The “Seed Hill Ghost” is covered more fully in this blog post.
The Seed Hill Ghost.
The something which we last week denominated a ghost of percussion, is reported still to give indications that it has not “vanished at the crowing of the cock,” which proves that it has no kinship with those of olden time. It still continues its knockings. The oraculous have predicted that it will quit its vocation, if not this sublunary sphere, on the day following April Fool’s day, when, after the knock of a certain hammer, its mission will have ended, and the ghost will be laid.
The Secret of the Ghost Out.
On Friday morning the cause of the mysterious knocking at Seed Hill oozed out in the following manner :– On Thursday a servant girl of about 13 years of age, named Catherine Hayley, had pulled the bed clothes from the beds and thrown some of the pillows down the stairs, and then came down to another older servant, called Harriet Dyson, making a dolorous noise in order to frighten her. Mr. Routledge having returned home from the Bradford market was told of this new trick, and the next morning (Friday) he challenged Catherine with the whole imposture. She at first denied the charge, but Mr. R., persisting strongly in his surmise, she at length admitted that she had begun the knockings to frighten the other servant girl – Dyson. The way in which she produced the alarm was by beating the washing machine, which stands in the corner of the kitchen, with a crutch-like stick. The girl was taken into custody and examined by the police and other parties, but nothing has been elicited from her of being in collusion either with Mr. R. or any body else. No farther proceedings, that we know of, will be taken against her.