Part V - The Akenfield Poltergeist.
The final part of this wardrobe adventure, as told by The Professor.
And that entry of 27th June 1899 was, my friends, the last ever entry in Golightly’s casebook.
I must say, I was gripped.
Intrigued to find out what had transpired after Golightly’s troublesome night in the Blue Room, I started to dig around.
Reader, what I discovered has quite unsettled me.
I’ve transcribed below the police report, unearthed from the Akenfield Constabulary, as submitted by Inspector Roberts.
On [28/6/1899] I received an urgent call from Reverend Bond of the Rectory, Akenfield. I took Sergeant Rigley with me and we attended the Rectory.
We established that a Rev Johnathan Golightly, a guest at the Rectory and a college friend of the Reverend B had disappeared at some point the evening before.
Reverend B explained to me and the sergeant that they had searched the Rectory and its grounds, and the Reverend Golightly was nowhere to be found.
In a great state of agitation, the Reverend Bond explained that he had hesitated long before calling the station, and regretted that he had not informed us sooner.
Rigley and I were shown the room from which the Reverend Golightly had allegedly disappeared. A bedroom on the first floor of the rectory.
The door had been locked from the inside. The Reverend Bond informed me that after the Reverend Golightly did not appear for breakfast. The maid, a certain Alice Clarke had repeatedly knocked on the Reverend Golightly’s door.
By 11 o clock, both the Reverend Bond and Mrs Margaret Bond told me that they were somewhat concerned.
When Golightly didn’t make it down for breakfast, the house maid, Alice Clarke, had been sent up to knock on the Blue Room Door. There was no answer, and the door was locked from the inside.
Further knocking failed to rouse the Reverend Golightly.
Frederick Briggs, the gardener, was summoned to help. Briggs obtained a ladder and looked in at the window. He could see no sign of life in the room. After some further delay, Briggs was asked to force an entry, which he did.
The Reverend B informed me that it must have been 2 pm when they discovered that the Reverend Golightly was not in the room.
Sergeant Rigley and I ascertained that the room had not been touched from 2 pm onwards. We confirmed what both Alice Clarke, Briggs and the Reverend and Mrs Bond told us: the bed had been slept in, the Reverend’s clothes were folded and placed on a chair near the bed.
The window was on the catch, and indeed, the drop was too perilous to consider a jump. No other points of exit from the room were discovered.
Some personal effects of Reverend Golightly have been retained, including his clothes, a diary and some documents.
Photo enclosed with the Police Report detailing Golightly’s mysterious disappearance.
I will organise a search of the area, and send to the village for men to assist in the dragging of ponds and other watercourses in the area.
Rigley helpfully suggested that we elicit the help of the Canadian troops who are stationed close by Akenfield, and I will contact the camp to request of the commanding officer the help of some of his men.
Statements will be taken from the Reverend B, Briggs and Clarke - but at present Mrs Bond is too upset to give a statement.
There is one other person we will have to interview. A Mr. Edward Cummins who lodges at the Rectory, and whom we have been informed, is currently away on business.
There you have it.
I’m afraid that was the only report I unearthed. No follow up notes on the case were to be found.
However, wondering if Golightly’s case notes had ever been published, I scanned through the popular spiritual press of the time. I stumbled across this footnote in The British Spiritual Telegraph which I have reproduced below.
Make of it what you will.
The Professor was intrigued by this discovery in The British Spiritual Telegraph, dated late December 1899.
That concludes this particular wardrobe adventure, however is it the end for Golightly?
Perhaps we may meet again...
A new adventure starring Professor Echo and Charlie Silence is coming soon!
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