Inferences from Haunted Houses and Haunted Men | Page 5

flew at their pet prey the priests, yet a bishop was too
imposing for them; and after he had blessed the house from top to
bottom, they left it quiet for the remaining week of Miss Freer's
stay.[17]
[Footnote 17: "Alleged Haunting," p. 215.]
This might be sufficient to lull any further zeal the Catholic regular
clergy might find for the matter.
Again the strange fact may be noted that, a gardener coming every
night to look after the stoves between 10 and 10.30, no noises were
noted at that time, with one exception. The gardener therefore kept the
ghosts away.
But the one exception was when a servants' ball was being given, and
the gardener was in the house, in the billiard-room, where the supper
was served. To obtain re-hypnotism it was necessary for the disturbers
to approach the house. Their object would easily be affected with
people already hypnotised in the railway station or train.
These would suffer from fatigue and nervousness, but would put it
down to the journey.
The approach to the house with rights of way close by would be very
easy. The brave garrison who were so well commanded by Miss Freer,
and who, with three or four exceptions, support her account, were
generally affected (if well known, and not as Mr. Z., the editor's son,
too dangerous) on the first night of their arrival at B----.
Miss Freer and Miss Moore, her comrade who shared her bedroom
during the greater part of the B---- siege, were thus attacked. Mr. L.F.
was disturbed, and also Colonel Taylor (in whose name the house was
taken, and who was almost impervious to influences), on their first

night at B----. Why the Honourable E.F. did not suffer at all is not clear.
Perhaps he was left alone on account of his scientific capacities.
Three gentlemen who arrived together were not affected; there is
strength in numbers; and whilst people talking to each other are harder
to influence for two or three reasons, they further unconsciously watch
over each other. Mr. W. stayed two days and heard nothing; his
scepticism was convinced later. Mr. MacP. experienced nothing in four
nights, but on a later visit heard sounds. Mr. C., an Edinburgh solicitor,
heard voices in the glen, on the second occasion of a vision being seen
there by Miss Freer, which was during his first visit.
Perhaps it may be guessed that the three gentlemen travelled with no
heavy luggage, and their identity and destination was not detected. The
vision seen most was that of a nun in the black dress commonest
among nuns.
It was seen moving about on a very steep bank, a bank apparently too
steep for walking, and was only visible against the snow. Miss Freer
did not look on the bank for tracks.
It may be noted that on the two previous days in the neighbourhood of
this glen a terrier, who never barked except under strong excitement,
had barked at the same hour, but no vision was seen; on the 6th of
February the dog had been taken off in another direction. After seeing
the vision in the glen, Miss Freer almost always heard strange sounds at
night.
The inference is that in the glen, where there was plenty of cover, and
where, judging by the dog's barking, suspicious persons lurked, Miss
Freer was hypnotised, made to see an apparition, and left susceptible to
a further operation that night. Later on it says, "the dog ran up, pointed,
and ran straight for the two women." This was on the second occasion
of a grey woman appearing, and the third occasion of the black nun
being seen. He was found barking in the glen; no cause could be found;
a lurking stranger is a possible explanation. It may be noted, that the
pointing attitude in a dog of the smaller breeds means reflection, and
that something puzzled it, perhaps its mistress's attitude; but its going

on barking would indicate the steady retreat of some one who
frightened it.
At least three voices were heard--perhaps more. Phenomena were
scarce; the gang's powers were still limited, though the horror they
inflicted showed that they reached the bounds of some of the victims'
strength. Miss Freer not only heard sounds in the house, where she was
less exposed than in the glen, but saw apparitions on four occasions.
The visions that can be inflicted telepathically, i.e. hypnotically, seem
to be at first limited to two kinds--first, the vision of the person himself:
this hallucination has often been effected by honest experimentalists;
secondly, and this is rather matter of inference, a rascal who has
hypnotised a person may be unable to get rid of the image of his victim,
and transfers the ghost that haunts him to another subject.