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If you have any paranormal experiences you would like to share with us, e-mail us at the address below. Ghostly Tales Aminityville Horror-Fact or Fiction Information from: Castle Of Spirits The most famous haunting of all time...Or is it the most famous HOAX? The Amityville Horror story remains to this day the ultimate ghost story. With tales of demonic pigs, possessions, hauntings and ghosts it remains a favorite story to be told by the flickering light of a campfire, or in the dark depths of night at sleepovers. There is a lot of reliable evidence that the case was a hoax – including books, television documentaries and other media easily accessible to this day. I say “reliable” evidence because there are a few unscrupulous people out there who still claim to own footage from the house showing demons and evidence of evil and paranormal activity. Such people also claim to have current reports of ghostly goings-on inside the house. Of course there is no reason to accept that this evidence is genuine and reliable. Proof of the supposed "evil" in the house has never been presented and only ever exposed as hoaxed or ridiculous. We tend to question the credibility of the people who claim to own this type of evidence. For some odd reason this particular case seems to stir up people’s emotions, ranging from mild to extreme. Some feel frauded after being led to believe the case was real all their lives and then hearing that it isn’t. Some people are probably relieved to hear that this scary story is only a fiction. Then, some people live for the idea that the case is real, and have based livelihoods and beliefs on the idea that this particular haunting is genuine. Unfortunately sometimes these people will not believe otherwise, and we can’t expect to change their minds with mere logic. We do, however, submit to our readers that there is a lot of mystery in the world to allow us to preserve our sense of wonder. The fact that this alleged mystery is patently untrue should not be any reason to get upset, it simply allows us to direct our energies elsewhere. The case has indeed been debunked by many experts considered to be foremost in the fields of parapsychological and paranormal investigation. To this day, there is not one genuine paranormal researcher, who takes his or her research seriously, is willing to work with genuine evidence and believes in telling that truth, who will support the case as being real. This is an undeniable FACT. In the summer of 1975 George (a.k.a. Lee) and Kathy Lutz moved along with their three young children into their dream home in the affluent suburb of Amityville, NY. (George and Kathy Lutz in earlier happy days) They knew about the famous DeFeo murders that had recently taken place in the house they had just bought, but claimed that these were of no concern to them and moved in regardless. After living in the house for 10 days the Lutzes suddenly abandoned all their possessions and moved out of their beloved new home. They quickly went public and told of the horrors that that tormented them in the house. *The horrors they spoke of included: amityville house * Levitating demonic pigs * Ghostly voices that told them and a local priest to "get out!" * A “pit into hell” located in the basement * Oozing slime and blood from the walls * Uncontrollable urges to repeat the murders that had happened in the house previously * Infestations of flies * Waking up every night at the exact same time that the DeFeo murders took place. THE DEFEO MURDERS In the early hours of the morning on November 13 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr., then aged only 23, took a high powered rifle and murdered his father Ronald Snr (43), mother Louise (43), sisters, Dawn (18) and Allison (13), along with his two small brothers, Mark (12) and John (9). The locals were devastated. The DeFeos were a well known family within the community. Their children attended the local schools with the other children of Amityville. Locals looked on with horror as Ronadl DeFeo Jr. was taken away by police. He was later tried and convicted for all of the murders. The court found that Ronald DeFeo Jr.’s motive for murdering his family was the US$200,000 insurance that was payable to him. It was said that he drugged the family at dinner time so they would not awaken as he moved from room to room shooting each one with a rifle. (Ronald DeFeo applied for parole in September 1999 and was refused) Once the Lutzes went public with their horror story of life inside the DeFeo house, professional paranormal investigators such as Stephen Kaplan began to follow the story… and soon found themselves dragged in to the web the Lutzes were weaving. In fact the Lutzes changed their story quite a few times. As time went on the story became much more elaborate, and the Lutzes declared that they had lived in the house for 28 days, instead of the original claim of 10 days. The media didn’t help with the truth behind the Amityville story. It is rare that the media comes upon such an unusual story and they certainly took to this one with full force. The sad fact is that the newspaper and magazine reporters who covered the story knew it was a potential winner and quickly over-sensationalised it, allowing the real evidence and reports to be obscured by rumour and heresay. In fact the house by this time had been investigated for evidence of paranormal activity. The investigators found that the house was very comfortable with no evidence whatsoever of any paranormal activity. The media were not interested in evidence. Professionals such as Stephen Kaplan, Director of the well respected Society For Psychical Research, would send letters to newspspers and magazines pointing out that their reports were misleading the public and also adding to the much wanted publicity for the Lutzes. These letters were ignored. The Lutzes appeared to welcome publicity with open arms. Although they claimed to Dr. Kaplan that they wanted to get to the bottom of the haunting, they would mislead him and his team of investigators, and deny access to the house to conduct proper investigations. Although they would claim to professional paranormal investigators that they did not want any publicity, they would happily grant access to camera crews from popular television shows. A new family had already moved into the house by this time. They were established in the house by the time that the Lutzes’ story was given so much publicity. Unfortunately they soon found themselves subjected to the unwanted attention of lots of tourists when the book was released and the Lutzes started touring the country with their story. Besides the DeFeos who were murdered, the other victims of this story are the community of Amityville. Being a close knit community, all were deeply affected by the loss of a well known and much loved family. Now they have all been forced to endure ongoing problems as tourists try to track down the original Amityville house. The house which once had the address of 112 Ocean Avenue, now has a different street number and facing in an attempt to deter some of the pesky tourists. The residents of Ocean Avenue, Amityville still suffer from nuisance tourists breaking into their homes and taking souvenirs, who seem to think that any house on Ocean Avenue has some relation to the Amityville House. Residents also report of being rudely accosted on the street by visitors demanding to know where the “Demon House” is. It is sad that they are forced to live on with the trouble that the Amityville case caused – they never asked for it in the first place. The unfortunate new owners of the Lutz house were so stressed by the publicity targeted at their new home that they actually took out a lawsuit against the Lutzes and the publishers. The case was settled out of court. An attorney, William Weber (who was actually Ronald DeFeo's defense lawyer) jumped in on the scene. He was also suing the Lutzes for stealing his ideas for the Amityville story. His case was also settled out of court. The judge stated that with all the discrepancies and exaggerations in the story, the book was a lot of nonsense. The real truth was eventually uncovered... The Lutzes had discovered that they were after all unhappy about living in the house where the murders had been committed. They decided to abandon it and go live with a relative for a while to think about their situation. The relative suggested to them that they could expand on their "bad feelings" and make it into a really good ghost story. The Lutzes then met with William Weber seeking more information about the murders and what went on in the house. William WeberWilliam was about to write a book about the murders, and he discussed with the Lutzes the idea of adding their impressions of the house to his book. He showed them pictures and gave them a lot of informationabout the crime scene – enough to provide them with quite a story. It was shortly after this meeting that the Lutzes first went public with their haunting story. Weber went along with it all at first but became disillusioned when the stories started getting exaggerated. He then backed out of the entire thing. Weber still wanted to write his book on the murders but the Lutzes beat him to it with their own book. Findings of Stephen Kaplan Ph.D – The Amityville Horror Conspiracy Stephen Kaplan, PH.D., and Roxanne Salch Kaplan. Stephen Kaplan Bio: Born 19/09/40 – Graduated from City College of New York with a BA in Sociology and a Master’s degree in Communication skills. Earned a 2nd Masters’ degree in Interdisciplinary Studies at the State University of N.Y at Stony Brook. Also received the Chi Epsilon Delta award as an instructor of parapsychology and occult sciences. Earned his Ph.D. in Sociology, Pacific College, 1977 for his thesis on the sociological implications of parapsychology. Stephen Kaplan was dedicated to research of strange phenomena and had the well earned reputation of being ’unbuyable’. It was also well known that he never profited from any of his findings, including the Amityville Horror. He was also dedicated to making the public aware when they had been defrauded no matter what the cost to his reputation and private life. He sadly passed away on 9 June 1995, just before his book “The Amityville Horror Conspiracy” went to press. Stephen Kaplan labeled the Amityville Horror as “the greatest haunted house hoax in America”. Report of Dr. Kaplan’s Amityville Investigations * Dr. Kaplan was first approached by George Lutz on February 16, 1976 for an investigation of the Amityville House after Newsday, a well known Long Island newspaper, reported the supposed “Haunted House”. * In a phone conversation George Lutz told Dr. Kaplan that he was “afraid” and that he had already contacted the Psychical Research Foundation in Durham, North Carolina and the American Society for Psychical Research in Manhattan. He had asked these organisations to investigate and find out what was happening in the house. He also claimed to have no knowledge of the occult (including ghosts, demons and witchcraft). He seemed to be genuine about wanting an answer at this point. * Dr. Kaplan agreed to investigate the house and arranged to meet George Lutz there. He also notified George Lutz at this point that they would not hesitate to expose the case if it was found to be a hoax. * George Lutz then refused to go back into the house, claiming he was too frightened to return. He also asked Dr. Kaplan how much he would charge for the investigation. Dr. Kaplan told him that there was no charge for investigations, and he arranged a time to meet George Lutz at a nearby mall. * The following Thursday Dr. Kaplan received an unexpected call from George Lutz canceling the investigation. This was annoying for Dr. Kaplan, who had organized a team of 8 people who had to take time off work and get children looked after for the night of the investigation. George Lutz’s excuse for the cancellation was that he did not want any more publicity for his family. He took a “rain check” to and postponed the investigation for a few weeks time. * Dr. Kaplan noted that only a week or so after first speaking to George Lutz, a special program was aired on the 10 pm news, covering a séance that was held at 112 Ocean Avenue, the Amityville House. Dr. Kaplan was now suspicious of a hoax, wondering why someone who claimed that they didn’t want publicity would allow their story to be broadcast on the eveningnews. He decided to keep track of the case privately. * A month or so later Dr. Kaplan was again contacted by George Lutz, and asked to do an investigation of the house. Lutz now claimed that there were demons in the house – and that he even knew the names of these alleged demons. * George Lutz admitted to Dr. Kaplan that he had been reading books on demonology, witchcraft, satanism, ghosts and psychic phenomena. He claimed that if he mentioned the demons’ names they would appear, adding that he had taken “a crash course in the occult”. * Lutz then stated that he had been in association with a well known expert on witchcraft in the Long Island area over the past couple of years. An unusual claim for a person who alleged that he knew nothing of the occult before the Amityville event! * After a lengthy conversation with George Lutz, Stephen Kaplan agreed to another investigation of the house. He was highly suspicious at this point. * George Lutz also hinted that he was a friend or an acquaintance of “Ronnie” DeFeo and also knew rather intimate details of the murder case which he discussed with Kaplan. * Dr. Kaplan informed Lutz once again that he would expose the Amityville case if he found that it was a hoax. * George Lutz held a press conference that same day, at the office of William Weber, Ronald DeFeo’s lawyer for the murder case. * At the press conference the Lutz family reported that they were helping with a new case for Ronald DeFeo. They explained that a “strong force” made them move out of the house 28 days after they had moved in. Remember that they had previously told Dr. Kaplan and others that they had moved after 10 days. Suddenly George Lutz stated that he knew nothing of demons or the occult, and claimed that he and his family had moved out because of some kind of unexplainable physical phenomena. * There was another inconsistency at this stage. One newspaper article had stated that the Lutz family moved in to the house on December 18th. But a previous article stated that they bought the house on December 23rd and moved in a few days later. * Dr. Kaplan was approached by the Long Island Press, who allegedly told him that if he stated that the Amityville house is haunted, he would become a “national star!” Dr. Kaplan refused. * The day before the second attempt at an investigation of the Amityville house, Dr. Kaplan was contacted by a very annoyed George Lutz who saw an article in The Long Island Press with the headline “GHOST HUNT-Expert To Probe ‘Forces’ in DeFeo House”. * Lutz said that he was annoyed about receiving more publicity about the story – even though he had held a press conference on it. George Lutz then cancelled the 2nd Investigation claiming he definitely, absolutely did not want more publicity as it was overwhelming. He explained that the only reason he held a press conference was to dispel some of the rumors flying around. After a heated argument the two decided to let a couple more weeks go by and wait for the publicity to settle down before continuing with the Kaplan investigation. * Dr. Kaplan was then astounded to see a television special featuring a tour of the Amityville house, with Ed and Lorraine Warren. * On Saturday 10th April, Dr. Kaplan chanced a visit to the “Amityville Horror House”. A quick investigation of the entire house with an associate convinced Dr. Kaplan that there was no haunting or paranormal phenomena taking place at the time. The house seemed warm and pleasant to them, they encounter no “cold spots” or other sensations, and the basement seemed quite normal, with nothing unusual to report. * Unfortunately, it was around this time that Dr. Kaplan suffered severe heart problems and found out that he was very ill. * A new article was published on the Amityville House in the New York Sunday News. “Life in a Haunted House – the ghosts in the $80,000 house in Amityville were too much even for an ex-Marine and his family”. Points written and noted by Dr. Stephen Kaplan – The Amityville Horror Conspiracy. Stephen Kaplan & Roxanne Salch Kaplan: Notes by Dr. Kaplan: 1. The Catholic priest, now described as a "cleric in the chancery of the Rockville Center diocese," is said to have blessed the house shortly after the Lutzes moved in, warning them not to use a particular second-floor bedroom. The Lutzes took his advice, placed holy water in the room and used it as a sewing room, later learning that it was Ronald DeFeo Jr.'s former bedroom. This disagrees with what I was told – that Ronald’s bedroom was on the third floor. 2. "Lee became impulsive about building roaring fires in the living room fireplace." And who wouldn't, when the heating system had failed shortly after they moved in? 3. Kathy and Lee had arguments "for no apparent reason." What couple doesn't? They also changed their policy of not hitting the children, raising welts on the boy’s bottoms with a wooden spoon. Sounds to me like the Lutzes got a little carried away with old-fashioned corporal punishment. 4. "The in-laws spent a whole evening sitting and glaring at each other…" This is occult? Kathy’s aunt, a normally placid ex-nun, came to visit and, according to Lee, “sat there and cut me down for three hours.” Perhaps she just doesn't like Lee. "When Kathy’s sister-in-law visited, she reverted to childhood, spending all her time with the children in the third-floor playroom." Roxanne (Dr. Kaplan’s associate) says that many young women her age enjoy being with children and prefer their company to that of certain adults. This does not mean that they are reverting. 5. Once again we have the report of "strange noises" but the Lutzes admit that "every new house has strange noises." The fact that they were not able to account for the source does not mean it had to be supernatural. George & Kathy Lutz 6. Some new phenomena which we have not heard of before. Doors and windows mysteriously opened or shut, black stains appeared on bathroom fixtures, trickles of red ran from keyholes, a smell of decaying bodies in the playroom, clusters of flies (in winter) on the playroom window. Lee claims the second-floor bathroom had an odor "like a whore’s perfume from Paris." How would you know, Lee? 7. "Night after night, Lee was snapped wide awake at 3.15 – the hour of the murders." This is very interesting. I know that the exact time of 3.15 was picked up by the media from Joel Martin’s interview of the neighbor, in which she stated that was the time she heard the DeFeo dog barking. The actual coroner’s report stated only that the murders occurred in the "early morning hours" as that was as close as they were able to pinpoint it. 8. Kathy felt the comforting hand of a woman clasp hers and "knew, instinctively, that it was Louise DeFeo's." 9. Throughout the Christmas holidays the Lutzes remained baffled by what was happening, but they weren't afraid… yet. They stayed home on the night of Dec. 31st to welcome the New Year and Lee’s 29th birthday. Then on Jan. 6, Epiphany, or "Little Christmas," as Kathy calls it, they took down the holiday decorations. After that… "havoc". It is a fact that Lee turned over his gun to the Amityville Police, for fear that he might shoot the family, this was only a few days after moving in. How could he not be afraid until Jan 6th? Wouldn't it be a most fearful occurrence if one had the urge to shoot his entire family? 10. On the night of Jan. 10th, Lee claims to have felt a compulsion to flee the house. He had trouble awakening Kathy, and as he watched, "she turned into a 90-year-old woman." Her hair became old and dirty, creases and crow's feet formed on her face, water drooled from her mouth and drenched the sheets. She did not return to normal for several hours. Perhaps Kathy was dreaming of the overdue bills? 11. The next night, Lee observed Kathy "sliding across the bed, as if by levitation." Lee had the impression of a cloven-hoofed animal climbing up on the bed. 12. On Jan. 12th, Lutz allegedly called the priest, who promised to talk to the bishop. Lee then told his story to a woman in his office who claimed to have psychic powers. "Roz" and her friend "Bill" came to the house and Lutz felt a turbulence "like an elephant rolling over in its sleep" when the couple arrived. "Bill" examined the house and explained that it was haunted by the spirits of those who had died in their sleep and didn't know they were dead." This statement sounds like a cliché from every old book on spiritualism ever written. Following the couple's instructions, Lee and Kathy went to each room, opened a window, and prayed, "God bless this house. God bless this room. This is our house. Whoever you are, get out!" 13. It didn't seem to work. Kathy observed "red, beady eyes" at the living room window six feet above ground level. 14. On Tues, Jan 13th, Lee opened a window in each room, recited the Lord’s Prayer in each corner, and once again told the spirits to "get out!" Afterwards their son Danny suffered a slight cut (which Kathy treated) when an aluminum storm window that he was closing fell on his hands. Lee took this as a sign that the spirits were rebuking him. He states that he was so furious "I could have killed." He compares this rage to what Ronald DeFeo must have felt. 15. The same Tuesday night, the Lutzes also claim to have had even louder noises, beds sliding across the floor and a Bible that flipped over by itself. Three doors were found open the next morning: the front door (supposedly double-latched), the locked basement door, and the garbage shed doors (which had been nailed shut). The priest advises them to get out before sundown and they all flee to Kathy’s mother’s house in West Babylon that very afternoon, Jan. 14th. 16. The next few paragraphs of the article deal with outsiders’ reactions: neighbors do not believe the house is haunted, nor does Sgt. Pat Cammaroto; and attorney William Weber is called a "doubter." Yet Weber is considering making a motion for a new trial for DeFeo on the grounds he was possessed by the force in the house when he killed his family. Quite a daring motion for a "doubter". 17. The Lutzes repeat two statements which agree with what Lee told me on the phone in February: First, that they took a "crash course" in the occult after they fled the house (including astrology, mysticism, mediums, psychics and parapsychologists). Second, Lee claims the house is possessed by a number of spirits, "some of whose names I won't pronounce, since merely to mention their names will bring them here.” This is just what he told me except that he now calls them "spirits," rather than "demons." Lee says that Kathy and he will not go back to fight the house because "it knows us too well." Dr. Kaplan now concluded (after reading the article) that the Lutzes had most likely been spooked by the idea of living in a house where brutal murders took place. It had become an obsession for them, leading to stories about ghosts, demons and bad spirits. Kaplan decided that he had had enough of the hoax and and it was time to stop it. 18. Stephen Kaplan found another major article in Good Housekeeping on the Amityville House. It quoted a séance led by the Psychical Research Foundation which was attended by the Warrens. It was not considered successful due to the "sideshow" atmosphere. 19. Kaplan immediately called Jerry Solfvin at the Psychical Research Foundation and found that they were misquoted. The Society did not run the séance and were sick of the Amityville case. Their own investigations were inconclusive, and they had severed all ties with the Lutzes. It was noted that the séance was actually run by the Warrens and another group brought in by a television crew. No notable paranormal investigators would have their name associated with the séance or with the Amityville House now. 20. Kaplan also discovered that a book was being written on the Amityville case by author Jay Anson. 21. A new family moved into the Amityville House. Stephen Kaplan visited the house and attempted to speak to the new owners who had changed the street number to try to deter sightseers. He was greeted at the door by the maid who invited him and his partner Roxanne inside. The maid had also worked for the DeFeos and knew Ronald (Butch) DeFeo quite well. She said that the new owners, the Cromartys, had heard of Dr. Kaplan and were happy for him to expose the hoax. They they felt the entire circus was an insult to the memory of Louise DeFeo, to whom they were related. The Cromartys were also negotiating to prevent the book by Jay Anson being published. They felt it constituted an invasion of privacy. 22. Stephen Kaplan managed to obtain an advance copy of the book titled "The Amityville Horror - A True Story". The following excerpts are from "The Amityville Horror Conspiracy" by Stephen Kaplan and Roxanne Salch Kaplan. "Accuracy in this book can not even be maintained from pages 2 through page 5. In the Prologue on page 2 it is state, "They [the Lutzes] moved in on December 23." Turning to Chapter 1, beginning on page 5, we read the following: "Dec. 18, 1975 – George and Kathy Lutz moved into 112 Ocean Avenue on Dec. 18. Twenty-eight days later, they fled in terror." On the front sleeve of the dust-jacket, the Dec. 18th date is repeated, but on the back cover of the book the quote from Newsday Feb. 14, 1976 reads, "Amityville: On Dec. 23, George and Kathleen Lutz bought the house and a few days later they moved in." Interesting also is the fact that this quote omits pertinent data. The book jacket continues to quote Newsday with the following sentence, "Within… days, they moved out." Looking back at the original article, we see that the actual sentence read, "Within 10 days, they moved out…". What we have here is three different dates for when the Lutzes moved into the house: Dec. 18th, Dec. 23rd, or a few days after Dec 23rd – all three taken from Anson’s book and each contradicting the others. If the Lutzes can not even correctly remember the date they moved into the house, how are we expected to trust their account of what follows? Also, they were very careful to omit the mention of them leaving within 10 days, as it contradicts their present claim of being there 28 days." The Stephen Kaplan book runs on to discuss inaccuracies and discrepancies with the entire book. There are far too many to discuss for now. I suggest you may wish to purchase a copy for yourself and read further about the problems with the book. The book of the Amityville Horror soon became a best seller – which infuriated Stephen Kaplan. His reports on the hoax were largely ignored by the newspapers and he continued to fight for his story to be told. He ran into some unpleasant situations with the Warrens, who seem quick to become enemies with anybody who doubts the story. The Lutzes made national appearances on Television and radio programs promoting their famous story. In March 1978 Dr. Kaplan and associates were invited back inside the Amityville House by the new owners, the Cromartys. Dr Kaplan and his team stated unequivocally that they had encountered no strange occurrences in the house and it is most definitely NOT haunted. They offered up logical explanations to some of the events that the Lutzes described as paranormal. Although Dr. Kaplan doesn’t claim to have the last word on the Amityville Horror story, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that it was a hoax. We should also take the time to consider who the real victims of this elaborate hoax are. While the Lutzes are free to continue with their lives, the first victims were the DeFeo family, who are still sadly missed to this day by their friends in the Amityville community. Another group of victims in this case are the people of Amityville. They still fight to try to protect their own privacy from curiosity seekers who visit the town expecting to see demons and other nonsense. Unfortunately some media representatives seem to focus only on sensationalism and ratings, and would like to cash in on the original hoax, creating even more disturbances for the innocent people of Amityville. Please, if you do ever find yourself visiting the town, don't try to talk about that famous hoax to any of the locals, just enjoy the scenery and leave them in peace. I personally find the story difficult to believe, along with 99% of the public. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck… you know how it goes! COULD IT POSSIBLY BE REAL? Ed & Lorraine WarrenThe Warrens are noted for their interesting views on the world of the paranormal. They claim to regularly investigate such events as demonic possession and lycanthropy. The Warrens still claim to have photographic and other evidence that the house was in fact possessed by demons and other evil spirits. The Warrens and the family and associates of Stephen Kaplan seemed to be at war on the Amityville case. http://www.warrens.net/amityvill.htm TRIVIA There was a story going around during the filming of The Amityville Horror that the production team were too scared to work in the real Amityville house, so that they had to use a house in Tom's River, New Jersey instead. The real reason was that the town of Amityville refused to allow the film company to use the house because of the incredible circus that was being created. The family who lived in the real house sued the production company because shots of the real house were used in some of the film's trailers. The rejected score for The Exorcist was used for the film The Amityville Horror.

The Strange and the Mysterious The Mystery of Edgar Allen Poe's Grave This famous and unsolved mystery involves a man who has been seen in the graveyard for more than fifty years. Whoever this strange figure may be, he is always described in the same way. Dressed completely in black, including a black fedora and a black scarf to hide his face, he carries a walking stick and strolls into the cemetery every year on January 19, the birth date of Edgar Allan Poe. On every occasion, he has left behind a bottle of cognac and three red roses on the gravesite of the late author. After placing these items with care, he then stands, tips his hat and walks away. The offerings always remain on the grave, although one year, they were accompanied by a note, bearing no signature, which read: "Edgar, I haven’t forgotten you." There have been many stories that claim the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe haunts his gravesite but the man in black seems to be quite tangible, although who he is remains a riddle. In addition, scholars and curiosity-seekers remain puzzled by the odd ritual he carries out and the significance of the items he leaves behind too. The roses and cognac have been brought to the cemetery every January since 1949 and yet no clue has been offered as to the origin or true meaning of the offerings. The identity of the man has been an intriguing mystery for years. Many people, including Jeff Jerome, the curator of the nearby Edgar Allan Poe house, believe that there may be more than one person leaving the tributes. Jerome himself has seen a white-haired man while other observers have reported a man with black hair. Possibly, the second person may be the son of the man who originated the ritual. Regardless, Jerome has been quoted as saying that if he has his way, the man’s identity will never be known. This is something that most Baltimore residents agree with. Jerome has received numerous telephone calls from people requesting that no attempt ever be made to approach the man. For some time, rumors persisted that Jerome was the mysterious man in black, so in 1983, he invited 70 people to gather at the graveyard at midnight on January 19. They had a celebration in honor of the author's birthday with a glass of amontillado, a Spanish sherry featured in one of Poe’s horror tales, and readings from the author’s works. At about an hour past midnight, the celebrants were startled to see a man run through the cemetery in a black frock coat. He was fair-haired and carrying a walking stick and quickly disappeared around the cemetery’s east wall. The roses and cognac were found on Poe's grave as usual. Not in an effort to solve the mystery, but merely to enhance it, Jerome allowed a photographer to try and capture the elusive man on film. The photographer was backed by LIFE Magazine and was equipped with rented infrared night-vision photo equipment. A radio signal triggered the camera so that the photographer could remain out of sight. The picture appeared in the July 1990 issue of LIFE and showed the back of a heavyset man kneeling at Poe's grave. His face cannot really be seen and as it was shadowed by his black hat. No one else has ever been able to photograph the mysterious man again. The House of Mystery The House of Mystery is located on U.S. 2 near Columbia Heights For tourists who stop at the House of Mystery near Columbia Heights, the photos they take home show Mom, Dad and the kids leaning at what seems to be an unnatural angle. They stand on level ground, but are standing at the center of Montana's only vortex. As soon as visitors pull up to the House of Mystery, the giant rocking chair and two-story outhouse in the front yard tell them that the attraction isn't just any old shack. The path to the house seems normal. But as people enter the house, the force of the vortex takes hold. As visitors try to walk across the slanted floor of the structure, which is built on the side of a hill, they feel some kind of force pushing against them. They can lean forward, supported by the mysterious source. Marbles roll up hill. Objects hang at strange angles. The House of Mystery seems to defy gravity. The house is said to be centered upon a vortex, which Webster's dictionary defines as "a whirl or powerful eddy of air" such as that of a whirlpool. The vortex's power sucks objects — or tourists — toward its center. "It's an oddity of the earth," owner Judy Booth explained. "From the reaction of customers, it would almost make any skeptic a believer," said her husband, Bill. The House of Mystery got its start in 1969 when another couple claimed to have discovered the vortex. They built the house to showcase the phenomenon. The business changed hands over the years until the Booths bought it in 1992 after they happened across it in a real estate guide. The attraction draws about 10,000 visitors a year. The vortex, which Judy said measures 200 feet by 75 feet, produces both believers and disbelievers. "I'm not skeptical; I think it's fabulous," said Blanca Drissen, of Rockford, Ill. Her husband, John, said he doubted the vortex's existence. But he did confess to feeling queasy while in the shack. Some visitors come to the House of Mystery seeking the healing powers they believe the vortex possesses. One out-of-state woman even asked the owners to send her a box of rocks to help cure a friend's backache. Scientists occasionally stop by the attraction as well, hoping to figure out the source of the spot's powers. But not one of them has come up with a reason, Judy said. Whether or not visitors believe the House of Mystery truly is home to an unexplainable phenomenon is not the owners' goal. The Booths simply hope their customers emerge from the vortex with a smile. "As long as you're having fun, what the heck," Judy said. James Dean's Porche Friends told James Dean that the car was trouble when they saw it - a rare Silver Porsche Spyder, one of only 90 in 1955. Nicknamed "The Little Bastard," the car carried the iconic screen rebel to his grave on September 30, 1955. After the tragedy, master car customizer George Barris bought the wreck for $2,500. When the wreck arrived at Barris' garage, the Porsche slipped and fell on one of the mechanics unloading it. The accident broke both of the mechanic's legs. While Barris had bad feelings about the car when he first saw it, his suspicions were confirmed during a race at the Pomona Fair Grounds on October 24, 1956. Two physicians, Troy McHenry and William Eschrid, were both racing cars that had parts from the "Little Bastard." McHenry died when his car, which had the Porsche's engine installed, went out of control and hit a tree. Eschrid's car flipped over. Eschrid, who survived despite serious injuries, later said that the car suddenly locked up when he went into a curve. The car's malevolent influence continued after the race: one kid trying to steal the Porsche's steering wheel slipped and gashed his arm. Barris reluctantly sold two of the car's tires to a young man; within a week, the man was nearly involved in a wreck when the two tires blew out simultaneously. Feeling that the Porsche could be put to good use, Barris loaned the wrecked car to the California Highway Patrol for a touring display to illustrate the importance of automobile safety. Within days, the garage housing the Spyder burnt to the ground. With the exception of the "Little Bastard," every vehicle parked inside the garage was destroyed. When the car was put on exhibit in Sacramento, it fell from its display and broke a teenager's hip. George Barkuis, who was hauling the Spyder on a flatbed truck, was killed instantly when the Porsche fell on him after he was thrown from his truck in an accident. The mishaps surrounding the car continued until 1960, when the Porsche was loaned out for a safety exhibit in Miami, Florida. When the exhibit was over, the wreckage, en route to Los Angeles on a truck, mysteriously vanished. To this day, the "Little Bastard's" whereabouts are unknown. The Black Hope Cruse For the families who bought new houses in a subdivision near Houston, Texas, life in their dream homes quickly turned into a nightmare. When one couple began to dig a swimming pool, they unearthed two bodies and made the horrifying discovery that their homes rested atop an old African-American burial ground. Then frightening, unexplainable things began to occur. Sam and Judith Haney bought their dream home in the upscale subdivision of Newport outside of Houston, Texas, in 1982. A year later, when they began to excavate a site for a pool, an old man, a stranger, knocked on their door and told them human remains were buried in their backyard. He pointed out a spot where he claimed two graves had been, and gave the Haneys the names of some black families living nearby who could confirm his story. Digging with a backhoe where the old man had indicated, the contractor unearthed two bodies, a man and a woman, interred in crude wooden coffins. Horrified, the Haneys were determined to find out who these people were and to give them a dignified burial. Their search led them to an elderly black man named Jasper Norton who, as a youth, had worked as a gravedigger. Norton told the Haneys that their home and surrounding houses were built on top of an old cemetery called Black Hope, and that the deceased were mostly former slaves. The last burial had been in 1939, and as many as 60 people had been interred there in pauper's graves. Norton identified the two people buried in the Haney's backyard as Betty and Charlie Thomas, former slaves who had died during the thirties. Unable to locate any living relatives of the Thomas', and plagued with guilt for desecrating their graves, Sam and Judith made the extraordinary decision to rebury their remains in their own backyard, and resolved to live peacefully, side by side with Charlie and Betty. But, according to the Haneys, what would follow was anything but peaceful. Shortly after they reburied the Thomas', the Haneys began to experience the unexplainable. Disembodied voices disturbed their sleep, and one night Judith was awakened when an unplugged clock in the bedroom began shooting sparks and giving off an eerie glow. The clock was only the beginning. One evening when Sam was working a night shift, Judith heard their sliding glass door open and assumed Sam had forgotten something. "What're you doing?" she heard a voice ask. But when she checked, there was nobody there and the door was locked. The next morning, Judith couldn't find her red shoes. When she finally located them, they were outside, sitting side by side on top of Betty Thomas' grave. Even more unsettling, the Haneys realized the date was Betty Thomas' birthday. "When there is no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth." As the disturbing occurrences continued, the Haneys came to feel that something was trying to drive them from their home. They were not alone. A dozen neighbors whose houses were built on top of the abandoned cemetery reported lights, televisions, and water faucets turning on and off for no apparent reason. Many claimed to hear unearthly sounds and some even saw supernatural apparitions. And there seemed to be an increasing maliciousness to the bizarre events. Could the spirits of the Black Hope cemetery, angry at the desecration of their graves, be seeking vengeance? Ben and Jean Williams thought so. They lived across the street from the Haneys with their young granddaughter, Carli, in the home they had built in 1980, and from the beginning nothing about the house had felt right. The house retained a clammy chill year round, and Jean and Carli couldn't shake the persistent feeling they were being watched. Toilets flushed by themselves and the garage door and household appliances seemed to operate on their own. Rectangular sinkholes opened up in the yard, and no matter how well the Williams filled them in, they reappeared within a few days, and Jean, who had always had a green thumb, couldn't get any new plants to live on the property, no matter what she did. The Williams also noticed strange markings on an old oak tree by the sinkholes, an arrow pointed downward with two horizontal slash marks beneath it. When a long time resident of the area told them he had marked the tree as a way to identify where his two sisters were buried, the Williams' were devastated. Soon menacing presences began to invade the house. Jean and Carli were awakend from an afternoon nap by phantom footsteps in the hall, and Ben returned home from work one evening to find a threatening apparition hovering over his sleeping wife. Worse yet, six members of the Williams' extended family were stricken with deadly cancers, with three of them dying within a year. The Haney's lives were also unraveling. Plagued with health problems and frightened of remaining in their house, Sam and Judith decided to fight back. They sued the developer for not disclosing that their home was built over a cemetery and were awarded $142,000 by a jury. However, the judge ruled on legal grounds that the developers were not liable and reversed the decision, ordering the Haneys to pay $50,000 in court costs. Exhausted and broke, the Haneys filed bankruptcy and abandoned their home. The Williams' also explored legal recourse, but say they were told that without definitive proof of a cemetery on their property, nothing could be done. It was then that Jean made a decision she will forever regret. Desperate to prove their home was built on a cemetery, Jean began digging in one of the sinkholes beneath the oak, sure she would find a body to prove their case. When she became too exhausted to dig any longer, her daughter, Tina, took over. After digging for about a half-hour, Tina collapsed. Two days later she died, at thirty, of a massive heart attack. Convinced their desecration of a grave had precipitated their daughter's death, Ben and Jean Williams' resolved to leave no matter what it cost them. They escaped to Montana and later moved back to Texas. Today both the Haney and Williams families are living happy, productive lives, no longer plagued by the mysterious noises, horrific apparitions and heart-breaking tragedies that marked their years in Newport. Subsequent owners of the homes in the area say they have noticed no unusual occurrences---and are completely content to live in such a lovely neighborhood. Was the "Black Hope Curse" real or imagined? It may remain an unsolved mystery. Ghosts Haunt the White House Pub An exorcist has called time on spirits at a Norfolk pub after staff claimed they had come under attack from mischievous poltergeists. Staff at the White Horse pub in Great Yarmouth will only go down to the cellar in pairs to change barrels after one of them saw a ghostly figure there. And the chef is so petrified of sleeping in an apparently haunted upstairs bedroom, he now spends nights on the kitchen floor armed with a rolling pin. He also claims to have been injured by a frozen steak which was hurled at him by the ghouls. Bar staff at the 17th century, grade two listed building also claim to have witnessed pool balls moving by themselves, pint glasses flying from their shelves and ghostly apparitions running through the building. Debbie Bee, landlady of the pub which, ironically, is number 13 Northgate Street and is next to Murderers Row in the town, is trying to sell the pub after efforts to banish the spirits failed. She said the exorcism by Canon Michael Woods only annoyed the ghosts further. "After the exorcism it got worse," said Miss Bee, who has run the pub since 1998. "Things started flying around and I couldn't even sleep. I lay awake most of the night. The exorcism could even have stirred them up." Miss Bee said the problems began about five weeks ago when she first put the pub on the market. "I woke up one night and saw a child and a man standing on the staircase looking at me," she said. "I flew out of the room like a rocket. "It's not a publicity stunt. This isn't the sort of publicity I want." She said research had shown there was once an underground tunnel leading from St Nicholas's Parish Church's graveyard to the pub's cellar, and believed this could be the source of the problems. "The chef Mickey Jeys is at breaking point," she added. "He is a bag of nerves. He ran out crying the other day. I came down the other morning and found him sleeping on the kitchen floor with a rolling pin. I said 'what good is that going to do?' "He said a gang of them attacked him in the kitchen and threw a steak at him. He now keeps all his knives locked up." Most of the paranormal activity is contained within guest rooms five and eight, the bar and the cellar, where barman Shane Bennett once saw the figure of a man in a hat. Friend Debbie Slack, 37, regularly stays at the pub with her three children Sharna, six, Jesse, 12, and Victoria, 16. She said the two older youngsters no longer wanted to sleep in room eight because of the feelings of dread it filled them with, although her youngest seemed completely at ease. "She is absolutely fine and things seem to calm down when she is about," said Mrs Slack, 37. "It wouldn't surprise me if she has made friends with them. She said to me the other day that she didn't want her friend Shawney to leave. There's no-one at school with that name." Pub poodle Sally has also begun behaving strangely, growling at empty spaces. Yarmouth ghost-chaser Neil Fellows visited the pub with his Paranormal Dimension team last week and was set to return tonight to film more footage using special infra-red cameras. He and his wife, Julie have a long-standing fascination with the paranormal and said the pub case was of great interest. "Although the night we were there was very quiet, we found some unusual stuff on the video tapes and microphones," he said. "There were some strange sounds. And we saw the same face appear three times on different frames of the video. The Winchester Mystery House The Winchester Mystery House was built by Sarah Winchester, the widow of William Winchester, who was the son of the man who founded the Winchester rifle empire. After William died, a psychic in Boston told Sarah that the spirits of all the people and animals of those who had been injured by the Winchester rifles would seek to avenge their deaths. The only way to appease the spirits, said the psychic, was to build them a house. As long as the house was being built, the spirits would not haunt Sarah. In 1884 Sarah moved to California and purchased an eight room farmhouse in San Jose. Then she began to build. For 38 years, until Sarah's death in 1922, carpenters worked 24 hours a day, 365 days a year building the strange monument to the spirit world. At the time of Sarah's death there were 160 rooms (in various stages of completion) in the house. However, it is estimated that over 600 rooms were built and then torn down over the 38 years. Every night, Sarah would go to her Seance Room to receive messages from the spirits telling her what she should build. The orders from the spirits resulted in many strange constructions, such as doors that open onto walls, stairs that go nowhere, a cupboard that has only 1/2 inch of storage space, and tiny doorways and hallways just big enough for Sarah (who was 4'10" and of slight build) to fit through. Some other interesting features of the house include its 10,000 windows (including some priceless Tiffany stained glass), 47 fireplaces, and a beautiful garden. Mystical Symbols Sarah had a fascination with the number thirteen. Many features in the house were built in sets of 13 or multiples of 13. For instance, in the 13th bathroom (the only one with a shower), there are 13 windows. One of the sinks has 13 drainage holes. There are 52 skylights, and the grand staircase has 13 steps. Thirteen palm trees line the driveway. As a final gesture, Sarah's will was divided into 13 parts and signed 13 times. Two other numbers favored by Sarah were 7 and 11. There is one stairway in the house which has 7 steps down and then 11 steps up. Another, called the switchback staircase, turns 7 times and has 44 steps, but only goes up 9 feet! Some speculate that stairs were built so low because Sarah had arthritis; others think she had them built that way to confuse and/or slow down the spirits. In the courtyard there is a hedge shaped like a crescent moon. Mysteriously, the hedge points to the bedroom where Sarah died. The Bell Tower At midnight every night, the bell in the bell tower was rung to summon the spirits. At 2 AM, it was rung again as a signal for the spirits to depart. The rest of the day the bell lay silent (although other sources say it was used to call servants during the day). The tower was only approachable from the outside by climbing onto the roof of the mansion using a ladder. The bell was hung at the top of the tower, with a long rope hanging down a sheer, unclimbable wall. The rope was reached through underground tunnels, the precise layout of which was known only to the bell ringer and his assistant. Conclusion In 1906 Sarah was trapped in a bedroom by an earthquake. Because she slept in a different room every night, it took the servants over an hour to find her. She took the earthquake as an sign from the spirits that they were discontented with the way the construction was going. To appease the spirits, she had the front 30 rooms boarded up, and they were never used again during her lifetime. She also slept in the same bedroom (the one where she died) every night thereafter. When Sarah died in 1922, the word spread throughout the house, and there are still spots visible where the workers stopped hammering the nails halfway in. After her death, all the furniture in the house was auctioned off. It took 8 weeks (6 truckloads a day) to remove it all. Later the mansion was restored and opened to the public. Address: The Winchester Mystery House 525 South Winchester Blvd San Jose, CA 95128-2588 Phone Numbers: Group Sales & Business Offices: 1-408-247-2000 Current Tour Information: 1-408-247-2101 Upcoming Special Events Info: 1-408-247-1313 Special Events: Friday the 13th Flashlight Tours -- every Friday the 13th. Halloween Flashlight Tours and Trick or Treating -- every Halloween night. Robert the Haunted Doll A famous painter, Robert Eugene Otto, lived in a house which is located at 534 Eaton Street in Key West, Florida. It is a Victorian style which includes a turret room. The house was built at the end of the 19th century and was owned by the Otto family until the mid-1970's. What makes this haunting so different then others is that the house is reputedly haunted by the spirit of a doll. The doll is indeed real and was owned by Robert since when he was a little boy all the way up until his death. The doll was supposedly given to Robert by a housemaid who was reputedly into voodoo. Robert named the doll after himself and whenever something bad happened he would say "Robert did it". Robert's wife, Ann made a room in the attic and put Robert there but her husband told her that Robert was angry and demanded he be placed somewhere where he had a view and so he was placed in the turret room. Schoolchildren said they would see the doll snickering at them from the window. The doll is now in a museum and it was claimed by a psychic that the doll's spirit was slowly dying, for his hair was already becoming a light grey. Robert Eugene Otto's spirit has been seen in the house and his wife Ann has also been seen staring out of the turret window. George Reeve's Ghost?? The George Reeves House The death of George Reeves, best known as TV's Superman, is one of Hollywood's greatest mysteries. According to Lenore Lemmon, a showgirl whom Reeves was involved with, a party was being held in Reeves' Benedict Canyon home on the night of June 16, 1959. After a brief appearance in his bathrobe, George Reeves retired to his upstairs bedroom. A shot was heard, and Reeves' body was found on his bed. While commonly believed to be suicide, some scholars believe that Reeves' death was far from self-inflicted. One theory is that Reeves was shot by Lenore Lemmon. Another scenario blames Toni Mannix, Reeves' former mistress, and her husband, MGM executive Eddie Mannix. Ever since his death on June 16, 1959, people have reported hearing - and seeing - strange things in Reeves' old house. An invisible party can be heard on some nights, and the sounds of mysterious gun shots once drew the attention of the police. In addition, Reeves' ghost has been seen, sometimes dressed in full Superman regalia. One couple, ignorant of the house's history, moved out after being startled by the apparition of Reeves, his cape flowing in a nonexistent breeze. In another incident, the ghostly Man of Steel admonished a ten-year-old boy for trespassing. Reeves' ghost has also been seen wearing a bathrobe, presumably the one he was wearing on the night of his mysterious death The Ghost of Elvis Presley Elvis Presley's death on August 16, 1977 shocked the world. While he was no longer at the peak of his career, he still had legions of fans who could not believe that the "King of Rock and Roll" had, in fact, died. Since then, Elvis' death has fueled more speculation than that of any other entertainer. Sadly, in recent years his musical accomplishments have been overshadowed by garish tabloid magazines, bizarre conspiracy rumors, and other strangeness. Whatever the case, there are enough ghostly legends surrounding Elvis to make him the most active celebrity ghost in the eastern United States. One of the best-known Elvis ghost stories concerns an apparition that appeared to an elderly Tennessee farmer who was an acquaintance of Elvis'. On August 16, 1977 - before he had learned of his friend's passing - the farmer was tending to a wounded calf when he saw Elvis walking towards him surrounded by what appeared to be a slight blue fog. Elvis smiled and told his acquaintance that he was going away for a while. At that moment, the farmer's wife ran out of their house shouting that she had just heard about Elvis' death on the radio. The farmer turned around only to find that Elvis had vanished. Elvis' ghost has since been sighted many times at Graceland, his mansion in Memphis, TN. Visitors to the grounds have sighted an apparition near poolside, in the bath house, and, appropriately, at the meditation garden close to his grave. Some visitors have even reported seeing a spectral Elvis staring out at them from behind windows. Sightings of a phantom limo at the gates of Graceland are reported from time to time. Legend has it that Elvis can be seen inside, behind the darkened glass. For some reason this ghostly limo seems to manifest mostly around 2:30 AM. Lon Chaney's Spirit Universal's horror movies are legendary; Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Wolfman are just a few of the Universal films that have terrified audiences for decades, so it is fitting that Universal Studios is allegedly haunted by one of the grandmasters of terror, Lon Chaney. Legend has it that the Man of a Thousand Faces is sometimes seen lurking in Sound Stage 28, best known as the set for The Phantom of the Opera. Although sets are sometimes built in the sound stage, the opera set itself has remained intact. Appropriately enough, the ghost of Chaney is reportedly seen wearing a Phantom-like cape, running on the catwalks above the stage. Employees have also reported phenomenon typically associated with hauntings: doors that swing open and shut by themselves, and lights that mysteriously turn on and off. If Chaney's ghost does prowl this sound stage, then he has a real strange sense of humor for making his presence known this way. The tinkling of a chandelier that was removed years ago is occasionally heard on this soundstage; in fact, the ghostly noise is sometimes audible on soundtracks taped here. In addition to Chaney, an unidentified ghost lurks near the Jaws lagoon in the studio tour. Its presence is marked by cold spots, apparitions, and unexplained noises. The Comedy Store Haunting This famous comedy club now owned by Pauly Shore's mom was once a speakeasy during Prohibition, and later a nightclub called Ciros. The most malevolent entity is in a small room in the basement. A seven foot tall blacker than black sinister phantom has been said to rise from the floor in that room. People have claimed to have seen ghostly figures dressed in 1920's style clothing walking through the club after closing. Most of the ghosts at the Comedy Store are quite playful and friendly, former patrons who loved the place. Turning on and off of lights, moving tables, or glasses being spilled are common. The spirits had a strong dislike for some comedians, especially Sam Kinison. All that screaming drove them nuts and some employees actually heard the spirits moaning when Sam went on. When Sam Kinison was due on stage there were usually problems with the sound and lighting. The Paul Bern and Jean Harlow House The site of arguably the most disturbing haunting in Southern California, this house in Benedict Canyon was once owned by agent Paul Bern and his movie star wife, Jean Harlow. During the late 1960's, actress Sharon Tate was house-sitting this residence one night for its owner at the time, hairstylist Jay Sebring. One night, Tate was awakened by an intruder in the bedroom. Tate later told columnist Dick Kleiner, "I saw this creepy little man. He looked like all the descriptions I have ever read of Paul Bern." The ghost began to run around the room haphazardly, clumsily bumping into furniture and making noise. Frightened, Tate hurried downstairs only to be confronted by the horrifying apparition of someone bound to the newel post, with his or her throat slashed. Tate later said that she somehow knew that the mutilated figure was either or herself or Sebring. Tate made it to a downstairs bar, and managed to return to sleep after a drink. In 1968, after Tate had married director Roman Polanski, she, Sebring, and two others were murdered by the infamous Charles Manson family just a mile away on Cielo Drive. When they were found, Tate and Sebring's bodies were bound by a nylon rope hanging from a roof beam

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