Inquiry shows that Miss Y——­’s residence at B——­ must have been about the years 1878-80.

The earliest witnesses in chronological sequence would be the S——­ family themselves; but though much information has been contributed by them to various persons interested in B——­ House during the tenancy both of Mr. H——­ and Colonel Taylor, the present Editors are unwilling to make use of it without permission.

A statement in The Times article, of the character of which the reader can here judge for himself, elicited the following letter from Mrs. S——­, which is to be found in the issue of that journal for June 18, 1897:—­

“May I ask of your courtesy to insert this in the next issue of your paper.  Seeing myself dragged into publicity in The Times of June 8, as ‘having made admissions under pressure of cross-examination,’ I beg to state that I as well as the rest of my family had not the remotest idea that our home was let to other than ordinary tenants.  In my intercourse with them I spoke as one lady to another, never imagining that my private conversations were going to be used for purposes carefully concealed from me—­a deceit which I deeply resent.”

It will be observed that Mrs. S——­ here leaves no doubt as to the nature of the information with which she was so good as to favour Miss Freer, but, notwithstanding this fact, and the language which Mrs. S——­ has considered it right to use—­or, at least, to sign—­with regard to Miss Freer, Miss Freer prefers to continue to treat Mrs. S——­’s statements as confidential, and blanks will accordingly be found in the Journal under the dates on which such conversations occurred.  Miss Freer extends the same regard for a privacy, which the S——­ family have themselves violated, to communications made by other members.  There have, however, been several witnesses unconnected with them, some of whom are referred to in the Journal.  Not only the villagers and persons in the immediate neighbourhood, but many accidentally met with in visits to show-places and in excursions for twenty miles round B——­, were ready to pour out traditions and experiences which are not here quoted, as, though often suggestive, not always evidential.

The Rev. P. H——­, already referred to, quotes a witness who testifies to processions of monks or nuns having been seen by Mr. S——­ from a window, and of a married couple who, “relating the events of the night, declared they could not hear each other’s voices for the noise overhead between them and the ceiling,” which was especially interesting to him, as corroborative of his own experience.

A former servant at B——­ has voluntarily related, at great length, the story of the alleged hauntings, which shows that they have occurred at intervals during the past twenty years.  He is of opinion that as the earlier hauntings were ascribed to the late Major S——­, so their revival may be referred to the late proprietor; but his reasons, as well as his narrative, are of a nature which might cause annoyance to the S——­ family, and are therefore withheld.