An Interesting Sensation. – The Haunted House of the Belleville Road. – Excitement in East St. Louis. – A Child’s Spirit in Blue – It Talks, Laughs and Does Many Wonderful Things – Testimony of an Eye-Witness.
East St. Louis has a veritable sensation. Not a criminal incident, nor an outré accident, but a haunted house. It is not exactly in East St. Louis, but near enough to be easily accessible and sufficiently peculiar in the character of its hauntings to excite a vast amount of comment and even no small amount of excitement.
The spirit possessed mansion is situated on the Belleville road, a little over two miles from East St. Louis. It is a small frame house, on what is known as the Bobbineaux farm, and is occupied by Mr. V. Bennett and family, and is a little withdrawn from the road. It is now some time ago since the first alleged spiritual manifestations occurred, but more recently the noises and voices have grown louder and more frequent until the fame thereof has run throughout St. Clair county and farther.
The producing cause of all the commotion is said to be the spirit of a little girl in blue who or which is frequently visible to a little girl of Mr. Bennett’s family. A curious feature of the affair is that the operations of the spirit or spirits are not confined to the night, but occur in the open day. Coats and other garments hung on hooks in the wall are seen suddenly to drop to the ground, then again they will move slowly up again and regain their position on the hook. Noises are heard, scratching noises, as if a child’s finger tips were being drawn over the dry plaster of the ceiling and walls. Disturbances will be heard in the garret, but on running up there it is found empty and silent. A child’s voice is reported to be often heard – a merry voice, suggestive of mischievous pranks. Nay, more, it is firmly alleged that the voice answers questions – not difficult queries, but such as could be answered by any ordinary young girl. Sometimes the voice is a faint elfin whisper, then again more clearly a genuine human voice. It will keep up a dialogues sometime, and at others will only speak in sentences and be audible to particular persons. This saucy spirit, however, goes further and pulls the children’s dresses and disturbs furniture. On Friday, as is reported, one of the little girls was coming in from the well and could hardly get along, owing to “the way the thing was pulling me.”
As above indicated, one of the family, a little girl, avers that she sees the spirit. It is that of a little girl about twelve years of age, dressed in a blue merino frock with furs and wearing a bonnet and cloak.
Numbers of people from East St. Louis and vicinity have visited the house, and all come away amazed with the wonder. Among others it is said Father Zabel, of the Catholic Institute, was called to the house on Thursday, and expressed the opinion that it was an evil spirit. A special reporter dispatched to the scene became unnerved, and could only furnish disjointed memoranda of his visit. Yesterday Col. Jarrott, Mayor of East St. Louis, proceeded to the house with several other gentlemen. The returned home convinced there was something in it. Here are some notes of one of the party:
Leaving the city of Illinoistown in our rear, we took an easterly course from the turn-pike, and soon discovered the house occupied by a Mr. Vital Bennett. The house is one of those rural edifices which may be seen in all farming communities throughout the State of Illinois. We passed through a narrow gate, and were soon greeted by the fierce bark of the faithful watch-dog, who seemed disposed to dispute our passage. The house is a small frame building, composed of two rooms and a garret overhead. We were greeted at the door by a sweet little girl of twelve summers, who said, “Come in, gentlemen, and see the spirit.” Taking a seat in the neatly furnished parlor, and feeling ourselves at home, we laid our things outside and hung our outer garments on a nail. Engaged for a moment, we turned around, and our garments had disappeared. What has become of them? No one could tell; only they are gone. Entering into a conversation “with the spirit,” we were told who we were, where we came from, and what our business was. Little Hattie, the child of Mr. Bennett, is the only person who can see the wonderful spectre, whom she defines as being a child of, apparently, about twelve years of age, dressed in a blue merino frock, with furs, bonnet and cloak. Clothes, articles of furniture, barrels of flour, and in fact, every movable object within the house has been removed from its position. Doors are opened, unhung, and removed; lights blown out are relighted; garments on the family are repeatedly pulled and handled, and something is awaiting a demonstration; and –
Here our communication breaks off.
Such being the position of matters, no doubt the house will be haunted by hosts of visitors. The family is described as a simple, rural household, and totally unable to understand the so-called manifestations themselves. During to-day it is said quite a large party will visit Mr. Bennett’s from East St. Louis.
An explanation of a haunted house can generally be found other than that furnished by the lovers of the marvelous and supernatural, but in the meantime the house on the Belleville road promises to become as famous as the house at Waterdown. A child’s spirit in blue; laughing, talking, pulling one’s clothes, rattling furniture, blowing out lights and relighting them again, with its pretty little fiery electric lips. Here’s a sensation that should awake all the curiosity of St. Louis Spiritualists, and which beats Harper’s Magazine story all to nothing.
We await further developments.
Transcribed from the St. Louis Republic newspaper – Sunday, January 30, 1870
