Devonshire Characters and Strange EventsBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
Devonshire Characters and Strange Events
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Devon (England) -- Biography; Devon (England) -- History
“Rather more than four months ago, this house became extremely
troublesome. The inhabitants were alarmed in the following manner:
noises and blows by day were heard extremely loud, in every apartment
of the house. On going upstairs and stamping on any of the boards of
the floor, in any room, say five or six times, corresponding blows,
generally louder, and more in number, would be instantly returned. The
vibration of the boards caused by the violence of these blows would be
sensibly felt through a shoe or boot. Observe, the floors underneath
which these noises were heard are all of them immediately over rooms
that are ceiled. An effect not to be produced by any blows on the
ceiling was that the dust was thrown up from such boards as were beaten
with such velocity as to affect the eyes of the spectators.
“At midday the cause of these effects would announce its approach by
amazing and loud knockings in some apartment or other of the house,
above stairs or below, as might happen. The moment they were heard,
any person on ascending the stairs, and stamping with the feet, would
be answered somewhat louder; and then, what is extremely curious,
these noises would absolutely follow the persons through any of the
upper apartments. The joists and beams of the flooring opposed not the
slightest obstacle to its progress. Walls it would penetrate with equal
facility, as was manifest by its following any person into different
apartments.
“These phenomena by day continued almost incessantly for about five
weeks, when they gradually gave place to others still more curious
and alarming, which succeeded at night. There are two apartments in
this house--one within the other. In this room there is but one door,
not a single cupboard, and one very small chimney. The walls are of
stone, the flooring of new deal, extremely close, and not covered by
a carpet. There is one large modern window in the room. There is no
visible access to this room but through another, in which they who wish
to satisfy their curiosity constantly sit. The partition is thin, there
is also a window in it (it is of lath and plaster). In the room where
strangers sit, there is also one door only; and there is a kind of
landing-room at the top of the stairs opposite to this door.”
In the further room the servant-maids were sent to sleep. These
were now violently beaten, during the night, producing bruises and
swellings. Those who sat in the outer room could hear the blows being
administered. Mr. Colton went into the inner room and stood by the bed
where the maids were, and heard the blows rained on them. When he cried
for a light, it was brought in, but no person could be seen by him who
could have administered these blows.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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