A lady, known to readers of _Proceedings S.P.R._ as Miss A----, who is
an habitual automatic writer, but whose social position removes her
from the temptations and tendencies of the ordinary so-called medium,
was good enough on March 10, 1897, to contribute the following
automatic script in reply to a request from Lord Bute:--
"I do not much care for the influence of this house; it is most
decidedly haunted, but not by any particularly good spirits, the
haunting being carried on by mischievous elementals, and as far as I
can make out there is some one who lives there through all the
changes, who supplies a great deal of force, and who is not aware of
the power. I think that a great deal more is added to what really
takes place, as the hauntings appear to me to consist of disturbing
noises, with now and then a case of apport, for the elementary forces
are not sufficient to produce forms unless a great deal of outside
force is given.
"The forms that would appear would always be different, as each
mediumistic person would supply his own surroundings. The only one I
am not sure about is the shadowy figure of an old man whom I have
twice seen in rather a dark passage, and from his surrounding light I
should say he may often be there.
"I think the noises would stop of themselves, at least the more
disturbing part, if a less attentive attitude were taken towards
them."
These statements present certain interesting points as coming from one
who had never seen the house, and knew nothing of its phenomena. "The
shadowy figure of an old man in a dark passage" seems to point to the
figure, possibly, of the Major, seen by earlier witnesses in the dark
lobby--the only dark corner in the house--outside the door of the
downstairs smoking-room, and whose voice was heard there by Miss
Freer, Miss Langton, and Mr. T---- during the tenancy of Colonel
Taylor.
An occasion upon which the phenomena might be described as those of
"mischievous elementals," and also of _apports_, is referred to in the
summing up of tactile phenomena, though it did not occur during the
tenancy of Colonel Taylor.
On the other hand, the phenomena were often more active when least
looked for, and some of those most expected never occurred. As there
was not even a servant, nor even a dumb animal, common to the
occupation of the S---- family and the tenancy of the H----s or
Colonel Taylor, we are at a loss to know who the person can be who
lives at B---- through all the changes, and supplies force during the
past twenty years.