My father was away working in Mulgrave. Soon my brothers and sisters refused to stay in the house overnight. They slept at an old woman’s, nearby.

It got so bad that I didn’t want to stay in the house. Something was there at noon and at midnight. I soon found somewhere else to stay, too. Then there was no one living at the house.

After we left the house for good, fishermen said they could see smoke coming from the chimney when they were in their boats. But there was no one in the house!

Father Didn’t Believe Me

An old man, Johnny Goyetche, was curious. “Would it bother you if I went to see for myself?” he asked. “I’ll leave it unlocked,” I answered. “It’s no use going before midnight. You won’t hear anything before then. Or else go at noon, during the day.” On the night he went, I watched from outside. After half an hour he came out and said, “Joe, I wouldn’t stay here.”

But my father didn’t believe there was anything wrong. He thought it was me playing tricks. One night when he was back from Mulgrave he decided we would both stay in the house overnight. At midnight he asked me “Did you hear anything?” We had both heard knocking on the wall. He lit his pipe and looked at me. “You say you’ve stayed here all alone at night? You’re brave!” he said.

Still, he wanted to fix the house up and have us move back in. My sister and I felt we had to do something. We would not stay in that house.