Famous Ghosts: The Cottage City Poltergeist

Down the road from Washington, D.C., there lays a quiet little suburb called Cottage City. It’s an old town whose history predates the Revolutionary War.
Although the age of the city has never been mentioned as a factor for this haunting, mentioning it now brings to mind some very interesting possibilities
. . .

The Cottage City Poltergeist became famous in 1949 when a thirteen-year-old boy named “Robbie” became the subject of poltergeist manifestations.

At first, rats were suspected as the source of all the scratching going on in the house—weird, creepy scratching that emanated from the ceiling and then
from behind the walls. It grew louder and stronger, yet no exterminator could find evidence of rodents.

Following the scratching, the sounds of footsteps began to manifest in the halls of the house. Specifically, they were the sounds of squeaky shoes on disembodied
feet. Robbie’s family grew concerned and after several weeks, blamed the cause of such eerie incidents as visitations from an evil spirit. Who could fault
them for this conclusion since Robbie’s bed was known to vibrate violently for no reason and objects moved constantly in his presence by unseen hands?
There were strange, inexplicable noises in the home and frequent games of tug-of-war as Robbie fought to retain possession of his bedclothes. At times,
his attempts proved fruitless, and Robbie was dragged to the floor, sheets and all.

A Lutheran minister was called upon to help. Reverend Luther Schulze tried to assist the boy in many ways, including attempting to help him sleep. The manifestations
had carried on for so long that the boy was extremely sleep deprived, which the Reverend suspected exacerbated the situation. Therefore, the Reverend extended
an invitation to the boy for an overnight with his wife and him, to which Robbie’s parents agreed. During the night, however, the household was awakened
by the sound of Robbie’s bed vibrating violently. At that point, the Reverend suggested Robbie sleep upright in a heavy armchair. Instead of getting the
rest intended, though, the boy – and the chair – was moved around the room by an invisible force. The chair was in fact, actually slammed into the wall.
Because the boy appeared to be in a trance, the Reverend suggested the assistance of mental health professionals.

The situation worsened and Robbie experienced dermography (the appearance of writing and designs on the skin.) The ghastly red, cryptic messages appeared
to say, “Go to St. Louis!” and as a result, Robbie was sent to visit his aunt and admitted to a St. Louis hospital for treatment. By then, he had begun
to act like someone who truly was possessed—-growling, drooling and carrying on.

While in St. Louis, Robbie was introduced to some Jesuit priests who claimed Robbie was demon possessed and an exorcism was begun immediately. For days,
the Jesuit priests, aided by Reverend Schulze, performed the ritual. After several weeks, Robbie came out of it and the entire episode resolved.

Since that time, much speculation has surrounded the incident, including the theory that Robbie was just an ill-mannered boy who duped his parents and everyone
else into believing he was possessed by a demon.

Now, many of you may wonder why this ghost is regarded as famous. After all, the town of Cottage City commands no great recognition and most people have
never even heard of it.

Why then, would this case be famous?

Well, the answer to that question lies in a 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty; a novel that was the basis for a movie in 1973, called The Exorcist.

With a few (or a lot) of minor (well . . . actually, major) differences, The Cottage City Poltergeist is the true-life foundation for one of the scariest
horror films in history. Perhaps the true back-story is what makes the movie so terrifying. The terror this movie evoked was so great, it made a huge impact
on the world.

Which reminds me . . .

It’s Halloween. It’s time to give The Exorcist another look. (Especially that scene where she scurries down the stairs like a crab. That always gets me!
Have to keep the lights on for days afterward.)

When the Dead Come Calling

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon when Margaret parked her car in front of the garage. Opening the hatchback, she extracted two armloads of groceries and
trotted up the walk to the back door. The phone began to ring as Margaret fumbled through the door, placed the groceries on the counter, and then reached
for the cordless.

She glanced at the caller ID, but the LED was blank. In fact, the receiver’s entire control panel was completely dead.

“Hello?” she asked after clicking the “on” button.

A shot of static roared through the receiver, followed by silence.

After a crackling pause, a faint voice said, “Hello Bess. I haven’t much time.” Another surge of static overwhelmed the call.

Margaret didn’t need equipment to identify the caller. Despite the strange quality in the voice, there was only one person in the world who called her by
that nickname. She held the receiver away from her ear until the static subsided.

“Granny! How are you?” responded Margaret cheerfully.

“I’m fine dear. I’m just calling to tell you that I really enjoyed our visit-“

Another surge of static overwhelmed the line.

“Granny . . . ? Are you still there?” implored Margaret, leaning forward, trying to hear through the noise and intercept the caller.

She was answered by the hollow sound of a dead line.

Margaret quickly punched her grandmother’s number into the keypad, but was unable to get an answer. After several attempts, she assumed line trouble and
carried on with her activities.

The next day, Margaret learned that her grandmother passed away from a heart attack not more than an hour before Margaret received that telephone call.

George and his wife had been estranged for years and after three decades of marriage, had finally decided to give it a break. That had been over a year
ago, and George was still adjusting to life alone in his rented farmhouse on the edge of town.

George was working in the barn when the phone on the wall began to ring. Immediately, George noticed that the ring tone sounded odd, having an abnormally
flat quality.

He picked up the receiver.

The voice was that of his wife Abigail who now resided two states away. Usually, her voice was strained and tense because they had fought bitterly for the
past ten years. Although there was a time when the two were inseparable, she certainly was no longer George’s biggest fan.

But tonight was different. Abby’s voice was warm and loving and George sensed she had an intense desire to communicate. It was as though this phone call
was the most important call in the world, as if this was a pivotal moment in his life. He listened contentedly as Abby recounted their years together.
She apologized with deep sincerity for the animosity that had risen between them. George’s heart melted as her kind words caressed his soul. He wiped a
hot tear from his cheek as the love he had for his wife came rushing back. For the first time he realized how much he had missed this woman and the love
they had shared so long ago.

Nearly half an hour passed as George listened to his wife and exchanged sentiments. They were finally making peace, but in the most unlikely place at the
most unlikely time. He wanted to see his Abby now, to hold her in his arms. He begged to see her, even if it meant he had to leave right that minute and
drive all night to get there.

But his passionate approach was met with rejection.

“No, don’t come,” Abby retorted. “Please George. Let’s just enjoy this moment while we can.”

After several more minutes of conversation, Abigail said abruptly, “I must go now, my love. . . goodbye.”

The call ended with a click and George stood there, dazed, for several long moments. Eventually he hung up the receiver. But as the light illuminated the
wall where the phone was hung, George noticed curiously the cord that connected the phone to the service was missing.

Two states away, the doctor pulled a crisp white sheet over Abigail’s face and called out her time of death.

____________

Receiving phone calls from the dead is a rather common type of paranormal phenomenon. However, it is a very difficult phenomenon to document–let alone,
prove. The phenomenon is random and unpredictable. Since no one knows when or if they will experience it, people are not prepared when it occurs, making
it difficult to substantiate.

However, it has been reported and experienced by many.

It can occur whether the target knows the caller is dead or not. Sometimes the ring can be abnormal, other times completely usual. There have been reports
of calls put through by vague, unknown and untraceable operators. The calls can be brief or even quite lengthy.

There are only two things that are certain about this phenomenon: the experience is unnerving and unforgettable.

Halloween Story

Just a laugh for the season.      

A man is walking home  alone late one foggy Halloween night, when behind him he hears:

BUMP…

BUMP…

BUMP…

Walking faster, he looks back and through the fog he makes out the image of an upright casket banging its way down the middle of the street toward him.

BUMP…

BUMP…

BUMP…

Terrified, the man begins to run toward his home, the casket bouncing quickly behind him.

FASTER…

FASTER..

BUMP…

BUMP…

BUMP……

He runs up to his door, fumbles with his keys, opens the door, rushes in, slams and locks the door behind him. However, the casket crashes through his
door, with the lid of the casket clapping.

clappity-BUMP…

clappity-BUMP….

clappity-BUMP…

on his heels, as the terrified man runs.

Rushing upstairs to the bathroom, he locks himself in. His heart is pounding; his head is reeling; his breath is coming in sobbing gasps.

With a loud CRASH the casket breaks down the door.

Bumping and clapping toward him.

The man screams and reaches for something, anything, but all he can find is a bottle of cough syrup! Desperate, he throws the cough syrup at the casket…

and,

 
(hopefully you’re ready for this!!!)

 
The coffin stops