witnessed the paranormal that night in August. In short, it took it’s time. But boy, was it worth it!

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Think this is a first for Haunted Magazine, a feature from two existing HM writers, writing together. Vicky, Dead X Central & James, Haunted Insight collaborating as one under the guise of Dead Insight, (see what they did there?)

MAGPIE MINE: The Widow’s Curse S

ituated in the beautifully picturesque peak district of Derbyshire lies the remains of what was once a fully functioning lead mine. This area of the peak district has been used for mining for decades and Magpie Mine itself began its first production in the year 1740. The mine was open and closed several times in its lifespan and during the years it has generated a plethora of ghost stories. For many years the Magpie Mine would go through several disputes with its neighbouring mines who were all in competition with one another. It was a well-known fact that parties from each of the different mines in the area would send their workers out to sabotage the others at an attempt to stop production from one mine and thus resulting in stealing their business.

In 1833 what would seem like a harmless feud between businessmen would go terribly wrong... In September of that year, The Magpie Miners would attempt to sabotage the neighbouring Redsoil mine which lies only a mere 100 yards east by lighting straw and coal tar to try and smoke out the workers and stop production. Instead of just trying to make these miners leave their posts this damaging act would take the life of three innocent miners, Thomas Wager, Isaac Bagshaw and Francis Taylor who suffocated to death from inhalation of the fumes.

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In that same year 18 Magpie miners would now be put on trial for murder although many of them were freed immediately and later all would be acquitted due to insufficient evidence on being able to identify the actual culprits. From that day, it is said that the widows of the miners who tragically died would then place a curse upon Magpie Mine. Although this could be taken as nonsense, it is a documented fact that over the years this mine began to receive a lot of bad luck with flooding and other phenomena which would cease the production.

Many of the locals would refuse to step foot on the grounds in fear of the curse and family members of the Magpie Miners would plead with their loved ones to find alternative work. The mine eventually closed for production in 1835 just a mere two years after the incident and was eventually sold and taken over by new owners and workers in 1839. It would then go on to continue its production until 1954 seeing several different owners over its lifespan. The widow’s curse is said to remain until this day and many workers of the mine over the years have reported strange ‘ghostly’ activity. Some even saying that the spirits of the three miners that were murdered have been spotted here on several occasions and apparently haunt the area, not at rest as justice was never properly served. As well as the curse, there is also two documented deaths on the site itself which occurred in 1842 although no details of how these miners died has emerged. A lot of the deaths were not documented, and historians believe that more deaths would have occurred here due to the nature of the work. For the remaining years the site would see both flooding and fires and would even undergo a name change in the attempts to break the curse, but it seems many owners were never able to keep the business fully afloat and each would fail miserably. Was this truly the windows curse? Or simply just a paranoia which made it all fail? When I first started to research this location, it was because I was drawn to its natural beauty and it was only after that I discovered the prospect of the harrowing curse. The Magpie Mine is one of the most intact mines left in the United Kingdom

(if not the world) which makes this a very unusual location for us to be able to investigate. Although we were unable to step foot inside of the buildings, it is the grounds of the mine itself that is said to be haunted which is what made us become so fascinated with the area. After so many sightings of apparitions here and an unsolved mystery of who really caused the deaths of the Redsoil miners, we knew we had to investigate this location to see if we could uncover some answers to these age-old questions.

Visitation? James and I had known for a while that we would be visiting the mine to investigate and a week prior to our actual investigation I found it incredibly odd as I began to have a ‘Magpie’ visit me at my home. I have lived in this property for over twenty years and it’s an extremely built up area with no fields or parks nearby. In my entire time living there I have never ONCE witnessed a Magpie on my property. This Magpie has now become a regular visitor since the investigation, and I see him most days. He will sit on my fence and stare at me from the garden, he also has made an appearance directly outside of my kitchen window.

Coincidence? Maybe? Strange all the same. But, that’s not all that happened. After our first day visit, I also had a dream about the mine and particularly remember a man called “Richard” being a part of it. I’d messaged James the next day to let him know I thought it was odd. A week later we found a list of names of the men who were put on trial for the murders of the red soil miners in 1835, at the very top of the list was the name ‘Richard Sutton’ age thirtyfive. I’ll leave that with you, make of it what you will!

The Investigation The investigation at Magpie started like any other that we’d done before. A long music filled drive with talk and excitement of what lay ahead, not to mention the small muddy tracks that seem to be EVERYWHERE we go! I sometimes wonder why I even bother to clean the car… As we pulled up it became clear that we were not alone. No, honestly, there were two other cars there, one bearing a Dutch licence plate! It was still light, and we weren’t worried, it was evident with the beauty that the location possesses, that they were more than likely just tourists taking in the views and history that the Mine has to offer. We still had to gather some more intro footage and take some photos, and by the time dark fell upon us, they had left, and we were the only two there. Now for anyone that wants to visit after they’ve read this article, please beware – it gets extremely windy!

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We had been on one previous occasion and decided that it was too much to film, the audio would have been poor and so we rescheduled. Guess what? When we went back, despite the reports claiming only an 8-mph wind, it was yet again really strong! Throughout the investigation we found ourselves avoiding and sheltering from the blustery conditions, luckily due to the layout the location, it allows you to do so, but it’s something to bear in mind. On starting the investigation, we decided to concentrate our efforts on the steps that lead up to the top of the Mine. Luckily for us they were very enclosed, providing cover from the harsh conditions but at the same time giving us a sense of being boxed in. With the Alice Box running and two EMF detectors poised, we started calling out to the spirits that may be present. We didn’t really know what to expect, I’m sure from the history that Vicky has presented regarding the murders and curse, it really could have produced anything from sadness to pure anger. The activity seemed slow at first, but I began to hear footsteps at the bottom of the steps. They were loud, they had to be for me to hear them over the whistling of the wind. As I turned to look back at Vicky, she appeared to look uncomfortable, and shortly after began

to feel a shortness of breath. She felt a pressure bearing down on her, almost as though she was feeling what one of the miners would have felt at the time they were murdered. I found this interesting, the more we investigate the more I see Vicky feel and experience more, but to back this up, Alice produced a sequence that completely blew us away! Firstly, the words ‘Lost in well’ appeared. Now, be it a mine or a well, it seems damn close to what the miners experienced. A feeling of being lost certainly hit home, but this was then followed by the word ‘Dust’. Three miners were sadly murdered by a technique used to smoke them out, it went horribly wrong, but was this one of the miners telling us of his feeling of being lost whilst suffocating? Combine that with what Vicky personally experienced, I can only feel that we were in contact with one of the men that tragically lost their lives on that haunting day. Magpie Mine is full of ruinous buildings and abandoned equipment. It only felt right to investigate one of those empty shells that had been frozen in time. We made our way to the top of the steps and headed north to a stone structure that may well have been used for storage at some point in it’s past. Although the roof was missing, there were three solid walls and a grate covering another possible entrance to the mine itself. As

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we stood and began to call out, I had an overwhelming feeling of eeriness. I don’t think that it was in a negative way, but I had a strong vision of the mine when it was fully operational, the sounds, the hustle and bustle, the characters that inhabited it, yet now as we stood in this building, there was nothing but silence. It was a surreal feeling, and one that we both pick up on repeatedly at the locations we visit. Out of the three areas that we investigated, this was certainly the quietest, but even so, we still had two intelligent responses from the EMF meter that Vicky had. Previously on the steps, a name came through on Alice, not once but twice. The name ‘Terry’ was what we were focusing on. From the research that Vicky had compiled, the name didn’t seem to fit in, especially when it came to the murders. Yet this spirit was constantly trying to gab our attention, and that he did! On asking if we were speaking to Terry, we had a small spike in EMF. Directly after, Vicky asked if Terry was a miner at the site to which there was an identical spike in answering that question. Two spikes in EMF to questions asked, also backing up a name that had appeared twice on Alice, seemed convincing enough to me that we’d made contact with a man that used to work onsite. Did he know something about the murders?

Evidence Analysis

Did he have information for us but didn’t know how to pass it? Only he will know, but I’m sure we will return one day and try to dig deeper in our search for those answers. I sadly now move onto the last part of our investigation, but easily the most exciting for evidence captured. We always like to try and fit in spirit box work when we investigate. There’s just something about it, the thought that we may be potentially hearing the voices of the dead, whether it be residual or intelligent, for me personally, it’s the pinnacle of paranormal investigating. We’d moved to the base of the mine and headed towards the old buildings which are now used as offices, but I can imagine may once have been used as living quarters. With the spirit box on, we again started to push and ask questions, concentrating on the murders. Now let’s just remember, for all the men that went on trial for the murders of the three miners, all were acquitted. It was seen as a tragic accident, in the eyes of the law anyway. Yet right at the start of the spirit box session we heard a very distinct laughing. Now, in all honesty, coming into this we thought that we would encounter sadness, anger, yet at the same time, a remorseful atmosphere. As we continued to press, that didn’t seem to be the case. Throughout we had the same female voice telling us to run, as I’m writing this the hairs are standing up on the back of my neck. She seemed extremely concerned for us, so I decided to ask the question “Do you really think you can hurt me?” The reply was harrowing as we heard the clearest of replies saying, “You can die!”

Of course, this put us on edge, Vicky twice saw three figures in the distance that startled her to say the least, and on another occasion, I spun around with the camera as I felt someone run up behind me. It was intense, in fact as Vicky stated when asking if the murders were intentional, it was downright “Disgusting!” We really felt uneasy, was it the curse that was put upon the mine by the widowers of those killed, or was it the killers themselves trying to warn us and make us leave as we were finding out too much? To be honest, there were so many replies both intelligent and threatening that I need to watch it back over just to take it all in again. Vicky and I agreed that whoever we came into contact with really didn’t want us being there, so much so that at the end when we said goodbye, there was an immediate reply of “Bye!”

After going through the hours of footage from Magpie Mine we were able to put together a small video which you can find on our DEAD INSIGHT YouTube channel or alternatively search ‘Magpie Mine Investigation Dead Insight’ On the footage you’ll see we captured a strange light anomaly which floats into shot and then disappears whilst still visibly in the frame. It didn’t leave, it simply vanished! We also captured some amazing responses during our spirit box session, including two names ‘Abraham and Isaac’ — Both of these names have a documented historical connection to the site. Magpie Mine is a strange location and certainly not what I was expecting. There seemed to be a lot of unrested energy and it definitely made for an interesting Investigation!

It was almost as if they were keeping a secret, a pact that they weren’t willing to break, a bond that ran deeper than the mine they committed this horrific crime in.

If you’d like to see more photos of the location, you can check out James’ gallery over on Haunted Insight.

Magpie Mine has instantly become one of our favourite locations. It’s beauty in daylight combined with its sinister undertone at night truly captured not just our imagination but our hearts… We loved it!

We hope you have enjoyed the first joint article from myself and James. It’ll hopefully be one of many more to come!

To Mr Thomas Wager, Mr Isaac Bagshaw and Mr Francis Taylor, we are truly sorry for the way in which you lost your lives. I’m sure we’ll return one day and try to help you tell your side of the story!

But, until next time, happy hunting!

Vicky Grant x James Pykett

DEAD X INSIGHT

V: https://deadcentral.blog/ J: http://hauntedinsight.com V & J: http://bit.ly/DeadInsight

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E n t e r i n g

t h e

U n k n o w n :

Warwick Castle C h a r i t y

E v e n t

By Dave Harazny

promised to do this event, not only for the BHF (British Heart Foundation), but also my Niece Carla, who three years ago, lost her dad, my oldest Brother Stefan to a sudden heart attack at the age of 62. The aim was to find an awesome location, pair that with my love for ghost hunting and organise an event that could raise monies for the BHF. A win-win situation. Sarah, Lee and myself (three of paranormal team ‘Entering the Unknown) arrived at Warwick Castle and we were privileged to be given a private tour around the Castle, going through every room and area that was accessible to us. To be honest, every single area was breath-taking. Nearly one thousand years of history (1068 to be precise). To be honest, the main point of doing this was to raise monies for the BHF, anything else was a “Brucie Bonus”. I could easily have wrote, we turned up, did this, did that, raised ££££ for the charity and went home but as Haunted Magazine have kindly given us the platform to write about it, I thought we’d at least try and tell you how the night was, what happened etc.

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We asked members of the public to come and join our event and ghost hunt with the likes of some high profile paranormal people out there, the likes of Alex Duggan and Miki York (UK-Haunted), MJ Dickson (Sage Paracon, Paranormal Captured), Gemma Leigh Drury (Parasearch Radio, the Supernaturelle Show), Carl Hutchinson, and two mediums Garry Fields and Entering the Unknown’s very own medium Andy WarringtonJones. First, we welcomed the public, welcoming then to this amazing castle and then we introduced our team, then the special guests, who then introduced themselves to the public. Then it was time to start the paranormal investigation. We split into two teams; Alex, Miki and Carl took people to the King Maker room. Andy, MJ, Garry and myself went to the bedrooms to conduct investigations.

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As it happens on a lot of paranormal events, the night was going so fast, the first refreshments break was late, but much needed. During the break we chatted and discussed what had happened, there was cold spots, drafts, the trigger ball flashed several times and a clear knock was heard in the corner of the room. The medium Gary also came up with a few names. Then it was time to start again and Alex, Miki and Carl took more people to the King Maker room and ran some experiments. They heard a door bang and strange knocking that they couldn’t debunk. After a quick freshen up aka fag and loo break, we mixed it up again and then changed around a bit. Andy, Gemma and myself joined Alex, Miki and Carl in the jail and MJ and Garry went back to the bedrooms to try to get more evidence. Whilst down in the jail, we conducted a Ouija Board session a few of us heard a door bang in an empty part of the castle, this actually happened several time during the night. So much so that Andy and myself went to check if anyone was there but nobody was.

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Our second break took a bit longer as we held a raffle to help raise monies for the BHF, and we raised £117 on the night, which would be added to the total. It was time to swap the public around again, so they had the chance to see a) different locations and b) how some of the special guests. Garry took some to the King Maker room. Alex, Miki and Carl took some into the Mirror Maze, where Miki lost track of some of the guests and couldn’t find them only for Gemma to come to the rescue and locate them for him. The investigation overran by 20 minutes, as they often do. I must thank the public for paying to join us at an amazing location and help raise funds for a worthy cause. the investigation eventually overran by 20 minutes. after the public left, we had change to investigate the building until 4am. Literally, having the run of a castle is a ghost hunter’s dream, the team of Entering the Unknown and the celebrities stayed on till 4am conducting

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investigation around the building. Miki, Alex and Carl went off with Gemma to one part of the building as did MJ and Garry and Entering The Unknown went into the King Maker Room and finally we went into the bedrooms and we managed to get some interaction with the spirit of a lady in the bedroom, was it the same Lady in black who sat at the table, staring mirror? I placed the handheld REM-Pod on the floor and asked if there was a lady there “could you light up the lights please”. LIGHTS. “Are you below the age of 40?”. NO REACTION. “Are you over 40?”. LIGHTS. “Are you the lady sat in black?” NO REACTION. Andy entered the room and said that there was a lady stood at the window, could this have been the Lady we were interacting with? Our last place to investigate was the Chapel, where Andy picked up on a man and a woman who got married there, plus a few other spirits that were against the marriage. He also picked up on a murder but after several minutes he had to leave.

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Amazingly enough on the way down to the event Andy picked up on two German officers at the Castle. Garry Fields also gave me an envelope in which he had picked up several things before his arrival which turned out to be correct and some of which was picked up by MJ. The event ended at 4am and a quick but effective tidy up saw everyone walk ‘Zombie-like’ to the main gate. If any paranormal investigators are reading this, you’ll know what I mean when I say starting a ghost hunt in daylight and finishing it in daylight is commonplace. What a night / morning it proved to be, the public, the special guests, the team at Entering the Unknown worked their ghostly socks off to make this event a huge success and were proud to say that £1100 was raised for The British Heart Foundation. I am so proud of everyone who gave up their time to support the night and we would like to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts.

Dave, Entering the Unknown

ARE YOU A PARANORMAL PERSON OR A PARANORMAL PUPPET? BARRIE JOHN ASKS “WHO’S PULLING YOUR STRINGS?”

irstly, I want to ask you, which string do you allow people to pull for you and why? We go through life at times and we want others to give us that directional change or to confirm what we are doing is right for us. But why? As we know which direction we wish to take, so therefore its down to us to take that route. As we have grown into Spiritual Beings or Adults, we have learnt so much along the way. I often hear that little voice inside my head telling me “if only I could do this again and know what I know now”. I suppose it’s like hearing your mum’s voice in your head telling you not to do something again and yet, we still do it. Life as we know holds many changes and hang-ups for us, often leading us into many different directions and for many good reasons. On some of the journeys what have we learnt? Maybe its about the journey more than the actual lesson or maybe its about what we can learn and then pass onto others in a form of teaching. Very often in times of need, we allow others to make choices and decisions for us as we are fearful of the outcome or event what might happen to us on that pathway. Well how about, maybe we just need to do it and learn from it. Throughout my career as being a professional and also a psychic medium, I’ve learned

so much from others and so much from my own learning. People, companies and clients that I’ve met along the way always help me to open my eyes and looks at things differently, some of these being:

How we all deal with changes in our lives (death, relationship break ups etc)?

people presume that we hold all the answers. When people ask my advice I always say, “so you want a strange to make a decision for you that’s going effect the whole of your life?”. This often brings about a strange reaction from clients but would we really ask someone in the street about paying our bills or what colour to paint our house and associated rooms.

I am sure that we’ve all thought about the above many times, BUT… what do we do about it? Maybe, just maybe we really need to look at ourselves in the first instance and really decide what we want changed about us and then what do we want to do with our lives going forward. These are questions we get asked so many with being Psychic’s,

The hardest thing for any of us to deal with is outcomes, but we can’t deal with an outcome until we’ve experienced the journey but what is an outcome? Its just a result, something that comes from dealing with a situation and then it allows us to learn from it and also pass on this information to others who might be going through a similar route or pathway.

How people react to situations – both positive and negative reactions? What makes people ‘tick’; what excites them in life and why? Watching people ride on others backs as they think its ‘safe’ to do so?

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Being a Psychic Medium really doesn’t make my choices any easier than yours but, it does allow to me work with the results or outcomes and then change my own pathway to reflect this. I suppose what I am trying to say here is…. YOU are the only one that should be pulling your own strings and thus not allowing others or total strangers to make a choice or decision for you that will affect the whole of your like. Any guidance given by mediums is purely that, guidance. Its down to you to put it into action to allow the guidance to happen and to take place. Be in your charge of your own pathway and destiny.

Barrie J x 15

“THIS BOOK LAUNCHED A GENERATION OF PARANORMAL LOVERS, INCLUDING US!”

USBORNE AGAIN BACK FROM THE DEAD Resurrecting Usborne’s ‘World of the Unknown: Ghosts’

irst published in 1977, Usborne’s World of the Unknown: Ghosts was one of the very first books from Usborne, a brand-new children’s publisher that set out to revolutionise the world of kids’ books. Peter Usborne (who, now in his eighties, still owns and runs the company), set up Private Eye magazine before he became a book publisher, and wanted to bring the same lively, magazine-style format to children’s books. At that point, books for children were mainly readers and classics, with some non-fiction for the educational market, but very little for the general trade. Usborne changed all that. Inspired by a phone call from his wife telling him he was going to become a father, Peter wanted to put children at the centre of everything he did. He asserts to this day that “being a parent has been the biggest privilege and joy I can imagine, and everything I’ve done in publishing has been an extension of that”. He set out to combine high quality writing, design and production with popular subjects – never speaking down to children and presenting them with information that would spark their imagination and curiosity.

The World of the Unknown and a haunted generation

The World of the Unknown series was classic early Usborne: magazine-sized, floppy paperbacks with a picture-strip layout that came from comics; vivid illustrations designed to compete with TV; the deadpan tone of voice that spoke directly to children and the topics – Ghosts, Monsters and UFOs – that

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captured their imagination. There isn’t much in the way of data going back to those early days, but we know that 30,000 copies of each of those books were printed in the first year, and that they stayed in print for twenty years or so before they were retired in the ‘90s. So, it’s fair to say they were pretty popular with kids. We also now know, thanks to social media, that these books left a big impression. They lived on bookshelves in bedrooms and libraries, thrilling their young readers, many of whom reported hardly daring to open the books but loving them all the same. Readers remember – vividly – reading and rereading them, taking these books out of the library so many times that eventually a librarian gave them a well-read copy, or putting their names on waiting lists to get hold of one. Some of those readers have reflected with hindsight that the book itself wasn’t even that scary: it was the way it fuelled their young imaginations that was exhilarating. Great nineteenth century ghost story writer M.R. James talked about the ‘pleasing terror’ of ghost stories – the joy of feeling a little scared but safely within the pages of a book. A great children’s book should be gripping, full of atmosphere and tension, and open up a world to explore, and World of the Unknown: Ghosts had these qualities in spades.

The gothic is central to our culture - from film, to books and art. But for those kids of the ‘70s and ‘80s, these illustrated information books from Usborne were something entirely new, created just for them, and it’s clear that Peter Usborne (himself a huge fan of M.R. James) and his team stumbled on a rich vein when they started writing about the world of the paranormal. The World of the Unknown series led to books on vampires, werewolves, haunted houses and more.

Bring it back! Resurrecting a classic

Despite being out of print for over twenty years, Usborne’s World of the Unknown series lived on in the memories of a generation. And when the readers of the 1970s and ‘80s grew up, they wanted it back. Connected via social media in a way that they couldn’t have dreamed of when Ghosts was first published in 1977 (even The Usborne Book of the Future: A Trip in Time to the Year 2000 and Beyond didn’t predict that), readers began to discover that they weren’t alone in finding this book and its series companions deliciously and addictively terrifying. They connected online, sharing stories of their childhood terror – and how discovering this book in those formative years influenced them. Many claimed that it had even had an impact on the careers they chose, with a handful of fans pursuing jobs directly linked to the paranormal world, but many more going into the creative industries, as writers and scriptwriters, working in books, TV and film.

The first tangible result of this online groundswell was in Finland, where fans of Usborne’s Supernatural World (also published as three separate editions) lobbied Finnish publisher Tammi – who’d licensed the Finnish language rights from Usborne in the ‘70s – to reissue their childhood favourite. A Facebook group dedicated to Noidan Käsikirja (the Finnish book title) gathered nearly 3,000 fans. The book was reprinted in August 2018 and instantly hit the children’s book charts. The first print run sold out within a week, and a Helsinki nightclub owner offered his venue for a launch party. Total sales to date are well in excess of 18,000 copies.

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Back in the UK, fans were still connecting online but the breakthrough came when Nucleus Films, the team behind Ashley Thorpe’s animated feature film Borley Rectory, called Usborne requesting an interview with the author of World of the Unknown: Ghosts, Christopher Maynard. Almost by chance, they were put through to Usborne’s Anna Howorth, herself a huge fan of the book, who’d been “banging on” about bringing this book back into print for the almost fifteen years she’s been with the company. “I’m a big fan of Reece Shearsmith so when I found out we shared a love for this book, I tweeted about it. He replied to say he’d write a foreword if we reprinted, and it snowballed from there”. However, not everyone at Usborne was on board. Anna says “some of my colleagues just didn’t believe that this book had so many genuine fans, who felt so passionate about it – they thought it was a niche group. But I understood this deep-rooted sense of nostalgia for early Usborne books, because I’m one of those kids who were deeply affected by them at an early age. And I understood how loving a book as a kid can take you down a certain path, because I ended up working at Usborne.” To try to prove demand, she set up a petition on change.org, and it quickly gathered momentum, exceeding the target of 1,000 signatures. Presenting that, along with the promised foreword from Reece Shearsmith, was the tipping point for the publisher, and it was decided to print quickly to get the book out for Halloween 2019. When the Amazon pre-order went live, it went straight to number one in its category.

Anna says “the response to the online petition, the announcement that we’re bringing this book back, the article that The Guardian ran about it – and all the other news that we’ve been able to share so far – has been phenomenal. It’s been amazing to connect with so many people who shared a collective memory of this book and satisfying to have played a part in answering their call to bring it back. People to thank are too many to list here (but if you played a part, thank you!) but I must mention the Borley Rectory team – Reece Shearsmith, Ashley Thorpe and the guys at Nucleus – who sparked it all, as well as Haunted Magazine for their help spreading the word. It’s been a campaign close to my heart, so from a personal point of view I’m thrilled. But from a professional point of view (as brand director at Usborne) it’s also been fascinating to see how things haven’t really changed from those early days at Usborne. Peter Usborne’s passion and vision for the company is still the same; the way in-house writers and designers work together to make the very best books for children hasn’t changed; the ethos of never speaking down to children, making knowledge irresistible and putting kids at the centre of everything we do is just as it was when World of the Unknown: Ghosts was first published in 1977. Usborne is still leading the way in creating books that spark children’s imagination and curiosity – and for parents who grew up with Usborne books themselves, that’s a really powerful message.”

Usborne’s World of the Unknown: Ghosts will be publishing on 3rd October 2019. Ashley Thorpe’s Borley Rectory will be released on 14th October 2019.

SPOOK-EATS: PUTTING THE SOUP INTO THE SUPERNATURAL; THE GHOUL INTO GOULASH & THE STEW INTO “YOU STUPID MAN, YOU’VE PUT THE K2 METER NEAR A WIFI ROUTER”

EERIE ERIE By A m a n d a R . Wo o m e r, Spook-Eats

henever someone asks us where our favourite haunted places are in the States, we tend to think of the usual: Gettysburg, New Orleans, Salem, Key West, Savannah. We all have a favourite haunted place, but there is one small section in north-western Pennsylvania that has slipped by over the years as a haunted destination. It is home to witches, vampires, and a French and Indian War fort where soldiers remain buried beneath the city streets. This place is (dare I say?) eerie… Welcome to Erie, Pennsylvania. The county of Erie, PA was founded in 1800, but it has direct ties to George Washington and the French and Indian War. To some Erie might just be the path along I-90 to get from the East to the Midwest, but there are a handful of places scattered throughout the county filled with tales of the strange and unusual. The General “Mad” Anthony Wayne Blockhouse, the Brewerie at Union Station, Hotel Conneaut, and the Cathedral of St. Paul all have ghostly tales lurking in their halls. There’s another thing that many of the haunted locations throughout Erie have in common: they are accessible to the public. They have museums, churches, hotels, and restaurants, all with paranormal claims that guests can try to experience themselves.

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One of the most (in)famous places lurking in Erie is the Erie Cemetery home to legends, folklore, and even some witches and vampires, too. Nestled in the lush green cemetery, lies an unmarked tomb on the side of the road. There is no family name, no marker, nothing to signify who or what rests within. But according to local legend, the looming crypt isn’t home to any mortal, but rather, a vampire. Founded in 1851, Erie Cemetery has its fair share of unique and beautiful mausoleums covered in sacred occult symbols, but it is the nameless blackened vault with an ornate V over the door that has captured the imaginations of locals, paranormal enthusiasts, and those merely curious about the Vampire’s Crypt. Some say the tomb belonged to a wealthy Romanian businessman, but after he was interned, dead bodies were found in the surrounding neighbourhoods, drained of their blood with bite marks on their necks. Wealthy Romanian businessman? It looks like Count Dracula decided to settle in Pennsylvania after that whole Jonathon and Mina Harker affair. There are dozens of legends and stories surrounding the vault. Some have to do with Satanic rituals summoning the devil, which explains why this particular

mausoleum is blackened. Other stories warn of trespassing in the crypt with claims of curses and death for anyone who shows disrespect to the vault and what lies within. “If you’re brave enough (or just curious), the Vampire’s Crypt is easy enough to find. When you enter the cemetery at the Chestnut Street gate, follow the road up a small hill to Section 19. If you follow the signs, the path will take you to the right, up, and around a bend, and the crypt will be in your left side. However, if you do what I did, and get overly excited when you see the tomb in the distance, and you completely ignore the DO NOT ENTER sign and go up the road the wrong way, it will be on your right.” You won’t find the Vampire’s Crypt featured on the cemetery’s official website. However, there are plenty of spooky sites retelling the tale of the mausoleum and the legends that surround it. If nothing else, a (respectful) walk through the cemetery can offer a peaceful afternoon as the autumn leaves crunch beneath your feet. Speaking of spooky tales… Erie Cemetery is home to another site that has had a slew of legends surrounding it.

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Nestled in the shade of the oak trees in the oldest part of the cemetery, lies a circle of limestone graves at the base of a looming tree. There doesn’t seem to be anything too out of the ordinary at first glance. The tombstones are weathered and worn down from years of standing in the elements. But upon closer inspection, you’ll notice that some of them are blackened–scorched, even. According to legend, in the late 1800s, Erie was home to a coven of witches. When the two leaders of the coven died, they were buried in the circle. It is said that when Satan returned for his servants, the fires of Hell scorched their graves, and the evidence of those stories can still be seen to this day. With such wild claims, it should come as no surprise that the Witches Circle is also home to some paranormal tales. People have reported hearing the sound of footsteps behind them, even when they’re alone. And there are even claims of a rabid black dog that runs at people, only to disappear before it bites you. While checking out the Vampire’s Crypt, be sure to also stop by the Witches Circle, situated in Section 34 by Chestnut Street. But remember you’re in a cemetery, so respect is vital.

But all of these witches and vampires aren’t the only spooks wandering around northern Pennsylvania. Just a bit further south in Erie is the small town of Waterford, home to the Fort LeBoeuf Historical Society, housed in the Eagle Hotel, along with Sugar ‘n Spice, one of the best haunted restaurants in Pennsylvania. The Eagle Hotel (and much of Waterford) was built on the former site of Fort LeBoeuf, which was established in 1753 by the French during the French and Indian War. George Washington, himself, visited the fort before it was abandoned in 1797. The ruins of the fort, as well as the graves of the soldiers buried there, acted as a foundation for the town of Waterford. Today, the people of Waterford live among the historic buildings of early American history… and they are also learning to live with shadows and fullbodied apparitions that have begun to plague the entire town. But nowhere in Waterford is the activity as intense as at the Eagle Hotel. Built in 1826, the Eagle Hotel acted as a rest stop for travellers on the American frontier and was also a distribution point for New York’s booming salt industry. The inside of the hotel was destroyed by a fire in 1845 but was up and running a year later. US president, Zachary Taylor,

supposedly stayed in the hotel in 1848 and over the last 190 years, it has acted as a tavern, dance hall, social hall, resort, stagecoach stop, and today, it is home to Sugar ‘n Spice, an Amish style restaurant and bakery. Sugar ‘n Spice specializes in “Amish style cooking,” which means it is hearty, not necessarily healthy, but absolutely delicious, and made in-house from scratch. Each day, they have three or four specials as well as their house staples that are always found in Amish style restaurants (and for a good reason). Unlike so many haunted restaurants, the prices are not at all high–the priciest thing on the menu is the prime rib and steak for $17.99. As if that isn’t wonderful enough, the portions are absolutely ridiculous. Almost everyone leaves Sugar ‘n Spice with a to-go bag, and there are enough leftovers for at least one meal at home if not two. The only downside to this warm and welcoming restaurant is that it is completely dry—no beer, wine, or cocktails are available to go with your dinner—but there are plenty of other spirits roaming the halls to make up for that. Even though the bodies of the dead still lie beneath the Eagle Hotel, the building feels very much alive. Guests visiting Sugar ‘n Spice and the history museum have claimed to hear mysterious noises

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in the building, voices calling out their names, silverware disappears from their tables, and they even hear a baby crying on the stairs leading to the second floor. Tracy, a member of the wait staff, has had a slew of experiences including seeing (and photographing) a woman standing by the checkout counter as well as a man dressed in 1800s garb leaning against a pillar in the kitchen watching her. As if full-bodied apparitions weren’t enough, one night, she heard music playing and followed it to the third floor which used to be the ballroom. The minute she touched the doorknob, the music stopped. It’s an unsuspecting haunted restaurant, but a place where the spirits are not afraid to get your attention. Sugar ‘n Spice is located in the Eagle Hotel at 32 High St., Waterford, PA 16441. For more information on deliciously spooky destinations that are available to the public, be sure to follow along in our adventures at spookeats.com. Amanda, although US based is over in the UK sometime in September, if you’re sat at a table having afternoon tea, nibbling at your cucumber sandwiches and you happen to hear an American voice “oh, we’d love some Fish and Chips please, by the way, is your eatery haunted” there’s a good chance it will be Amanda. Look out for her UK adventures on social media.

That's The Spirit... Is it time for spirit to show u s t h e way ? BY JANE ROWLEY

s Paranormal Investigators we endeavour to capture evidence and to experience some sort of Paranormal experience.

previously so it was a real pleasure to join the Team.

So how far can we go with this? In my experience, it always seemed that previously, when I was on investigations with guests and Teams that there seemed to be a ‘limit’ on what people could experience in a ‘ghost’ night. Feeling the energies, seeing the K2’s working and listening out for bangs and taps, etc, etc. Having a timeslot of several hours at a venue, never seemed to be long enough to be able to advance when working with Spirit. It seemed like every investigation always started at the same point, with the same equipment and progress could only get so far before the evening ended and we all went home.

Having been there just over a year now, we have done a lot of work in the building, conducting experiments, trying out different equipment, and working with Spirit in many different ways. The centre is full of different items which have interesting energies attached to them. Having the time and space, and no limitations or restrictions on what we can do, I feel we have really reached a whole new level of working within the Paranormal field. The centre has provided a unique base where we can work with spirit and really push the boundaries and explore the many different avenues across the paranormal. It has enabled us to conduct experiments and progress with new ideas.

In February 2018, I was invited by Neil Packer to join his new venture at his newly opened Haunted Antiques Paranormal Research Centre, As the Team’s Medium, I was very excited to have the opportunity to work in this new paranormal base. I had known Neil for about 5 years and we had worked in several venue groups together

In doing this, we have been exposed to many different things we had not previously encountered. Some of it has been surprising, some of it has generated many new theories, which has generated more experiments, which has then changed our conclusions on what we thought we knew. Over the past year it has really

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changed the way we think about some of the myths and legends surrounding the Paranormal. So, who is steering us in this direction? Who is inspiring us with the ideas and experiments to try? Who is pushing us to do more and more and opening up this path in front of us?

“I firmly believe we are being guided by spirit. I believe we have been guided to this unique place and we are being allowed exposure to a whole new level of the paranormal. So, are we ready to accept what Spirit can show us?” I do believe that everyone’s path is unique and everyone has the ability to access the Spirit World - whether we chose to accept the invitation and work with it, is up to us. We all have the choice and free will to develop our ‘journey’ as much as we want to, or not.

Spirit will never show us more than we can cope with and if we are alright accepting the first steps then they will go on the show us more. First experiences are things like spirit visiting us in our dreams or us sensing a presence around us. Spirit will only allow us to progress one step at a time and its only with our acceptance (consent) will we move on. Working with Spirit takes time and patience. It is something that is not achieved overnight and with is comes a responsibility.

“Many people in day to day life will simple just shut it out and not see the signs or the messages. Missed communication. It is only when we seek it out and ask for it will the Spirit World open up to us.” I tried for a long time to shut it out and dismiss it but when the time was right, I was almost compelled to do it and I began my journey and started to work with Spirit as it was the path I was meant to be on. I am so grateful I finally listened and let myself be guided. I am now where I am supposed to be - working in a different paranormal ‘environment’ which I believe will only advance and expose us to more avenues and experiences not yet encountered in the normal paranormal field. I believe we have made a significant commitment to work with Spirit at the Centre and our intention has been acknowledged. As we ask to see more and more, I feel we are watched and judged by Spirit all of the time as if we are being assessed. We have to earn the respect from the Spirit World too and in order to be shown greater evidence, have better paranormal experiences and to be exposed to new things not yet seen in the field, we have to demonstrate to Spirit that we are trustworthy and respectful of what they are giving us. I also believe that we must also have the belief and integrity to stand by what they show us. What is the point is sharing something special with us if it is going to be ridiculed and not believed? And why should they use all that energy if we are not going to use that information wisely and use it to progress and bring that evidence to others around us, who also share a like-mindedness to push the boundaries further? ..and we all know Spirit never waste any energy.

I feel we are still only scratching at the surface of the Paranormal and there is so much more for us to learn and observe from Spirit. We are conditioned so much as we grow up that we are not encouraged to fully open our minds and work outside the confines of ‘normal’ thinking. What can our minds (and thoughts) really do if we push it beyond what we only think we can do? Can we break new ground in the paranormal, spiritually?? As each new item finds it way to the centre, we are constantly challenged to work with it and to experience what we can, constantly sending up the thoughts and being grateful for what we receive, however subtle the response. Not every item is supercharged with paranormal activity. We have to keep it humble, but as we all progress as a Team we are rewarded for our commitment and patience, and this also has a knock-on effect to the Groups and Teams who investigate the Centre too. We also have to think of it as an ‘investment’. Not necessarily in a monetary way, but investing our time, effort, gratitude and integrity in the work we do at the centre. Sharing our knowledge and findings with people who visit the centre. Helping young, vulnerable people understand that

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everything is not Demonic or is going to ‘possess’ or ‘overshadow’ them. Helping with ‘attachments’ and helping people interpret their experiences, all add value to our investment. We are only going to get out of this what we put in and the Spirit World is certainly rewarding us in many ways. Opening the Centre on a Saturday and providing an opportunity for the general public to share ‘unusual’ experiences and ‘ghost stories’ over a cup to tea with likeminded people is a great way of collecting information and recording paranormal material which is clearly showing us ‘a bigger picture’. I believe people and objects are guided to the centre, and I strongly believe that everything and everyone arrives precisely when they are meant to, in the right order, at the right time, with the right amount of opportunity and potential for a new experience/ level to be reached. It is not a random jumble of events but a careful plan set out by Spirit. So, how far down the rabbit hole can we go? How much more is there for us to learn and experience and how much further can we push the boundaries? I am sure in time….. we will find out.

Jane x

POVEGLIA ISLAND By MJ Dickson

OVEGLIA ISLAND – A DUMPING GROUND FOR PLAGUE VICTIMS, QUARANTINE STATION, ASYLUM HOUSING THE MENTALLY INSANE AND ALLEGEDLY THE MOST HAUNTED ISLAND IN THE WORLD.

The island of Poveglia sits within the Venice Lagoon off the Eastern coast of Northern Italy. As the lagoon waters lap its shores only two miles from the remarkable and dazzling palaces of the Grand Canal, it stands empty, a crumbling collection of abandoned buildings left to rot. Having served many unpleasant purposes over the years, this island is famous for its macabre past and of course, its alleged hauntings. Locals will tell you Poveglia is an “island of ghosts,” and those who visit it are said to be cursed. Its dark reputation can be traced to a history filled with death and despair. It’s no wonder the tortured souls of those who died on the island are said to linger. Legends and rumours about Poveglia are nearly as pervasive as the weeds, and they read like a horror story. Over several decades, hundreds of thousands of dead and living Black Plague victims were brought here across centuries, corpses piled up in pits were

burned in large fires. Legend has it that the soil is 50% human ash.

screams from those being tortured could be heard across the island.

Another one of the Poveglia legends surrounds the psychiatrist who ran the mental hospital, widely known as a butcher and torturer. The demented doctor who worked at the island’s mental hospital in the early 20th century was notorious for his experiments on patients, stories so shocking even when told today. For instance, he believed that lobotomies were a great way to treat and cure mental illness, so he performed lobotomies on numerous patients, usually against their will. The procedures were heinously wicked, and painful, too. He used hammers, chisels, and drills with no anaesthesia or concern for sanitation.

Karma eventually caught up with the doctor, according to the story, he began to suffer his own mental torture and was haunted by the island’s multitude of ghosts. Eventually, he lost his mind, climbed to the top of the bell tower and flung himself to his death. There are varying accounts of his death, some say he may have actually been pushed, either by an angry island spirit or by some of his furious patients. Supposedly a nurse witnessed his fall, claiming that he initially survived, but that a ghostly mist overcame his body and choked him to death.

He supposedly saved his darkest experiments for special patients, whom he took to the hospital’s bell tower, the

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The island is a bit of an eyesore to the locals, the legends and stories of hauntings run so deep that it is near impossible to find a boat willing to take you anywhere near it. The government

Darkness fills the crevices of the buildings; the pathways and cluttered corridors of the hospital are like a scene from a horror movie, leaving much to the imagination. The feeling of eyes watching your every move never fades. With each step you take towards the centre of the island, the energy becomes more and more oppressive, engulfing you in an intense haze of fear and anxiety.

has deemed it illegal to visit the island under any circumstances which makes getting permission as well as getting to it extremely difficult. Even with its crumbling buildings, old wooden shutters falling off ancient hinges and ivy creeping its way into rooms, there is a morbid beauty in the decay. The terracotta roofs of buildings which have collapsed, in part bringing old reed and mud style plaster ceilings crashing to the tiled and stone slab floors are but some of remnants of the old asylum. The bell tower, long bricked up, stands imposingly over the site including the former hospital, asylum, prison and small chapel. On the other side of the island a footpath leads to the devils’ bridge and, of course, the plague burning grounds. The ruins which throughout history have been marked by death and destruction are eerily silent, the air feels thick and heavy, it’s enough to put even the most experienced paranormal investigator on edge.

Approaching the island, the first thing you see is the looming bell tower and the housing block. It’s the most visible and one of the oldest structures on the island, the only remnant of a 12thcentury church that was abandoned and destroyed hundreds of years ago. The tower was turned into a lighthouse in the 18th century, and now serves no purpose other than as a landmark. Next you see the island’s octagonal battlement, known as “the octagon,” which was built in the 14th century to repel Genoese invaders. In addition to the countless others who are supposed to have met their untimely ends on Poveglia, the octagon was used by English soldiers during the Napoleonic wars to ambush French commandos. Prisoners were taken ashore and burned. Destroyed French ships still decorate the bottom of the lagoon around the octagon. As majority of the entrances to the island have now been boarded up, we circled the island several times prior to finding a suitable place to dock and yet not the safest. Our boat captain informed us that we had only received permission to be on the island for a

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short amount of time, no more than 5 hours. Personally, I believe the fear of its reputation had our captain a little unnerved and wanting to get the hell out of there as soon as possible. Our guide led us on to the island, as we crawled through a hole in the fence, she pointed out that several buildings would be completely off limits as the ceilings could collapse at any second. This was not my first visit to Poveglia and certainly will not be my last. Eager to get started on investigating and documenting as much as we could, a few of us decided to try a burst EVP session in one of the main asylum buildings. I grabbed my headphones, explained to our guide what an EVP session was and proceeded to live listen to the session.

As I finished the usual location and, date and time log at the beginning of the recording, I turned to our guide to ask her if she would kindly translate all our questions into Italian, within a couple seconds of her agreeing, a frequency pop burst through the headphones and a female voice asked ‘Who’s There?’. This caught me completely off guard as I expected any EVPs captured to be in Italian. I played the recording back to the group; I could see the colour drain from our guides cheeks as the class A EVP boomed through the small speaker. We were off to a great start! The group had split into two to cover ground, whilst one group took photos and SLS / video footage, the rest of us proceeded to try and entice communication using the P-SB7 Spirit box and several burst EVP sessions. Sad to say, perhaps on that particular day, the spirits did not want to talk as we were unable to document much more activity. Other than a few strange EMF spikes and one figure briefly captured on the SLS camera, majority of the phenomena we experienced was subjective. Cold spots, chills, sudden violent mood swings, feelings of despair and intense sorrow, I believe several members of the group felt extremely overwhelmed and burst into tears for no apparent reason. Group two managed to capture some interesting footage of an interference affecting their videos, was this paranormal… who knows, it certainly was strange. In total

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we had spent a few hours investigating and photographing this extraordinary place, but we could have easily spent the rest of the night on the island. As we headed back towards our boat a look of relief swept over the captains’ face, we loaded up and headed back to the bustling bars overlooking the Grand Canal for an ice-cold Aperol Spritz… when in Venice.

ISLAND HISTORY The Italian island of Poveglia has a history chock-full of tragic events going back thousands of years. During the Roman Empire, the island was used to house victims of the plague in order to protect the rest of the country, forcing inflicted people to live and die in isolation. Dead bodies quickly began to overcrowd the island and thousands were dumped into large, common graves. In many cases, the bodies were burned. Some overly cautious Italian communities even got into the habit of shipping away anyone who showed the slightest signs of illness, not a time you’d want to catch a common cold. Many who had showed any signs of being unwell were dragged onto a boat, shipped to the island and dumped on top of a pile of rotting corpses. The terrifying, negative energy that has been left in the wake of these deaths remains, even in the island’s very soil.

The little island was first mentioned in print in the early fifth century as a safe haven from invasions by Alaric the Goth and Attila the Hun during the decline of the Roman Empire. We were also fortunate enough to visit Attila the Huns throne on Trocello Island - which is worth a visit. Poveglia had probably been populated long before then, as historical records indicate that a group of protoItalians, the Euganei, first inhabited the Veneto region as early as 2,000 BCE. Around 864 CE, the governor, or doge, was killed, and two hundred of his slaves fled to the island and presumably led quiet lives. During the Chioggia War with Genoa that began in 1379, officials forced the residents of Poveglia Island to move to a different island in the Venetian Lagoon. They built the octagonal fort and turned Poveglia into a military outpost armed with naval artillery to strictly control the lagoon. For two centuries the island stayed unpopulated. The government intended to have monks from central Italy inhabit the island in the 1500s, however there aren’t many records surrounding this time period. Eventually the government finally found a use for the land, Poveglia Island became a colony and dumping ground for victims of the Bubonic Plague in 1576 and 1630. Doctors wearing Medico Della Peste masks made numerous trips each day

back and forth to the island. Those distinctive scary white masks with the long hook beaks were used as a misguided form of protection by physicians in the 17th century to deal with plague victims. The masks are intrinsically linked to this area as the plague’s toll was so huge on the local populace it spelled the downfall of the Republic of Venice. In 1793 two ships entering the area were found to have been carrying plague sufferers, the island again became a confinement station. Other plague sufferers were forced to the island to die, shipped over in some instances with the bodies of tens of thousands who had already succumb to the inevitable and were now to be burnt and buried on the island in pits. Its grounds are said to hide the remains of more than 100,000 bodies, overgrown blackberry bushes now hiding mounds that were once humans. In 1922 the 18-acre site became an asylum for the mentally ill and it was during this period experiments including lobotomies were said to have been performed by the deranged doctor. The hospital was shut in 1968 and the island was abandoned and has been sealed off to the public by government authorities to this day. With a past like this, it’s not surprising that Poveglia is believed to be haunted, attracting the attention of paranormal

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investigator worldwide. Visitors to Poveglia have been forbidden for decades, of course, that doesn’t stop the occasional thrill seeker from trying to get permission to explore the island. However, all who venture there return shaken. One thing all visitors report experiencing is the sensation of being watched, other reports include being scratched and pushed by invisible forces and some even claim to have been possessed (Or was that just for TV). Having visited this gloomy island on more than one occasion, I can definitely say it is one of the more fascinating locations I have ever investigated however I truly feel like the nearby lagoon islands of Lazzaretto Vecchio (Where the first plague hospital was built), Trocello and San Servolo (Lunatic Asylum) are commonly overlooked. To be honest, I felt more activity, a stronger presence of something otherworldly and a far creepier feeling during our tour of San Servolo Lunatic Asylum Museum (Definitely worth a visit!) So, in my personal opinion, I would much rather investigate the island of San Servolo, you can catch the Vaporetto (Water Bus) there and spend the entire day on the island… legally! You would probably document way more activity than you would trying to work your way through the dense forestry on Poveglia Island.

MJ Dickson

PARANORMAL: ENTERTAINMENT? BY MOR GAN KNU DSEN , Entit ysee ker Para norm al Rese arch & Teac hings

have had the privilege of being a part of paranormal research for my entire life, and actively participating for nearly twenty years. I am the descendant of a man who is a staple in Canadian history, Albert Durrant Watson, and an influential member of the scientific community as both a physician and astronomer. He prided himself on founding the first paranormal research association in Canada (Association for Psychical Research of Canada), and I do not take that legacy lightly. It is one of the reasons this particular subject of education is so important to me.

When I was first exposed to the world of the paranormal, I was lucky enough to watch and study two incredibly insightful investigators, Loyd Auerbach and Kerry Gaynor, and, at the time, the only shows documenting this type of study were “Sightings” and “Unexplained Mysteries” (produced by many of the same individuals as the former). “Sightings”, in the 1990s, was hosted by Tim White, an ex-military General who was fascinated by the subject of the paranormal science. The original Concept Creator and Supervising Producer of that show, produced by Paramount for Fox TV, was Linda Moulton Howe, an Emmy Award-winning TV producer and documentary filmmaker of TV specials about science and the environment.

are needed, these teams are often made up of the blind leading the blind: People whose education often stems from other misinformation on the internet. It’s such a strange paradigm considering that psi research in itself is steeped in mystery and science, but the need to create the events rather than observe or document the “real magic” seems to have become a far greater priority in the minds of many corporations looking for a return on their dime. This model makes sense when you’re developing a show for pure entertainment and thrills, but it takes a different turn when the public begins to believe they are observing an accurate depiction of the reality of psi research, or twist the genuine experiences of people who need a voice.

The journalistic approach that “Sightings” took with this enticing and engaging subject matter has been all but lost on the current majority of paranormal reporting. This is one of the reasons I am a huge supporter of the television shows who dare to document human experiences, rather than creating false ones. My time will always be available to support those willing to risk ridicule to tell their stories, and to the producers who step into that crucial role. Where shows like “Sightings” allowed educated researchers to explain evidence and demonstrate the many hats they wear, which include empowering families, positive psychology, and explaining natural causes, many of the manufactured “ghost hunting” shows of today are not interested in an accurate reporting of this very real phenomenon. Often, they misuse equipment and the teams consist of people who don’t have the patience to bring a resume of education to the field they claim they are trying to advance. When engineers, physicists, medical professionals, and psychologists

What is striking to me about the situation that we now reside in as investigators, is that much of the public fails to understand and realize how the shows developed for entertainment purposes also drive home a dangerous misconception about how horrifying this phenomenon truly is. As a teacher and educator in this field, I often get surprised responses when I tell them that the phenomenon, more often than not, inspires hope and joy and a reason to go on. Specifically, this is the case in grief and bereavement where studies have shown that people find great comfort in perceived paranormal experiences occurring around them (see the works of Dr. Callum Cooper). Can these unexplained events be terrifying? Absolutely. But it is not the core of where this research truly lies, nor does it represent the majority of human experiences.

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The other fallout from television programs where ghost hunting groups are sent into allegedly haunted places to “investigate”, is that skeptics begin to believe that this

is paranormal research. Many are surprised when I mention universities such as Princeton, Edinburgh, or Northampton actively working in dedicated labs to solve these legitimate mysteries. Nor do they realize the minds at the top of their game in this field are neurobiologists, physicists, psychologists, the president of the American Statistical Association, and even senior lecturers at top institutions such as Coventry University. Throughout my Great Great Grandfather’s career as both a physician and psychic researcher, he prided himself on accurate information and documentation in a way that legitimately reported the magnificence of our supernatural world, causing me to question the word “supernatural” in its entirety, as this phenomenon is more common than not.

as researchers, are given a platform to teach, we must decide how we want to engage the minds who are open to this new world. People make the mistake of thinking that unless you have fame and a television show, you don’t have a platform. Your degree is a platform, your ability is a platform, your study is a platform, your voice is a platform. How will you use your platform to elevate the quality of the information the universe continues to present to us? This does not mean that television does not have a purpose! Television is one of the most accessible forms of information available to the majority of the world – it is a tool! We have the potential to use this incredible media format to present to the world a new relationship formula, and that relationship is with non-physical. It is the most important relationship because it is the relationship

with which we cannot see, it is the bond we can develop with the unknown which, currently, scares the hell out of most people. Getting OK with what we cannot see and do not understand is the core of the dysfunction in a gigantic amount of our current problems, including the problems with the paranormal. To have an attitude of curiosity rather than fear: Imagine it. Imagine the influence we would have in politics, news, family, science, and psi if we approached it from curiosity. I digress, slightly, but the importance of what we do as researchers cannot be understated. The question I leave you with is simple, yet complicated: We all have the opportunity to use our time alive to its best form of service, how will you choose to use your platform?

The problem is this: The world of entertainment is excellent at packaging information and distributing it in a way which captures peoples’ imaginations. Whether or not it is accurate is very much a secondary thought for most of the industry (which, again, is fine, as long as the shows are clear the production is “entertainment”). The parapsychology world is incredible at documenting and releasing studies on the real deal, but terrible at packaging it in a way the average layman can access unless they are willing to read a pile of paperwork. Most, unfortunately, are not. It drives home the importance for the parapsychology community of today to do one thing: Find a way to bring the information to the average person in a way that will keep the public’s, often short, attention span. I have made this a large part of my own career with interactive shows and presentations, often using fire arts and other forms of sensory stimulation to get my point across in a memorable way. Education is the key to our motion forward, but the forms of education must change and meld. As researchers, it is our responsibility to lift this information to a higher level. Intention is everything, and when we,

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“TOO GOOD TUTBURY TRUE?” ONE GHOST HUNTERS EXPERIENCE AT STAFFORDSHIRE’S MOST HAUNTED CASTLE... “Is there anybody there...? Knock twice for no... “

B y Hu b e rt Ho bux

dmittedly I was getting a little flustered at that stage of the night! Being an impassioned spirit seeker... who’s been up and down the country looking for irrefutable evidence of the paranormal... this amazing experience was getting intense! The event at the historically romantic Tutbury Castle had been pretty interesting anyway. Eerie sensations were detected by bodily feelings in the Kings Chamber and the ruined rooms of the old castle precincts were enveloping us in a sense of dread.... a couple

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of jittery guests in our group doubly spooking us out with several moments of blind screaming panic, added to the chilling intensity of the spirit interactions. (To such an extent that my friend Victoria, a seasoned ghost hunter, who had left her handbag in one of the stone voids, refused to go back for it... sending me instead...)!! Oddly we were the only team getting a response, which ‘harrumphed` the rest of the events crowd, leaving them dejected, as we all met up for tea and choccy biscuits... we were buzzing, they were getting nothing!

Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned four times at Tutbury Castle between February 1569 and December 1585

For us the night was going fast. The mid May morn was mild and dark as at around One o`clock we trudged expectantly to the most desired location we could access on the partially restricted site... “The Dungeon”... actually the castle storeroom...during the time of Mary, Queen of Scots captivity, we assumed! Now I should explain... my friend Victoria... (she of putting the handbag down and forgetting it...) is a keen historian, who had been long hankering after a night time visit to Tutbury... Mary Queen of Scots is her heroine and Tutbury was infamous

as being considered Mary’s only proper jail. Poor old girl developed rheumatism here after spending a fair bit of time, lodged in a little cruck house near this “dungeon” area...she understandably detested the place! I should also explain that we were not with the Tutbury Castle custodians, nor being guided around by their local paranormal team. We were guests of the very professional and seasoned Dark Soul Event’s team... about thirteen of us entered that dark confine.... the energy in that room being palpable as we began to feel circled by intentional energies... was that a shadow man stood

guard on the steps up to the wooden barn like door? Were those the shades of men at arms prowling around the pitch-black room? The spidey senses were working overtime as we stood holding each other’s clammy hands in a protective circle of seance...

“Was that a knock...??” A rap was heard from one of the indeterminable corners of the Dungeon... not a loud rap... the knocking sounded like it was emanating from the depths of the stone fabric... so we assumed, as you should, that there was some sound contamination encroaching from the exterior... (there

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were a horde of Viking reenactors encamped outside for the weekends historic activity event... we did hear them snoring classically as we crept past their tents) but the electrically charged atmosphere developing in the room was building up so dramatically we didn’t wish to dispel it in anyway by dashing out to catch a wildly bearded Valhalla wannabe having a laugh at our expense... this wall percussion was something different... as a more persistent gently rolling rap started to build up... then.... started to drum from out of thin air in different parts of the confines...

The jitters set in again on those nervier members of the group as the weirdness of the situation sunk in... several times we calmer sorts had to implore them not to break the circle as the sensation of flight or fight took hold! Even handbag Victoria, next to me, was gripping my hand peculiarly tight... As soon as we started to think that this knocking, (as in full blown, `Most Haunted` fashion), might just, might just, be being performed by an intelligent entity, we started requesting if the knocker could respond with differential knocks for yes and no.. when the knocker rapped twice for yes several of us nearly wet ourselves in glee! Calling out logical questions goes out of mind in the heat of amazement... we ascertained that the knocker was not a man... was definitely not a servant... strong knocking response to NO for that one... was not connected to the family that once resided within the Castle... WAS ...a lady of noble birth... (can you see where I’m going...), Victoria squeezed my hand so tightly my eyes started to water... the question had to be asked.. “Spirit. Are you called Mary...?” Strong knock for YES... Victoria audibly gasped as she involuntarily twisted my hand, {which at the time was connected to my arm} into some unnatural, professional wrestling, three quarter Nelson manoeuvre... for a few moments, stupid question syndrome took over... “Are you happy Mary? Mary, do you know you’re dead? Mary, did your wig really fall off after your head was cut off?...”, fortunately Victoria came to her senses and started asking the spirit Mary questions that only a Mastermind contestant specialising in Elizabethan gossip could answer... stuff from her (brief) marriage to some French royal bloke.. questions about her kids... (no, I’d no idea either...) Then we discovered a way to ascertain dates by getting Mary to rap how many numbers she wanted to pass on to us...(in decade decimal style)... one knock for one, followed by five knocks

for 15, followed by four knocks then five for 1545 example.. in the excitement she was responding with dates that we thought were totally wrong... but she was adamant in her knocking answers. Then Victoria dropped a bit of a bombshell when she admitted to Mary, that she was the descendant of the bloke who signed Mary Queen of Scots death warrant... Lord Chief Justice Christopher Wray... {1524-92} ..well you could have knocked me down with a cod-piece... especially when she started apologising for his actions... that done.. the excruciatingly uncomfortable wrestling hold was relaxed... and Mary, started to tire, seemingly... but not before answering the perplexing question... “Mary. Do you haunt anywhere else...?” (Indignant silence) ... “Do you VISIT anywhere else?” (YES.) ... “Many places?” (YES)!! Well, this being a time restricted public event... we reluctantly had to wind the session down... and as we left the musty confines of that mind-boggling space... (creeping joyfully past the still snoring Vikings), we were all high as kites... Was this really Mary, Queen of Scots...?? I’ve experienced some crazy stuff in the pursuit of the paranormal... but this was off the scale even for me... we spent the next few weeks debating if this could have really happened or not... I’ve always been sceptical, (yes even me), to the ability of spirits being able to communicate in such a fashion... to open to falsification and abuse in the pitch dark with a group of people you don’t know... could the location have organised the activity in some way.. was there a joker in the pack...? The atmosphere we sensed in the room though would have been hard to fabricate... and Tutbury Castle did reckon that Mary has communicated in that manner on previous occasions!! Then historian Victoria thought she might have caught a ghostly

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image of Mary, stood by the door of the Dungeon, as if welcoming us in... and as we googled the dates and details that Mary had knocked out for us... we found that where we thought she was getting her information wrong... she wasn’t.. she was right... it was us imbeciles that were incorrect...!! So... to this day... I’m still not sure if we actually were honoured to be in the court of Queen Mary that night... I hope so... if we truly were, we were privileged to have experienced the greatest spirit phenomena ever... so in trust, until I discover otherwise... I’m going to believe we did! Oh, and one more thing... on the long, open mouthed drive home, Victoria being the chauffeur... I kept sensing something unseen, sat in the back of our vehicle... I didn’t like to tell Victoria, so I didn’t mention the fact! Next morning, she messaged me that after she had dropped me off, she drove home, entered her house, which was empty, climbed the stairs to bed and suddenly felt a few sharp blows on her neck and base of her skull which brought her to her knees...she couldn’t move for quarter of an hour or so, until the pain vanished... then she was fine... Perhaps Mary had taken umbrage to the Christopher Wray connection after all?? We were investigating Tutbury Castle, Staffordshire as guests of Dark Soul Events. This event was their first at Tutbury and was allowed courtesy of the Tutbury Castle paranormal team (Portal Paranormal) Highly recommended for an eerie night Castle romp!!

Hubert Hobux

LAST ORDERS ON LOVECRAFT LANE

Part 1

Quentin Weir Ph.D. and Oddfellow encounter Elder Gods from the Cthulhu Mythos on a street of ill repute as slimy, suspicious, slithering things slide soundlessly through a sinful, saucy suburb. Art by Mychailo Kazybrid. Script, inks and letters by Bambos Georgiou ©2019 Bambos Georgiou & Mychailo Kazybrid

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TO BE CONTINUED...

FISH AND SHIPS: THE KEY LARGO PHANTOM FISHING BOAT BY LEONARD LOW

rian Watson had spent 20 years in the Royal navy. Saltwater ran through his veins. But he gave it all up for a Wife and family, to be near them and support them. But the draw of the tide pulled him back to the sea trade, when he took the position of the Harbour master of Pittenweem in Fife. With the post came access to the Harbour, and before long he had a 30-foot Yacht as his plaything. On good days he would sail away out past the two Islands of the May Isle and Bass Rock and into the deep waters of the Forth before testing his Maritime experience on the treacherous waves of the North Sea. I would occasionally drop into his boat in the Harbour where I would be warmly welcomed with a glass of Whisky and beaming smiles as he laughed away his boring land job to regale me of stories of the sea. He was a wealth of information and at the time I was writing my book on the Pittenweem Witches and needed Sea lore and fishermen superstitions to give the reader the background to a story of Witchcraft and murder in the Pittenweem village in 1705. Brian certainly delivered. But he also gave me a story that with a bit of research I managed to piece together a very sad tragedy. A tragedy that happened over a hundred years ago and to some

astonished sailors, is still happening now! I lived in London in 2006 and was only up North to Fife about one weekend a month. But I dropped in on the old sea dog with a good half bottle in which didn’t last long, but in the short while I was with him, he had a story for me, unlike anything he had told me before. He had been out for a sail and good winds had given him a run out into the North Sea. He was about 50 miles out west of the May Isle and had started to be concerned by the time. It was September and calm with the usual leaden sky, but he had ventured too far out and needed to return before the night fell. He knew these waters like the back of his hand, but he knew the tide was right for the return of the prawn fleet to harbour and wanted to get back before the boats took up the best berths. He turned for home and with a good wind on his sails he should be back to land in over two hours. He was putting up the full sail when suddenly in front of him was the silhouette of a boat, a heavy fishing boat. It was on a direct collision course with the yacht not 50 feet away, and Brian quickly pulled his rudder to portside while his yacht for an instant reared out the water as the wind caught the sail and nearly threatened to overturn the boat. Brian screamed obscenities at the wayward captain of the fishing boat as it passed with inches to

spare seeing the registration of the boat in bold white letters KY39. He looked behind him to vent more fury at the boat, but to his astonishment -it was gone! Nowhere to be seen, there was nothing there….it seemed it was never there!

“This story he told in cold sobriety; it had scared him. The boat was as real as anything he had seen before, it even had a crew, but all he could remember was the white numbers of the registration and that it had two masts. He checked for KY39 but could find no boat with that registration today.” I have a fantastic library of Scottish interest books going back to 1570. First Editions of Witch Trial records, criminal trials and wayward local histories. I thrive on them as an input of my source materials on the books I get published. I knew I had several books on East Coast sea wrecks from 1800s to present day, and with the registration I may just find if there was any boat with that number. I leafed through relevant books, but nothing was to be found of the elusive KY39. It wasn’t until I reviewed the Kirkcaldy boat licences of which any boat with KY as a prefix would originate from this port. I found that in 1884 a boat with the registration KY197 was sold to a Mr

Photo by Gautier Salles on Unsplash

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Largo harbour around 1880

Gillies of Largo in which he re-registered it under his name, and it was given a new Kirkcaldy registration of KY39! It seems I had found Brian’s Phantom boat! The boat was based in Largo (where I originate) Largo has only two crab boats that work out the miserable harbour confines today. But in 1883 there were 36 fishing boats of all sizes using the harbour. KY39 was renamed “Brothers” and was a two-mast schooner. It had a crew of 7 and aptly named as The Skipper Mr Gillies had his two sons on board as did David Wishart and another largo man John Johnstone made up the fishing crew. It was one of two boats owned by Mr Gillies; he owned another registered as KY4. It was 47-foot long, two mast fishing boat identical to KY39. The catch they were after was Mackerel. It was line caught. There were no nets used, the method of catching the Mackerel was to trail a line of hundreds of hooks baited with muscles from the boat and drawn the line in by hand putting the caught fish into barrels. A tedious hard labour for sure it was managing the tempest of the sea with hundreds of baited hooks going overboard that could easily snare the fisherman and pull him into the depths.

“A fisherman always had to be fully focused, there were many unseen dangers on a sea boat.” Skipper Samuel Gillies in 1882

“I managed to piece together a very sad tragedy. A tragedy that happened over a hundred years ago and to some astonished sailors, is still happening now!” On the night of 30th March 1886, the fishing boat “Brothers” with The Skipper Samuel Gillies in charge was seen about 50 miles East of the Island of “the Bass Rock” by the boat “Jane and Minnie”. Everything seemed fine and the boat Skippers excepted greetings from each other from distance. By the 31st of March “Brothers” hadn’t returned to the Largo harbour as was expected. By April the worst fears were known! The boat had gone, not a trace was found of the seven men or any debris of the fishing boat. It was to be another statistic of the perils of the North Sea, where many ships and lives had gone into the watery depths never to be found again. It was thought the boat had opened its two hatches to release the coils of baited hooks. The purpose was to drag the hooks in a line, so they could cover a bigger area saving entanglements and maximise the catch. With the hatches down, you are acceptable to swamping the boat with any change in the tides tempest. It was thought a sudden storm had created a squall which quickly overcame the boat. There were no survivors. The dead were Samuel Gilles 45, his sons John 23 and Alexander 21. David Wishart was 47 his sons David 22 and James 22 and John Johnstone 22.

It seems at the right tide and right time, “the Brothers” fishing boat still sails the North Sea today.

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LE10 0AZ

“Celia, you’re breaking my heart …”

KATIE WALLER INVES TIGATES A

BRUTAL BRIGHTON

BUTCHERY M

iss Celia Bashford was born in 1800 within the village or Ardingly, Sussex. She grew to only four feet high as she suffered with a genetic disorder which made her appearance very different from everyone else. Her family moved to Brighton to seek the fortune of an up and coming bustling seaside town and when she grew up, she became a working girl. As an adult she found herself meeting a young man by the name of John Holloway; a once trained butchers’ boy at the racecourse in Brighton. Now a young man John had become a womanising drunk and petty criminal, but the pair fell in love and became a couple. After a short time, Celia became pregnant, but John refused to marry her. This forced her to return to

Ardingly where she applied for parish relief (financial help) and John was sent to Prison for this. It took 5 weeks of prison life in Lewes until finally he agreed to marry her. The couple now reunited, returned to Brighton as they were ordered to leave Ardingly by the parish (due to such an embarrassing situation.) They both got jobs in the workhouse and Celia sadly gave birth to a stillborn, soon became pregnant again but unfortunately her baby girl also died. John was angry and bitter as he felt smothered by the situation and became increasingly violent towards her over the years. She found herself soon relived of his behaviour as he went to sea working for the Naval Blockade Service. During his time away he secretly courted and married a woman called Ann Kennett illegally. Around the summer of 1831 both Celia and Ann were pregnant by him and on his return to Brighton John became a painter. He worked on the Chain Pier and was ordered to pay Celia maintenance of 2 shillings per week (around 10 pence.) He was unable to pay the demand due to his low paying job so instead he came up with a plan to rid him of Celia for good. In July of that year John asked Celia to meet

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him and discuss the start of a new life together in a new home in the centre of Brighton. That day she left her home at 4 Cavendish Place and they met at the ‘potential’ new home in Donkey Row, number 11 (now named North Steine Row.) They were reported to have been in high spirits as they ate baked batter pudding and drank beer. Unsuspecting Celia believed John and as he pretended to kiss her, he carefully placed a rope around her neck and slowly strangled her to death. Ann was present at the property, hiding. It is believed that she was the one who finished poor Celia off as John may have been unable to go through with it. They hung the body from a hook in the cupboard under the stairs and left it overnight to ensure she was dead.

was the first portion, a thigh, followed by another thigh and then the torso which was wrapped in a bundle made from a petticoat. The head, arms and portions of leg were missing. Word quickly spread around Brighton and large crowds formed in order to identify the body. One of these was a Mrs Bishop who confirmed that this was the body of her sister, Celia. Ann was taken into custody as the police found her first and upon hearing this John handed himself in. He was found guilty and was hung on the 16th of December 1831 at Horsham gaol. The very next day his body was put on display at Brighton town hall and around 23,000 people visited to see it. His body was then dissected and used for research. Ann was cleared. John returned the next day to dispose of the body and there he used his once taught butchery skills and cut off her head, arms and legs. Not all of Celia fit into the trunk he had prepared; so, some parts where hidden in the privy at a house in Margret Street and some went missing. In the middle of that night John took the trunk of body parts upon a wheelbarrow and dug a shallow grave in a place called Lover’s walk in Preston, Brighton. It is still named to this day although these days its appearance has changed significantly. Lover’s walk ironically was a well-known and popular place for courting couples in

those days. Unfortunately for John the weather tuned for the worse and extreme rain began to wash away the soil uncovering his once loved wife.

The remains of Celia were interred in St Peter’s churchyard, Preston within a wall and pathway close to Lover’s walk. Celia’s previous history would not allow a churchyard burial although what portions of her that were recovered were placed within the wall behind a plaque; a plaque dedicated to her and remains there today.

On the 13th August 1831 two local men named Gillam and Maskell noticed something in the path at lover’s walk. The soil appeared disturbed with some fabric poking above the surface. After seeking help of the Preston policeman by the name of Elphick they dug, leading to the discovery of poor Celia’s butchered body. Only eighteen inches deep

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In 1920 is had been documented that a figure of a women was seen by two people in the churchyard of St Peter’s. It was seen to fade from view and the very same figure was reported again in the early 21st century. Could this be Celia? How many other people may have seen her? As I am originally from Brighton I heard about this story from local people, I’ve researched it and now it was my chance to investigate it.

2019, some 188 years later and I am making my way to Celia’s resting place; well a part of it anyway. On the Journey I’m thinking of questions I’m considering asking her and wondering that if she is present it’s probably due to her missing body parts, surely? Pockets full of paranormal equipment and Nicky (Nikon) in hand I reached the graveyard that fully surrounded the 800-year-old church of St Peter’s. On arrival I realised how ancient this place is, a classic horror movie type of graveyard and my heartbeat increased significantly. Tree roots cracking through tombs, Mother Nature claiming them within the thick opaque atmosphere. There were graves of various types from many an era and are scattered all around. I was here to visit one particular memorial though; that of Mrs Holloway. Crows cawed at me as I searched through the overgrown graveyard for her resting place. They watched my every move in the mildew like guardians of the underworld, protectors of the very bones buried deep here. I was alone and it was the early hours of a spring day. The crisp air forced my warm breath to create my very own misty manifestations and pained my lungs. My feet were damp from each blade of long grass depositing droplets on me, marking me, logging my presence as I made progress to my destination. Out the corner of my eye I spotted a plaque on the wall. It blended in with the wall so well

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you wouldn’t notice it unless like me, you know it existed and were subsequently looking for it. In excitement I started yanking equipment from my person and lost grasp of my K2. I immediately bent down to retrieve it from the unkempt grass and on my way, I noticed something shiny. Coins. A selection of coins was scattered all over a recumbent headstone, a headstone with an unreadable name. I’d never seen this before so I looked closely but got a sense that I shouldn’t interfere. I would never steal anything of course, it wasn’t like that, but the voice in my head said, “Do not, whatever you do, move those coins.” And I didn’t. That was definitely something to google later on for sure. Sodden K2 cradled again I made my way over to the plaque. When I finally arrived, I took base environmental readings with my temperature gun (A gift from George) and EMF with the K2. I took still photographs including full spectrum as well as base Spirit Box 7 and digital recordings. Once these were complete, I introduced myself to Celia, explaining why I was there, trying to contact her and of course, offer any help she made need. The wall surrounding the plaque was on average around 13°C but the plaque itself was a much warmer, 15°C. I put this down to the material of the plaque as either of the temperatures didn’t change throughout the investigation. Talking to Celia as if she was still alive, I enlightened

her about my harmless equipment and how it could help her to communicate with me if she wanted too. The K2 was set up throughout with mostly no change from its base, bright green light with the exception of one small spike when I was close to the plaque. It reached around 2 milligauss, although after that, nothing. I decided to try the digital recorder as some spirits seem to only communicate with their voice and others only affect temperature. I’m still not sure why, whether it’s a choice, a matter of strength, who knows? Anyway, back to me creeping around a graveyard in the early hours. Respectfully, I began to ask the questions I wanted to ask for a very long time. I quite literally lived and breathed this story over the last few months and now I sort of felt like a time travelling stalker. The stories about Celia’s murder don’t all seem to add up and I wanted to know what really happened and offer help to this unfortunate soul. I wanted to know about her murder, who really did it? John or Ann? I asked about her dismemberment as there are to this day still missing parts of her body. Is she aware that John was hung for the crime? I wanted her to know that many people now know her story and I will tell it further, across the world, writing for this very magazine. Recorder results were hazy, I believe I caught responses to a couple of my questions although faint whispers crumbled my

hopes of a class A. Lastly, I took out the SB7 and proceeded to ask similar questions and things got interesting. “Whose plaque on the wall is this?” “It was John” “Can you tell me what town we are in?” “It was John” “What is the age of the person named on this plaque?” No response

to say I will be definitely returning in the very near future. As for the coins, I’ve learnt that it’s a sign of respect in some cultures, in others a sign of appreciation but also a payment for a safe cross over. On my return I will be bringing Celia some coins and they will be worth much more than 2 shillings. Perhaps that may secure her toll to the next life, in peace.

“Do you know how this person died? “Yes” Where they murdered?” Female scream followed by male voice “kill” “What was your murder’s name?” Can you tell me, was it John or Ann?” No response “Celia, if your here and you need help, can you say help?” “Help......... hello?” On reflection I believe that Celia is present here and that it was her communicating with me. I feel that this certainly is not something she is used to and seems to want to talk, in particular about her murder (even though it was a short conversation.) Whether she can’t be at rest due to her physical losses, is unaware of John’s justice or another reason, I’m not sure. Either way it appears that I have come away with more questions than before. I’m deeper intertwined in her story and I wish to help. I think it’s safe

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Katie x 43

AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH

REECE SHEARSMITH T The REECEipe for SUCCESS

¼ of The League of Gentlemen, ½ of Inside No. 9, ½ of Pyschoville, Add some “special stuff” Add some “jelly” Add something dark Add some “diddle, diddle dumpling”

Stir, mix, whizz, chop, cut, bang, fry, KILL!! Pour into a big Yorkshire pudding, served with a pot of Yorkshire Tea.

o be perfectly honest, we could’ve spoken to Reece for hours and asked him so many questions, but we had to untie Reece and let him go. We managed to ask him some questions though, and when we removed his gag, he answered them too.

As big fans of The League of Gentlemen and in an age where opinion can now pretty much result in censorship, has there ever been an occasion where a sketch has been so completely awful that you thought we can’t do this? But did you do it anyway, or maybe you didn’t?

What does being asked to write the foreword for Usborne’s reprint of World of the Unknown mean to you? What does this book mean to you?

No. I think we have always been careful and responsible with what we’ve done. I think possibly we’ve got more squeamish as we’ve got older. When you’re young you are far more fearless. It hasn’t occurred to you yet that you are going to die. I think as the years roll on you start to retreat from anything too nasty. Although we still journey to some very dark places with “Inside No. 9”. But we’ve never decided we couldn’t do something.

I was thrilled to be part of the Twitter campaign to bring the book back. Sometimes - occasionally, it can be a power for good! I grew up with the book very much as a conduit that tapped into my love of the Supernatural, so it’s incredible that the reprint has a little foreword by me in it. And just in time for Hallowe’en! My favourite night of the year. (Although I must confess - I regard the whole of October as Hallowe’en these days).

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It emerged a couple of months ago that you would have loved to have revived ‘Hammer House of Horror’. We can think of nobody better suited to do this, especially with the likes of Jordan

Peele’s ‘Twilight Zone’. What was it that stopped you from developing the idea further? If Netflix threw money at the project would you do it?

Real life is often the bearer of some good ideas too. Actor wise, it would belovely to work with the Dames, Mirren and Dench, and the Sirs, McKellen and Hopkins.

It sort of went away as an endeavour. We were excited about it - and worked hard on a very nasty script, but it didn’t pan out. All writers have these casualties. It would be interesting to look at a long form horror anthology, but we are sort of doing our own version now with “Inside No. 9” aren’t we.

Believe or not. Aliens? Bigfoot? The Loch Ness Monster? The Afterlife? And would you be one of the ones lining up to storm Area 51 if you could?

Who inspires you in your acting and writing projects? Is there anyone that you would particularly like to work with? We take inspiration from lots of different places. For instance, I love Stephen King, but equally there’ll be something from an old “Two Ronnies” sketch that might spark something just as sinister. People think we’re “dark”, but you can’t get bleaker than “Sorry” or an episode of “Ever Decreasing Circles”.

“Ok. Aliens - must be a yes. How can we be ‘it”? Bigfoot is just daft, and the Loch Ness Monster is probably a seal. I’d stay clear of Area 51. I bet it’s just like Ikea anyway. Right down to the meatballs.” Going back to The League of Gentlemen, did you, Mark and Steve ever tried to tempt Jeremy into an acting role in it? Well throughout the series Jeremy has been in the League with several cameos.

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But he wasn’t an actor, so we didn’t make him, no! Inside No. 9 just gets better and better, how difficult was it to do the LIVE Halloween special episode? Did everything go according to plan? The live Halloween Special was great fun to do. We knew the biggest challenge was always going to be keeping our true plan a secret. But actually it went remarkably smoothly. The only thing we had to be mindful of was not - in the panic of it being live, start gabbling the lines and finish too quickly. There were points between live sections where they ran in and told us to either speed up or slow down the next bit, to get back on track. It’s 90 years ago this year since V.C. Wall published articles about Harry Price & Borley Rectory in the Daily Mirror, you play V.C. Wall in the Borley Rectory film, did you do much to research him at all?

“The only strange thing that happened once was my wife and I watched a glass move across a table we were sitting at in a busy restaurant. It was ludicrous. It could have been CGI. I cannot explain it.”

Photography: © Matt Crockett

There is actually very little about V.C. Wall. I don’t even think there’s so much as a photo of him. So really, I decided to play him as a journalist who knew a juicy story when it presented itself. He certainly grabbed people’s attention with his reports from Borley. Those adults especially those without kids, might not realise you were also in a few episodes of Horrible Histories, my kids learnt much more about history by watching HH than learning in school. Is it the writing, the subject, the actors or a combination of all three? “Horrible Histories” was just a joy to do. We felt like Elder Statesmen, going in and doing our sketches with them. They are all so lovely - and have become good friends. They are all brilliant comic actors and made those sketches funny regardless of the “children’s television” that they were making. The historical information just sang out so vividly because the writing and performances were so brilliant. How fun, if fun is the right word, was it to play Malcolm Webster in the Widower, naturally evil, without having to be funny. He was a right evil so & so.

It wasn’t much fun to be honest. We had a sober responsibility to tell that story - dramatically but with a sensitivity to the victims and all those involved in that horrendous story. Webster was a monster, and our story a simplified version of the terrible things he did. But I know the people involved wanted the story out there. As an actor it was a fantastic script, and the chance to play the banality of evil.

Ah, I see what you did there, five questions in one, BUT ok, here goes:

We interviewed Andy Nyman once and he said he doesn’t actually believe in Ghosts, he apologised, there was no need, so same question to you, do you believe in ghosts, had any paranormal experiences?

We wanted to end on question 13, somehow seems apt, now just need to make question legendary. You turn 50 this year, will it be a pivotal age, or just a number, any regrets, or too few to mention?

Probably not. I am endlessly fascinated of course, but no. The only strange thing that happened once was my wife and I watched a glass move across a table we were sitting at in a busy restaurant. It was ludicrous. It could have been CGI. I cannot explain it. It was not aquaplaning; the table was dry. No slope. Nothing. A ghost did it.

I tend not to get hung up on my birthdays. When I was 40, I went to Edinburgh in case anyone was planning on surprising me with something. (Although I don’t know anyone so I should have realised I’d be safe). I will let 50 slip by I reckon. I’ll be on stage in a play anyway. I’m not that bothered. I’m content with what’s happened so far so don’t feel too anxious about feeling I need to make my mark. If I don’t do anything else ever again, I can look at the little pile of DVD’s that we’ve created over the years and think, “I have no memory of doing any of that!”

Favourite Ghost Story? Favourite The League of Gentleman character? Favourite Pyschoville episode? Favourite Inside No. 9 episode? Favourite Hammer Horror episode?

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Ghost Story: The Woman in Black. League Character: Geoff Tipps. Psychoville ep: Maureen and David one take “Rope” episode that we did. Inside No. 9: Trial of Elizabeth Gadge Hammer House of Horror: Twin Faces of Evil.

OMG, our SB has written about EVP! FFS!

ELECTRONIC VOICE PHENOMENA E lectronic Voice Phenomena, or otherwise known as its initials of EVP is an exciting piece of technology working alongside the spirit world, offering is the living to communicate with our loved ones who have now passed.

EVP is the appearance of strange and often nonsensical utterings, voices or speech recorded when no one is present whilst the recording was being done. (other than those doing the recording). Many people report of hearing sentence’s, names and much more coming through in the recording, and some describe the EVP similar to a dog, hearing things that the human ear does not. EVP can also pick up any form of electronic communication, such as radio and video. EVP are ghostly voices that appear on audio equipment or similar items like a smartphone.

Where Do the Voices on EVP Come From? It is a mystery. No one knows, but some possible suggestions are: •

They are voices of the dead. Therefore, many researchers go to cemeteries seeking EVPs (often with great success).

•

They are from another dimension.

•

They come from the researchers’ own subconscious. It’s been suggested that somehow the researchers’ thoughts are projected onto the tape.

•

The voices are angelic or demonic in origin.

•

It’s a hoax. Sceptics assert that there is nothing to EVP at all—that the “voices” are either faked, random noise interpreted as voices, real voices already on the tape, or voices picked up from radio, cell phone, or other sources.

The Best way to use EVP is to record silence. i.e.: in a room with no one around and leave it to record. Then once done, playback and see if you have recorded anything. You may also have white noise in the background and using a good site like Audacity can clear this out. The recordings can be faint, so once you have had some practise then you can start asking questions and then you will notice that the voices become louder. Thomas Edison the famous Inventor is known as the father of EVP due to an interview he did back in the 1920s, in which he said “that the human personality survives after experiencing death”, he also went on to say “that it might be possible to construct an apparatus which will be so delicate that is there are personalities in another existence or sphere that wishes to get in contact with us, that this apparatus will give them a better opportunity to express themselves rather than the Ouija and table tipping”. The 1st recorded EVP did not happen until 1959, when a Swedish birdwatcher was

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on his own and when he played back his recording he had strange voices coming through, he also noticed that the voices were responding to comments he had been making at the time. Interesting!

Now that you know what electronic voice phenomena is all about, it is time to try contacting the spirit world using the equipment you may have at home. You will need a recording device with a microphone to record sound, playback technology like a laptop or computer and some static which would be a source of background noise such as a fan or radio so that you can pick up the best signals. A Successful EVP recording requires patience and determination, because you may not get results with your first attempt.

The different types of EVP recordings you can get are as follows • Class A: Easily understood by almost anyone with little or no dispute. These are also usually the loudest EVPs. • Class B: Usually characterized by warping of the voice in certain syllables. Lower in volume or more distant sounding than Class A. Class B is the most common type of EVP. • Class C: Characterized by excessive warping. They are also common, the difference being that it is very hard to understand what is being said. • Class D: Usually debunked as background noise, or your mind playing tricks on you. What are your thoughts on EVPs? Let us know EVP@hauntedmagazine.co.uk send us your best ones.

Sam Bennetts 47

NOT SO ‘ORRIBLE HISTORIES*

“Can we have our hall back please?” By Penny Griffiths-Morgan

am well known as a person who will get on her soapbox about issues, especially issues that pertain to things that I am passionate about such as history. That must be a record, 28 words into my latest article and I have already mentioned the “h” word, but it is important, what is also incredibly vital to take into consideration when learning about the past is taking it in proper context of the time it is set.

expectations of the time, in industrial areas of Great Britain in the early part of the 19th century, children would start work as an average rule at 8 years old, perhaps even younger if their parents could find employment for them. Children were not kids in the way that we see and treat them now, it was not until the early 1880’s that education became both mandatory and free between the ages of 5 and 10 which is not that long ago when you truly think about it.

For example, many people are abhorred by the workhouse movement and to our 21st century brains, the very thought of putting people who are poor and destitute into a large building and making them work for their keep is against human rights and our ethos of what humanity means. I read recently on social media that someone was disgusted that the children once a certain age (it’s 7 if anyone is interested), would be removed from their parents and sent to a separate boys or girls’ dorm. You do have to however, look at this with social

Even more shocking is the fact that the younger generation under the age of 16 could still receive the death penalty until 1908.

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Which leads me onto the premise of this piece, the sacrifices that are made that are historically relevant but potentially shocking to us today. Can you imagine giving up your home, your livelihood and the place that your family had lived for generations because the military told you they needed it to play war games in. No? Read on...

“The residents of the village were told that their tenancies could be maintained and that they would be able to return to their homes once the war office had no further use for the area.”

On June 6th 1944, 75 years ago this year, Operation Overlord took place, the largest amphibious invasion in history consisting of some 156,000 British, American and Canadian troops, 6,939 ships, 2,395 powered aircraft and 867 gliders and the aim, to land and take the five key beaches of Normandy which consisted of Juno, Sword, Utah, Omaha and Gold. I was lucky enough to spend two weeks in that beautiful part of France in 2018 and visit pivotal historical places such as the beaches, parts of the Atlantic Wall, Pegasus Bridge and Point du Hoc but this piece is not about that either. As you can probably imagine, an assault of this kind took more than a few days to plan, historians believe it took years rather than months although the bulk of the preparation does appear to have started around 7 months beforehand with the training of the troops and the requisition of a small part of the Dorset coast around Lulworth and Kimmeridge Bay and including the tiny hamlet of Tyneham.

As a child, my parents used to enjoy taking my younger sister and I on annual caravanning holidays down to the south coast, and our regular trips to the beach were by a 10 mile hike (ok, it felt like 10 miles at 9 years old but was less than a mile) to the beautiful coastline at Worbarrow Bay, but one of the areas we used to pass by very close to was what has become known as the ghost village of Tyneham. I would argue that it is only a ghost village in the most generic of senses as it was not abandoned due to the residents all mysteriously dying, nor was it left to fall down due to some weird unexplained phenomena, it was vacated purely and simply due to an order from Winston Churchill’s government that it was required for the war effort as the area it stood in bore an uncanny resemblance to the coastline of northern France where the taking of the beaches at Normandy, or more commonly known D Day, was to take place. On the 16th November 1944, a mandatory requisition notice was issued to those

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residents within this target zone advising them to vacate by 19th December 1944, to provide a training area for the army to enable them to perfect their use of modern weapons and to facilitate the use of live ammunition. The crucial part of this request was that the residents of the village were told that their tenancies could be maintained and that they would be able to return to their homes once the war office had no further use for the area. Why then is this once quintessential part of English life, the little hamlet that was all linked to the once great and beautiful hall, a place that can prove inhabitants from the Roman era and was also mentioned in the doomsday book as “Tigeham” now a ghost village and somewhere that investigators sneak into to try and find evidence of inhabitants long deceased? Quite simple, the War Office (now the MoD) never returned it to the villagers as initially promised. Many of the buildings were damaged by the shelling received during mock battles and were

consequently pulled down by the army due to the extensive work which would have been required to restore them. Is this what has caused unsettled ancestors to return? Is this what explains the claims of investigators of hearing growls and screeching voices on EVPs and having stones thrown at them? The discontent of previously proud and hard-working residents of Tyneham seeing the destruction of their once beautiful and quaint village? I also wonder if some of the activity documented could be down to the spirits of long lost troops who have returned to the part of England that they trained in, in late April of 1944, there is believed to have been the loss of nearly 800 American GI’s on Slapton Sands in Devon whilst on Exercise Tiger, a mock landing in preparation of D Day. It is highly plausible that some of these men were stationed in Lulworth Cove and were being trained on tank and modern warfare in that area – it should also be noted that Bovington is a stone’s throw away from this area and is where the Army’s tank regiment has been based since 1916 (originally known as the Heavy Branch as it incorporated the Machine Gun Corps). Look through copious reports of paranormal events on the internet and you will find accounts of things that have been experienced in the area of the Ghost Village, a shuck is meant to

prowl the woodland just outside of the area stopping people crossing into the neighbouring community, a Dairymaid is believed to walk wistfully around the large oak tree that she was buried under after committing suicide and a soldier has been seen walking the streets around the houses. All of these are plausible, but none can be verified. Investigators report the name Warren appearing on EVP and Spirit Box sessions, perhaps fitting with the American connections to the area or just some kind of audio pareidolia. I cannot say unequivocally if Tyneham is haunted or purely haunting, many visitors do comment on the ethereal nature of the fact that only the church and schoolhouse are still intact – although that can be easily explained away by the fact that these buildings are maintained by the military and National Trust and promoted as a museum to the village and it’s way of life as was, the schoolhouse having closed its doors as an educational facility some 11 years or so before the 200 plus villagers had to leave. It would not surprise me if something still lingers there, after all, with hundreds of years of habitation and the fact that many residents of old would never have travelled away from the village and died where they were born, they could quite possibly be going about their daily

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routine. The last known resident of Tyneham, Arthur Grant, was interred in the church in 2010, the dying wish of many of those who were forced to leave in 1943. Perhaps however, it was the note that was left on the Church doors when the last villager left in December 1943 that gives the biggest clue – “Please treat the church and houses with care; we have given up our homes where many of us lived for generations to help win the war to keep men free. We shall return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly” Penny is the presenter for Haunted Histories every Wednesday on Parasearch Radio and is also the Author of “My Haunted History” which is available on www.amazon.co.uk

Penny x

*some not so ‘orrible histories might actually be a bit ‘orrible at times.

THE PERVERT POLTERGEIST

* All details of the residents and team members have been kept confidential & changed, apart from mine.

By Lucy Willgress

here are times when you get called out to an investigation that’s so shocking that you know you’ll never forget it as long as you live. The case I’m about to recount was one of the most horrifying I’ve ever encountered during my decade of working with a private paranormal team based in Norfolk. The evidence obtained whilst at the property was so accurate that we were able to identify exactly who was doing the haunting, along with details of his sickening crimes and equally grisly death. Therefore, all details of the residents and team members have been kept confidential, as this investigation proved disturbing for some. All names except mine have been changed.

The house looked just like any other in the peaceful, Nineteen-forties Attleborough cul-de-sac. When we arrived, the sun still shone and the neighbours went about their evening, weeding gardens and washing cars.

“I certainly couldn’t have guessed from outward appearances what had been occurring behind closed doors, or the disturbing nature of what happened there historically.” On arrival, homeowners Dan and Claire invited us in and introduced themselves. I immediately liked this warm, open family and struck up an instant rapport with Claire, chatting as if we were old friends. Meanwhile Ted, who

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led the group, carried out baseline tests around the property first to establish if there were any unusual energy hotspots around. Claire told myself and another team member that around a week before, she’d awoken in the middle of the night to find the bedside unit thumping and rattling. Her initial assumption was that it was her youngest daughter Sophie, who was sleeping next to her. When she woke the girl and asked what she was doing, Sophie replied that she hadn’t done anything. Both terrified, they ran screaming from the room. The next morning, everything on the unit had been thrown off onto the floor, and the wall still bore marks where it shook and slammed against it hard enough to take plaster off.

The whole family had been sleeping in the sitting room ever since. Other activity, such as the television switching itself on and off – even when unplugged - began to happen more frequently, accompanied by what was described as a sulphuric odour of rotten eggs. We began the investigation and split into groups. Myself, Claire and another investigator set up in the master bedroom where the disturbance had occurred. We talked for a while about various things that Claire had experienced in order to put her at ease about the night to come. Ted and Dan based themselves downstairs using the Franks Box (a radio scanner that spirit can use to make words and sentences.) One of the names that was given through the device was Alice. They couldn’t have known that Claire was, that very moment, describing the time her deceased grandmother Alice appeared in plain sight. Nothing much else happened for us during this time, but I feel it was beneficial in setting a relaxed atmosphere and helping the family to feel safe and comfortable with us being there. When we reconvened for a break and compared what we’d all experienced so far, I heard that Mark and Shaun, two more of the team, experienced an aggressive male presence in the eldest son’s room. Ted filled us in about what happened in the sitting room using Frank (the radio scanner, which I’ll call Frank from this point on.) Next, we all swapped locations. Myself, Claire, Mark and Shaun gathered in the sitting room with the lights off. I was aware of a presence moving around near the window and began to call out and ask it to make itself known. Turning on Frank, I handed it to Claire as whoever it was seemed to be more willing to communicate when held by one of the family members. It went something like this:

Can you tell us your name? (Blank) Did you live here? Yes Why are you here? Revenge What happened? Can we help? F****d Sodomy (Mark asked) Were you persecuted because you were gay? NEVER RAPE I DIED What year were you here? *Interference* Thousand

It was becoming clear that this spirit had died violently, but we had no idea just what we were about to find out, and this communication verified what the family already suspected. I asked the spirit to show himself to me, as I could see him moving around as a dark mass. Immediately, my vision of the rest of the room faded away and all I could see was a face. I recounted what I saw: an older, non-descript male with large, eighties-style glasses and scruffy, greasy hair in a side parting. Claire gasped and her hands flew to her mouth at my description. I discovered why when we stopped for another break. Before I could question further, Shaun said my face began to change into that of a woman with long hair who wore a hood, with prominent cheekbones but an emaciated, white face with coal-black eyes. She showed herself later in the last vigil of the night. We both felt that she’d been around for several hundred years and was connected to the land rather than the house, and meant the living no harm but despised the male presence that lingered.

“Stopping for the second break of the night, we all met once again in the kitchen to report back. By this time, the couple’s son had returned home. What the family showed me next chilled me to the bone.” I was shown an online article with a picture of a man - the same face that had got right up to mine a few minutes before. I was so astonished that I jumped and I think I swore! The same face, the same greasy side-parting, the same glasses. Claire said she began looking into the previous occupants after a photo of the same chap appeared from nowhere on her son’s bedroom windowsill. To cut a long story short, they’d discovered that a paedophile had lived in the house for many years and abused his own daughter there. He and his wife also fostered children and one of their former foster children, amongst others, also filed a case against him. He served six years and was murdered in 2008. The more I read, the less I could breathe. He was found with his lower clothes removed and had been ‘interfered’ with. In other words, everything he told us through Frank was there in black and white. Reading the rest of the article later, it seemed he’d been a domineering, abusive bully to his wife and family his entire life and nobody dared speak out against him until the children were finally free of having to live under his roof. Our last vigil consisted of myself, Dan and Shaun in the master bedroom. This

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same man made his presence felt, trying his best to intimidate me so he could feed from my fear. However, I’m scared of very little and he soon gave up. Looking towards the window, I realised that he daren’t leave the house because he was frightened of what would be waiting for him. Realising that he wasn’t going to get any kind of fear response from me, the spirit targeted Shaun, feeding off his terror to make himself stronger. Suddenly, the gaunt lady from earlier appeared behind me and the male spirit retreated and practically went from trying to intimidate Shaun to hiding behind him. Whoever she is (I initially got the name Emily, but at the same time Shaun got El and I got Elizabeth), she is formidable. Enough to have made this other sick, vindictive spirit cower in fear. By this time, it was gone one in the morning, so we turned the lights on, packed up and advised the family to fill their home with laughter, love and positive stuff, as the spirit feeds on negativity and fear. Both Ted and I also advised on how to cleanse the house. Unsurprisingly, we all found ourselves back at the house the following weekend to perform a clearing ritual. The sick spirit caused bangs, thumps, shadows – everything to try and stop us. This still wasn’t the last we’d heard of him though. A few weeks had passed, and the family said all seemed calm. Then, the activity began to ramp up again with footsteps thumping in the attic. This was the only area of the property that no-one had thought about. We were stunned at what we found up there. The spirit’s wife had lived there until she’d died, at which point the council were supposed to go in and clear out any remaining belongings before the current family moved in. What they’d done instead was thrown the rest of this man’s belongings in an old, disused water tank in the roof. Amongst them were an old hatpin, racing programmes, and a leather belt. All of it was removed and taken to the dump. I am still friends with Claire and Dan to this day. I’m pleased to say that finally, after three attempts to rid the family of their unwelcome guest, they now live fear-free in their own home.

Lucy x

’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, one of the reasons why I fell in love with the paranormal is because, well two reasons actually, no shame in admitting: Harry Price AND Borley Rectory, the man, the location, the story reeled me in, hook, line, sinker. Throw in a couple of Usborne books about the Paranormal and the Unknown and the rest as they say is history. Actually, it’s true, there’d be no magazine, well not like Haunted is, if Harry P and Borley R weren’t on my radar, weren’t in my thoughts as to how I view the paranormal. Say what you like about the man, conjurer, fraudster, magician, faker, whatever he was he was born for the paranormal, writing a play about a poltergeist at 15, a keen interest in spacetelegraphy, an avid coin collector. Member of the Magic Circle and the Society for Psychical Research (SPR), debunking mediums, whilst endorsing others, add to that the likes of exposing Helen Duncan, fiends with Harry Houdini and the infamous talking mongoose and you kind of get what the paranormal was all about back in the day, note: not much as changed. “BUT add Borley Rectory into the mix, where he lived for a year, despite dirty tricks played on Harry by the SPR (ahem) allegedly and that opens up a whole new can of ghost worms” Anyways, enough of my fandom for Harry Price and Borley Rectory, and more about this next feature you’re about to read, but there’s a linkage to Harry, trust me, I will get there eventually. So, there I was idly twitting through twitter and lo and behold what do I see but these words: “Great Great Great Niece of The Harry Price” Not Harry Price, a postman from Peterborough or Harry Price, a butcher from Bromsgrove, although I am sure that they’re well respected in their own circles BUT THE HARRY PRICE, PARANORMAL INVESTIGATOR EXTRAORDINAIRE. Long story short – followed her, followed me back, DM’d her, DM’d me back, DM’d her some more, DM’d me more back.

Now Louise Price, great, great, great Niece of the paranormal legend that be Harry Price writes for a part of the paranormal furniture (leg end) that be Haunted Magazine.

Paul

FAMILY FORTUNES FOLLOWING in the FOOTSTEPS

can’t remember a time when I didn’t have an interest in the paranormal. My passion began at a very early age and appeared to have come from nowhere. In nursery I would sit on the carpet in the book corner and tell ghost stories to my friends though I have no idea how I even knew about ghosts as my family certainly didn’t talk about them. In primary school I would persuade my friends to join me in a home-made Ouija board session at lunchtime using bits of paper and a fruit shoot bottle. Again, how I even knew what a Ouija board was I’m not entirely sure. My mother was and still is, quite scared of the paranormal so scary stories or films were never around. However, once my parents divorced, I spied a copy of The Exorcist on video in my Dads cabinet and begged him to let me watch it. Eventually he relented with the promise I wouldn’t tell my mother, thinking within five minutes I would be crying and that would be the end of it. So, there I was; eight years old, in the dark in my bedroom upstairs with the curtains closed, watching a little girl spew vomit over a priest while being possessed by a demon and I was hooked! And yes, I did tell my mother which went down well.

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Fast forward to my first week of high school and we were assigned to write a speech on either a hobby or interest of ours. I stood for fifteen minutes in a class full of children I didn’t know as I came from a tiny village primary school, talking about ghosts, how they manifest, stories local and from afar, as well as mentioning the famous ghost hunter Harry Price. Little did I know when I was sat writing and researching him, thinking in the childlike way you do about how cool it would be if I was related to him, purely because we shared a surname, that in actual fact I was. Only recently has it come to light that Harry was my father’s, grandfathers brother making him my great great great uncle. Unfortunately, it appears that my family fell out with Harry before his career even took off as in my father’s grandmothers’ words “he was more interested in the dead than the living”

As Harry died two years before my father was born and with the family falling out, Harry was rarely spoken about and due to the fact I was only informed of the link a couple years ago, way after the passing of my father’s mother and father, I have no one to ask for any more information which is extremely frustrating. Had my father twigged that the person I was researching as a child was Harry, he may have realised sooner and therefore I could have spoken with my Nan before she died. However it took the ITV remake of Harry’s experience at Borley Rectory to jog his memory, and in his words “my weird obsession finally made sense, it must be in the genes” After years of watching Most Haunted and Ghost Adventures I finally turned eighteen and for my birthday was given a ticket for a ghost hunting event at a local hotel near to where I lived. The catch was I was going on my own as no one would come with me. My boyfriend at the time dropped me off and I walked in not knowing a soul. Thankfully I really enjoyed myself and got talking to people. I don’t recall experiencing anything, but I certainly wanted to go again. Throughout my childhood years I never actually experienced anything paranormal. I desperately wanted too but never did. Most people tend to say their intrigue began with an experience, I on the other hand have no idea where mine originated. So, continuing on these public investigations I hoped would bring me the evidence I so desperately wanted. I was very naive to begin with and when the table would move during table tipping or the planchette would start flying around on the paper it was placed upon, I was so excited. However very quickly I began analysing the people and how the experiments with various pieces of equipment were conducted and I saw a lot of either conscious or subconscious movement from the guests which was disheartening. I continued to go in the hope I could disappear by myself to gain some of my own evidence but unfortunately that wasn’t possible. The passion and intrigue remained but my impatience grew. Thankfully I was invited one evening to a private investigation with the Cambridge Paranormal Society at a local venue that my stepfather was the manager of.

“Throughout my childhood years I never actually experienced anything paranormal. I desperately wanted too but never did.”

This was the night I encountered my first visual sighting of a spirit and witnessed poltergeist type phenomena. The phrase “you look like you’ve seen a ghost” couldn’t have been more apt from my stepfather when I emerged from the cellar. I may have looked like a bunny caught in headlights and been frightened, but I was also extremely excited! Unfortunately, my knowledge of conducting investigations was based on television programmes so I was not aware of the risks involved. When I finally got my own house aged nineteen, I would spend my evenings calling out and taking pictures in the hope of catching orbs. I had no reason to think the house was haunted, I just wanted to

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investigate with tight funds. In doing so I believe I enticed an energy to come into my home as a little while after I began doing this, activity started. It began with catching orbs on camera (which were not dust in my opinion) and progressed to knocks.

Then things changed and it became very unpleasant. The whole atmosphere of the house changed, to the point my partner who was a staunch sceptic became uneasy whilst at home. Things would move, objects would be thrown, and footsteps would be heard walking about upstairs. The final straw was one evening when I was alone as my partner was working away, I had laid down on the sofa to watch TV when a hard, loud thump banged on the arm rest causing the sound to reverberate around my head and caused my head to bounce up. I grabbed my handbag and fled to my mothers. Our relationship was at a breaking point by this time anyways, so I never actually slept in that house again. I do so wish I had the experience and knowledge I have now so I could have investigated properly the spirit within my home. However, if I knew what I know now, I wouldn’t have encouraged it in the first place. After a few more years investigating with various public event groups I still had only had one genuine paranormal experience, though in my mind it was a prominent one. Whilst conducting a planchette session I became uneasy and refused to participate. I honestly felt that someone was hovering around me though I couldn’t see a thing in the darkness, suddenly I felt long, fingers grip my knee under the table, but they did it one finger at a time and finally squeezed. I jumped up sending the chair flying and ran from the room with the on-site medium chasing me. Outside the tech guys were ecstatic. Everything was being filmed via CCTV cameras and they had the perfect shot of me looking

uncomfortable, all hands-on top of the table and accounted for whilst a bright orb had flown across the screen straight into me and then through me out of my back. The moment it went through me was the moment I jumped up and ran. For all of us this was amazing evidence. I subsequently then took a break to have my children. However, the itch to return wouldn’t leave so three months after my second child was born, I began researching local groups on social media and came across one which seemed small and intimate. Just what I was after. I began investigating with this group on a twice monthly basis and was starting to experience even more genuine activity. I was then asked to become part of the team and was thrilled. Over the years my role increased until I ran the whole operation from finding venues, to advertising, ticket sales and organising the entire night as well as running a team. It became extremely successful and from a financial point of view the official owners were especially delighted. With their permission I had scaled up the events to allow more guests and therefore larger venues. However, they wanted to continue the escalation and investigating eventually became solely about work. I shan’t go into detail but over the years a lot of information emerged, things were witnessed which I wish I hadn’t, and general attitudes changed. I can

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never take away some of the experiences I had which at times were frightening, such as being physically attacked by unseen entities, one of which resulted in all the muscles at the back of neck completely raising up, caused by a hand yanking my head backwards with no one physical behind me. However, my debunking attitude was getting me into trouble with the owners and now I know why.

Their annoyance and phrase “here comes the Harry in her” now makes a lot more sense Once I had established and gained the proof, I needed of the fraudulent activity I promptly left. The general atmosphere within the rest of the team regarding the owners was awful and they subsequently left as well. I now investigate with my friends whom I trust explicitly, we have our own team and I could not be happier. I really want to continue gaining evidence of the paranormal whilst ensuring to the best of my ability that it is indeed paranormal and doesn’t have a logical explanation. That will always be my first port of call but then isn’t that what an investigator should do? Debunk until you can debunk no more? I am also very much invested into researching into the life of Harry and would love to return to the site of his most famous case; Borley Rectory, continue where he left off and find out what really happened during those fateful years in Essex. Was the supposed activity an act of a fame hungry man very well versed in the magician’s circle, or was it genuine activity which finally gave him the answers he so desperately wanted? One day I hope to find out...

Louise xxx

SPIRITS OF THE BLUE GHOST By Jason Fellon

esting in the Corpus Christi Bay, along the gulf coast of Texas is the USS Lexington. The great ship was originally named USS Corbat, commissioned in 1942 as a fleet aircraft carrier in Pearl Harbour, during World War II. This new carrier was recommissioned as the USS Lexington in honour of the recently sunk original “Lady Lex” in the Coral Sea. During it’s time of duty, the mighty ship continuously became a target of the enemy, more specifically Japanese enemy fighters who thought the grey lady was sunk. On more than one occasion the

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Japanese thought that they had hit their target and sunk the Lexington, only to find out later that she had survived the damage and continued in the war. This is what has given the carrier her most famous nickname, the “Blue Ghost.” After the war, the USS Lexington was decommissioned and served as a training ship for many years at numerous locations. Nowadays she stands as a National Historic Landmark and is a museum dedicated to the memory of those who served and most importantly those numerous sailors who made the ultimate sacrifice during their time of service.

The workers and volunteers who support the living museum have, on many occasions experienced “odd things,” while going through their day to day activities. The ships historian has told many people about one of her experiences while sitting at her desk. As she was looking down at her computer keyboard something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Glancing up, she sees a fully defined shadow walking across her open office area. This shadow continued into a hallway, where it disappeared. While the ship’s electrician was working on a project on a lower deck of the carrier, he also saw what he described as a shadow man. This shadow walked right in front of him, turned away from his direction and disappeared through what he thought at the time was a doorway. Once he did a double take with regards to what he had just experienced, he realized that the shadow not only disappeared in front of him, it disappeared through a steel wall, not an actual door. More ghostly activity within the walls of the Blue Ghost happened in what is called the mess hall. A couple on a self-guided walking tour of the ship was in the mess area when an officer in what is described as full-dress uniform approached them. The Navy man got in the gentleman’s face and yell at him for wearing a baseball cap. The man quickly removed his cap and turned to look at his female companion, who became as freaked out as he was. He turned back to question the officer, but nobody was there. They’re the only explanation for what they experienced was paranormal.

There are also numerous EVP’s that were captured by the many visitors and investigators over the years. A lot of them are general answers to the questions that were asked, but others are far more meaningful.

For the last eight years, seasoned ghost hunters, Brad and Barry Klinge (from TV’s Ghost Lab), have been hosting a charity public paranormal investigation on the Lexington. During these investigations as well as during their shows episode “The Blue Ghost” (S1E12), some very desperate Electronic Voice Phenomenon had been captured. Specifically, the ships engine room has what seems to be a very horrifying recording that answered questions from investigators that I feel compelled to share. A very impressive string of EVP’s starts like this…in the engine room, Brad states with a firm deep voice, “This is your commanding officer, Get Up Here Right Now”! Both Barry and Brad hear something, but they can’t make out exactly what it is. Brad then orders “Stop toying with us, sailor. Get Out Here!” Again, they hear something. “Is that you talking?”

whistling?” Intrigued and wanting to track down what they are hearing, they both climb to the level just above the engine room. The brothers both ask, “Hello?” Now they hear noises from the engine room below them. They again hear a substantial “Thud” from below and race to get back down the ladder to see what it was. Once again in the engine room, they challenge whatever is down there with them to show itself, but to no avail. They regroup in the mobile “Ghost Lab” to go over the evidence from the session and find something! The first EVP they capture says, “Shoot the Plane!” Could this be relating to the kamikaze that struck the bridge and killed numerous sailors and injured even more. The second EVP from the engine room says just one word, but it is a very significant word, “Help.” The final EVP says it all, “I’m burning inside the Lexington.” There isn’t anything more that needs to be said about the tremendous activity that the USS Lexington still holds within its steel walls. I am looking forward to investigating this beautiful piece of history again. If you have an opportunity to investigate it, jump at the chance. I highly doubt you will be disappointed.

Jason Fellon

They both now hear whistling! “Are you

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Richard Estep’s STEP BY ESTEP GUIDE TO THE PARANORMAL!!!

“John Wayne Gacy, YOU MISERABLE LITTLE PERV!”

By Richard Estep

he big man is not happy. No, scratch that. The big man is livid. Apoplectic. As he stares at me from the screen on my cell phone, I can see his eyes bugging out of their sockets, his face contorted in a mask of rage. Veins stand out on the side of his neck. As he bellows, flecks of spittle occasionally fly from his lips.

It’s fair to say that Brad Klinge is pissed off. Now, don’t get me wrong: catch him on any ordinary day, and the bear-like Texan is an absolute delight, with an infectious laugh and a puckish sense of humour.

Today is no ordinary day. “You weaselly, pathetic, pitiful, limp-dicked little turdmaggot—” The string of invective goes on and on. For sheer inventiveness, I have never heard its like. As an exercise in foul-mouthed rhetoric, it was a truly impressive performance, comparable only to that of esteemed actor (and U.S. Marine Corps Drill Instructor) R. Lee Ermey, in the movie Full Metal Jacket. Not once did I hear Brad repeat himself during what turned out to be a tirade, all of it directed at the man he had come to regard as something of a personal nemesis: none other than the

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notorious serial killer, John Wayne Gacy. “—perverted piece of filth—” The torrent of words goes on and on. I, for my part, am standing alone on top of a rickety catwalk, high up above what had once been the auditorium of a movie theater in small-town Illinois. With the lights switched off, the cavernous room is completely pitch-black, illuminated only by the glowing light of my phone’s screen. Brad’s booming roar echoes from the metal walls, insulting Gacy, taunting him, daring him to come out of hiding…daring him to come out and get me.

The catwalk itself is cluttered with boxes, furniture, and the like, all of it stacked on both sides. Sandwiched between two sets of packing crates, it’s claustrophobic as all hell up there. Just a few inches above my head, I can hear the rain drumming incessantly on the roof, beating out a staccato tattoo. Under any other circumstances, I might find that reassuring…but not here. My hackles are up. Gacy is said to lurk up here on the catwalk, watching the events that transpire down below. It is, the psychics claim, one of his favorite hiding places. Thunder rumbles, and suddenly, I’m nine years old again, watching a Hammer horror movie from behind my grandparents’ couch. This was the sort of dark and stormy night those movies always seemed to take place on. I shudder. My sweat-stained clothes are sticking to my body in places, mostly because of the heat and the Illinois summer humidity — or so I tell myself. In reality, I’m more than a little on edge. I imagine that I can sense eyes on me, somewhere out there in the darkness. Of course, that was purely psychological, my mind playing tricks on me…right? Brad stops talking, pausing to draw breath. A creak, from somewhere off to my right. I turn toward it, my imagination conjuring up images of a phantom clown, watching me silently from the inky blackness of the far catwalk. Leering, he takes a step toward me, and I tell myself firmly to

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GET A GRIP, YOU’RE A 45-YEAR-OLD GROWN MAN, FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE. The creak is almost certainly another symptom of the building settling down after a long, hot day, its structure contracting and making a series of tiny little noises like that. Still, it had sounded awfully close… More thunder rolls. It sounds closer this time. This is all starting to seem more than a little surreal. Just how had I managed to end up all alone on a catwalk in a movie theater that was said to be haunted — no joke — by the spirit of one of America’s most notorious serial killers? Read on. Chances are that if you’re a regular reader of Haunted Magazine, you’re familiar with the notion that there are basically three broad categories of haunting: haunted places, haunted objects, and haunted people. There’s a lot of merit to this argument, but I would also point out that few cases are so clear-cut that they would fit neatly into just one of those categories. One such case reached me through my friends, the rowdy Texas-based ghost hunters Brad and Barry Klinge (TV’s Ghost Lab). We’re neighbors at a paranormal convention one day, signing books and idly discussing our recent cases. I’d just finished the final edits on my book about the I-70 Strangler and his haunted home, Fox Hollow Farm.

“Serial killer ghosts, huh?” Brad rumbled. “We got one of those too.” I’m immediately interested. True crime and the paranormal are two of my biggest interests, and when they cross over, well... “What do you know about John Wayne Gacy?” Barry asks me. I was familiar with the case, mainly because Gacy regularly appeared in those top ten lists of serial killers you saw online. He had killed more than 30 men and boys, in and around the Chicago area, burying most of them in the crawlspace underneath his house, and dumping others off a bridge into the river late at night. Some of them remain unidentified to this day.

been framed, Gacy insisted, by some of his employees. And so, after a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken and a large Diet Coke (his insisted-upon last meal) John Wayne Gacy was sent to his grave. And there it should have ended.....but it didn’t. “Hang on a minute,” I say to Brad. “I thought Gacy’s house was demolished.” “It was. They flattened it after all the bodies were taken away. Somebody bought the lot and built a new house there.”

Gacy was a sadist, with a penchant for brutal sexual assault and torture. Once he had tricked them into wearing a set of handcuffs with the promise of showing them a magic trick (“the trick,” Gacy would smirk, “is to have the key in your pocket”) the poor young men were subjected to a horrific ordeal, before finally being strangled to death. Gacy’s reign of terror finally ended in 1994, after his time on death row culminated in his execution by lethal injection. He went to his grave unrepentant and in denial, insisting that he wasn’t gay (despite having served time in prison for sodomy) and that he couldn’t possibly have killed any of those victims. He had

“Well, firstly, I’ve got to ask if they’re crazy,” I shake my head. “Who builds a house on top of a place like that? And secondly, how the hell did you manage to get in there to investigate?” As so often turns out to be the case, the truth was stranger than fiction. I don’t know anything about the house built on Gacy’s old lot being vacant — though I’d be amazed if it wasn’t. According to the Klinges, one of the world’s most depraved serial killers was actually haunting...a movie theater. Owned by a wonderful couple named Robbin and Norma, the movie theater is located in a very small Illinois town called Auburn. When they took ownership of it, the place was what you might call a ‘fixer-upper.’ Even today, it is still a work in progress. Since moving in, Robbin and Norma have spent countless hours renovating the R Movie Theater to some semblance of its former glory. Robbin is well-known among members of the paranormal community, being the owner of the infamous Ashmore Estates. When he and Norma began to notice strange things things happening around their home, they brought in some trusted psychic medium friends of theirs. At first, the news was exciting: the sensitives claimed to be picking up on the presence of a male spirit inside the theater, a man who went by the name of John Wayne. Robbin was ecstatic.

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The king of the Western, the Duke himself, was hanging out in his very own home. “The only thing I don’t get,” one of the psychics said, shattering the dream with a single sentence, “Is why he’s dressed like a clown...” Gacy was known to dress as a clown named Pogo, attending charity events and children’s parties in the garish make-up. Many people find clowns to be scary by their very nature, but pictures of Gacy as Pogo take it to an entirely new level, especially when one realizes just what a monster was lurking underneath that face paint. All clowns are creepy. This one was pure evil. During his time on death row, Gacy painted several pictures, including one that he named ‘Goodbye Pogo,’ a childish daubing showing the smiling clown waving goodbye — at this stage, Gacy knew that his execution was imminent. His paintings were distributed to several people, mostly family and friends. Some were burned. Some were sold (they fetch high prices at auction to this day). Others were kept. At first thought, it makes no sense. Why would John Wayne Gacy haunt a movie theater in small town Illinois? The answer takes us back to the issue of haunted categories: although the R Theater is said to be a haunted place, with a number of other spirits supposedly walking its halls, the Gacy connection comes in the form of an object. The object in question is an armoire, an ornate wooden cabinet that once belonged to somebody with a close professional connection to Gacy. Inside it were stored several of the serial killer’s paintings, locked and secured. The armoire came into the possession of Robbin and Norma several years ago, and immediately after it was placed inside the R Theater, the killer clown began to make his presence felt. Taking into account the fact that Gacy was a psychotically violent man by nature, one would expect his ghost to manifest itself by scratching, burning, and physically injuring people. That did not turn out to be the case. In fact, no matter how provocative an attitude visiting paranormal investigators have taken, Gacy’s spirit never seems to lash out at them in return. The R Theater turned up on Brad Klinge’s radar after a chance conversation, which led to him paying it a personal visit, along with a camera crew shooting footage for his TV show Strange Curiosity. Nobody can accuse Brad of being a subtle man. Once all of the equipment was set up, he set out on a loud and angry rampage, taunting and provoking Gacy in an attempt to get the serial killer to show himself. During his lifetime, Gacy was known for his emotional volatility. It turned out to be a great tactic on Brad’s part.

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Gacy is said to be most active on one of the catwalks that can be found high up above the floor of the garage, which was once the R’s main auditorium, but is now home to Robbin’s extensive collection of Scooby Doo memorabilia. (I’m not kidding — Robbin owns the original Mystery Machine, built by HannaBarbera in order to promote the cartoon when it first came out). Why does Gacy prefer the catwalk? According to the psychics, he enjoys lurking out of sight and watching the activities that are going on down below; an invisible voyeur. After his tirade, Brad did a little investigative work while the crew documented it all. Once the footage and audio were reviewed afterwards, a deep, gravelly male voice turned up on the soundtrack, ominously declaring: I’ll show you one. With the R theater getting the Klinge Brothers seal of approval, I just had to see for myself. Robbin and Norma graciously allowed me to take in a small team of fellow investigators and spend a few days poking around there. The place did not disappoint. After a couple of very hot, still days, a fierce thunderstorm did a great job of both cooling things down and stirring the energies up. Our equipment began to act erratically, batteries draining without apparent cause. Light anomalies were seen with the naked eye that could not be readily explained; shadow figures were sighted by multiple eyewitnesses; some impressive talking board activity took place in the main auditorium, and an Estes Method spirit box session really left us scratching our heads. Anna, my fellow investigator, was sitting in one of the rows of seats, surrounded on all sides by dolls (including, worryingly enough, one of Pee Wee Herman). With a blindfold in place and headphones jacked directly into the SB-11, she began to call out the voices that were coming through the spirit box. A few minutes into the session, she suddenly sat bolt upright. “He’s coming.” “Who is?” I asked, hoping that I already knew the answer. “John.” Perfect, I thought to myself. “Where’s John coming from?” The answer came without the slightest hesitation: “From Hell...” The shadow figure activity began to increase. It was time for me to head up to the catwalk and see if Gacy would come out to play... For the full story, Richard’s book, Gacy’s Ghost, will be released in September of 2019.

THE PRESS, THE POLICE,

THE POLTERGEIST &

THE PILEDRIVER W r i t t e n by Mike C ovell, H u l l ’s Hau n ted Historian

ave you ever wondered about whom, if anyone, you would like alongside you to investigate a haunted house?

Throughout the years I have had the pleasure of visiting some lovely haunted buildings, and worked alongside such names as Most Haunted, Paranormal Lockdown, Paranormal Truth, and Ghosts of Britain, but can you imagine if you did a paranormal investigation with a champion Olympic wrestler! That’s exactly what happened in Hull in 1908, when a haunted house on Sykes-street, off Charterhouselane, was undergoing paranormal phenomena. Sykes-street is situated in central Hull and runs from Charterhouse Lane, to the east, and Caroline Street to the west. Richardson’s Buildings, which was a small court off Sykes Street, stood between 44 and 46 on the southern side. It was here in 1908 that Police Constable O’Kelly, a champion Olympic wrestler, was called in to assist the family. What happened next hit the headlines locally, nationally, and even internationally. The earliest report on the case did not appear in Hull, as one would expect, but appeared in the national newspaper, The Daily Mirror, dated September 5th 1908, and featuring the following,

HAUNTED HOUSE IN HULL. Strange Manifestations Cease on Arrival of Olympic Champion Wrestler. - The last case of a haunted house was reported yesterday from Hull, where, on account of alleged supernatural manifestations, Mr. and Mrs. Gilson, who formerly occupied the house, have moved out with all their furniture. It is stated that in the small hours of Saturday morning a comb flew out of a comb box, followed shortly afterwards by the brush; a pebble came through the closed kitchen door, and cups and glasses flew from the table and were smashed. Police-constable Hynes, who, observing the commotion, arrived on the scene, declares that as he passed through the kitchen into the inner room a box of blacking flew past his helmet. On making a thorough search no one could be found, but later, when other officers arrived, including Policeconstable O’Kelly, the heavy-weight champion wrestler at the Olympic Games, the manifestations ceased.

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The story was picked up locally, provincially, and nationally, with hundreds of reports being published on it. The most in depth report was published locally, when The Hull Daily Mail, dated Monday September 7th 1908, featured the following lengthy report on the case;

EERIE HAPPENINGS IN CENTRAL HULL.

OCCUPANTS FLEE THE HOUSE. CONSTABLES’ EXPERIENCE, SOME STARTLING DETAILS. ( S P E C I A L

F O R

T H E

“ D A I LY

M A I L . ” )

The alleged supernatural has been frightening some Hull people almost out of their wits, and the police who were called have been investigating, but have not been able to solve the extraordinary manifestations that are corroborated by witnesses. The “Mail” has also been investigating, and the story gathered is one of the most remarkable that has appeared in print. The details are given as they were related. The house at which the manifestations are stated to have occurred is No. 12, Richardson’s-buildings, Sykes-street, Hull, and is tenanted by James Gilson and his wife; but since the occurrences no one has dared to sleep in the house and the furniture has been taken preparatory to moving somewhere else. When a “Mail” representative arrived the interior was naturally in a state of some disorder, and the neighbourhood was still excitingly discussing the details of pots and glasses flying across rooms without any visible motive power, and the tit-bit, of a constable’s helmet just being missed by a flying black box. The story is a circumstantial one, Mrs. Gilson, who swooned and fell on the floor during the occurrence, was still in a state of nervous tension, and very much upset when a “Mail” representative saw her this morning. With a neighbour she had dared to enter the house again, but all the time she was telling her story she was filled with apprehensive fear, and the least noise would cause her to stop and listen.

been, for I had been watching by my brother’s bed-side during his illness. My husband and my brother Patrick were upstairs having gone to bed; but there was in the inner room with me, Mrs. Grady who had been stopping with us. We set up talking about the funeral. “Suddenly we heard a repeated knocking at the door, and we got up startled. Next, there was a loud noise as if something had fallen on to the floor in the adjoining kitchen.” The husband and brother had also heard it, for they with the others ran

A BROTHER DYING. The conversation took place in the kitchen, where the various inanimate things were said to become animate. “My brother James,” said the frightened woman, “had been ill with consumption, and lay during his illness on a little bed beneath the window,” and she pointed to the inner room on the ground floor leading from the kitchen. “He died – we knew he was dying – and we buried him on Friday. He died very happy, and was very fond of me,” broke in the frightened woman disjointedly, “and I know the spirit would not come for me.” “It must be a haunted house,” interrupted the neighbours reassuringly. Mrs. Gilson proceeded: “After the funeral, several of us set up in the inner room, where my bed had

into the kitchen, and discovered that a comb had fallen out of a comb box on the all, and fallen with a clatter into a [illegible]. “It was a steel comb,” explained Mrs. Gilson, who could not account for it falling when it was fixed in a kind of slot. They were alarmed; but when the hairbrush flew out of the box in their very presence, they were terrified, the noise as it fell seemed to them louder than should have been produced by a light article falling. “What is the matter,” screamed Mrs. Gilson, and in her own words, “a stone came through the back kitchen door, which was fastened. It fell just where you are standing,” she said to the “Mail” representative, “and seemed to come through the door.” The newspaper man examined the door, but

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there was no mark or hole, Mrs. Gilson remarking that the stone was like a pebble, and not one that could be seen ordinarily in the street. MISSILE AT THE CONSTABLE. Meanwhile P.C. Hynes, of the Worship-street Division, arrived, and entered to investigate. He walked across the kitchen, and was entering the inner room when, he says, a tin of blacking whizzed past his helmet, just missing it, and falling at the further end of the room. The constable at once ran into the kitchen, but he could discover no one there, and was as much mystified as the rest as to how the tin came at him. The next manifestation, according to Mrs Gilson, was the “breaking loose” of some china on the kitchen table. A couple of cups and two glasses, asserted Mrs Gilson, flew off the table, and fell into the inner room, where they splintered with a startling crash. The shock of these alleged eerie happenings was too much for Mrs Gilson, for she swooned and fell in a faint on the floor. The turmoil aroused the neighbourhood, and the terrified woman was carried into the house of a neighbour, Mrs Carney, where she was brought round. The house was thoroughly searched upstairs and down, but without any satisfactory result, and P.C. Hynes, who seemed to be impressed with manifestation, according to the neighbours, could only attempt to pacify the occupants. But they would not go back into the house, and were lodged in the houses of neighbours for the night. P.C. O’KELLY’S ARRIVAL. A little later other officers arrived, included P.C. O’Kelly, the heavyweight wrestling champion, of Olympic Games fame. Report has it that he remarked that he wished he had arrived earlier; but the neighbours did not put much faith in his ability to wrestle with the unknown. This morning the incidents were the sole topic of conversation in the neighbourhood; and Mrs Gilson, who certainly looked scared yet, remarked, “It has about killed me.” The “Mail” man was talking to her and a neighbour in the house, where there was a sudden tapping outside. “What’s that?” they asked, startled; but a glance out of the kitchen window

showed that a young woman sweeping the front was knocking the wall with a brush. Mrs Gilson since the alleged manifestations has not dared to go near the house at night, and in the daytime she will not go inside unless accompanied by someone. Practically all the furniture has been moved out, and a look out was being kept for another house. “Someone says that the spirits wants this house,” said Mrs Gilson, and the “Mail” representative rejoined, “Perhaps you had better let him have it.” The neighbours all more or less corroborated that part of the story dealing with the frightened occupants, and as showing how seriously one took it, she mildly rebuked the “Mail” man, who unthinkingly for a moment found some amusement in the lighter side of the affair. STRANGE INDICATIONS RECALLED. The “Mail” representative was closely questioned as to what he thought about it, but could not relieve the inquirer’s anxiety. Mrs. Gilson recalled how her brother was leaning his head against a door in the house, when there were knockings by his head. She seems to associate the affair with the sad death of her brother James. One early morning, she said, when she was lying on the couch with a red blouse on, in order to be near him, she suddenly woke up and saw him resting on one arm staring at her. He called her by name, and she answered him, and he murmured: “I thought it was a man there.” He had thought it was a man with a red shirt on, lying on the couch. The dead brother was much attached to the sister, who cared for him in his dying days, and she thinks it is his spirit at work. Here is another story related by the sisters. On Tuesday week she went to the grocer’s shop close by and purchased some groceries and a custard, thinking her brother would fancy the latter. She put it, she said, with the rest of the things in her apron, but when she got home the custard was gone. Thinking that she had forgotten to bring it, she went back, and when told she had taken it nearly accused a woman who was in the shop of stealing it. She returned again, going in again by the front door. A little while later she went to the back door and there found the custard in a corner of the door. She was mystified, but Mrs. Gilson attaches importance to the fact that a week that day her brother died and that on the day of the occurrence he remarked, “I think I am worse.” Mrs. Gilson also recalled that when her father died in March a picture had fallen off the kitchen wall and smashed the glass.

THE CONSTABLE’S STORY. NOT A “FAIRY” TALE. P. C. Hynes told a “Mail” representative this afternoon what he thought about it. “I don’t believe in fairy tales,” he said; “But I am satisfied there was something we could not see through.” Questioned as to the blacking box incident, the officer was convinced that no one present threw it, and added, “I believe something supernatural was at work.” He admitted that he felt somewhat queer when the manifestations were made in his presence, and especially, as, when he was departing, a cup fell on the floor and smashed, there being no apparent reason why it should fall. Hynes, who is a smart young officer attached to the Central Fire Station, told an equally startling story. It was nearly five o’clock on Saturday morning, he said, when, as he was walking along Sykesstreet, he met Gilson and Grady hurrying along. “For goodness sake,” they exclaimed, “Go to Richardson’s-buildings and try to pacify the women.”

all right. “But I had hardly crossed the kitchen,” he said, “when the tin of blacking flew past my helmet, just missing it, and hit a man in front of me in the back of the neck. He was startled, and jumped and ran out of the front door (which leads from this front, or inner room), exclaiming, “Did you see that.” P.C. Haynes did see the box fly by, but he feels positive no one threw it, for he looked around immediately. “I expect it made you feel a bit queer,” commented the “Mail” representative: “Yes,” rejoined P. C. Haynes. “It was a bit mysterious.” Wondering what his next experience be, the constable went upstairs, and although he searched in every nook and cranny, he could gain no enlightenment. He brought down the baby, which had slept through it all. Some of those concerned are Roman Catholics, and about 5.30 a priest

Sykes Street at the time of the incident. The school at the far end still stands. They added that they were going to fetch the police and the doctor, as they thought Mrs. Gilson was dying. When P. C. Hynes arrived, the place was in a turmoil. There was a good deal of screaming going on, and the woman had fainted with fright. Both the men returned, and the officer learned that the mysterious knocking had been going on intermittently since 3 o’clock. At first these in the upstairs rooms thought it was the others, and vice versa, but at length they could stand it no longer, all getting up. Then the things commenced to fly about, as stated. DID YOU SEE THAT? The officer searched the kitchen thoroughly. He looked into the cupboards, and out onto the small yard, but could see nothing living. Somewhat sceptical Hynes came into the kitchen again, where everything seemed

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arrived. There was still another manifestation, for just as he was leaving a cup slipped off the table and smashed, this striking terror once more into the neighbours who gathered around. Eventually they were pacified. As far as can be gathered there have been no manifestations since, and the neighbours are feeling re-assured. P. C. Hynes paid another visit on Sunday night when on night duty, and though there are reports of further tappings, these later ones may possibly exist in the minds of overstrained imaginations. LINNAEUS STREET AFFAIR RECALLED. The Richardson’s-buildings affair recalls the strange occurrence in Linnaeus-street some years ago, when windows were smashed and coal was alleged to have thrown across the floors. The police on that occasion watched outside the house for a night or two.

Sykes-street is situated in Sculcoates and the road still exists today, although many of the structures have been modernized. Sykes-street was laid out in 1800 and named after the builder, Joseph Sykes of Westella. Sykes was a merchant who imported iron ore from the Baltic. CONSTABLE CON O’KELLY ARRIVES: Constable O’Kelly was known to many as George Cornelius “Con” O’Kelly, Sr. He was born on October 29th 1886 in Gloun, Dunmanway, Cork, Ireland, and died in Hull on November 3rd 1947. It has been claimed that O’Kelly arrived in Hull in 1903, but a search of the police officers in Hull Police at the time shows Cornelius O’Kelly joining the Hull Police Force on September 18th 1902, and not 1903 as previously stated. His obituary, published in The Hull Daily Mail, dated Monday November 3rd 1947, states that he came to Hull and joined the Hull City Police Force on September 18th 1902, where he remained until February 25th 1909. The obituary also states that for some years he worked as a fireman with the fire brigade. He was assigned the badge number 249. He was well known for being an Olympic Gold athlete, bringing the Gold Medal home from the 1908 Olympic Games for wrestling!

SO, WHAT ABOUT THE HAUNTING? According to the stories the house was haunted because of a death, and that death was either named Gilson or Gibson. I had to track down the death and see if I could ascertain who had died and when. I decided to search the death registers that cover both Hull and Sculcoates for the period but given that multiple names are given in the different newspaper accounts, I decided to search for Gilson, Gibson, and O’Grady deaths in Hull and Sculcoates in 1908. Investigations showed that no Gilson deaths were registered in Hull or Sculcoates in 1908. Investigations showed that no O’Grady deaths were registered in Hull or Sculcoates in 1908. Investigations showed the following Gibson deaths recorded in Hull and Sculcoates, they are as follows, Name

Age

Alexander Gibson 54 George Gibson 74 James Gibson 43 Llewellyn Gibson 22 Percival Gibson 58

District of Registration

I also decided to search the archives of the Hull newspapers, at that time multiple newspapers were published in Hull, covering Hull, East Yorkshire and North East Lincolnshire, but after searching in the archives and in the digital archives, I failed to uncover a death matching the details in the newspaper reports about the haunting. Contemporary sketch of the alleged “Haunted House” that appeared in the Hull Daily Mail, dated Monday September 7th 1908. Sketch Copyright Mike Covell. Con O’Kelly Senior as featured in The Hull Daily Mail dated Monday November 3rd 1947 at the time of his death.

Sculcoates Sculcoates Myton Drypool Sculcoates

With five possible names I decided to narrow the field. Using the September 5th 1908 article as a starting point, it was evident that the incident must have happened around this date, the later articles state that the man, who it is thought haunted the property, was buried on the Friday before. Narrowing the search for deaths in the July-

August- September quarter of 1908 revealed that no Gibson’s died in this quarter in this year. With little to go on, and press reports making mistakes in names and surnames, it became difficult to ascertain any facts of the matter.

Mike Covell is a local historian and author based in Kingston upon Hull. He has previously appeared in Most Haunted, Paranormal Lockdown, Prime Suspect Jack the Ripper, and advised on the hit BBC 2 show The Bombs that Changed Britain. Mike writes for Hull Daily Mail, Hull Hub, and various magazines and newspapers, and teaches, lectures, and runs walking tours covering all aspects of Hull’s history. He is the author of the popular Mike Covell Investigates book series and has recently released his UFO volume entitled Mike Covell Investigates the UFO Files.

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CREDITS HAUNTED MAGAZINE ISSUE 24 # 1 0 Ye a r s O f H a u n t e d M a g a z i n e The following takes place between 12am and 11:59pm (Any day, every day) EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:

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