Sue St.Clair and Matthew Didier's Paranormal Blog

An interview with journalist Will Storr
by Chris Laursen

There are quite a few astounding moments in British journalist Will Storr’s confrontation with the paranormal. In his book Will Storr vs. The Supernatural, he brings into the ring self-professed demonologist and radio host Lou Gentile, famous researcher Maurice Grosse (who just passed away last October), UK’s Ghost Club, the legendary Clapham Woods, even the celebs of TV’s Most Haunted, among many others. Will steps foot into the house of the very private Janet, the central figure of the Enfield poltergeist case in 1977 and 1978 (her children know nothing of what happened to her when she was an adolescent). He spends the night at a few haunted locales, including the First and Last Inn at Land’s End in southwestern England. Plus there’s ghost hunting, séances, alleged possessions and many things that are… well… a bit silly. Will doesn’t hesitate to depict things as he sees them.

In the process, Will manages to offer a very human view of the paranormal and those who pursue it nowadays. And, as with any exploration of this topic, nothing is conclusive. It’s reflective of how difficult it is to define things that are inexplicable. Will writes about how challenging it was to get people to speak openly about these topics and of the divisions that exist between paranormal enthusiasts in their approaches. It is a truly entertaining adventure, both for those who don’t know much about ghosts and those who are well-versed on the phenomena.

I conducted an interview with Will via the magic of e-mail about his book and treading supernatural waters.

Chris: Congratulations on a really engaging and informative book, Will. I'm wondering what inspired you to write on the supernatural.

Will: Thanks! I was inspired to write the book after being sent on a journalist assignment to Philadelphia to shadow a man called Lou Gentile who calls himself a Demonologist. I was expecting him to be a bit of an eccentric, but ended up in a state of utter terror for two nights. I heard knocking on walls, EVP [electronic voice phenomena], saw “orbs” or “ghost lights” and was touched on the back by something. I also met some people who claimed to have experienced some truly incredible phenomena and who I felt were extremely credible.

Chris: One of the key themes in the book are the many ways people approach the paranormal. In retrospect, which approach impressed you the most in terms of advancing our knowledge of ghosts and the afterlife?

Will: I think I was most impressed with the approach of an organisation called the Society for Psychical Research, who have been around for over 100 years. They take a genuinely open minded, scientific approach to anything from ghosts to ESP to telekinesis – anything that could be termed “paranormal.” I think the fact that they’re chiefly made up of academics makes their work all the more credible.

Chris: Have you had any unexpected reactions to your book?

Will: I don’t think I’ve had any reactions that could be termed “unexpected.” I suppose I was half expecting some sort of legal threat from the makers of the TV show Most Haunted after I revealed all sorts of things about how they make their programme which viewers might be surprised about – like the fact that Derek Acorah’s “happenings” appear to be scheduled in advance. I’ve heard nothing from them, which has been a relief.

Chris: Has the supernatural world continued to shadow you since the book was published?

Will: I’ve had one or two strange incidents since the book came out. Farrah, my girlfriend, heard unexplained breathing in our flat about a year ago. The strangest thing, by far, though was when I was being interviewed on a Spanish radio station. The moment I started talking about EVP, the broadcast was interrupted by this hectoring voice that was shrouded in static. The DJ thought I was playing tricks and sounded quite angry. I thought it must just have been some sort of coincidence – a fault on the show. But then my phone rang after the interview. When I picked it up, it was the same voice, which carried on for about 30 seconds before going dead. That freaked me out for days!

In terms of people, I met Dr. David Fontana, who’s a child psychologist and leading member of the SPR. He was amazing, again because he is a noted academic but also told me about his experiences investigating a poltergeist in Wales and a physical medium group in the east of the UK. He told me, “I have witnessed miracles.” He was an amazing man.

Chris: What does 2007 have in Storr?

Will: At the moment, I’m just very busy with the day job (I work as an editor a magazine in the UK). I’d much rather be out there working on a follow-up to the ghost book, but sadly I have a mortgage to pay!

Further reading:

Will Storr. Will Storr vs. the Supernatural. New York: Harper, 2006.

Will Storr’s website with more adventurous articles: http://www.willstorr.co.uk/

Our friend Dusty Rainbolt, author of the new book Ghost Cats: Human Encounters with Feline Spirits, which will be out on bookstore shelves March 1 is in need of accounts of ghost horses for an upcoming book in her series. She is specifically looking for anecdotes from people who have had ghost encounters of the equine kind.

Maybe you've actually seen something out of the corner of your eye. Perhaps you felt him breathe on you or you heard a whinny or the sound of hooves. Did he nudge you off-balance with his nose? You might have even smelled him.

Please contact author Dusty Rainbolt at her email address ghoster@pobox.com with your stories. And please feel free to pass along this link to other lists and horse-loving friends.

Dusty is also currently researching stories of ghostly dogs.

We are eagerly anticipating the release of Ghost Cats: Human Encounters with Feline Spirits, not only did we assist with some of the information, our dear friend Andy's cat Dolly is featured in the book!

Cheers!

In a field that's fighting for legitimacy such as paranormal investigations, we're always happy to find people that present themselves and their efforts with decorum and a certain professional style that adds much to our own efforts by letting people know that the folks looking into these things are sturdy, upward-moving, upward-thinking folks.

Truth to tell, however, is how many of them are quite literally crappy.

Go ahead! Do a "Google" search under "Ghost Hunters"... and you'll see... many of them are just crappy... literally!

Yup, literally.

Why?

Well, you won't believe how many hard-core "ghost hunters" actually add to their reports that they... well... um... had an accident in their pants.

Don't laugh... it seems to be an epidemic of "ghost hunters" with problems controlling their bowels.

You wouldn't believe how many times you'll see the words "I pooped my pants!" or "It scared the (naughty word for poo) out of me!"

Heck, one group with a television show in Canada had a website that rated their on-site investigations by how many times they evacuated their innards with a cute baby-diaper icon to match!

Y'know, not ONCE in the decade we've been doing our work have we had a need to put adult diapers into our equipment bag... but it seems there's an overwhelming number of groups and solo investigators out there that this seems to be something they need and it's surprising how often they apparently need them.

One thing always springs to my mind when reading reports that contain "fear-based scatological references" though... Imagine, if you will, that you decide that the whacky things happening in your home or business need looking into... so you decide to contact a group or a single investigator.

You go to their website to look at their previous work and notice that they had expelled solid waste a time or two previously...

...now... do you want this person in your home or business?

Do you want them anywhere near you at all, so to speak?

I mean, if they're dropping loads and leaving stinky steamers whenever they get a touch frightened...

{{shudder}}

What's more scary? The odd occurrences... or having to "stoop and scoop" some paranormal investigator's feces?

I tell you, it's just a crappy thing...

Okay, humour off now...

If you want to gain more confidence from your witnesses and more consideration from people who might allow you to investigate (or even visit) their sites, DON'T TELL US HOW YOUR LAUNDRY BILL IS A BIT HIGHER AFTER YOUR EXPERIENCES AT A SITE!

To be truthful, if you're that much of a "regular" investigator, don't feel the need to let us in on your bran intake.

Truth to tell, neither ourselves nor anyone else needs to know...

...and it makes your professionalism just look like dung.

Each Friday we will have a look at the stories and experiences that have been related to us over the years that are amongst our personal favourites. These will include Crypto, Ghosts, UFO's and other strange events that may be considered Fortean from in around the Toronto, Canada area .... and since they are from our own personal files will likely not be found elsewhere on the web .... enjoy!

One of our regular readers writes:

"Back in the early 70s I remember that the Toronto Telegram or the Toronto Star did a special investigation on a haunted farmhouse in Stouffville. It was a pretty big deal and I remember it taking up almost a whole page, complete with pictures. They had sprinkled powder on the floors, and everything...anyway..

It was a red brick farmhouse on a dirt concession road somewhere in Stouffville, and it seemed to me that we drove to the north eastern part of the town each time we went there. It was a large home not too far in from the road. It was on the west side of whatever concession it was. It had a large pond on the property which was just south of the home. There was a front door and a side door.

The front door led directly into the kitchen which was very huge and had a front facing window. There was also a living-room and back room on the main floor. The side door on the south side of the house was positioned directly at the bottom of the straight stairs which went up to the second floor. Very skinny stairway. There were 3 rooms upstairs - 3 bedrooms and the bathroom was part of the master bedroom and had no doorway to separate it from the rest of the room. The bedroom on the southwest part of the upstairs was always freezing cold and paint never stayed well on the walls, the other rooms were fine.

The story I heard, although it sounds corny now to me, is that a long time ago a family lived there and the husband and two sons had taken up with a single lady who lived somewhere on the concession and that she'd put a curse on them that they would kill themselves because word got out that they'd all been spending quality time with her and so everyone had blackballed her.

The father killed himself somehow, one son hung himself in that cold back bedroom, and other son died by poison. So three male members of the original family had committed suicide in the home. At least that was the story.

When my friends Dick and Jane moved in there, we were already aware of the home's history and that all previous tenants had either
divorced or separated. The owners had been renting this house out for as long as anyone could remember, and the changeover of tenants was tremendous.

My friends were good people, friendly, but after 2 months the man became angry and distant - totally out of character for him. It was creepy just like the husband in Amityville Horror, except that this was way before then.

My girlfriend eventually moved out and then so did he and the house was re-rented. But before they moved out my friend Jane reported several occurrences of hearing voices up close to the ceiling. Things being moved around and a general bad feeling about the house like they were unwelcome there.

Two years later Dick shot himself to death."

Our thanks to our reader who submitted this story. I did some checking and came up pretty much empty handed on this. I believe this may have been an abandoned home that we have had a few reports on from area residents. This has since been torn down. If anyone has any further information or can add to the above please contact us.

Do you have a real life ghost story, an encounter with a UFO, or other paranormal experience/s you'd like to share? If so, we'd love to hear from you! Post your own experiences in our comments section or send us an email. Please post only true life experiences ... we love good fiction, but there are other fantastic blogs out there to post fictional accounts to.

Private Residence - South Western Ontario, Canada

By Jennifer Tyrrell

In a private home not far from Toronto there have been many strange events happening since June of 2006. From noises to visions seen in the middle of the night to lights going on and off on their own. The general feeling of the house was uneasy.

The house has three occupants, two men and one woman, all between the ages of 64-30. There is also a cat, he is a male tabby Eleven years of age and pretty happy and content.

The house is a side split that dates back to the early 1970's. The land it was built on was a small path/walkway that lead from the street behind. It was originally meant to be a small pass though, but the plans changed and this house as well as the one behind it to the west was built and the pass through idea had been forgotten. The current owners have been there since 1996, and they are the second owners.

When they moved in during 1996 there were three men and two women. Later on a third woman moved in during 2002 bringing the total occupants to six people.

The family went through many changes over the past few years. Two of the women have since passed away. The eldest in the hospital of old age and the other in the home after a long fight with cancer.

The odd events started happening after the death of the second lady in June of 2006.

Floors creaking as if someone was walking down the hallway. Banging noises were heard a few times. And a basement light had been seen turning off and then on again not only by the people living there but by also a guest that had been visiting one night. A white figure was seen late one night in the bedroom that the death happened in and is now used by her grown child and his girlfriend.

EVP's have turned up nothing. hundreds of pictures have turned up nothing.The cat has not reacted to anything. A second investigator from PSICAN was brought in and also found nothing. Some pictures turned up "orbs" and some odd lines, but when sent in for a more advanced look by an outside source turned out to be nothing as well.

The above sounds like a pretty typical investigation that we would be asked to check out, and the investigation its self is pretty normal. right?

It isn't!

I am writing this report for a reason. The reason is to point out to the general public as well as fellow investigators that mistakes are made and personal feelings can and DO in fact taint the facts.

The facts in this case are: Floors do creak especially since carpet has just been removed to expose hardwood that is now exposed to air and is settling.

Banging noises were in fact the furnace that does sound different from one floor to the other.

The downstairs light turning off and on turned out to be a loose bulb and possible short in the wires. There is renovations being done in this part of the house.

The white figure was most likely nothing but a fragment of a dream. The person seeing it was asleep at the time and only saw it once when turning over.

How do I know all this ?

It wasn't just my investigation, It is also my story and my house.

Sue's note: Far too often we hear of ghost reports made by those claiming to be investigators of the paranormal that include their own homes. In fact entire books have been written about the ghosts in people's basements free of any credible investigative efforts. Jennifer's report above underscores the absolute necessity of attempting to remain objective as emotions will be a factor when a personal residence is involved no matter who the investigator is or their background, and that outside neutral observers are imperative to any investigation if we are serious about finding actual causation to reportedly "haunting" events and not just adding to possible wishful thinking or over active imaginations. Excellent work Jennifer! It takes a lot of courage to come forward as publicly as you have in the name of proper research. Thank you.

As for the image above, it is a photo taken of my favourite house down the road from the infamous Didier-Darroch compound. The house is actually quite lovely and inviting, however the image has been Photo-Shopped to death! It illustrates far greater than words, that appearances can often be deceptive, and in my opinion a perfect companion to this article.

Cheers!

In this week’s Weird Wednesday, historian Chris Laursen takes us back to the City of London, England in 1759 to 1762 to remember what was commonly deemed a malicious hoax, but may be an early recorded case of recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis (RSPK) or poltergeist activity.

The malicious accusations of ‘Scratching Fanny’
by Chris Laursen

It is the major spectacle that often remains in the annals of history. The ghost that resided at Cock Lane in the City of London in the mid-eighteenth century was precisely that. A tale of sex, gossip, murder, séances and ghosts, it caught the imaginations of the droves visiting the London alleyway to gawk at the comings and goings of a highly-publicized haunted house.

The case has many classic signs of what today would be potentially considered recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis (RSPK), popularly known as poltergeist phenomena. It featured rapping noises that seemed to be able to communicate answers to those asking questions, much like the Philip Experiment had done in Toronto, Canada in the 1970s. (That experiment was conducted by the former Toronto Society for Psychical Research to try and conjure up a ghost, and they were successful in psychically creating rapping noises in and movement of a table.) At Cock Lane, malicious gossip led to a criminal trial, and poltergeist phenomena was relegated to being a mere hoax perpetrated by an eleven-year-old girl by the name of Elizabeth Parsons.

Elizabeth’s father, Richard, was an officiating clerk at a nearby church, and he lived on Cock Lane with his wife and two daughters, of whom Elizabeth was the eldest. Despite his duties at the church, Richard frequented the neighbourhood tavern and was known as a drunkard - not all that unusual for a man in his position in those times. The story, in brief, is that Richard Parsons accepted two lodgers into his home in October 1759, William Kent and his pregnant wife Fanny. William ended up revealing to Richard that he was not actually married to Fanny, and that they had both left their village out of shame. You see, Fanny was the sister of William’s former wife who had died in childbirth. It was considered immoral for him to marry his dead wife’s sister.

Strange phenomena commenced when William went out of town on business, and Fanny, nervous about sleeping alone, asked Parson’s daughter Elizabeth to share her bed. They were awakened several nights in a row by a rapping noise, but Elizabeth’s mother explained that it was likely the shoemaker next door working late. However, the rapping occurred in front of several witnesses on a Sunday night when the shoemaker was definitely not working. This caused great alarm in the family.

Soon after, there was a disagreement over the repayment of a loan William had given Richard, and the landlord took no shame in publicly bad mouthing his lodger’s relationship with Fanny. The couple moved to a new house where Fanny reportedly became seriously ill with smallpox. The rapping noises continued. Richard interpreted this as Fanny’s dead sister’s ghost seeking revenge for William’s actions. In late January, both Richard Parsons and a friend reportedly witnessed an apparition in the home, adding to the tensions. About a week later, Fanny died from her illness. The raps continued in the Parsons’ household, prompting the family to replace the wainscot from which the noise emanated, to no avail.

After several more months of inexplicable knocking, Parsons asked a local rector, Rev. John Moore, to investigate. Moore was familiar with similar noises that had affected his mentor John Wesley in 1715 and of how the Wesley family had communicated by knocking back. As in contemporary cases of RSPK, the Cock Lane phenomena seemed to center on one person, in this case young Elizabeth Parsons, so investigations were most successful when she was present. In the 1984 book Ghosts (Orbis Publishing), Frank Smyth wrote:

“Moore’s most productive sessions were held in Elizabeth’s bedroom, after the girl had been put to bed. Sometimes the knocks came from the floorboards, sometimes from the bedstead or the walls. On the rare occasions when the ‘spirit’ appeared to be pleased, it made a noise like the fluttering of wings; when displeased it made a noise like ‘a cat’s claws scratching over a cane chair’ - and it became known as ‘Scratching Fanny.’”

Rev. Moore managed to communicate with the source of the knocking, and he discovered the spirit of William Kent’s illegitimate bride Fanny, poisoned by William in the throes of her illness. William did not find out about these accusations until he read an article in a local newssheet almost a year after Fanny had died. He requested to sit in on a séance, where the alleged spirit of his dead wife bluntly accused him of murdering her.

Séances continued and public fascination grew through 1761, leading to the formation of The Committee of Gentlemen, an impromptu group of impartial investigators seeking ways to test the validity of the spirit rappings, especially considering the serious accusations lodged against William Kent. The Committee’s séances began on February 1, 1762, and initially were fruitless. On the third day, however, a curtain rod spun on its own and powerful knocking was heard high up in the chimney. The pressure was on for young Elizabeth as the Committee threatened to send her and her parents to Newgate Prison if fraud were revealed.

Interestingly, as has been documented in more recent poltergeist cases (for example the Enfield Poltergeist or the case of Tina Resch), Elizabeth obviously felt the pressure to perform. She was caught trying to make knocking sounds with a piece of wood. ‘Scratching Fanny’ was disgraced, but William Kent was relieved of the accusations against him. Rev. Moore and the Parsons were convicted of conspiring against William. Richard was sentenced to two years, his wife one year imprisonment and the rector fined heavily. Young Elizabeth Parsons did not stand trial, and the ghost did not return thereafter.

Despite this, the debunking of the Cock Lane poltergeist remains contested. There were many witnesses to the phenomena and it closely matches RSPK events scientifically observed over the past century. Elizabeth may have very well been the agent for this poltergeist, and as in the Philip Experiment, the answers yielded by her “knocking spirit” may have been psychically derived.

In 1860, what was supposedly Fanny’s body was exhumed, revealing a well-preserved corpse with no sign of smallpox and an intact nose, quite rare in such an aged cadaver. Such preservation would possibly have today’s forensic scientists searching for signs of arsenic poisoning.

Like almost all ghost stories, this one will forever remain a true mystery.

Further reading:

Paul Chambers. The Cock Lane Ghost: Murder, Sex and Haunting in Dr. Johnson's London (Sutton Publishing, 2006).

Andrew Lang. Cock Lane and Commonsense (1896), freely available through Project Gutenburg, http://www.gutenberg.org

Image credits:

Picture of Cock Lane in the eighteenth century from Ghosts, edited by Peter Brookesmith (Orbis Publishing, 1984).

“Cock Lane, Humbug” from Ghosts: An Illustrated History by Peter Haines (Treasure Press, 1987).

Ok...maybe not this old .....BUT...

Today is my 40th Birthday!

I'm taking the day off for rest and relaxation, then fun and hi-jinx, followed by more rest and relaxation....well I AM getting on in years!

I love the wood carving above, and have been waiting for an opportunity to post this photo that I took.

Later,

Sue

Interesting report that has been newly documented.

Mont-Laurier Quebec, UFO Sighting - Late 1960s

In the late 1960s (the witness does not remember the exact year or date), something odd was observed over the woods near Mont-Laurier. At the time, the witness was a teenager with no prior interest in UFOs.

The object was seen at night and was illuminated in an orange glow, heart-shaped and apparently metallic. The exact distance and size of the craft is currently unknown, though it was close enough to make out the details mentioned above.

The witness feels that they were being spoken to telepathically by the craft or occupants of the craft, though what was being said is not remembered, as this was nearly 40 years ago.

It is important to note that the witness never talked about this event until now, fearing ridicule. The incident was buried deep within their mind and almost forgotten about. Only recently has this person decided to come forward with this account.

This case is ongoing and may be updated further at a later date.

Our thanks to the witness, Stu Finlay and P.O.Q for sharing this report with us!

Canadian Kreskin who bills himself as "The World's Foremost Mentalist" was at it again this past New Years Eve when he predicted via FOX TV yet another mass UFO sighting, this time in New York's Time Square.

This was about as successful as the mass UFO sighting he predicted would occur in the Nevada desert in May or June of 2002. At that time he promised to donate $50,000 to charity if nothing occurred....WELL.....as far as we know the donation was never made.

See Matthew'article on this bit of nonsense here.

Apparently this time around he did manage to convince three New Year's revellers they saw something....maybe?

Kreskin you amuse us ... NOT!

Please bugger off from UFOlogy...or CONVINCE yourself you are sipping Mai Tais on some distant planet with your space buddies never to be heard from again. Either way the results would be the same.

You do a great disservice to all of those who have bravely come forward with their own sighting reports thankfully free of your mental...ummm...abilities....

Thanks to Gerry and Farshores for alerting us to this latest round of stupidity!

By Jennifer Tyrrell

You're alone in the house on a dark foggy night when you hear the thunder crack and you watch as the lightning lights up the sky. Then all of a sudden the lights go out and the house goes black!. You hear a noise behind you and freeze in terror. Your heart seems to miss a beat and your breath catches in your chest. As you slowly turn around the lights flicker back to life and you see that your cat has knocked over your favorite plant that you keep in the corner.

Sound familiar ? To most people it would. The feeling of fear is something we have all felt and we have all experienced in one way or another. It may not be a thunderstorm while you are alone. It may be something hiding under your bed. Or something lurking in the closet at night. Or maybe something more general like clowns or dolls. It might even be a fear of someone breaking into your home. The feeling is all the same no matter what form the fear takes. Fear doesn't discriminate, It effects the very young and the very old and everyone in between. So then what is it ? Where does it come from ? And how do we deal with it?

As mentioned above fear comes in many forms, and every person has their own fears. Do you know that fears change throughout a person's life? The main fear in children is monsters, with young women it is being alone, and the older you get the more you fear death.So there are the top fears, but that doesn't explain what it actually is.

Fear is the body's reaction to what scares you. So fear is not really the problem. The fear itself is meant to help you.The body reacts to a situation that may be harmful to you and it makes you pay attention to whatever is going on or whatever you think maybe going on around you.

Fear can come from many different places. Depending on the person and the experiences they have had in their lives. What scares one person may not another. For example if you have just watched a scary movie that has something to do with a phone ringing and then all of a sudden your phone rings that may scare you, while your friend that watched the movie with you has no problem with it. However the clown figurine sitting in your china cabinet may scare them. The phone is easy to explain. You just watched a horror film involving the phone and when the phone rings your mind goes back for a quick second and associates it with the movie. The china clown is much harder and more interesting to try and figure out. It could go back to a horror film or it could go back to a bad experience at a circus as a child. Sometimes there is no known reason for the fear but it can be useful and fun sometimes to try and think back to when the fear started and try to figure it out.

Thinking back to when and how a fear started maybe a good way to try and deal with or even conquer a fear. Trying to figure out the reason sometimes removes the fear. It allows you trace it back and work through what it was that first started it. I have heard over and over that the best way to deal with fear is to face it head on. And this has been the way most people have dealt with it. For example the only way to know if someone is hiding behind the shower curtain is to???

Ok so there is two (2) answers to this one.

#1. You pull the shower curtain back and see that there is nothing there and go on with your night.

OR

#2 you stay in the corner of the room staring at the curtain all night waiting for someone to jump out.

The first one does two (2) things. It makes you stand up and face it and it lets you know there is nothing there and you don't waste your time and energy being afraid all night Choice number two (2) leaves you standing in the corner all night being afraid and feeling foolish in the morning when the daylight hits and you decided to look and you are now tired and exhausted from the whole thing.. So maybe dealing with it is the best option. But the main thing to remember is that no matter what it is that you are afraid of, you are not alone! Everyone feels fear at some point and it does not make you a chicken or less than someone else. It is a normal reaction. Talking about it also helps. I have had many nights that I have kept friends up online or the phone and to them I am grateful.

So in closing thank you to Penny Dobson and Heather Anderson, both of PSICAN, without your help and listening in the past months this article would not have been written.

Each Friday we will have a look at the stories and experiences that have been related to us over the years that are amongst our personal favourites. These will include Crypto, Ghosts, UFO's and other strange events that may be considered Fortean from in around the Toronto, Canada area .... and since they are from our own personal files will likely not be found elsewhere on the web .... enjoy!

Cemetery Creature - Parry Sound Area Ontario, Canada

We received the following report in late summer 2006. I normally will not publish cemetery reports as we do not wish to encourage vandalism or would-be ghost hunters hanging around with Ouija boards. However this report bears striking resemblance to an earlier one I received in 2005 at a different location over 100 kms to the south. At the time this was received the earlier report remained in our private files unpublished. Both cases involve more than one witness. Please do not write for directions or ask the name of this cemetery for the above stated reasons. We thank you in advance for your understanding.

"My friend and I brought another friend along, and we went to a cemetery last night. As I'm new in town, I have yet to find the name of it. (please be aware that we do know the exact location, but will not reveal it publicly).

We parked on the far side to the left, just after a bend in the road, and started walking towards the other side, following the gravel road. My friend, and I both stopped dead in our tracks. There was something in the trees, about 40 yards in front of us. It moved from one tree, to another, about 2 feet from the ground as quickly as we could blink. It was at one tree, then it wasn't. We stood there watching it, finishing each others sentences "First tree.... to the left, yes, about two feet high.. but not touching the ground. it's....staring right at us!"

We did this for about 2 minutes, as it moved between four trees. Then I felt like I was going to be sick, I turned to my friend to tell her we should leave, but again, as though having read my thoughts, she grabbed my arm and said let's leave, NOW! We ran back to the car. Our other friend was wondering what we were talking about, but he was spooked because we were.

The drive from the cemetery, was a quiet one. My friend and I tried to figure out what we had just seen. After a cigarette (or three), I felt as though I was being drawn back, so I turned to her and before saying anything, she said 'I'm so XXXXX spooked, but it's like something's drawing me back'." Our quiet friend in the back seat was getting antsy, he did not want to go back there. We should have listened to him.

We promised him we wouldn't get out of the car, we promised that our windows would be shut and doors would be locked, but he simply HAD to come with us. He slowly agreed. We drove back, and parked right in front of the trees (on the road, of course). I shut the car off and we watched and waited. It started again. My friend and I were finishing each others sentences as to where it was.

Again, it seemed to be confined to the trees, not venturing closer. After a couple minutes of it bouncing from tree to tree, our friend in the back seat hugged the headrest of the front seat and said "This isn't funny. I'm really scared now."

As soon as he said that, the thing moved away from the trees and appeared less than 10 feet away from us beside a tombstone. I was already trying to start the engine, as my friend said "oh my god, go GO GO."

I didn't want to disturb anything, so I drove slowly. It felt as though it took us hours to leave the cemetery, when in reality it was less than a minute. I felt numb, and I had a pounding headache. My friend, on the other hand, was trying not to be sick. As soon as I passed through the gates though, she opened the door, and threw up. I was near tears. The feeling was just so intense. It was a mixture of anger, and terror mixed with pure evil.

I can't even describe what we saw. It was dark, and there were no defining features other than the eyes. Which was odd, because they were black as well. But you could tell it was staring at us. THROUGH us. The eyes were so piercing. It was only about 2 feet high, but seemed so powerful. I hate trying to compare it to something, because it's never that accurate.. But, if I had to, I would have to compare it to a gremlin, or.. something along those lines.

We parked in a well lit space, had another cigarette (or three) and tried to figure out what the heck happened. The feeling was gone, neither of us felt as though we were being drawn back, but instead felt as though we were being watched. We chalked that feeling up to nerves.

We said our goodnights, and I drove them home. When I finally crawled into bed, I had the most uncomfortable sleep I had ever had, and my dreams were fairly screwed up too. I was being chased through the cemetery by something I could only sense. It caught up to me, and pulled me into the darkness."

On our suggestion two of the witnesses returned the following day and looked for footprints or anything else out of the norm. They also sent us the following photos and commentary. Please note these photos contain no anomalies, but are added so that you can visualize the location they were in at the time of the sighting. They are vague enough to make possible identification very difficult.

This is where we parked that night. Towards the left of the cemetery. This is where we first got the feeling something was not right.

We rounded the bend and this is as far as we got. We stopped dead in our tracks and booted it back to the car. On the ground, there were our footprints from kicking up the gravel, as we stopped so abruptly.

Above two photos: This is the headstone it appeared behind. It’s when we got a really good look at it, and took off.

This picture kind of creeps me out. It was the first thing my friend and I noticed when we went up close to the trees. Again, it may be insignificant, but I jotted it down just in case. The grass looks trampled, as though someone was scuffling their feet along it. The paths go from one tree to the other.

This is where we stopped when we headed in later that night. It was always in between the four trees (the taller trees, not the shrub)

Our thanks to the witness for sharing this report with us.

Do you have a real life ghost story, an encounter with a UFO, or other paranormal experience/s you'd like to share? If so, we'd love to hear from you! Post your own experiences in our comments section or send us an email. Please post only true life experiences ... we love good fiction, but there are other fantastic blogs out there to post fictional accounts to.

Serious investigation in the US began with Project Sign in Dec 30. 1947 (officially known as Special Project HT-304) was head quartered at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH. There had been numerous UFO sightings in the US in 1947. Experts within the group generally agreed that the sightings were real, but tended to believe they were Soviet experimental aircraft based on German technology from WW2. Over the course of the year of it’s existence, the group had come to believe that the craft were in fact extra terrestrial in nature and issued a top secret memo as such. All copies of the memo were burned and when the public found this out the rumours of government cover-up began.

Project Sign became Project Grudge February 11. 1949. This group was formed primarily to debunk the extra terrestrial angle of the flying discs. The government appointed J Allen Hynek, an astronomer of some renown, to consult on the project. The public never accepted this debunking and loudly suggested that by the mere fact that the government was investigating at all meant the flying saucers existed. After researcher Donald Keyhoe began investigating and making accusations of cover-up, Project Grudge began to unravel and at the end of it’s life was staffed only by a Junior Air Force Officer.

Project Grudge became Project Blue Book in 1952. A new wave of sightings in 1951 and 1952 renewed public and government interest in the phenomenon. Air Force Captain Edward Ruppelt was it’s first leader and a significant sighting was made by an Air Force Pilot over an airfield in New Jersey. Dr Hynek had continued his role as consultant and over the course of time began to believe that the UFO’s were indeed extra terrestrial in origin.

Dr Hynek had degrees in General Science and a PhD in Astrophysics. During WW2 he worked at Johns Hopkins on radio projects for the US Navy. After the war he joined the faculty at OSU. He left there in 1956 and joined the Smithsonian Observatory at Harvard. By 1960 he was teaching again this time at Northwestern University.

While at OSU, he was contracted to work on Project Sign, then Project Blue Book. Initially he believed that sightings of UFOs were reported by unreliable witnesses--folks who misidentified natural or manmade objects or were just plain crazy. He originally thought the whole study was ridiculous. After examining hundreds of reports through the government projects he eventually began to believe there was in fact something unusual going on. In a 1985 interview he gave two reasons for this change of opinions. First was the completely negative and unyielding stand by the Air Force. The second was the calibre of the witnesses--police officers, professionals, and even military pilots had seen these things. Such credibility could not be easily dismissed. In one of his best known statement he said:

"Ridicule is not part of the scientific method, and people should not be taught that it is. The steady flow of reports, often made in concert by reliable observers, raises questions of scientific obligation and responsibility."

Late in his life, he publicly talked about his belief that UFO’s were not necessarily alien spacecraft. He believed the sheer volume of reports indicated that it was something more natural to our earth--perhaps even inter-demensional travel (which he also attributed to poltergeist activity)

Hynek was the inventor of the “Close Encounter Scale” to better catalogue UFO reports. He consulted on Speilberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” film, and even approached the UN about setting up a centralized UN UFO Authority. Dr Hynek died in 1986 at age 75 of a malignant brain tumor. His work is still widely respected.

Another wave of UFO activity occurred in 1965, significant enough for the US government to review the role of Project Blue Book and involve several universities in the study. Eventually the University of Colorado, under the direction of Edward Condon, was given the task of forming a conclusion. In January 1969 Condon delivered a 1400 page document stating basically that no further investigation of UFO’s would be helpful to science and the project was discontinued. It is important to note here that the Condon Commission was initiated by the CIA. Many prominent scientists, including Carl Sagan, Phillip Morrison, Thornton Page, and even Dr Hynek objected to this conclusion and publicly stated that further research was not only beneficial, but necessary. While many private groups continue the study, no government sponsored research has been done in the United States since the 1960’s--at least none that the public has been made aware of.

Our thanks to Robin Pyatt Bellamy for this write-up.

Bran Castle is up for sale, but how many are aware of the property’s facts? Over the past several decades, historians have been uncovering the truth about the connection between the castle, Dracula and Wallachian ruler Prince Vlad III, Chris Laursen writes.

What every prospective buyer should know about “Dracula’s Castle”
by Chris Laursen

Every year, over 400,000 people trek to Transylvania to see the place that has graced movie screens with Dracula’s presence over the decades, Bran Castle. Taken from the Romanian royal family when the Communists gained power in 1948, the castle was restored last May to Dominic Habsburg, a New York state architect who was forced to flee the country with Princess Ileana and her family.

Bran Castle is noted as one of the world’s most haunted locations in travel guides. However, despite the region’s colourful history, I cannot find any evidence or anecdotes demonstrating that Bran Castle has a history of being haunted – aside from people’s own fascination with and fear of the Dracula story, legends of Vlad Tepes (the Impaler) and vampires in general.

In the past few weeks, the castle has made headlines as the Habsburg family put it up for sale with a whopping $91 million US price tag, giving first dibs to the Bran town council. No doubt the council is interested in acquiring the property since it is such a huge tourist draw, but would the castle’s buyer, whoever it may be, further exploit the castle’s tenuous connection to both Bram Stoker’s fictional character Dracula and the medieval voivode Vlad Tepes?

Prince Vlad III (c. 1431-1476) has been portrayed with “a variety of representations, from Vlad as a cruel, even psychopathic tyrant to Vlad as a hero who put the needs of his country above all else,” wrote Canadian historian Elizabeth Miller, one of the foremost experts on the Dracula who has found that there is minimal connection between the historical figure and Stoker’s fictional vampire. Dr. Miller is Professor Emerita, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada and is the current President of the Canadian chapter of the Transylvanian Society of Dracula, an organization which brings together serious scholars and everyday people with a common interest in vampires, Dracula and history.

Many primary documents from outside of Romania called him a berserker, a term connected to Norse warriors who furiously and indiscriminately fought anyone who stood in their way as if they were in a trance. Academics studying Vlad Tepes draw from a variety of sources, including German, Russian and Turkish written sources describing ultra-violent behaviour and establishing Vlad’s notoriety as one who did not hesitate to impale his enemies and countrymen alike. They also draw from Carpathian oral narratives that portray him as a fearless hero. Dr. Miller wrote that “he was one of a number of voivodes who contributed to the building of a strong, independent Wallachian state. He stood up against the powerful nobles and assured law and order in what were lawless times. But most of all he is remembered for standing up against the Ottoman Empire, at a time when other principalities around him were falling under Turkish control. He is perceived as something of a David facing a Goliath.” All the same, “Even his most ardent defenders will concede that he took drastic measures to achieve his political, economic and military objectives,” she added.

One disturbing narrative, typical of the violence portrayed in written sources produced by Vlad’s enemies, was by the Greek historian Chalkondyles. It captures the gruesome nature of Vlad the Impaler as the Turks approached his realm: “The Sultan’s army came across a field with stakes… on which they could see the impaled bodies of men, women, and children, about twenty thousand of them…. There were babies clinging to their mothers on the stakes, and birds had made nests in their breasts.” It is hard to determine the level accuracy or exaggeration present in these documents.

The common and rather misinformed view is that Vlad Tepes was the sole inspiration for Stoker’s vampire, and that Bran Castle was where the Irish author envisioned Dracula living. Most historians agree that the connection between Bran Castle and Prince Vlad is inaccurate. He may have visited or even been imprisoned in the castle for short periods, but it was by no means his “castle.” He was raised in the village of Sighisoara. His principle residence during his rule was in Tirgoviste, 80 kilometres northwest of Bucharest, and he spent much time at the fortress at Poenari. Bran Castle, 170 kilometres north of the Romanian capital, was presented decades ago to western tourists as “Dracula’s Castle,” and a booming tourist trade formed around that. In an interview with Radio Free Europe last year, Romanian historian Zoe Petre said, “In the 1970s, Romanians realized, once they had more contacts with the West, that there is a myth of Dracula, and that this myth was somehow connected to Transylvania. They had two conflicting reactions to that. One was to defend Vlad Tepes’ true historical identity and the dignity of Romania’s past, while the other one was to try to cash in on it.” The profiteering continues to this day.

Bran Castle has inspired some of the at least 150 films, documentaries and television programs worldwide made about Dracula, including Francis Ford Coppola’s hit 1992 movie. Bram Stoker’s story of Dracula and the films based on the novel have imbued generations with a deep sense of fear of Transylvania as a dark, foreboding place where foreign travellers may not make it out alive. Andrew Mackenzie (1911-2001) was a paranormal researcher and writer who wrote on the legend in his book Dracula Country: Travels and Folk Beliefs in Romania (1977). The Journal of the Society of Psychical Research (Vol. 66.2, No. 867, April 2002) recalled how Mr. Mackenzie “made several visits to Transylvania, where he actually found no one who believed in vampires. On his first visit, a violent storm proclaimed his arrival and, since the hotel in the little town he had reached was full, he sought refuge in a private house where others had also been offered accommodation. At six in the morning, he was drinking toasts in brandy with travellers from northern Transylvania and soon realizing how warm and hospitable the people were.”

In 1998, Dr. Miller edited the book Dracula: The Shade and the Shadow (Westcliff-on-Sea: Desert Island Books, 1998) - one of her many books on the topic - in which she draws the conclusion that there is not any evidence that Stoker had based Dracula on Vlad the Impaler, as is commonly believed. She described the author’s research as “haphazard (though at times fortuitous) rather than scholarly,” and although his notes show that he was aware of Vlad, the connections he made were very loose. Dr. Miller noted that Stoker had copied into his notes, “DRACULA in Wallachian language means DEVIL,” but there is little else to conclusively show from Stoker’s research notes that he had based his character on the historical figure at all. (In reality, Dracula indicates son of Dracul or son of the Dragon, the Order to which Vlad’s family belonged.) “No doubt Stoker did do some research at the British Museum,” she wrote, “but there is not a shred of evidence that he did any of it on the historical Dracula,” openly adding, “Now, he could have. The material was certainly there.” From her research, Stoker’s notes show that he drew from a variety of sources, but nothing specifically related to the history of Vlad Tepes.

So buyer beware. No doubt Bran Castle holds a great deal of important history, but such connections to Dracula and Prince Vlad were invented culturally as ways to draw tourists into a place that, without a doubt, has a cold, spooky atmosphere. Whoever buys the famed castle will no doubt make good money if it remains a public attraction, but the costs of keeping up the property will be great as well. It will remain a place divided between historical fact, the impressive imagination of one of the founders of the horror fiction genre and the tourists who are drawn to it.

Further reading:

Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula.

Elizabeth Miller's amazing Dracula/Vlad Tepes online resource:
http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~emiller

Dracula Research Centre:
http://www.blooferland.com/drc

Image credits:

The courtyard at Bran Castle from BEST Brasov tourist website.

Portrait of Prince Vlad III in the Innsbruck Ambras Castle.

Christopher Lee starring in the 1958 film Dracula, directed by Terence Fisher.

From the desk of Matthew Double Decker Bus Guy Didier...

Leave it to me to find a neat way to tie one blog to another...

Most folks have heard tales of "ghost ships"... The Flying Dutchman being the obvious and most famous.

There are also many tales of ghost cars, spectral motorcycles, and even ethereal airplanes...

...but what about my favourite things... double-decker buses?

Well, as luck would have it, YES, there are reports of phantom double-deckers... and some more recent than one might expect!

In London, North Kensington to be precise, there's a rather... um... yeah, I'd qualify it as frightening ghostly double-decker. It's said to zoom between the Cambridge Gardens and Chesterson Road junctions on St. Mark's Road although it hasn't been seen for some time now... but when it was, it's sighting was been blamed for a death.

In June of 1934, a young motorist suddenly, and with no "seeming" reason, veered off the road and struck a lamp post. His car burst into flames and he perished.

At the inquiry into the crash, several witnesses came forward to say he was avoiding a collision with bus that was roaring down the centre of the road. In fact, this bus had been "avoided" several times by various drivers without too many consequences except the jangled nerves of the drivers...

Trouble is, the bus they all saw was an old #7 bus... The #7 was operated by the London General Omnibus Company and carried the word 'General' on its side: The LGOC became London Passenger Transport Board in 1933, and by June 1934 nearly all of its fleet bore the 'London Transport' lettering... yet witnesses swore it was an old "General" and had the distinct "square top" of the old LT class of buses... no longer in mass use.... and certainly not with the "General" logo.

The bus was also almost on a cryptic schedule... it would appear around 1:15am... and odd time for the bus regardless...

The stories all went that the drivers would have to swerve out of the way... and then, when they'd glance back to see the old bus, it had vanished.

Sadly, the one fellow was not able to "confirm" the disappearance of the old General... and during the inquest, despite many motorists claiming their own experience, the "official" reasons came down to either a rushing late-night staff bus, odd reflections, and the old stand by... disoriented (read: Drunk) drivers.

The phantom #7... The "General"... hasn't been seen since the outbreak of WWII...

Another phantom bus is one that I found through an obscure newsgroup posting... in the late 1940's and early 1950's, in a section of London again, on a few occasions, many students from a particular school were "tricked" into running for what appeared to be an early-arriving bus to their stop. The children would all see the bus, start charging towards it... and it would vanish before they got too close.

Not drive away, but simply disappear.

The stories and reports became so numerous of this "mystery bus" that complaints were made about the driver (who was assumed to have "shot off" to avoid taking the children) which ended up with the parents of the kids being told that no such bus was at that stop at the reported time.

An enterprising young student did a quick check and, indeed, an old London ST model bus had been flattened near the stop during The Blitz of WWII. The bus model matched the students description...

Could it have been the old ST waiting for them?

Another story involves a first-hand report sent to me by a group in England that runs restored buses...

To those not-in-the-know, older double-deckers had "open platforms" at the back and you'd hop in that way, not beside the driver with a ticket/cash box, so a uniformed conductor would go from person to person to selling tickets and taking money.

One of these reports if from the driver, who, while driving noticed in his mirror that an older lady is still in his bus despite heading back to his garage. He pulled the bus over to ask the woman (on the lower deck) to leave the bus, he found no one there. This wouldn't be too remarkable, except it's happened more than once... to more than one driver he found out later. All describing the same woman. One of the drivers noticed her after hearing the stories, and assuming she was "jumping off" before a driver could get to her, he drove it straight into the garage... only to find the bus empty once he got there.

Next, with the same bus, they were asked by a group who saw the bus go by (it was making a turn to come into a platform/stop) who they'd hired to act as a "conductor"... despite the bus no longer having a conductor as it was strictly for charters and tours (tickets sold at a kiosk or by phone or rides done at fairs and the like) and they don't hire "historical interpreters" or folks like that... and the bus, apparently, was empty. All this, yet apparently, two men and two women "saw" a London Transport(?) uniformed conductor standing on the rear platform "as normal" while the bus passed on it's circuit... but he vanished before it pulled up for them.

What stuck out for this fellow who wrote me was that neither of these "phantoms" were frightening or "odd looking" in the least and certainly weren't "misty" or "see-through". I got to be the poor sod that told him that this description of "ghosts" was more normal than the one's with transparent or translucent entities. Most "ghosts" appear to the witness as a "normal" person... but are dressed or do something "extraordinary" before being "detected" as ghosts.

After a few months, the driver wrote back to me to tell me that the two spectres were now quite welcome and that him and the other drivers had grown accustomed to them... even naming them "Delores and Stan"... and simply mention, now and again, that they saw Delores or Stan on runs... and blaming them for weird occurrences in the garage or on their bus.

The driver who wrote to me asked for privacy and secrecy in the matter, so for now, this is all I can tell anyone...

My last double-decker ghost might be a phantom driver!

A while back, both Sue and myself were speaking to a restorationist/museum staffer who restored old buses. Apparently, one of their buses was almost a wreck when it was brought in... they did manage to refurbish it, and it is a running vehicle, but it had been badly damaged in a fatal accident with a small car in which the driver of the car lost their life.

After the work was completed on the bus and all was ready for her first trip out, late that evening, her engine started by itself and she drove out of her garage, rather deftly turning to miss a fence, to plunge into a nearby gully.

No one was hurt and the bus only sustained only cosmetic damage, but the police were certain that no one had "driven" the bus (the collision would have injured them) and that, indeed, the engine had been running...

The people at the museum feel that the "driver" had been a ghost... and that the bus is haunted.

Oddly enough, because of the rarity of the model of the bus and the job that was done "putting it together", none of the museum staff hesitate to drive her... and other than her one, odd, nocturnal drive and crash, no other events have been told to us.

Of course, before exiting this post, I could mention all the "weird things" that seem to parallel me and the bus we're trying to save/own here in North America, RLH 3, which does qualify in my eyes as "odd"... in fact, it is making me "re-think" my views on reincarnation, but hey, that's another story... and I do invite you to click here (opens a new browser) to learn more about that.

One LAST thing... if we are to believe that ghosts are the spirits of the dead... the "souls", if you will... do these vehicles... these ships... these "things" have a soul?

As someone in love with double-deckers and has an almost "spiritual connection" (if you will) with them, I'd say sure... why not!

.... I bet ya think this blog entry is about you. Don't You? Don't Ya!

Yeah, in the case of at least two of you who wrote to us directly in regards to Sunday Smackdowns you do...or at least you did.

For newer readers the Sunday Smackdown normally features Matthew and my rants of the week. These rants are in regards to paranormal topics and studies, and are usually based on generalizations of things we've come across on the net.

If we do write-up a specific rant we will name names .... but those are quite rare. We are of the belief that why provide cheap heat (publicity) for something we truly dislike. For inevitably even those amongst us who are like-minded would be compelled to view the offending material much like looking at a rolling train wreck.

So, and for now specifically aimed at the two who wrote in ...you know who you are...no those entries were not about you...however I make no apologies IF you may recognize yourself within them.

Can you tell I just LOVE these images?!

Discounting biblical sightings due to belief systems

1500BC
Egypt’s Pharoh sees silent foul smelling circles of fire and flying discs in the sky

800BC
Aerial landing strips built in Peruvian Andes Mountains

329BC
Alexander the Great tells of two strange objects in the sky diving at his armies

90BC
Object rises from earth big enough to obscure the sky

80AD
Caledon Woods in Scotland

98 AD
Rome

776 AD
Two large shields, red, moved over a church

810AD
Charlemagne saw a large sphere travel from east to west and was injured when his horse was spooked and threw him

1492AD
Christopher Columbus saw a light appear, disappear, and move up and down about four hours before sighting land

1554AD
Witness in France saw “A burning lance turning side to side and emitting great noise” in the sky

1700’s
Native Americans tell of luminous humanoids they called “star people”. Some claim to have married them.

1878AD
The term “flying saucer” used by a Texas farmer to describe something he saw in the sky. Term was used regularly after Kenneth Arnold’s famous sighting in Washington State in 1948

1883
UFO Photographed at a Mexican Observatory

1940’s
Numerous unidentified flying objects spotted over Japan, the US and Italy. Some were attributed to machines of war, but others could not be explained.

1952
Ufo’s spotted over Argentina

Compiled by Robin Pyatt Bellamy

Each Friday we will have a look at the stories and experiences that have been related to us over the years that are amongst our personal favourites. These will include Crypto, Ghosts, UFO's and other strange events that may be considered Fortean from in around the Toronto, Canada area .... and since they are from our own personal files will likely not be found elsewhere on the web .... enjoy!

Cemetery Creature - Backus Mill Conservation Area

We received the following report in early 2005, the actual incident occurred in the late summer months of 2004. We normally will not publish cemetery reports as we do not wish to encourage vandalism or would-be ghost hunters hanging around with Ouija boards. However, this report bears striking resemblance to one that we received in 2006. Please see the report entitled, Cemetery Creature - Parry Sound Area Ontario. Both cases involve more than one witness and are what we would term as highly strange. The report is included for your information only and is unpublished or documented elsewhere.

Late one evening I took a phone call from one of the upper brass of a historical military reenactment group here in Southern Ontario. This person is well known to me, an adult, and well respected within his community. He told me he had a story to tell me of an incident that had occurred the previous summer during a historical reenactment, which even he was having trouble believing. Of course he did believe it though, as it had occurred not only to himself, but another female witness who is also of sound character.

He certainly had my attention!

The witness had gone on a late evening stroll after a day of reenacting historical battle scenes. He had left the camp in search of a female companion who had also taken a walk. The conservation area is quite large, with several historical buildings. It is also reputed to be haunted in certain spots, but this had never bothered our witness before as he did not consider himself to be a superstitious person.

He came upon his companion who was seated near the old private family cemetery that is part of the extensive grounds. As he got closer in proximity to her he noticed something very odd. Sitting (perched) atop one of the grave markers appeared to be a small gargoyle. Very dark, with dark eyes that appeared to be watching the other witness.

All of a sudden and at his approach the "thing" leaped from the tombstone onto the ground and right behind his companion. He yelled out, as did his equally shocked friend, at which point the gargoyle-like creature ran towards the nearby woods. Both witnesses were in shock, immediately to be filled with a strong feeling of dread and outright fear. Rather then attempt to follow the "thing" which they described as somewhere between 2-3 ft tall, they both beat a hasty retreat back to the encampment where they stayed awake through to dawn discussing what they had both just witnessed.

I was assured over and over again that neither witness were drunk, temporarily insane or otherwise. Neither had experienced anything like it before and stated that as highly experienced campers (who both got a good look at the creature) did not believe they had mistaken an animal for this thing. However, both agree that this was a solid, "being" and do not think it is related in anyway to the Backhouse family or other ghost stories that are associated with this location. Both admit to not being superstitious or holding any strong belief in paranormal subjects prior to this encounter.

Please note that the photos included were taken in 2006 by Pararesearchers and contain no anomalies. They are added for the reader to see where exactly the above report occurred.

We strongly urge all visitors to this location to remember it is a site of historic significance to this province, to obey all local, provincial, and federal laws as well as the rules clearly stated by the conservation authorities. Above all please use your better judgement and common sense, if you think you are going to do something that might be viewed at best as disrespectful or at worst illegal than you probably are.

Our thanks to the witness for sharing this report with us.

Do you have a real life ghost story, an encounter with a UFO, or other paranormal experience/s you'd like to share? If so, we'd love to hear from you! Post your own experiences in our comments section or send us an email. Please post only true life experiences ... we love good fiction, but there are other fantastic blogs out there to post fictional accounts to.

This week, historian Chris Laursen looks at two family photos taken in the past ten years that take the debate of survival after death even further.

Family photos inadvertently capture the uncanny
by Chris Laursen

It's amazing what you can capture in photos. Candid moments in life where the personality of those you love shines through. Posed portraiture where the subjects are obviously uncomfortable being photographed. They are all important records, a frozen split second forever treasured, evidence of our past. On rare occasion, unexplained things are caught in the frame.

On Sunday, May 16, 2004, brothers Christopher and Paul Petty went out to enjoy the sunshine in Sussex, England's Sheffield Park Gardens and took a few photos to remind them of the day. Something unexpected showed up in one of the digital photographs of Christopher sitting on the grass. There is a figure of a pale and shadowy woman behind Christopher, her head slightly bowed almost as if she were copying the subject's pose. Christopher and Paul say there was no one behind him at the time. No people. No statues. Nothing.

The story caught the interest of the BBC. In a story on the BBC's website published June 1, 2004, Christopher explained: "After much consideration I can only guess that there is either a photographic explanation for this, or that the shadow is in fact a ghost." Initially, BBC employees looking at the photo thought it was an elderly lady taking a stroll in the park, but they could not dismiss the fact that the brothers said there was no one else around at the time.

Over a year after the photo was published, Sussex resident John Bristow and his family contacted the BBC and wanted to find out if the photo was a hoax. He felt that the woman in the photo bore a striking resemblance to his mother, 87-year-old Florence Bristow, who died in the park on August 4, 2001. The BBC recollected the traumatic event at the park: "They hired a motorised buggy, intending to travel around the edge of the lake. Unfortunately, Florence suffered a heart attack and fell across her son who lost control of the buggy, which then plunged into the water. John's wife dived into the lake in an attempt to save her and although first reports suggested Florence had drowned, later tests showed that she had died before entering the water. Resuscitation attempts were tried at the lake side but to no effect."

Paul Petty verified that there was no one in that part of the park when he was taking photos of his brother. "I hope that there is a logical explanation for the figure in the photo," he wrote to the BBC, "and that the photo has not caused distress to the family of Mrs. Bristow."
Comments on the BBC website ranged from definite support to outright suspicion. Carolyn Petty, the brothers' sister, added a twist of simulacra to the mix, writing, "the face has another face within it which is even more spooky, it's to the lower right of the bigger face! I reckon it's got an animal type face to it - maybe a cat, tiger or lion." Such interpretations aside, it seems unmistakable that there is a woman standing behind Christopher that may or may not be the ghost of Florence Bristow.

Like many such strange photos, no solid conclusions can be made. Evidence is as fleeting as any other ghostly sighting. But it is harder to dismiss an even stranger and eerily similar photograph taken ten years ago and posted by about.com as one of the best ghost photos ever taken. The photo was taken on Sunday, August 17, 1997 by Denise Russell at an undisclosed location. You can clearly see a man standing behind Ms. Russell's grandmother in one of the pictures taken of her that day. The family did not discover the figure standing there until they were reviewing their photo album on Christmas Day, 2000. They were speechless to note the resemblance between the man standing behind their grandmother and their grandfather, who had died on August 14, 1984. There certainly is something uncanny about this photo, especially when compared to photos of Ms. Russell's grandfather.

Stephen Wagner, the editor of the paranormal section of about.com, put it very well. He wrote, "The accidental nature of these photos lends them credibility because the photographers didn't have an agenda - it wasn't their intention to capture a ghost image, it just happened, and they are just as surprised as anyone else to discover it."

Interestingly, both of these photographs feature figures, unseen by the photographers at the time, standing behind the subject of the photo. It is as if they were inadvertently caught in the snapshot. But how did they get there if they weren't there in the first place? The same situation was faced by photographers of other famed ghost photos, including the photograph of a deceased woman in the back of a car (1959), the Tulip Staircase photographed by Canadian tourists in Greenwich, England (1966), the Ghost Research Society's Bachelor's Grove Cemetery female apparition in Chicago (1991), and the apparition of a girl in the town hall fire in Shropshire, England (1995). In these examples, nothing unusual was seen at the time the photos were taken.

There are no doubt hundreds or thousands of equally inexplicable photographs in family collections - photographs that could no doubt further survival after death and paranormal research. But since many of these photographs may contain an image of a loved one, it is likely the family would prefer not to share it publicly. Although controversial, the photos released by Christopher and Paul Petty and Denise Russell are excellent insights into how photos can give us possible glimpses into the world of those who have passed over. Such photos can be submitted for confidential analysis by reputable research organizations such as PSICAN, the American or British Society for Psychical Research, and so on.

Further reading:

About: Paranormal Phenomena:
http://paranormal.about.com/

BBC's Strange South:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/southerncounties/community/strange_south/

Image credits:

Photos of Christopher Petty and Florence Bristow reprinted on bbc.co.uk

Photos submitted by Denise Russell to about.com

From the desk of Matthew Double Decker Bus Guy Didier...

Sue and I were both born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1967...then a large city, and now a megalopolis.

This ('67) was also the last year the beloved Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup... the National Hockey League's championship.

This has been a very long drought for a team that is considered one of the premier squads in the league... not to mention, one of the wealthiest.

It wasn't the only time, however, that the Leafs have had poor luck... and some would say, one of those "bad times" was with cause.

In 1951, game five of the "best of seven" for the cup, Toronto defenceman, Bill Barilko tapped in an overtime goal taking the buds to their seventh championship. Barilko's number, on the back of his team's jersey, was #5... so five won five.

Barilko had a reputation as someone who was always smiling... a practical joker. He was beloved by his team mates... and respected by his by his opposing numbers.

The team Toronto was playing for the cup that year was the venerable Montreal Canadiens... their boss, Dick Irvin, loathed Bill. "I hate that Barilko so much," he once said. "I sure wish we had him with Canadiens."

Barilko was bone fide hero... born in Timmins, Ontario to Russian immigrant parents, he was the shining star of The Toronto Maple Leafs.

The same year he tapped in the winning goal, on August 26, he joined his dentist, Henry Hudson, on a flight aboard a small floatplane to take a fishing trip to Northern Quebec. On the return trip, the single-engine plane disappeared.

The owner of the Maple Leafs at the time, Conn Smythe, a well known "skinflint", did an unusual thing... he offered a $10,000.00 reward, "Dead of Alive" for Barilko.

To quote an article in "The Beaver", a Canadian history magazine,

He (Smythe) had been golfing when he heard that Barilko was missing. It had cut him like a knife. As the search proceeded he had spent time watching films of the Leafs' Cup triumph and told the press gathered at camp: "I can't get over the way that Barilko stood out." The young man from the north had been his "bounce boy," the unflagging spirit of the team.

Barilko, Hudson, and the plane stayed missing... and during the time, the Leafs failed to win a cup.

For over ten years, the men were missing... the team's progression was faltering... and tales of "ghost planes" trickled through the Northern parts of Ontario... the yellow single-engined floatplane... buzzing overhead before vanishing into the sky...

Was it Barilko and Hudson letting folks know they were still "out there"? Was it wild imaginations? Was it wishful thinking for a home town hero?

Either way, the Leaf's losing streak seemed to stay on a downward roll... and much of it was said to be the curse of Barilko.

Finally, in the 1961/1962 season, under coach Punch Imlach, the Toronto Maple Leafs started to turn things around... curse or no curse, they seemed to be a winning team... and in Spring 1962, The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated The Chicago Blackhawks and regained Lord Stanley's mug.

Not incidentally, just five weeks after this win, a pilot named Gary Fields from the Lands and Forests office in Cochrane, Ontario, thought he spotted something "glimmering" in the brush below him while en route to James Bay... upon investigation, the wreckage of the small aircraft lost over a decade before and two skeletal bodies were discovered. Barilko and Hudson had been found...

May 2010 - Additional Information: I have received an e-mail from the daughter of the helicopter pilot who located the wreckage... who requested that we publish the facts of the case and has sent us this link...
http://www.torontomike.com/2008/09/finding_bill_barilko.html
...please visit it for information on the discovery of the aircraft and it's recovery. I do apologise for any harm, damage, or issue I may have cause by not having this information at the time of writing this post and not posting it sooner.

Since then, Barilko's "number" (5) and jersey have been retired from the Leafs... he is still said to be (by those who remember) the greatest team-mate and defenceman in the history of the sport.

...but did the practical joker play a roll in a decade of sliding games and disastrous seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs? Did his spirit fly-over the heads of unwitting witnesses from Sudbury to North Bay?

...and also, as mentioned, who's responsible for the drought that has lasted Sue's and my entire life?

Some might say Harold Ballard... long time owner of the buds...

...but is it?

Either way, the superstitious in the 1950's and early 1960's had to wonder... was the lack of a championship team the "curse" of Number 5?

...and does it help that the Toronto Maple Leafs now play at Air Canada Centre in Toronto... known locally to many as "The Hanger" in reference to it's aviation moniker?

Occasionally whilst surfing the blogoshere I come across Atheist blogs that state "science has proven God does not exist" usually followed by something like, "only idiots, and non-scientists believe in an afterlife," yada yada yada......

Firstly, my impression is that the writer of such blog entries does not understand the word science nor the scientific method, which is based on observation and experimentation. Frankly (and I hate to break this to some) science has no interest in proving or disproving the existence of a God. Your disbelief is cool, but lets face it, that is your belief ... nothing more.....

I find these people are more often greater and more rabid preachers of conversion to their own lack of beliefs than those who are part of some organized religion! Sometimes to the point of disturbing!

There is no such thing as Science Vs. Religion (at least not in more than 100 + years). And they can and do co-exist. I personally know several professional scientists that follow a religious path. They know the difference between scientific methodology and spiritual or philosophical beliefs. Apparently some Atheists do not.

Oh in case, and if you are wondering where I am coming from, I was raised an Atheist, and my father was a professional scientist. However, my father never felt the need to bash anyone because he did not feel his own beliefs or lack of were anymore important or valid than anybody else's.

I am an Agnostic and proud sceptic. Unlike pseudo sceptics I doubt, I question, I do not feel the need to bash people, nor invoke the word science or flat out deny in order to bolster my own philosophies or politics .....

Speaking of which, an interesting investigation of the former CSICOP now CSI......

Skeptical Investigators ask: "Has CSICOP Lost the 30 Years' War?"

For 30 years CSICOP (Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal) has been the principal agency of dogmatic skepticism opposed to the development of Pioneering Science.

The article looks at positive skeptical investigations and an open-minded spirit. And secondly...people who call themselves skeptics, many of whom are not skeptics at all, but dogmatists seeking to defend an ideology or world view.

For the full article click here.

Enjoy!

Each Friday we will have a look at the stories and experiences that have been related to us over the years that are amongst our personal favourites. These will include Crypto, Ghosts, UFO's and other strange events that may be considered Fortean from in around the Toronto, Canada area .... and since they are from our own personal files will likely not be found elsewhere on the web .... enjoy!

The following was sent in by one of our readers...

"In the late 1500's the proud tribes of Iroquois and Huron clashed in the valley that we now know as Hogg's Hollow. The intersection of Yonge and York Mills/Wilson goes through it today. Also down deep about 50' underground is the North/South tunnels of the Yonge Subway and York Mills Station.

Back in the time of these tribes, and their quest for dominance over each other, was a fierce battle fought in this valley on the banks of the river that ran through the valley. Legend has it that many proud warriors of both tribes fought and died in this battle. Unfortunately some of these warriors bodies, and hence their spirits, were not recovered for proper burial by their respective tribes. It seems that a heavy rain storm flooded the river on the evening of the battle and washed some of the warriors bodies away.

These bodies and their spirits became lodged and buried in the bed of the river to remain forever...

.....until...

the tunnels of the Yonge-Subway were built. Today, it has been reported, very quietly, that there is something very strange happening during the fall season in the tunnels between York Mills and Sheppard on the Yonge Subway line. I know of someone who's job sometimes requires them to walk the tunnels in this location for problems with the workings of the subway system.

One night, in late October not too years ago just before Halloween, they were given a radio call to check a problem just after the last train had departed for Wilson yard from Finch Station. They entered the Subway from an emergency exit and walked towards the track and round tunnel section. They were accompanied by two other employees, one who was a native Canadian of Iroquois decent.

As they made their way North in the Southbound tunnel, it became very clear to them that they were not alone. In the far distance, yet seemingly not too far away, they heard voices but couldn't make out what was said or in what language it was in. They assumed it was a track crew that was due in the area to do work just North of the location and out of sight over the rise in the tunnel.

As they got closer to the voices it got apparent the language spoken wasn't English, Italian or Greek but was unknown yet strangely familiar. The native worker suddenly stopped and looking very perplexed and a little upset quickly told them that he recognized the language as a very old form of Iroquois that his grandfather had spoken and that the voices weren't talking but reciting an ancient Iroquois prayer for the dead. They stopped beside an internal phone and called the TTC control office to ask if anyone was also working at track level. They were told that they were the only crew at track level north of Bloor.

Still hearing the voices, now quieter, they walked a little further North until they could see over the rise. There was nobody there. Just about at the location of where the initial problem was reported to be in, the voices stopped and the crew did the repairs very quickly. They all thought that we had been hearing things and shrugged it off as a practical joke or some clowns yelling down an air shaft nearby.

However, walking back toward the emergency exit the voices returned and this time they were accompanied by a distinct sound of what could only be described as wailing and crying and distant drums. They ran out of the tunnel and left the area very quickly.

Reporting this to their bosses was not an option so they kept it to themselves.

The naitve worker, however did tell some tribal elders of the incident and they informed him about how the old ones had a battle and how some of the spirits were lost.

A year ago in late October, a Shaman performed a ceremony just outside the entrance to the emergency exit to help release the trapped spirits so they could find peace.

Did it work? I wouldn't know but my original source has told me that nobody else has reported voices in this area in October since.

Did the spirits find peace? I hope so. Only time will tell."

Our thanks to the witness for sharing this report with us.

Do you have a real life ghost story, an encounter with a UFO, or other paranormal experience/s you'd like to share? If so, we'd love to hear from you! Post your own experiences in our comments section or send us an email. Please post only true life experiences ... we love good fiction, but there are other fantastic blogs out there to post fictional accounts to.

A new article by Guy Lyon Playfair

This important new article reviews the few proven cases of fraud in modern parapsychology. The malpractices of Soal, Levy and Wirth are dealt in detail.

Whilst the activities of these would-be imposters brought some discredit on mainstream parapsychology at the time, the author points out that, compared with conventional science, the incidence of fraud has been low. The unequalled standards of rigour which now apply in psi research owe something to the embarrassments of the past.

You may read the full article here.

Enjoy!

Chris Laursen is a historian researching how people have related to the paranormal. This week, he asks you to offer your ideas on what the pivotal moments were in the history of the paranormal.

What pieces of the paranormal puzzle are most important?
by Chris Laursen

Happy New Year, everyone! I wish each and every one of you wonderful things in this coming year. Personally, I’m very excited about it. For me, it marks returning to university to prepare for graduate school. As many of you know, I am a budding historian and am researching the social history of the paranormal (that is, how people have related to the paranormal over time). I am working towards becoming a university professor, both researching and teaching about this history topic (along with other things).

I’d like to start the new year right and poll what you, our loyal readers, think are key in the history of the paranormal, particularly related to ghostly phenomenon and the afterlife.

What do you personally think was the most important moment or advancement in the history of the paranormal?

Your answer can take many different forms. You can name a person who you think was integral in advancing paranormal research. It can be a specific type of paranormal activity that you feel should be mentioning in a historical overview. It can be a specific case. It can be something that is neglected in the study of things paranormal.

Who knows… your suggestion may one day be incorporated into my own historical research and lecturing on this topic. It may also spark some good discussion here!

For the sake of naming some main topics that would certainly be included…

- In general, changing ideas of ghosts and the afterlife through history
- Spiritualist movement, theosophy and mediumship
- Research bodies such as the Society for Psychical Research, the American Society for Psychical Research and the Ghost Club
- Charles Fort and Fortean studies
- J. B. Rhine and the field of parapsychology (including psychical experimentation)
- poltergeists and recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis (RSPK)
- near-death experiences
- popular culture’s relationship with the paranormal (storytelling, literature, TV/film, urban legends)

I look forward to your suggestions!

Flying saucer fails to land at O'Hare
Associated Press

CHICAGO — Federal officials say it was probably just some weird weather phenomenon, but a group of United Airlines employees swear they saw a mysterious, saucer-shaped craft hovering over O'Hare Airport last fall.

The workers, some of them pilots, said the object didn't have lights and hovered over an airport terminal before shooting up through the clouds, according to a report in Monday's Chicago Tribune.

The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged that a United supervisor had called the control tower at O'Hare, asking if anyone had spotted a spinning disc-shaped object. But the controllers didn't see anything, and a preliminary check of radar found nothing out of the ordinary, FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said.

“Our theory on this is that it was a weather phenomenon,” Ms. Cory said. “That night was a perfect atmospheric condition in terms of low (cloud) ceiling and a lot of airport lights. When the lights shine up into the clouds, sometimes you can see funny things.”

The FAA is not investigating, Ms. Cory said.

United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said company officials don't recall discussing any such incident from Nov. 7.

At least one O'Hare controller, union official Craig Burzych, was amused by it all.

“To fly 7 million light years to O'Hare and then have to turn around and go home because your gate was occupied is simply unacceptable,” he said.

With silly headlines, and even sillier explanations that if you read above you will note does NOT fit eyewitness descriptions, is it any wonder that witnesses feel frustration at reporting such events?

We will probably never know with any certainty what exactly staff witnessed at O'Hare, but for those familiar with this topic this is certainly not an isolated incident.