Real Ghosts

I HAVE CHOSEN TO DO MY BOOK REPORT ON A BOOK CALLED...


Real Ghosts




fﾄﾍ[ WHAT IS A GHOST SUPPOSE TO LOOK LIKE ?ｿ?ｿ ]ﾍﾄf



FIRST YOU MAY THINK OF SOMETHING IN A WHITE SHEET WITH HOLES



FOR EYES,YOU MAY THINK OF A RAGGED FIGURE DRAGGING CHAINS AND



MOANING.OR AN IDEA OF A GHOST MAY BE A FIGURE YOU CAN SEE



THROUGH,SOMETHING THAT GOES IN AND OUT OF ROOMS WITHOUT NEEDING



TO OPEN DOORS.THAT IS THE WAY GHOSTS ARE USUALLY DESCRIBED IN



STORIES OR SHOWN IN MOVIES.BUT REAL GHOSTS COME IN MANY



DIFFERENT SIZES AND SHAPES.SOMETIMES THEY ARE STRANGE AND



FRIGHTENING LOOKING.SOMETIMES THEY LOOK VERY ORDINARY.IT IS



HARD TO TELL THEY ARE GHOSTS AT ALL.OFTEN GHOSTS CANNOT BE SEEN,



BUT ARE JUST HEARD AND FELT.THIS BOOK IS ABOUT REAL GHOSTS.





ARE GHOSTS REAL ?



m AT 3:25 PM AN AIRPLANE CRASHES AND THE PILOT IS KILLED.BUT

AT THE SAME TIME IN ANOTHER CITY,A LIEUTENANT CLAIMS THAT HE

SAW AND SPOKE WITH THE PILOT.



m A JUDGE SAYS THAT HE HAD A CONVERSATION IN HIS HOME WITH A

REPORTER AT 1:30 THE NIGHT BEFORE.BUT AT 1:30 THAT NIGHT THE

REPORTER HAD DIED OF A HEART ATTACK IN HIS OWN BED.



m IN AN OLD MANSION IN ENGLAND A PHOTOGRAPHER ACTUALLY SNAPS

A PICTURE OF A SHADOWY FIGURE ON A STAIRCASE.IT IS THE

"BROWN LADY" OF RAYNHAM HALL.

EACH OF THESE PEOPLE CLAIMS THAT HE REALLY SAW A GHOST.IN THIS



BOOK THE AUTHOR (DANIEL COHEN) INVESTIGATES MANY STRANGE



STORIES.SOMETIMES HE UNCOVERS A HOAX,BUT OTHER STORIES LEAVE



PUZZLING QUESTIONS...



DO SPIRITS REALLY HAUNT OLD HOUSES ?ｿ



CAN A HUMAN BE TRANSPORTED BACK INTO THE PAST ?ｿ



ARE GHOSTS REAL ?ｿ



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RETURN FROM THE DEAD ?



A MAN NAMED JOHN THORNE LIVED NEAR AN OLD HAUNTED HOUSE.



IN 1958 HE HAD AN ODD EXPERIENCE...HE WOKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF



THE NIGHT TO FIND A STRANGE WOMAN IN HIS BEDROOM.IT WAS DARK,BUT



HE COULD STILL SEE THAT SHE WAS WEARING A LONG DRESS,THE KIND



PEOPLE WORE A HUNDRED YEARS AGO.THORNE TURNED THE LIGHTS ON,AND



THE FIGURE HAD DISAPPEARED.....



ON 1961 THORNE'S BROTHER,WILLIAM,CAME FOR A VISIT.ON THE FIRST



NIGHT WILLIAM HEARD FOOTSTEPS OUTSIDE THE DOOR.WHEN HE LOOKED



OUT OF THE OPEN DOOR...HE SAW A WOMAN IN A LONG BLACK DRESS



HOLDING A HANDKERCHIEF IN HER HAND.SUDDENLY THE ROOM BECAME



VERY COLD.....



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THE REAL EXORCISTS AND OTHERS



THE EXORCIST WAS AN EXTREMELY POPULAR BOOK.IT WAS ABOUT A



YOUNG GIRL WHO WAS "POSSESSED" BY THE DEVIL.IT TOOK A RITUAL



CALLED "EXORCISM" TO DRIVE OUT THE EVIL SPIRIT.AN EVEN MORE



POPULAR MOVIE WAS MADE FROM THE BOOK.PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT THE



MOVIE AND THE BOOK WERE TRUE.THEY WERE NOT.THE BOOK WAS A



PIECE OF FICTION WRITTEN BY WILLIAM P. BLATTY.BUT BLATTY'S



BOOK WAS BASED ON A REAL CASE.ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THE



BOOK AND THE MOVIE WERE SO POPULAR,IS THAT PEOPLE THOUGHT



THEY WERE ACTUALLY A REAL CASE.HERE WE HAVE TO BE VERY



CAREFUL."BASED ON" IN NOT "THE SAME AS." THE WRITER AND THE



MOVIE PRODUCERS MADE MANY CHANGES IN ORDER TO MAKE



"THE EXORCIST" MORE DRAMATIC AND EXCITING THAN THE CASE THAT



INSPIRED IT.IN THE BOOK AND THE MOVIE,THE "POSSESSED" SUBJECT



WAS A YOUNG GIRL.IN THE REAL CASE IT WAS A BOY.AND THAT WAS



JUST ONE OF THE CHANGES MADE.THERE WERE MANY,MANY,MANY MORE.



A LARGE PART OF THE EXORCIST WAS NOT BASED ON ANYTHING AT ALL.IT



WAS JUST MADE UP.ONE REASON IS THAT WE REALLY DON'T KNOW A



GREAT DEAL ABOUT THE REAL CASE.VERY FEW RECORDS WERE KEPT.NOT



ALL OF WHAT FEW THERE HAVE BEEN MADE PUBLIC.SOME OF THOSE



INVOLVED IN THE CASE HAVE SINCE DIED.MANY OTHERS JUST DON'T



WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT ANYMORE.HERE IS WHAT WE DO KNOW.THE CASE



BEGAN EARLY IN 1949.THE POSSESSED SUBJECT WAS A FOURTEEN YEAR



OLD BOY WHO WAS CALLED DOUGLAS DEEN.HE LIVED WITH HIS



FAMILY IN A SUBURB OF WASHINGTON D.C.



THE FIRST THING THE FAMILY NOTICED WAS STRANGE NOISES COMING



FROM THE BOY'S ROOM.THEY SUSPECTED MICE.EXTERMINATORS WERE



CALLED IN BUT FOUND NOTHING.AND THE NOISES CONTINUED...



THE DISTURBANCES BECAME MORE VIOLENT.HEAVY FURNITURE MOVED BACK



AND FORTH.A BOWL FELL OFF THE TOP OF THE REFRIDGERATOR FOR NO



APPARENT REASON.A PICTURE SEEMED TO JUMP OFF THE WALL.THE WORST



DISTURBANCES TOOK PLACE IN THE BOY'S BEDROOM.HIS BED SHOOK AND



TREMBLED ALL NIGHT.THE NOISE KEPT DOUGLAS AND HIS PARENTS



AWAKE NIGHT AFTER NIGHT.THE DEEN'S TALKED ABOUT EVENTS WITH



THEIR NEIGHBOURS.THE NEIGHBOURS LAUGHED AT FIRST.BUT AFTER



THEY SPENT A NIGHT IN THE DEEN'S HOUSE THEY STOPPED LAUGHING.



THE NEIGHBOURS ALSO BEGAN TO BELIEVE THAT SOMETHING VERY



STRANGE WAS GOING ON.BUT WHAT ?ｿ



THE DEEN FAMILY THEN CALLED IN THE MINISTER OF THEIR CHURCH,



THE REVEREND MR. WINSTON.THE MINISTER,TOO,WAS SCEPTICAL.BUT HE



DECIDED TO INVESTIGATE MORE CLOSELY.HE SPENT THE ENTIRE NIGHT OF



FEBRUARY 17,1949 IN DOUGLAS DEEN'S BEDROOM.LATER,THE REVEREND



MR. WINSTON DESCRIBED WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT TO A MEETING OF



THE SOCIETY OF PARAPSYCHOLOGY IN WASHINGTON.



FIRST,THE BOY'S BED BEGAN TO SHAKE.THEN THERE WERE SCRATCHING



AND SCRAPINGS FROM THE WALL.THE MINISTER SWITCHED ON THE LIGHTS



BUT COULD SEE NOTHING THAT MIGHT BE CAUSING THE DISTURBANCES.



THE MINISTER THEN ASKED THE BOY TO SIT IN AN ARMCHAIR.THE CHAIR



BEGAN TO MOVE AROUND THE ROOM SLOWLY.THEN IT STARTED ROCKING



BACK AND FORTH.FINALLY,IT TIPPED OVER,THROWING THE BOY ON THE



FLOOR.



REVEREND WINSTON THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BEST TO GET THE BOY OFF THE



FURNITURE THAT SEEMED TO MOVE.HE TOLD THE BOY TO TAKE HIS PILLOW



AND BLANKETS AND SLEEP ON THE FLOOR.WHILE REVEREND WINSTON



WATCHED,THE BOY AND THE BEDDING BEGAN TO SLIDE ACROSS THE ROOM.



REVEREND WINSTON WAS THEN CONVINCED THAT SOMETHING VERY ODD WAS



GOING ON.BUT HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT ?ｿ HE FELT THAT THE EVENTS WERE



BEYOND HIS UNDERSTANDING AND CONTROL.



THE BOY WAS TAKEN TO GEORGETOWN HOSPITAL FOR BOTH PHYSICAL AND



MENTAL TESTS.THE TESTS TURNED UP NOTHING.VISITS TO THE



PSYCHIATRISTS DID NOT MAKE THE DISTURBANCES THAT CENTRED



AROUND THE FOURTEEN YEAR OLD DISAPPEAR.



THE DEEN FAMILY BECAME DESPERATE.THEY FINALLY DEPENDED ON A



DRASTIC CURE.THEY CALLED IN A PRIEST TO PERFORM AN



"EXORCISM." EXORCISM IS A VERY OLD RITUAL.ITS PURPOSE IS TO



DRIVE OUT DEMONS.IT IS NOT USED VERY OFTEN IN THE MODERN WORLD.



MANY PEOPLE DO NOT APPROVE OF USING IT AT ALL.BUT THE FAMILY



DIDN'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO TURN.THEY BELIEVED THAT EXORCISM WAS



THEIR LAST HOPE.THE PRIEST WHO PERFORMED THE EXORCISM REMAINED



WITH THE BOY FOR OVER TWO MONTHS.DURING THE PERIOD HE PERFORMED



THE LONG EXORCISM RITE THIRTY TIMES.WHILE THE RITUAL WAS GOING



ON,THE BOY WOULD TREMBLE VIOLENTLY.SOMETIMES HE WOULD BEGIN TO



SCREAM.THEN THE VOICE WAS NOT AT ALL LIKE HIS NORMAL VOICE.



IN MAY 1949,THE PRIEST WENT THROUGH THE ENTIRE RITUAL AGAIN.THE



BOY DID NOT REACT VIOLENTLY AS HE USUALLY DID.THE PRIEST ASSUMED



THAT THE DEMON HAD BEEN DRIVEN OUT.AFTER THAT THE BOY WAS NO



LONGER TROUBLED BY SHAKING BEDS OR MOVING FURNITURE.







WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS HAVE TO DO WITH GHOSTS ?



PERHAPS A GREAT DEAL.PSYCHICAL RESEARCHERS FOUND THE DETAILS



OF THIS CASE VERY FAMILIAR.THE UNEXPLAINED NOISES,THE SHAKING



FURNITURE,AND THE REST OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO THE DEEN'S



BOY HAD TROUBLED MANY OTHERS.USUALLY THESE DISTURBANCES WERE NOT



BLAMED ON DEMONS.THEY WERE SAID TO BE DUE TO ACTIVITIES OF A



"POLTERGEIST." POLTERGEIST IS A GERMAN WORD,WHICH MEANS



"NOISY GHOST" OR "NOISY SPIRIT."



BUT IN A POLTERGEIST CASE,PEOPLE DON'T USUALLY SEE ANY FIGURES



AT ALL.WHAT HAPPENS IS JUST WHAT HAPPENED IN THE DEEN'S CASE.



THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF UNEXPLAINED DISTURBANCES IN A HOUSE.



OFTEN THESE DISTURBANCES ARE BLAMED ON A UNSEEN SPIRIT...A



POLTERGEIST.HUNDREDS OF POLTERGEIST CASES CAN BE FOUND IN THE



RECORDS OF DIFFERENT PSYCHICAL RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS.REPORTS OF



SUCH EXPERIENCES GO BACK TO THE ANCIENT TIMES.NEW ONES ARE



REPORTED EVERY YEAR.USUALLY PSYCHICAL RESEARCHERS HEAR ABOUT THE



CASE AFTER IT IS OVER,THAT IS,AFTER THE DISTURBANCES HAVE



STOPPED.BUT OCCASIONALLY THEY ARE ABLE TO INVESTIGATE WHILE THE



DISTURBANCES ARE STILL GOING ON.THAT HAPPENED IN 1958.WE LIKE TO



THINK OF GHOSTS OR SPIRITS HAUNTING CRUMBLING CASTLES OR



ANCIENTS HOUSES.THIS GHOST BEGAN CAUSING TROUBLE IN A MODERN



RANCH HOUSE.THE HOUSE WAS LOCATED IN THE VERY ORDINARY SUBURBAN



COMMUNITY OF SEAFORD,LONG ISLAND.IN THE HOUSE LIVED MR. AND MRS.



JAMES HERMANN AND THEIR TWO CHILDREN.THE CHILDREN WERE A GIRL



LUCILLE,THIRTEEN,AND A BOY JIMMY,TWELVE.MOST OF THE DISTURBANCES



SEEMED TO CENTRE AROUND THE BOY.WHEN HE WAS AROUND THINGS BEGAN



TO HAPPEN.THE DISTURBANCES BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 3.FIRST,THE FAMILY



HEARD WHAT SOUNDED LIKE POPPING BOTTLES.WHEN THEY WENT TO SEE



WHAT WAS WRONG,THEY FOUND BOTTLES IN SEVERAL PARTS OF THE HOUSE



THAT HAD BEEN MYSTERIOUSLY OPENED AND SPILLED.A FEW SMALL



OBJECTS HAD ALSO BEEN BROKEN.STRANGE NOISES AND BOTTLE OPENINGS



CONTINUED FOR THREE DAYS.THE FAMILY BECAME VERY CONCERNED.THEY



CALLED THE POLICE.PATROLMAN J. HUGHES CAME TO THE HOUSE.HE TOO



HEARD SOME NOISE.HE LOOKED IN THE BATHROOM AND FOUND THAT SOME



MEDICINE AND SHAMPOO HAD BEEN OPEN AND SPILLED.HE COULD NOT



EXPLAIN HOW IT HAPPENED.NO ONE HAD BEEN IN THE BATHROOM.SOME OF



THE HERMANN'S RELATIVES ALSO HAD STRANGE EXPERIENCES.A COUSIN OF



MR. HERMANN SAW A STATUE MOVE AROUND A TABLE.THEN IT FLEW TWO



FEET IN THE AIR AND LANDED ON THE RUG.SOME OF THE BOTTLES WERE



TAKEN TO THE POLICE LABORATORY.THE ELECTRIC COMPANY CHECKED THE



HOUSE TO SEE IF ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE ELECTRICITY.BUILDING



INSPECTORS AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS ALSO EXAMINED THE HOUSE.



EVERYTHING ABOUT IT SEEMED NORMAL.THEY COULD NOT FIND NOTHING TO



ACCOUNT FOR THE DISTURBANCES.THE HERMANN'S FAMILY WAS VERY UPSET



BY THESE GOING-ONS.THE APPEALED TO THE PUBLIC FOR HELP.NATURALLY



THE APPEAL GOT INTO THE NEWSPAPERS.THE LONG ISLAND POLTERGEIST



BECAME FAMOUS.NEWS OF THE POLTERGEIST REACHED DR. J.G. PRATT IN



NORTH CAROLINA.DR. PRATT IS ONE OF AMERICA'S LEADING RESEARCHERS



ON THE SUBJECT OF HAUNTING,GHOSTS,AND OTHER UNEXPLAINED EVENTS.



HE CAME UP TO LONG ISLAND TO INVESTIGATE THE CASE IN PERSON.HE



INTERVIEWED EVERYONE CONNECTED WITH THE CASE.HE CHECKED OVER THE



HOUSE,AND EXAMINED ALL THE OBJECTS THAT HAD BEEN DISTURBED.BY



THE TIME DR. PRATT ARRIVED,THE DISTURBANCES HAD DIED DOWN



CONSIDERABLY.HE DIDN'T SEE ANY OBJECTS FLY ACROSS THE ROOM.HE



DID HEAR A FEW STRANGE THUMPS COMING FROM JIMMY'S ROOM.HE WAS



NOT ABLE TO COME UP WITH ANY EXPLANATION FOR THE CASE.



HE JUST LEFT AS PUZZLED AS HE WAS WHEN HE CAME.THE CASE HAS



NEVER BEEN SOLVED.



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ABOUT THE AUTHOR



DANIEL COHEN IS THE AUTHOR OF OVER A HUNDRED BOOKS FOR BOTH



YOUNG READERS AND ADULTS,AND HE IS A FORMER MANAGING EDITOR OF



SCIENCE DIGEST MAGAZINE.HIS TITLE INCLUDE SUPERMONSTERS,REAL



GHOSTS,GHOSTLY TERRORS,SCIENCE FICTIONS GREATEST MONSTERS,THE



WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS GHOSTS AND MONSTERS YOU NEVER HEARD OFF,ALL



OF WHICH ARE AVAILABLE IN ARCHWAY PAPERBACK EDITIONS.



MR. COHEN WAS BORN IN CHICAGO AND HAS DEGREE IN JOURNALISM FROM



THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.HE APPEARS FREQUENTLY ON RADIO AND



TELEVISION AND HAS LECTURED AT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES



THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.HE LIVES WITH HIS WIFE,YOUNG DAUGHTER,



ONE DOG AND FOUR CATS IN PORT JERVIS,NEW YORK.





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