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Page G
THE CHINA MAIL, TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 1966.
POLTERGEIST”
EXPOSED!
A THREE-WEEK INVESTIGATION GETS HISTORIC PICTURE OF 'BUMPS IN THE NIGHT' IN ACTION...AND EXPLODES MYTH
by Merrick Winn
SPECIAL
ASSISTANT) RAYMOND
HAWKEY
London.
AROUND midnight on Sunday, March 6,
two doctors went to a terrace house in Salford, Lanes, and took a small Now boy to hospital, certain people should feel ashamed, and some should feel disgraced, because of their super- stition, ignorance and busybody tampering which for nearly three months kept this boy from medical help. And made him worse.
Street, where
No
The boy is Alan Hill, a 12. who lives with his parents, and his Arandmalles a:
24. for these Tully three months there were bem- pings and rappings in the night. They were caused. said the credulous people, by a poltergeist Or "restless spirit." them enjoyed their belief.
Most ut
I am telling Alan's story, after Investigating 1
Three veeled, because it is typical of other poltergeist stories which regularly make news and be- cause the truth new may help expose much medieval Anxi near-evil nonsense.
The story begins at Christmas when Mr Jack Hill, machinist In his forties, and his wife Olive. 38, heard very loud noises. particularly the noise of a bounc- ing ball, coming from apstairs,
noines The
occurred most rights between 11 p.m. (Alan's bedtime) und 1 n.m. Neigh-
bours heard then, and even people across the street.
Mr and Mrs Hill were sleep- leas, distressed, und bewildered. They did noi suspect Mon. True, the noises stopped when they rushed up to his room, but he always seemed asleep.
Then three grouts of deonte came to helo in their rious wayn. The officials, the clergy, the psychical resenicherS. They all had one thing in common: good intentions.
First the offelals. The police, the gas met, the water bord men, the town hall people, two head masters, and It school inspector.
They found nothing
and went away
'Poltergeist' in action.. Alan Hill, in deep trance, drags heavy sideboard scrode room
Salford, announced through the
B.B.C. that he believed the noises were made by a "rest- less spirt."
ов
And at around 11 pim. Monday, February 22, he and the Rev. Frederick Osborn, of Si Clement's, Manchester, arrived with cassocks and crucifixes and prayer books and faith to exer- vise this "spirit."
thorough
The exorel was and awesome, but nol a success. These gentie men now have to face that although they tried, In their way, to help this family their ancient faith served only to make a sick boy more afraid. Members of the Manchester Society for Psychical Research the Rev. Edward also tried to help, sincerely, in his Dimond, 33, rector of St James's, their way. sand
But their sincerity
No one obeyed the first rule
in investigating "poltergeists"
THE BOY. ALAN HILL
-to look for a troubled child. ́nervousness, might be a sick boy,
No one thought that Alan, with
his sensitiveness
The third
Then
jab-it's the Peter Fairley
one that matters...
ARE country-dwellers
talking to Dr. Gerald Edwards
INVESTIGATOR COREN
was, in my view, dangerous; as sincerity sometimes
tho
I first met Mr David Coben, society's investigurilug officer, on the night of the exordiam service though he had already been interesting himself in the affair for some time.
Mr Cohen, 45 year old bachelor, L not typical of psychical researchers. The first step in a serious Investigation mtoro health-conscious than
would have been the masku sure townsfolk? If enthusiasm to be "jabbed" with polio
Alan could not make the naises vaccine is any indication — they are.
himself. Mr Coherr did not take this step, nor did anyone else. The number who have re-
Fortunately, broken bones or -Incredibly. no one ever had ceived injections in rural dis-
Alan Continent and the U.S. Yot concussion are rere. Most babies
In full view while the trista differs markedly from
notscs went on. Yet every- cut or that in Industrial and heavily Britain has had one of her escape with a shoking, a budit-up areas.
Straps help to one agreed "it couldn't possibly best flu winters. Why?
a few bruises. cut down the accident rate. But, be Alan."
bellefs which so far as 1 under stood him went like this
In West Sussex, for instance, The ariswer is that our doctors belleve, about seven out Mr Cohen based his investi- 91 per cent one age group Lleonic last year left, in its of every 10 finulles use a high gation on, for me, unbelievable has been protected in some wake, a high degree of natural chair. towns as few as 30 per cent immunity. Every time we get Designers should remember have came forward,
tu, a reaction begins, setting up that parents cannot be watching Yet the country jolk aften hoats of antibodies inside us to ALL the time. had further to travel for their resist the next dose. When many
have fallen victim, this has the The killer
dose.
Health experts are seriously effect of protecting the popula alarmed at the poor respouse tlon as a whole. But the resist from the latest group to be ance declines in titne. come eligible-aged 20 to 40. So et veer may bring d Unless they
forward diferent story, immediately, they cannot net
COTRO
DIPHT
Macabre
even two "Jobs" before the LATEST «id to nursing murmer pollo rosson,
microphone - loudspeaker And thoumads of youngsters every patient's cublele, linked who rushed forward after the to a control unit in the slater's every death of Hirmingham footballer office. At the flick of a switch discare. Jeff Hall are now wkit open to sho cat "hune in" to each has dropped to about one every "because the spirit city will the disease again, it only in pallent in turn during the night. three mkd form
three hours fromL the
A "pirit" was using Alan as IPHTHERIA has broken medium to get messages to Mrs Froda Roberts (who lives out again in Britain. It next door).
painful, but badly This "spirit" Was
"Teddy Roberts," Mra Roberta's father- needed remindor that Wo
In-law, who died four years ago. have not, as wo thought 20 and Mr Cohen, in order to year. ago, banished this recove the messages tuck deadly disease.
"educaled" (1
topping A-UTLO tapi B-two Before the war, one child diet code.
Lupa; Z—20 tags.
"There's по darggor." Mr In recent years, this Cohen assured me and everyone, months. Thanks
to leave Alan
alone ohne It - hair. immunization.
given is nal méssúgė,” The present outbreak has
The "spirit" had airenkly, icien brought rapidly under during February, dolivered ane
But we might cally menges. NE in every sight babies control,
It #dia" KhetTE! out of it high have had a worse experiener, Wednesday would win the Cup. because, mothers today. tonų, to Ono of the more macabra forget diphtheris, and negleginspects of this whole affair was make Britons aware of danger,” That ta the conclusion of to have their children proiect the neurotic dstilément), the! Flu-free
. These peope toolt two injor-
Or a pallent can contact her,
tions, but have failed to tum Those chairs
up for their third vital "bobo-
ter."
As one county medical officer
O falls
tuế thi. "Hi ther a trai cu to chair.
clostora at the Westminster ed. It is a killer Children's Hosplint, who Inve ONCE AGAIN, VIOLENT wave of, in- been looking into the Hubjact BiGEN WARNED, fluence has awept the for four years.
diseased doligtil shown by WE HAVE many of the people concernund
with if. Yet not RIF these peçõe were unintelligger,
wę konden. Käyren Bervice),
At this point my
colleague, Raymond Hawkey, and I had heard enough and seen enough to call a doctor.
Alan to
be seen
THE EXORCISM".
At the exorcism sarvico..
Where it happened
the
house in Tully Street.
And
(right) Bow It
Happened.
Whi diagram, y
the
Investigators Wera ubic
好
JMOVAL A WEEK
fizwkey, showw how
aommandante with the "pottergeki.”
Osborn, Mrs. Roberts and Mr. Dimond
Loose flourbonri! between wardrobel
and bed which! hoy hanged.
Noise travelled!
down and
appeared to come fram living-room
cuphaard.
tving room door always tell open.
Questions to
*paltergeist could
be heard boy's room!
Pictures by Edward Rawlinson
Alan was in hospital. He is still there.
The doctor and the hospital So they were frightened and consumant withdrew from the they struggled to hold him down rase. They felt, rightly, they and threw cold water in his could not be associated with face. And when they did this this sort of thing.
he got violent.
Hawkey and I watched Tally Street on Sunday, March of these trances.
Raymond Hawkery and I heard about this and retumed to
was now dangerous.
one
It lasted half
So
0, to find the situation greatly an hour and we saw Alan drag worsened. The mass hysteris furniture we ourselves could
drag only with effort,
this accounted for one aspect of the "poltergeist."
We had this trance photo- at last Alan graphed to prove was responsible for the noises and was desperately
needing medical care, And we gave the
Footprints
One of the neighbours told me she had seen walicing footprints on the carpet with no one there. Mrs Itin said she had seen spoons flying and Alan said he had feated up to the ceiling,
Mrs Hill believed this because she said, she saw him floating The doctor come and arranged up to the celling herself and had for
at only just managed to haul hire o local hospital, Even then down by his trousers. Mr Colien, not boasting but belleving, said: "I've had 20 years experience and I should know more than the doctors,
On February 20 the dockor asked Mr Cohen to promise not to visit Alan for a week during the preliminary medical inves- tigation, Mr Cohen promised.
But on the night of March 1 the doctor visited Alan and with other found Mr Cohen, psychical researchers, in ful acssion, taking messages.
PERITOUS
The noises stopped, suddenly, after one wild night when the eager crowd in the living room -neighbours, researchers and all -beard among other things the noise of heavy furniture being dragged about.
photographs to the doctors to help diagnosis.
Later this sime evening March 8 Mr Cohen came. Since the trances, only he could get Alas to sleep. He had developed friendship with the buy and he meant It kindly. But it was bad for Alan.
To
hospital
And a doctor told me: *HIS experiences since Chrismas have made him worse."
Since he has beerf in hospital he has admitted making the medical symptorn noises -
nothing to do and, of course, with "spirit"-and he myɑ hệ did it chiefly by banging a loosd Boorboard with the bourseý side of his outstretched hand.
Alan was aware of it all, in hypnotised le aware. He topped A shadowy way, as a person
cut the messages, in the code by Mor ConCIL again in this trance-like state. taught him
So this is the "Salford poltergeist," Almost the only people who came out well are Alan, and his parents who were
before helpless
those they. believed must knew better than they.
For most of these people now there will be only disappoint- nient. They are cheated of their cager beliefs. No spirit no mesager, no ectoplasm.
Many will say: "It was only a sick child." They will say it, not with pity but with mETT, and possibly no remorse at all.
Something bad to be done quickly. Hawkey and I urged But now worse was happen- Mr and Mrs Hill to send Mr
Alan Ing.
was going into Cohen away and esit back the Iranco-like states several times doctors. Mr Cohen went and I But for a New there will be a day-in full view of everyone
and and his parents neighbours tods this id mcan ho was on route for the ceiling.
think he was relieved to go real, regret, and pity. Perhaps the (after asking Mrs Hill to write in return they may be pitied
a letter expressing gratitude, for too. And forgiven. all he had done). By midnight -London Express Service)
TENUE 010O.
THE IRRESISTIBLE FORCE MEETS THE IMMOVABLE.
„OBJECT.