While visiting the Island of Jamaica this week, I decided to dig into its dark past to bring you tales that might provide a bit of a chill on these hot Summer days. Enjoy!
The Caribbean island of Jamaica has seen much tumult over the
centuries. It has been fought over by warring powers during the height of
European colonization; it was a notorious haven for pirates and privateers; and
it was, as many of these islands were, a stronghold of the trans-Atlantic slave
trade. However, these are the broad strokes; this palm-fringed paradise has
also been home to smaller, more mysterious conflicts that defy rational
explanation and leave the denizens of Jamaica confused and afraid, as was the
case with a tormented young girl over 80 years ago...
14 year old Muriel McDonald—a sensible, unimaginative girl,
according to press reports—was living with the head mistress of her school,
Miss C. E. Johnson, at the teacher's cottage in Roehampton, Jamaica in the
spring of 1931 when peculiar things began to manifest. Stones would be hurled
at the cottage by unseen hands, and once inside, would levitate and ricochet
around the room under their own volition. Soon books, pots, and jars joined the
kinetic maelstrom afflicting the small cottage.
Those in witness of these events quickly noted the strange
phenomenon only occurred in Muriel's presence. However, despite taking the
brunt of the physical assaults, the young girl seemed unperturbed by it. Miss
Johnson, however, was never stuck by any of the stones or other objects. If any
of the missiles came near her, they would suddenly drop to the floor. It was as
if she had a force field around her. As for Muriel, people had to watch over
her constantly to ensure her safety. In one instance, the girl had picked up a hammer
only to find it ripped from her hands by this unseen force, fly high into the
air, and come plummeting down with frightening speed. It would have struck her
head had it not been for the interference of those around her. People began
keeping a watch over the pair even as they slept, but it made no difference.
Even while dreaming, the stones and other objects would hurl about.
The situation dragged on for weeks. June 6th, 7th, and 8th were
among the worst days during the ordeal. Scores of men and women came to the
cottage to witness the events and pray for those living therein, but bottles,
bricks, and even tables were being violently tossed about the small cottage. A
local boy, Martel Hurlock, picked up one of the many stones, wrote his name on
it, and flung it out the door. In short order, the same autographed pebble shot
back through a window, bounced off the ceiling, and hit the floor with
incredible force. One wall of the house was being demolished by the force in
order to use its materials as a greater source of projectiles. Eventually Miss
Johnson was forced to leave for her sanity and safety.
Those in attendance spoke of other bizarre phenomena. In one
instance, a lamp had been hurled through a small hole in a wall, but when an
onlooker tried to pass it back through that same hole, it would not fit. A
stone weighing roughly half a pound was thrown through a glass pane without
damage. Occasionally, it was noticed, that some the stones manifested from the
ceiling, leaving the plaster undamaged.
It seemed the consensus was that some sort of malevolent spirit (duppies, as they are known on Jamaica
and other islands in the Caribbean) was at work, a violent poltergeist. Muriel,
in fact, claimed to see a ghostly agent at the heart of the activity, but no
one else did. She stated that whenever she tried to draw their attention to
him, the entity would indicate threateningly that she should keep quiet. She
told how she saw these duppies all
the time, but that she most frequently saw a man in white following her about.
However, her descriptions don't sound particularly ghostly. She recounted how
he spied on her from back of the house and intercepted her as she tried to go
to the latrine. On several occasions, she was able to chase him away by
throwing a rock or setting her dog on him. Still, she associated this man with
the strange happenings at the cottage, indicating that he often slapped,
pinched, and otherwise molested her. He would also knock things from her hands
or hurl stones and masonry at her. Muriel further indicated that she only
encountered the man and the phenomenon at Miss Johnson's cottage. While Muriel
said that she was a bit afraid of these strange goings-on, she was nonetheless
feeling all right. She added that she loved Miss Johnson and their life
together at the cottage.
It should be noted that Muriel's encounter wasn't unique. Other,
similar stone-throwing events had happened on the island around the time,
including one investigated by Lord Sydney Olivier when he was governor of
Jamaica. This case is peculiar in the annals of hauntings and poltergeists
because it seems to combine elements of both when they are frequently unrelated
phenomena. Parapsychologists and psychical researchers have shown over many
decades of research that true poltergeist happenings follow a particular
pattern that often includes an adolescent girl around whom these kinetic
manifestations center. It is believed these spontaneous psychokinetic
manifestations arise from a psyche in tumult as it teeters on the hormonal
precipice of adulthood. Yet, for all accounts, Muriel was happy where she was.
Still, one has to wonder about the circumstances surrounding her living
situation.
No details were given in the reporting of the time to indicate why
it was that Muriel was living with her teacher and not her family. Furthermore,
there is an almost sadistically lecherous aspect to her encounters with the Man
in White that cannot be overlooked. Could Muriel's powerful subconscious be
acting out against a suppressed rage? That she would be the focus of the
attacks isn't uncommon either. In many of these cases, the agent is the
individual most tormented by the force. Some suspect this is tantamount to
self-harm, a paranormal manifestation of low self-esteem.
Inexplicably, the spontaneous manifestation of hurtling
stones (lithobolia) is a common thread among many of these. As are other
aspects of Muriel's case. In fact, it is highly reminiscent of the Centrahoma
Poltergeist as well as similar events in Guyra, Australia; Birmingham, England;
and New Castle, New Hampshire.
Eventually, Muriel was persuaded to abandon the cottage,
after which the stone throwing ceased. This is yet another example of that
blurred line between ghostly happenings and psychic phenomena that surrounds
this case. It would seem that Muriel’s departure coinciding with the cessation
of activity is an indication that she was, indeed, the locus of the phenomenon.
However, Muriel wasn’t plagued thereafter, by all accounts, by these strange
stone throwing shenanigans, which indicates that these events were
location-based.
No proper investigation was conducted by law
enforcement, the press, or psychical investigators. Much of what the press
reported at the time was tantamount to hearsay, if later investigations are to
be believed. While it seems obvious that something
happened at the Roehampton cottage, just how spectacular it truly was remains
in dispute. Instances of lithobolia, as stated, are not uncommon in poltergeist
cases, but as time marched on, the press was relaying increasingly incredible
events. It could be these accounts were somewhat dressed up to keep a newspaper
buying public interested.
Was there a hoax afoot? Such claims have been levied
before against claimants of poltergeist phenomena. Again, the case lacked
proper investigation, thus remaining a mystery that provides more questions
that it can ever answer.
Much of what we know of this tale comes from Psychic Phenomena of Jamaica (1934), by
Joseph J. Williams, professor of Cultural Anthropology at Boston College. In
this tome, Williams also recounts how in 1917 he was visiting a ‘notorious
obeah district’ (Obeah being a syncretic Afro-Caribbean belief system similar
to Vodou, Santeria, and others) in the mountains of St. Mary’s Parish when he
was asked by a man to come and bless his house. The man said his family was
unable to eat because and Obeah curse had been placed on them all. Whenever
they would try to place food in their mouths, it would be flung away by an unseen
force. Williams thought it sounded far-fetched, but nonetheless ventured to the
village where he was stuck by the general fervor in the air. Clearly something
had the locals riled up. When he arrived at the man’s home, a small crowd was
already in attendance, awaiting both more strange food-flinging antics and what
ministrations Williams could bring to the tormented family. After talking to
the locals, Williams came to the conclusion that whatever was going on, they
truly believed it supernatural. Still, he saw nothing unusual himself, so he
blessed the home and departed the village.
The Ashanti or Asante are a Twi-speaking people of
present-day Ghana who ruled over a once rich and powerful empire several
centuries ago. During the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, a large Diaspora of
Ashanti arrived in Jamaica where their religion co-mingled with that of
Christians. Among their beliefs is that of the mmoatia (sometimes referred to
as chichiriga), or little people, a duppie that might best be described as
something of an imp or fairy. They can be boons or banes, depending on their
mood and how they are treated. Most people can't see them and is these that
some say cause the poltergeist-like phenomena. It is said when they are mischievous
they will throw stones that behave in ways that no stone should, such as
passing through walls unscathed or hitting people with little to no
effect.