I have been feeling less than motivated to write lately. The current state of the paranormal field has me feeling frustrated and disappointed. I feel as though many have lost sight of the reason why we spend our free time and hard earned money on this “hobby.” So, I am going back to basics. I am spending more time reading and researching. When I do not feel the urge to write, I can at least transcribe some of the fun things I find through my research.

So today, I am going to start a series of posts that are transcriptions from old newspaper articles. We can learn a lot by visiting our past. I hope you will enjoy these trips into history.

Mischievous Spirit That Did Not Work –

Poltergeist Boy Plays Happily at Negative Psychic Test –

Objects Remain Still

Poltergeists are mischievous spirits, so the Spiritualists tell us.

Perhaps that is why the “struck” yesterday, when little Douglas Drew, who is said to be possessed of a poltergeist spirit, was given a chance of demonstrating it in the presence of a dozen London Pressmen.

Douglas is a pale schoolboy of eight, who doesn’t know what poltergeist means and has never heard of spiritualism.

One of the most common of poltergeist phenomena – according to the spiritualists- is the throwing about of moveable objects in the presence of the person “possessed.” Arrayed on the table in front of Douglas at the National Laboratory of Psychical Research yesterday was a collection of small objects. Douglas played contentedly with a big musical box for an hour, but not even an ash tray moved.

To test a theory that the alleged psychic phenomena might be due to an accumulation of static electricity in the boy, Mr. Harry Price, director of the laboratory, had fixed an elaborate electrical trap. It was so arranged that the secondary current sent out from the boy would have passed into a wire and knocked over a row of glasses perched perilously on the edge of a sideboard. But though Douglas fidgeted the glasses remained in position.

The test will be duly recorded as “negative.”

Transcribed from The Daily Sketch of London, England – Published Thursday, March 1, 1928