Just a Simple Case of Poltergeist from 1925

Gwyneth Morley’s poltergeist made headlines in 1925.

For many, the term “poltergeist” conjures images of a little girl staring at TV snow and creepily saying, “They’re here!” But these menacing ghosts go back much earlier than the 1982 film, and often made big news.

One such case happened in 1925 to a 19-year-old girl in London, Gwyneth Morley. She worked in a spinning mill, and one day found herself followed by a poltergeist. Threads repeatedly broke at work, and at home, pictures fell off the walls and furniture moved on its own.

Poltergeists fill the pages of Haunted People, by Hereward Carrington and Nandor Fodor, 1951.

Luckily, her boss at the mill sought help for the young girl. He reached out to a man who not only knew a thing or two about detective work, but also believed in the spirit world: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. According to newspaper reports, The Sherlock Holmes creator and Spiritualism evangelist “diagnosed the trouble as a simple case of poltergeist, and recommended a change and rest with a view to improving her general health.”

Just a simple case of poltergeist. I hate when that happens.

So Morley was sent to a “college of psychic science in London.” Things there started off rough, as the poltergeist wasn’t about to give up its shenanigans. “During the first few days £60 worth of crockery was smashed, heavy tables were thrown about, and two bananas disappeared into the air,” the paper reported.

This article not only suggests that these noisy racketing spirits might exist, but they might even get hungry.

Years later, Hereward Carrington covered the case in his book, Haunted People. He states a medium named Mrs. Barkel cured Morley of her poltergeist presence. She then returned to work, ghost free.