A TALKING DUBLIN GHOST

We must relate the story of an extraordinary ghost, somewhat lacking in good manners, yet not without a certain distorted sense of humour. Absolutely incredible though the tale may seem, yet it comes on very good authority. It was related to our informant, Mr. D., by a Mrs. C., whose daughter he had employed as governess. Mrs. C., who is described as"a woman of respectable position and good education," heard it in her turn from her father and mother. In the story the relationship of the different persons seems a little involved, but it would appear that the initial A belongs to the surname both of Mrs. C.’s father and grandfather.

This ghost was commonly called "Corney" by the family, and he answered to this though it was not his proper name. He disclosed this latter to Mr. C.’s mother, who forgot it. Corney made his presence manifest to the A— family shortly after they had gone to reside in Street in the following manner. Mr. A— had sprained his knee badly, and had to use a crutch, which at night was left at the head of his bed. One night his wife heard some one walking on the lobby, thump, thump, thump, as if imitating Mr. A—. She struck a match to see if the crutch had been removed from the head of the bed, but it was still there.

From that on Corney commenced to talk, and he spoke every day from his usual habitat, the coal-cellar off the kitchen. His voice sounded as if it came out of an empty barrel.

He was very troublesome, and continually played practical jokes on the servants, who, as might be expected, were in terror of their lives of him; so much so that Mrs. A— could hardly induce them to stay with her. They used to sleep in a press-bed in the kitchen, and in order to get away from Corney, they asked for a room at the top of the house, which was given to them. Accordingly the press-bed was moved up there. The first night they went to retire to bed after the change, the doors of the press were flung open, and Corney's voice said, "Ha! ha! you devils, I am here before you! I am not confined to any particular part of this house."

Corney was continually tampering with the doors, and straining locks and keys, He only manifested himself in material form to two persons; to —, who died with the fright, and to Mr. A— (Mrs. C.’s father) when he was about seven years old. The latter described him to his mother as a naked man, with a curl on his forehead, and a skin like a clothes-horse (!).

One day a servant was preparing fish for dinner. She laid it on the kitchen table while she went elsewhere for something she wanted. When she returned the fish had disappeared. She thereupon began to cry, fearing she would be accused of making away with it. The next thing she heard was the voice of Corney from the coal-cellar saying, "There, you blubbering fool, is your fish for you!" and, suiting the action to the word, the fish was thrown out on the kitchen floor.

Relatives from the country used to bring presents of vegetables, and these were often hung up by Corney like Christmas decorations round the kitchen. There was one particular press in the kitchen he would not allow anything into. He would throw it out again. A crock with meat in pickle was put into it, and a fish placed on the cover of the crock. He threw the fish out.

Silver teaspoons were missing, and no account of them could be got until Mrs. A— asked Corney to confess if he had done anything with them. He said, "They are under the ticking in the servants’ bed." He had, so he said, a daughter in — Street, and sometimes announced that he was going to see her, and would not be here to-night.

On one occasion he announced that he was going to have "company" that evening, and if they wanted any water out of the soft-water tank, to take it before going to bed, as he and his friends would be using it. Subsequently that night five or six distinct voices were heard, and next morning the water in the tank was as black as ink, and not alone that, but the bread and butter in the pantry were streaked with the marks of sooty fingers.

A clergyman in the locality, having heard of the doings of Corney, called to investigate the matter. He was advised by Mrs. A— to keep quiet, and not to reveal his identity, as being the best chance of hearing Corney speak. He waited a long time, and as the capricious Corney remained silent, he left at length. The servants asked, "Corney, why did you not speak?" and he replied, "I could not speak while that good man was in the house." The servants sometimes used to ask him where he was. He would reply, "The Great God would not permit me to tell you. I was a bad man, and I died the death." He named the room in the house in which he died.

Corney constantly joined in any conversation carried on by the people of the house. One could never tell when a voice from the coal-cellar would erupt into the dialogue. He had his likes and dislikes: he appeared to dislike anyone that was not afraid of him, and would not talk to them. Mrs. C.’s mother, however, used to get good of him by coaxing. An uncle, having failed to get him to speak one night, took the kitchen poker, and hammered at the door of the coal-cellar, (saying, "I'll make you speak"; but Corney wouldn't. Next morning the poker was found broken in two. This uncle used to wear spectacles, and Corney used to call him derisively, "Four-eyes." An uncle named Richard came to sleep one night, and complained in the morning that the clothes were pulled off him. Corney told the servants in great glee, "I slept on Master Richard's feet all night."

Finally Mr. A— made several attempts to dispose of his lease, but with no success, for when intending purchasers were being shown over the house and arrived at Corney's domain, the spirit would begin to speak and the would-be purchaser would fly. They asked him if they changed house would he trouble them. He replied, "No! but if they throw down this house, I will trouble the stones."

At last Mrs. A— appealed to him to keep quiet, and not to injure people who had never injured him. He promised that he would do so, and then said, "Mrs. A—, you will be all right now, for I see a lady in black coming up the street to this house, and she will buy it." Within half an hour a widow called and purchased the house. Possibly Corney is still there, for our informant looked up the Directory as he was writing, and found the house marked "Vacant."
Source:  True Irish Ghost Stories, by St. John D. Seymour and Harry L. Neligan, [1914]

HAUNTED HOTEL KEEPS LOG OF GHOST SIGHTINGS

The Connor Hotel

Most hotels keep a guest register, either on paper or in a digital file, but the Connor Hotel in Jerome, Arizona,  also maintains a logbook for ghosts, at least the ones that announce their presence.
After hearing reports of ghosts for years, hotel manager Anne Conlin finally decided to start keeping records, even if she wasn't entirely convinced the hotel was haunted.
"We do hear a lot of feedback from guests and staff about things that happen or that are difficult to explain," Conlin said.
Jerome, which narrowly escaped becoming a real ghost town after the mines went bust, has attracted ghost hunters, who lug in electronic equipment to monitor paranormal activity.
The Connor gathers its reports with written journal entries, which describe noises, moving furniture, displaced personal items and other apparent evidence of ghostly visits.

Some recent entries:

A swirling energy vortex on the stairs leading to the second floor

Room 2, Dec. 27, 2010
Chair against desk. When I finished writing, I scooted the chair back in. We left for a bite to eat, and when we got back to the room, the chair was by the window as if looking out.
Room 6, July 8, 2012
When I was in the bathroom, a shadow image went across the floor. When I walked across the floor by the bed by the windows, I felt like I bumped into something by my shin. I got punched when I was taking a shower ... I kept looking at the door because I could feel a shadow energy there but I could not see it. ... When I went to bed I kept feeling my sheet getting pulled down. After all that, I sprinkled holy water in every corner and crevice and I didn't feel anything else.

 Further reading: Haunted Connor Hotel
Story source: AZCentral

NZ NEWSPAPER REPORTS THAT IT`S OFFICE IS HAUNTED

Building survived 1931 earthquake

An alleged ghost sighting in the Hawke's Bay Today Hastings office has inspired a raft of claims surrounding other potentially haunted buildings in the city.

A contract cleaner was working in the Hastings office on Thursday night when she was "notified about a presence in your building".

She had been working in the building for a few weeks but could not manage to finish her Thursday night shift as the presence, which was not pleasant, scared her out of the building, she said in a message to the paper.

"I will never return to the building as this presence did not want me there. I hope the next person does not experience the same thing for it's a horrifying thing to go through."

Hawke's Bay historian Michael Fowler said part of the Hawke's Bay Today building, the brick section on the corner of Karamu Road and Queen St, survived the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake but no one died inside at the time of the disaster.

Darby Ryan was a popular reporter at the Hawke's Bay Tribune working at the newspaper office at the time of the 1931 earthquake. He died during the quake, hit by a falling clock tower while standing on the corner of Queen St and Russell St where he was waiting for an interview that morning.

After the 1931 devastation

Mr Fowler said initial thoughts that the tower building of the current newspaper office may have been built on a morgue proved incorrect as pictures showed nothing on the site before the office's construction in the 1960s.

"But down the road, where Forbes and Co use to be, there is an art shop now and the top floor of that building is reputed to be haunted," he said. "There's been a long-time rumour about something being up there."

Messages left on social media websites suggested there were also ghosts at the Hawke's Bay Opera House in Hastings including a report that said one often looked out of a top floor, small window of the historic building towards St Joseph's School.

Other popular places for ghost sightings include the former Napier Prison, the former Napier Hospital site, certain homes on Napier Hill, cemeteries and the old Waipukurau Hospital which closed in 1995.
Source: HawkesBayToday

THE TRIAL OF A PRIEST WHO PRACTISED THE `BLACK ARTS`

Pedro Ruiz Calderon 

 On Jan. 30, 1540, in Mexico City, at a time when Spain was carving out an empire in the New World, an epic trial got under way.

An ordained Catholic priest named Pedro Ruiz Calderon was being prosecuted for practicing black magic. The priest actually bragged about the powers he had acquired according to records a researcher is working on publishing.

He claimed to be able to teleport between continents, make himself invisible, make women fall in love with him, predict the future, turn metals into gold, summon and exorcise demons and, most importantly, discover buried treasure.

"He really typifies all of the major types of learned magic, from summoning and conjuring demons, to exorcising demons to the powers of cloaking himself, making himself invisible," said John Chuchiak IV, a professor at Missouri State University who translates and publishes documents recording the opening of the trial in his new book "The Inquisition in New Spain 1536-1820"(John Hopkins University Press, 2012). [See Photos of the Trial Records] "He could hypnotize people, too; it's one of the earliest, I think, descriptions of hypnotism, mesmerizing people."

Miguel Lopez de Legazpi

At the start of the trial, Calderon was denounced in a speech by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the Secretary of the Holy Office, who would later become a conquistador in the Philippines. In translation, the trial records state that "many persons have made it known before him [Legazpi] that the said Calderon knows of the Black Arts and that he learned them from others." The records go on to claim that Calderon is able to make himself invisible and can travel across great distances in a short amount of time. "It's just fascinating. The story just goes on and on," Chuchiak told LiveScience of the more than 100 pages of trial records.

The prosecutor Fray Juan de Zumarraga, the Franciscan archbishop of Mexico and apostolic inquisitor of New Spain, was known for his extreme punishments. "Other people he had their tongue split for very minor blasphemy," said Chuchiak. In the end, for reasons unknown, the bishop gave Calderon only a minor punishment -- exile back to Spain and a prohibition from giving Catholic services for two years; Zumarraga may have wanted to get rid of him without publicly executing a priest. What happens to Calderon after he is exiled is not known.

According to the trial records, Calderon claimed that he went to hell itself to acquire some of his abilities. At one point, the records say he was in Naples, working for a viceroy.

"He and three men went to explore a cave. He said it was 3,000 leagues below the surface of the Earth," said Chuchiak, summarizing the Spanish language account. Apparently, the men got stuck there, with most of Calderon's companions dying.

"He actually descended to the depths of hell, he said, and there he learned the secrets of the science of the black arts and alchemy." [Time Travel & Reincarnation: 10 Tales of Superhuman Abilities]

Calderon did not return empty-handed, Chuchiak said.

"He brought back books from hell. He said one of them had the signature of the devil, the prince of darkness."

Trial records

When Calderon was arrested, his library was seized. None of the books contained the signature of the devil; however, some intriguing books were found, including Albertus Magnus' "Secrets,"a manual on how to conduct exorcisms, and a book by Dr. Arnaldo de Villanueva called the "Treasure of Treasures,"in which it describes techniques to find buried treasures. The library also held "archival letters written in some mysterious writing, a certain cipher that he claimed that he could read," Chuchiak said. "No one else could read it."

Why did he do it?

Why a priest like Calderon may have strayed so far off may be due to two rather earthly things -- bragging rights and financial gain.

Chuchiak notes that Calderon loved to brag. After the trial was over, he caught pneumonia, was sent to the infirmary, and while there, "he was bragging about his ability to cloak himself and to win over almost any woman that he could," he said, again summarizing the Spanish account. In other instances, "he talks about all the women that he slept with. He talks about how he's able to get away with having mistresses and sneaking in an out of their bedrooms," his supposed invisibility powers helping with this.

There is also evidence that he profited from his abilities. Records indicate that, superpowers or not, he often found buried treasure.

Among them was a work by Dr. Arnaldo de Villanueva called the "Treasure of Treasures." As its name suggests it was supposed to help people find buried treasures.

According to the translated trial record, Gil Gonzalez de Benavides, a conquistador, testified that "he had witnessed that the said Calderon had discovered the whereabouts of several baskets filled with golden ornaments and items that the natives had hidden from the Spaniards." "Apparently, he got lucky and did find treasures, that made his fame wider," said Chuchiak. "People came to him and asked him for help finding lost things, lost people, lost treasures," services for which Calderon was paid.

His superpowers were, of course, false, said Chuchiak; if Calderon could have made himself invisible or teleported between continents, he could have escaped his trial. That, Chuchiak added, is always the problem with people who claim they could perform black magic.

"They [the inquisitors] always challenge them to practice their black art. But they didn't do it, they couldn't do it," said Chuchiak. In the end, Calderon was just a man who had made great claims and was now facing trial. "Obviously he's just boasting," Chuchiak said.

Source: CBSNews

THE LEGEND OF THE CODEX GIGAS OR THE `DEVIL`S` BIBLE

The Codex Gigas

Within the Swedish National Library lies a book, in fact the largest medieval book known to man, the `Codex Gigas` or `Giant Book`. The codex is bound in a wooden folder covered with leather and ornate metal. At 92 cm (36.2in.) tall, 50 cm (19.7in.) wide and 22 cm (8.6in.) thick it is the largest known medieval manuscript. Weighing 74.8 kg (165 pounds), Codex Gigas is composed of 310 leaves of parchment allegedly made from the skins of 160 donkeys or perhaps calfskin.

Seldom displayed publicly, as the book is kept in an environmentally controlled room to preserve the aged book for posterity.

To some, the `Codex Gigas` is known as the `Devil`s Bible`, on account of an embellished image of the Devil (Folio 290 recto - page 577 ) which fills an entire page. Less commonly known however, is an opposite image of heaven which juxtaposes the "good versus evil," in contrast with the picture of the devil.

The codex is believed to have been written and illustrated in the Benedictine monastery of Podlažice near Chrudim in Czech Republic. The monastery was destroyed during the 15th century. Records in the codex end in the year 1229. The codex was later pledged to the Cistercians Sedlec monastery and then bought by the Benedictine monastery in Břevnov. From 1477–1593 it was kept in the library of a monastery in Broumov until it was taken to Prague in 1594 to form a part of the collections of Rudolf II.

The devil entrapped

At the end of the Thirty Years' War in the year 1648, the entire collection was taken by the Swedish army as plunder. From 1649 to 2007 the manuscript was kept in the Swedish Royal Library in Stockholm. The site of its creation is marked by a maquette in the town museum of Chrast.

On Friday 7th May 1697, a fierce fire broke out at the royal castle in Stockholm, and the Royal Library suffered very badly. The codex was rescued from the flames by throwing it out of a window. The codex apparently injured a bystander and some of its leaves fluttered away and they are still missing today.  In September, 2007, after 359 years, Codex Gigas returned to Prague on loan from Sweden until January 2008, and was on display at the Czech National Library.

Contrary to a number of theories that the book was written as a form of religious text in praise of evil, the book actually contains a number of Judaic/Christian religious texts, and the image of the Devil is actually depicted trapped within a boxed area. The Devil appears enraged, and far from celebrating evil, the book balances the eternal struggle of man on earth between the forces of good and evil.

Written in a time of great instability and great social suffering, the book reflects that period view and was believed to have taken over 20 years to complete. Without any imagery, the text is believed to have taken 5 years alone of writing around the clock, and the entire work is believed to be the work of one man - `Herman the Recluse`, who must have spent his entire life shuttered off from the troubled and persecuted world outside.

The sheer size of this medieval work compared to the figure behind

Legend however paints a different picture, and that is the scribe was a monk who broke his monastic vows and was sentenced to be walled up alive. In order to forbear this harsh penalty he promised to create in one single night a book to glorify the monastery forever, including all human knowledge. Near midnight he became sure that he could not complete this task alone, so he made a special prayer, not addressed to God but to the fallen angel Lucifer, asking him to help him finish the book in exchange for his soul. The devil completed the manuscript and the monk added the devil's picture out of gratitude for his aid.

The `Codex Gigas` has been described by some academics as the product of a `confused and rambling mind`, but today the book is appreciated for it`s historical and artistic appeal.

View the Codex Gigas here:
http://www.wdl.org/en/item/3042/zoom/#volume/1/page/577

Chris Halton

WIDOW CALLS IN PRIEST AFTER DEAD HUSBAND`S IMAGE APPEARS ON WALL

A terrified widow has called in a catholic priest for a spiritual cleansing after she says an image of her dead husbands face has appeared on her bedroom wall.

Andrea Samuels, 41, said that strange paranormal activity has been happening in her Carlisle home for several months, following the death of her late husband, Brian Samuels, who died four years ago. "New furniture has mysteriously broken and pictures keep falling off walls" Andrea Samuels said.

In addition to the strange happenings, Andrea Samuels said that her pet bird, named Spirit, has flown away, and she believes the bird was let loose from the ghosts haunting her home, one of which she believes is her dead husband, Brian Samuels.

After she believed the face of her dead husband appeared on her bedroom wall, Andrea Samuels decided to call in Father Dadson, a priest with Saint Bede's Catholic Church ."I saw something on the wall that appeared as an image of a man" said Father Dadson.

Father Dadson relocated to Carlisle in January, after working as a priest in Botswana, and his native, Nigeria, for 13 years. He said this is the second time this year that he has been asked to perform a spiritual cleansing in the city. Father Dadson believes that paranormal activity is sometimes brought on by people's actions. "In some houses things have been done, maybe people have carried out some kind of sacrifice or other activity that influences people with the forces of evil."Father Dadson explained.

A spiritual cleansing was performed in the home on Wednesday, which includes prayers and spreading holy water throughout the house. Whether or not the image that appeared on her bedroom wall is her dead husband, Andrea Samuels said the experience has helped to renew her religious faith, but she hopes that the paranormal activity in her home will stop so that she can move on with her life.

Story & Picture: HauntedSociety.Com

EBAY CLEANS UP `PARANORMAL` FROM SITE

I have always been fascinated by weird claims and beliefs, especially those of the psychic, and over the years I've become something of a professional student of such paranormal belief systems, even as a skeptic.
One way we think of the work of skepticism is as a happy marriage between critical thinking/science education and consumer protection. Consequently, I've often felt exasperated by the online auction site eBay and how it has made it so easy for paranormal hucksters to take financial advantage of the credulous by selling their various wares through the company's consumer-to-consumer business.
For many years now on eBay, believers have been able to buy online psychic readings related to subjects ranging from past lives' revelations to psychic family planning services.
Some psychic practitioners on eBay offer supernatural medical consultations and healing services, while others offer love potions and spells.
Still other entrepreneurial paranormalists offer spiritual cleansing services for your home or psychic career counseling and supernatural financial planning advice.
These various supernatural services range in price from the $5 psychic text message to a year's worth of readings for $600 and up.
But it appears that all of this will soon be a thing of the past.
Those who have been profiting from selling such paranormal promises of prosperity and problem-solving will no longer be allowed to, as of September 2012. According to eBay, the decision was made because sellers who deal in paranormal services often create problems for buyers that "can be difficult to resolve."
From eBay's announcement on the policy change:

The following items are also being added to the prohibited items list: advice; spells; curses; hexing; conjuring; magic; prayers; blessing services; magic potions; healing sessions.

Unfortunately, within the larger "Metaphysical" category of things for sale on eBay (a category that currently has 100,324 active listings for sale!) items like Crystal healing skulls and finger rings enchanted by genies for the purpose of supernaturally causing weight loss for the wearer, ghost hunting "Trifield meters," $450 dowsing rods, and similar products of questionable value will still be allowed.
When it comes to buying the paranormal -- both figuratively, and literally on eBay -- the consumer is still cautioned: Buyer Beware!

Source: HuffingtonPost

HOW FAMOUS PSYCHICS GOT IT SO WRONG ON YORKSHIRE RIPPER CASE

Peter Sutcliffe (under blanket)  - The Yorkshire Ripper shortly after arrest

IT was a time when the imagination of the North East was held in thrall. Was one of Britain’s most prolific serial killers living among us?

Bolstered by what is now known was the malicious and fraudulent ‘I’m Jack’ tape, there was a fevered air, I remember, to those months at the end of the 1970s when the search for the Yorkshire Ripper switched a hundred miles north of his killing ground in and around Leeds.
Here at The Shields Gazette, we invited readers to come in and listen to the ‘Ripper tape’ to see if they could identify the taunting voice.
Police, locally, were actively involved in the hunt.

Doris Stokes - Wrong

But it wasn’t just the hoaxer who muddied the waters of the Ripper investigation.

At the time, Doris Stokes was probably the UK’s best-known spiritualist and medium, whose homely demeanour belied her crowd-pulling celebrity as a ‘conduit’ to the world beyond the grave.
On July 1, 1979, she featured on the front page of the Sunday People, giving – through a link with the spirit world – a physical description of the Ripper and saying that he lived on Tyneside or Wearside, in a thoroughfare named either Berwick or Bewick Street.
She even went so far as to suggest that the killer had at some point received treatment at Cherry Knowle, the psychiatric hospital at Ryhope.
The sorry upshot of this was the detainment of a hapless lorry driver from Berwick Avenue in Sunderland’s Downhill area.

He was quickly eliminated from the inquiry and, with the benefit of hindsight, it illustrates how distracted the investigation had by then become.

Gerard Croiset - Wrong

Other psychics made their own contributions. Gerard Croiset, the so-called ‘wizard of Utrecht,’ had the Ripper living in a flat above a block of garages in the centre of Sunderland.
The one that pulled us up sharp here was self-styled King of the Witches Alex Sanders, an occultist, who was sure the Ripper was a single man living alone near railway arches in South Shields.
I remember thinking at the time that Bewick Street in Shields was only a step from the rail line through Chichester. It really did get that bizarre.
Only one psychic got close. She was Nella Jones, who said the killer’s name was Peter and that he lived in Bradford. He worked as a lorry driver for a firm whose name began with C (the Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, worked for haulage company T & HW Clark) and the initials of his next victim would be JH, she said (Jacqueline Hill would be the Ripper’s 13th and final murder).
In the end, the arrest of Sutcliffe in 1981 had nothing to do with any of these psychic trails, but more than 30 years later, Nella’s contribution can still send a little shiver up your spine.
As indeed can much in Ghosts & Gallows, in which the psychic search for the Yorkshire Ripper is just one chapter in an engrossing exploration of true crime stories and their links with the paranormal.
Ordinarily, I’m not a fan of books that, often in florid and excitable fashion, link ghost stories with crime,
But the author here, Paul Adams, is a paranormal historian, who brings a sense of intelligent and objective curiosity to a subject that others might have taken as an excuse to indulge their own enthusiasm.
Here, the connection between crime and the paranormal goes back as far as the 18th century, to the discovery of a skeleton on a Cairngorm mountain side by a young shepherd who claimed to have been directed to the spot by the ghost of the victim.
Some of the cases are well known in the annals of criminology, among them that of the Red Barn murder, and that of Jack the Ripper, where the uncanny visions of a psychic, Robert Lees, were ignored by the police.
Less well known, now, is the nasty case of child killer Frederick Nodder who, in 1937, murdered a little girl, Mona Tinsley.
Estelle Roberts, highly regarded as a psychic medium, was able to accurately describe the house where the child had been taken, and where she would be found, in a river.
In fact it would be the quality of Estelle Roberts’s abilities that would eventually help convince the British government to legalise spiritualism as a religion.
In some cases the ghosts are of the killers themselves, like Ethel Major, a pathetic figure who is said to haunt Hull Prison, where she was hanged in 1934 for the murder of her husband.
And through it all thread intriguing figures, like flamboyant ghost hunter Harry Price here, of Borley Rectory (the most haunted house in England) fame, seen demonstrating a seance room
All in all a book that will keep you reading and – who knows – possibly asking yourself a few questions at the end of it.
* Ghosts & Gallows, by Paul Adams, is published in paperback by The History Press, price £14.99. Visit www.thehistorypress.co.uk

Source: TheShieldsGazette

GHOSTS OF THE TITANIC EXHIBITS

The Grand Staircase, made famous in the 'Titanic' movie

ORLANDO -- 
It seems like the victims of the Titanic tragedy are still attached to items they once used and touched. At least that’s what Titanic The Experience wants to prove. So, staffers put together a paranormal investigation. They claim to have found conclusive evidence that ghostly friends are hanging around.

“We may have a friend of ours with us right now," said Joe Zimmer, actor and exhibit general manager, pointing to a heavy chain securely encased. "That bottom link is swinging. It only seems to do just that when we are talking about these things.”

Zimmer and his partner-in-crime, Jac LeDoux, took us around the attraction’s 17 galleries. They claim that their fellow staff members and visitors are seeing stuff they can’t explain.

Like inside the Grand Staircase, which - as not displayed in the 1997 movie - goes up five levels. When we got to the replica, Zimmer showed us photographic evidence that, well, shook him up.

“There are things called orbs. That is an orb," he said, pointing to a blow up photo taken while a staffer named Brittany was handling paranormal equipment.
And don't be alarmed if your hair raises slightly once you get to the room with the telegraph.

"In this room, since this has come in - especially since this has come in - strange things have happened," Zimmer insisted.
He also says spooky stuff has been happening out on the ship's deck, which is set at a cool 60-65 degrees for effect.

"Right by that first window was a man in an officer’s uniform. I saw it." He said the man had no legs.

The prized possession appears in the last gallery -- Little Big Piece. It is an actual chunk of the "Ship of Dreams."

A staff member claims to have seen a man inside the case and on the chair, tipping his hat at her.

Here's the official press release:

Titanic The Experience, an interactive exhibition which reopened in January in Orlando, is now offering unique ghost tours based on personal anecdotes of staff and the recent ghost investigation hosted by the venue. Tours will take place every Thursday evening at 7 p.m.
For the past five years, staff members at Titanic The Experience have encountered some strange and unanswerable events within the Exhibition. “While some swear it is the spirits of the passengers and crew members of Titanic reaching out from ‘the other side’ others speculate it is their minds playing tricks on them,” said Kerri Drake, general manager of Titanic The Experience.
To put the debate to rest and finally find answers to these unusual events, Titanic The Experience hosted a paranormal investigation organization, which claimed to have found conclusive evidence of paranormal activity generated by those passengers and crew who sailed on the legendary Ship the evening she met her fate.
“After conducting a ghost investigation which uncovered extensive paranormal activity, we decided we needed to share the amazing results with our visitors,” said Katherine Seymour, vice president of public relations for Premier Exhibitions. “Ghost tours will allow our guests the opportunity to get a little closer to the passengers and crew who met their fate that tragic evening.”
Many people believe that the souls of those lost sometimes connect themselves with the objects they leave behind. The staff at Titanic The Experience is not sure, but there is no denying some creepy things happening in the Exhibition. The actors at the Exhibition have compiled some of their spookiest and most unusual stories along with lore surrounding the “Ship of Dreams.”
“I am a skeptic and encourage visitors of Titanic The Experience to prove me wrong. I have personally experienced odd encounters here at Titanic The Experience, which have no explanation. It seems this Ship and its former passengers and crew have a few more secrets left to reveal,” said Drake.
The ghost tours are designed for all ages and led by Titanic The Experience actors who usually portray notable Titanic passengers during the regular daily tours. Guests will also have an opportunity to explore the Exhibition and its authentic artifacts including a watch chain with pearls; telegraph to the main engine room; cooking pot; deck lamp; wine bottle; marble slab with cold water faucet and waste valve, and cut crystal carafe with the flag of White Star Line, the company that owned the iconic Ship. In addition, guests will be awed by a two-ton section of the R.M.S. Titanic’s hull - the second largest piece of Titanic ever recovered.

Source: BayNews9

Further reading: GHOSTLY HAUNTINGS AROUND TITANIC EXHIBITS 
                         HAUNTED TITANIC EXHIBITS TO BE SOLD AT AUCTION
                         GHOST WARNED FAMILY NOT TO SAIL ON THE TITANIC
                         COUPLE CLAIM THAT THE TITANIC CAPTAIN HAUNTS HOME

COPS ARREST FELLOW COP FOR GHOST HUNTING!

A CHESTER POLICE officer who moonlights as a "semi-professional paranormal investigator" has sued Upland Borough and two of its cops for allegedly arresting her and her children while they were performing an investigation, according to a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday.
Diane Briscoe and her sons, Jonathan and Alton, were hired in September 2010 to conduct a paranormal investigation at a house on Second Street in Upland, the suit said.
Briscoe, who has been a Chester cop for more than 20 years, alleges that she and her kids were ghost-hunting in the property when Upland cops burst in without a search warrant and handcuffed the trio at gunpoint.
The homeowner was not present, but Briscoe claims that she told police she had permission to be in the house, showed them a key, gave them the owner's phone number and told them she was a cop. She alleges that police did not call the homeowner to verify her claims.
Briscoe and her sons were charged with trespass and disorderly conduct, charges that later were dismissed in district court. She is suing the officers and Upland Borough for false arrest, assault and related charges.
What Briscoe doesn't mention in her lawsuit is that at the time of her investigation, the house had been found uninhabitable by Upland officials because of a recent fire, according to a January 2011 story in the Delaware County Daily Times.
Upland Borough Manager Shirley Purcival said she could not comment on pending lawsuits.

Source: Officer.Com

HAUNTED GOING ON`S IN WELSH PUB

VODKA, brandy and whisky aren't the only spirits at one Pontypool pub where so called ghosts have sent everyone from barmaids to builders running scared.

The souls of a little girl named Emily and a small boy in Victorian dress are said to be regular visitors to The Hanbury Arms, according to staff who don't like being in the building alone.

A man believed to a former executioner at the 1830s building where criminals were once hanged, is also said to be a frequent punter and staff believe they have captured evidence of their existence on videos, which show so called "orbs" of light darting about the bar.

Glasses have spontaneously smashed, lights have been switched on when no-one is in the room and even a barrel of cider was split open in the locked and empty cellar.

Even workmen refurbishing the building upstairs have downed tools claiming they have felt a bitterly cold presence whilst working, accompanied by an unexplained feeling of dread.

Manager Rhian Phillips claims to have heard whispers coming from the empty cellar and refuses to enter certain parts of the pub alone, while other staff have reported a strong smell of garlic in specific spots.

Since owner Sean O'Connor took over the pub last December three paranormal experts have visited and all have been convinced of the spirits presence.

But Mr O'Connor and his business partner Mark Baker, both 47, are not fazed and have instead taken a keen interest in finding out more.

Mr Baker has even ordered electrical magnetic field detectors, motion sensors and voice recorders from America in a bid to gather evidence.

He said: "It does not worry me, I just laugh at it, but it's not funny when it costs us money like when we lost 88 pints of Strongbow when the barrel was split."

Mr O'Connor added: "The experiences we have had have been so profound and tangible that you've got option but to believe it."

Source: SouthWalesArgus

FIRST TIME EVER ON TV OR THE INTERNET - A LIVE TELEVISED `HANDS ON HEALING` DEMONSTRATION ACROSS THE INTERNET

Chris Halton

Some of you may not be aware, but apart from my own psychic abilities I also possess the gift of spiritual or `hands on healing`.

Part of my work in the past was to link-up live to help sufferers using the medium of the internet. When I first attempted this I was sceptical, but I discovered that I had a similar success rate to subjects within my normal presence. Sceptics have claimed this merely to be a `placebo effect`, and if indeed it was as they claim, then I have still achieved my goal to help sufferers.

The process works with a sufferer placing their hand on their PC monitor and focussing on my words and the reciprocal connection will be made.

From the point of contact sufferers have felt a healing energy flow directly from their computer and into their body where the energy travels to attack and help any source of pain or discomfort.

This process does not cause any immediate side effects, but can give benefit where conventional healing has seemingly failed. Sometimes sufferers have felt off colour the following day, but generally if that occurs the results are generally indicative of a major improvement the day after.

Any person participating does so under the following binding conditions:

1) They are willing to participate entirely at their own risk with full legal consent and with no legal repercussions against myself, GTN or the host, Deborah Perkins . Although there has never been any known cases where people have suffered worse as a result, this disclaimer is legally necessary and binding by anyone who takes part. This disclaimer will be reiterated before the session takes place. Any participation is an acknowledgement of the conditions obligatory to all who take part.

2) If there are any benefits received from the session, the subjects (if under medication or medical advice) must continue with their prescribed treatment and if necessary speak  first with their own doctor for further advice.

3) I do not claim to guarantee any miracle cures, but the process may alleviate pain permanently or temporarily over a period of weeks.

4) Participants must be aged 18 years or older.

A full announcement as to the time will be made before the 14th through Facebook (chris halton haunted earth) and other sites on this networking medium.
Also a full announcement will be made on Haunted Earth`s Ghost World Blog on the day of the event.

THE NEW `HAUNTED EARTH SHOW` WITH FULL INVESTIGATION - SEPTEMBER 2012

My apologies for not being around here much in August 2012, this was due in part to my new show which is shared below, and also the tragic loss of a dear friend.

Now September is upon us, I am hopeful to be able to share any interesting paranormal news from the media, and of course updates on any new investigations.

Earlier in August 2012, Haunted Earth were invited by Harwich Paranormal Investigations to carry out an investigation at Harwich Redoubt Fort.
This structure was built in the early 19th century to protect the port of Harwich from a potential invasion or attack from French forces under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte. Fortunately the invasion never came, but the fort continued to be used by the military until the end of WWII.

The show includes a two part visit to the Harwich Redoubt, plus a review of the night`s events.
In addition we look back at some interesting phenomena captured on Haunted Earth investigations.

Below the video is an itinerary of the show`s program which was hosted on the GTN network.




Here is the very first Haunted Earth Show syndicated by GTN.
00:36 Introduction to the Harwich Redoubt with interviews with Steve Couzens and Michael Sewell of Harwich Paranormal Investigations who also act as guides in the fort.
03:51 Harwich Redoubt Fort daytime visit and walk around.
20:24 Harwich Redoubt Fort Night Investigation with a short visit to Beacon Hill Fort.
39:19 Discussion on the Redoubt Fort - covering key evidence.with video.
42:25 Discussion on the video of the Airfield Ghost - Caught on Cam, and Audio/Electronic Voice Phenomena with video.
47:34 Special announcement of live special on September 14th
Note: There is some audio drag on the discussion video which despite 2 uploads to Youtube cannot be synchronised on their system. My apologies, but I hope to rectify this by the next presentation.
Also the night investigation is an edited version of a much longer period spent on site.
My special thanks to:
Harwich Paranormal Investigations and Harwich Society.