STORIES OF GHOSTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20292, 28 December 1927, Page 7

STORIES OF GHOSTS.

QUEER TALES AT A DINNER,

MEDIUM’S SAVAGE FIGHT

AN UNSEEN OPPONENT.

The cheerful white walls and pleasantly material atmosphere of the Lyceum Club in London took on an eerie appearance one night a few weeks ago, when an authentic “ gnost story ” dinner was held. Some of the tales that were told were amazing; even to the sceptic they made excellent hearing. Miss Helen Boulnois presided, and the speakers included the Countess of Tankerville, Mr Elliott O’Donnell, Mis Violet Twccdale, Mr Ralph Shirley, and Mrs Mansell Moullin.

Mrs Twcedalc told of her uncanny experience in a haunted house in the Torquay district. A party of seven, including a medium, one Captain M'Cormack, four professional “ ghost-hunters,” and herself, went to this house in broad daylight to attempt to plumb its mysteries. The medium, almost as soon ns Mrs Twcedalc entered a certain room of the house, was possessed by an entity, well known in Torquay as “ The Serpent.” This entity took possession of the woman’s body, made her stagger about as though she were drunk, and blaspremc terribly. This entity in turn was expelled by that of “ The Doctor,” who had at _onc time owned the haunted house. Under his domination the woman began to roar and flung herself upon the ghost-hunters, who fled from the house. Then, still under the spell of “The Doctor,” she attacked Captain M’Cormack, and tore his face until the blood ran down. “Then began a combat," said Mrs Tweedale, “ more terrible than anything I have ever seen. It was a struggle between this woman, possessed by The Doctor,” and another entity, which we could not see. We could hear “ The Doctor’s’ curses, added to a tigerish growling. Between the two adversaries we saw the medium’s hat torn off, her hair pulled down, and her clothes torn from her body. I Hung myself before her and her unseen opponent. I could feel blows raining down upon me; yet I felt secure and safe, as though I were encased in a steel coating. _ “Finally I realised thatffi Captain M Cormack was exorcising the spirits, and all was quiet. We carried the medium downstairs, broken and bleeding and apparently dead. After a while we brought her round; but she never really recovered from this terrible contest, and died within a year. The house is still haunted by •The Doctor,’ who can drive anyone out of it You can do nothing; you can sec nothing. Only man can interpret the mvsterv in the course of time, and God will be the source of the interpretation. Mr Elliott O’Dpnell told of experiences. less tangible, but equally eerie in another haunted lymsc m the cs 0 England. He said that on stormy nights psychic phenomena were more free than on calm nights, also that he was usually accompanied by a dog, as a dog was responsible to strange and unnatural hapnenings than human beings. , The Countess of Tankorville described a vision which she said had come to her in her home, the famous Chillingham Castle, in which she had seen ancestors of her husband’s family, in their habit as they lived, 400 years ago. The face of the chief actor, though he was dressed m the garb of the time of Henry VII., was that of her own husband.