St. Simons Island Light, Part ll

History

St. Simons' lighthouse.

The St. Simons Island Light is a lighthouse on the southern tip of St. Simons Island, Georgia.

It guides ships into St. Simons Sound and warns them of the many sandbars in the area. This lighthouse is still used today.

The original lighthouse was built in 1810 and was 75 feet tall. It was octagonal in shape and was topped off by a 10-foot oil-burning lamp.

During the American Civil War, this lighthouse was destroyed. During a battle, Union soldiers drove back the Confederates. The Confederates then destroyed this lighthouse so the Union troops that took over the area could not use it to guide their warships.

In 1872, the U.S. government constructed a new lighthouse just west of the original location. This lighthouse is 104 feet tall, made of brick and has a 3^rd order biconvex lens. This lens is one of 70 that are still in use today in the U.S.

The St. Simons Island Light is haunted by one of its former keepers, Frederick Osborne.

In March of 1880, Osborne was killed in a duel.

The reason for this duel is uncertain. One version states that Osborne made an inappropriate comment to his assistant light-keepers wife. This man, John Stephens then challenged him to fight.

In another version, it is stated that it was Stephens who made unwanted advances to Osborne’s wife.

Regardless, the two men stood 98 feet apart--Osborne held a pistol and Stephens held a shotgun loaded with buckshot. Stephen hit his mark. Osborne was fatally wounded.

Stephen was later acquitted of any charges, but this did not end it for him.

When Stephens took over as light-keeper, he often reported hearing the sounds of footsteps ascending and descending the steps that lead to the top of the lighthouse.

Till his death, he firmly believed this was Osborne’s ghost.

In later years, another lighthouse keeper by the name of Svendsen claimed that Osborne’s ghost constantly harassed his dog, Jinx.

Multi-witnesses have claimed to hear footsteps on the tower’s staircase.

The U.S. Coast Guard took over the running of the lighthouse in 1939. Guardsmen at this time reported hearing the sound of footsteps while they did routine maintenance on the light.

Many believe Osborne still lingers because he wants to make sure the light is cared for.

In the early 1970s, the Coastal Georgia Historical Society spent three years restoring the 2-story Victorian light-keepers cottage--in 1984 this building became a museum. Tourists for a small fee can now climb the 129 steps to the top of the lighthouse.

Lighthouse today

The view of St. Simons Sound and the surrounding area is breathtaking.

In 2010, the lighthouse tower was fully restored--great pains were taken to protect the rare biconvex lens.

In 2013, a paranormal group called LDL captured activity on a video they took of the lighthouse. They use a P- SB7 Spirit Box to communicate with the ghosts. Information about this box is in another post here.

Photograph by
Lawrence G. Miller

On this box, they captured what they feel is Frederick Osborne’s voice. They also obtained evidence of another ghost that haunts the lighthouse.

This ghost is Lisa Register. She is believed to have committed suicide by jumping off the top of the lighthouse in 1999.

Here is a link to this video on YouTube.

In Part l, I share another ghost story connected to St. Simons Island entitled, Light in the Graveyard.

Georgia: Light in a Graveyard, Part l

The Marshes of Glynn

“…Beautiful gloom, soft dusks in the noonday fire,--

Wildwood privacies, closets of lone desire,

Chamber from chamber parted with wavering arras of leaves,--

Cells for the passionate pleasure of prayer to the soul that grieves,

Pure with a sense of the passing of saints through the wood,

Cool for the dutiful weighing of ill with the good:--…“

Christ Church Cemetery

This sad, touching ghost tale has been told for many years on St. Simons Island the largest island in the Golden Isles. 

St. Simons lies across from the “Marshes of Glynn” made famous by the poem written by Sidney Lanier above.

Most believe this is a true story.

Long ago there was a couple that lived on St. Simons Island just off the Georgia coast. They were totally devoted to each other.

The wife was terrified of the dark, so her husband every night at bedtime would bring a candle into their bedroom.

The years passed, and the wife became ill. Knowing she was about to die, she told her husband that she was afraid of being placed in a dark grave. Her husband eased her fears by promising to bring a lit candle to her resting place every night.

After she died, her husband kept his promise. For as long as he lived, he would visit the cemetery where his wife was buried at night and leave a burning candle on her grave.

After he died, the residents of the Island were shocked when this nightly light continued to be seen in the cemetery.

Christ Church early 20th century.

Most came to believe that this devoted husband’s spirit was continuing his labor of love. This light is seen in Christ Churches’ cemetery even today.

A flickering flame is seen passing through the grave markers, and then it stops at the wife’s grave--where it remains until sunrise.

Read about the St. Simon’s lighthouse another place that is haunted on this Island in Part ll--St. Simons Island Light.

Thelma Todd’s Ghost

Thelma Todd

Thelma Todd was a star in 1930s Hollywood. She was the “ice-cream blonde” with a talent for comedy.

Tragically, Todd who had earned the nickname “Hot Toddy” in Hollywood was found dead in her car on the morning of December 16, 1935. She was 30 years old.

Todd at the time of her death had starred in 40 films most of them comedies. She worked with all the great comedians of the time --the Marx Brothers in--Horse Feathers and Monkey Business, Laurel and Hardy--The Devil’s Brother, Buster Keaton and Jimmy Durante in Speak Easily to name just a few. She starred in the 1932 film Gary Grant made his debut in --This is the Night.

Todd’s death set off a media frenzy that would easily rival the O.J. Simpson case sixty years later. The main reason for this is because the cause of her death, despite the official report, remains a mystery.

Climb to Success

Todd was a happy grade school teacher in Massachusetts. To make extra money, she worked as a fashion model on the side. This led to her entering several beauty contests.

She won the title of Miss Massachusetts in 1925. During her reign, she was spotted by a Hollywood talent scout and began attending Paramount Picture’s acting school in New York City.

She came to Hollywood just as the industry was transitioning from silent films to talkies. She eventually landed at Hal Roach studios where she worked up until her death.

Todd had a successful career but her personal life, unfortunately, did not follow the same path.

Bad Boys

Todd was attracted to exciting but dangerous men. She married a man by the name of Pat DiCicco who worked in Hollywood under the guise of being an “agent.” DiCicco abused Todd, and she divorced him.

Todd with husband Pat DiCicco

In 1931, Todd starred under the name “Alison Lloyd” in a crime thriller entitled, Corsair directed by Roland West. Todd was branching out from the typical comedies she starred in.

Thelma Todd's Sidewalk Cafe
in Pacific Palisades

West became Todd’s occasional lover. The two opened a successful restaurant--using Todd’s fame-- off the Pacific Coast Highway between Santa Monica and Malibu called Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Café.

This café was located on the ground floor of a large 3-story 15,000 square foot building. West and Todd also ran a private nightclub on the second floor called Joya’s--this establishment quickly became the playground for Hollywood’s rich and famous.

The two frequently fought because Todd didn’t like being tied to this nightclub and Café--she wanted to go out. But West insisted she was his “magnet.”

“You’re my money maker, and if you are not here, I’m not making money.”

Roland West, his ex-wife and Todd lived in ritzy ocean-view apartments on this building’s upper floor. There were sliding doors between West and Todd’s apartments so they could carry on a discrete affair.

During this time the gangland boss Charles “Lucky” Luciano approached Todd. He knew Todd through her connection with DiCicco. He wanted to place a gambling casino above the Café. Todd refused his request.

Lucky Luciano

Her Death

On the night of her death Todd had attended a party given in her honor by Ida Lupino’s father Stanley at the famous Sunset Strip Trocadero nightclub.

Her ex-husband DiCicco was at the party, and the two became entangled in a bitter fight. After this, Todd spent the rest of the evening drinking heavily.

Thelma Todd's body

She was taken home in a chauffer driven car and arrived at the Cafe at 3:35 a.m. Her maid later found her dead in the Café’s two-car garage. She was slumped over on the passenger side of her brown 1934 Lincoln Phaeton convertible. The car was still running, and the garage doors were closed.

It was determined that Thelma Todd died of monoxide poisoning, and her death was officially ruled a suicide.

This might have been the end of it, but the condition of Todd’s body when discovered has kept this elusive mystery at the forefront for 80 years.

When Todd’s body was discovered, she had bruises on her lower lip, and according to exaggerated news reports of the time, she had a broken nose and ribs. Blood was also found on her face and in the car.

Possible Suspects

Several theories have been suggested as the real cause of Todd’s death. Here are just two.

One states that Todd’s ex-husband Pat DiCicco followed her home after their argument at the party. DiCicco was not a Hollywood agent, but instead, he was one of Lucky Luciano’s right-hand-men.

Some theories speculate it was personal for DiCicco--it was widely known he was bitter about the fact Todd divorced him.

Others speculate that he might have been acting on Luciano’s behalf because Todd had rejected his request to use her establishment for a gambling casino. Todd had gone to the DA when Luciano became persistent.

Roland West

A second theory involves Roland West. He was obsessed with the success of the two businesses he and Todd ran together. He also often became angry when he couldn’t control Todd.

Witnesses reported hearing Todd and West having a loud argument in the wee hours of the morning she was found dead. One account states West was extremely angry Todd had returned so late from her party.

Some feel that he killed Todd in a moment of rage and then placed Todd’s body in the convertible with the engine running to make it look like an accident.

Todd’s Ghost

Regardless of whether it was a suicide or a murder Thelma Todd’s spirit appears not to rest easy.

The area where Todd died has been considered haunted since her death.

Witnesses have reported seeing Thelma Todd wearing a gown, mink and covered in jewels walking around.

She is often seen on a staircase in the building where she lived. Witnesses who have seen her state she never speaks.

In the garage where she was found dead, witnesses have heard a car running. Yet others say they smelled a strong odor of gas in the area.

The reason these two reports are considered unusual is the fact this double garage has not been used in years.

London: Ten Bells Pub

This pub first opened its doors in the 18^th century. It is located in Spitalfields in the East End of London.

The Ten Bells is at the upper
top right of this 1905 photo.

Ten Bells is named after the 10 bells that peal out in Christ Churches’ belfry next door. At one time, the pub was called Eight Bells, but when the church upgraded to 10 chimes, the pub’s name was updated as well.

This pub became renowned because of its connection to Jack the Ripper crimes in the late 1800s. All the murdered prostitutes at one time or another had patronized this public house.

Mary Kelly, the Ripper's last victim, often stood in front of Ten Bells to solicit customers. Her body was found across the road from the pub.

Because of this, the pub was renamed Jack the Ripper in 1979. By 1988 it was pointed out that this murderer shouldn’t be commemorated in this way so it was again named The Ten Bells.

Rumors about the Ten Bells being haunted have circulated for years.

Annie Chapman

One claim is that the pub has an active poltergeist. It is believed this ghost is Annie Chapman, who was one of the Ripper’s victims.

Annie Chapman

It is stated that after Annie spent one-night drinking at the pub, the Ripper lured her away. Her body was found later mutilated nearby on Hanbury Street.

Annie is believed to be the ghost that makes objects move mysteriously in the pub. She is particularly fond of moving pints of beer.

Despite the fact she was murdered brutally, her ghost is not considered malicious in nature.

Annie has never been seen just felt.

But there is a ghost at Ten Bells who does appear regularly.

The Old Man

The Ten Bells 2012

In the 1990s, several staff members who worked at this pub lived upstairs. These employees reported seeing a ghostly old man wearing Victorian clothing.

Several reported waking in the middle of the night feeling uneasy. When they turned over, they saw a male phantom form lying beside them in their beds.

As they cried out in shock or moved to leave their beds; this figure then disappeared.

The descriptions given of this ghost always closely matched. No one had any idea who this man was. The staff that opted to stay learned to live with this activity.

In 2000, the new landlord was cleaning out the building’s cellar when he found an old metal box hidden in a corner.

It contained items that belonged to a man named George Roberts. A wallet that was found contained a clipping that mentioned Roberts was murdered with an ax, while at the Swansea Cinema.

It was later discovered Roberts had been the landlord of the Ten Bells when the Ripper was active in the late 1800s.

People today state the old man that is seen is George Roberts.

One tenant in the building in 2001, stated that he often heard Robert’s footsteps and his laughter when he was the only one in the building.

Modern-day interior.

He would always investigate but he never discovered anything.

One evening as he headed down the stairs to investigate the bar area, he felt firm invisible hands shove him. This happened to him more than once--each time he ended up falling down the stairs.

Sise Inn’s Playful Ghosts

Portsmouth, NH

This Bed and Breakfast is located in the quaint seaside town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

John Sise, a wealthy businessman, built this Queen Anne style home on land formerly owned by his wife’s family in 1881. He and his wife Lucy, and their daughter Mabel lived happily on the property for years. When Mabel married, she and her husband inherited the home.

In the 1930s the property was sold and then used as business and doctor’s offices. It later was a beauty salon and then was converted into apartments. By the 1950s the home was being used as a halfway house for the mentally ill.

It was at this time the haunting was first noticed by several patients. 

Sise Inn today.

In 1986 the home was renovated and became the Sise Inn. This inn has a charming Victorian Era atmosphere. Every room has antiques, and the butter wood paneling adds to the overall warmth of this 3-story building.

At the time the inn opened a modern light-filled atrium was added to the building.

With guests coming and going the ghostly activity became more pronounced.

Some feel there are two ghosts at the inn, one being male and the other female. Both are very mischievous--especially the male spirit who appears to be the more active of the two.

Ghosts tend to be fascinated by doors, and these two are no different. They like to open and shut doors, but they take this a step further and lock and unlock doors.

Haunted Suite 204

One couple staying at the inn returned late one night to find their room key would not open their suite’s door. The desk clerk and the manager tried with their passkeys, but they couldn’t unlock the door. At 4:00 a.m., a locksmith was called, and this man tried the couple’s key, and the door opened easily.

Maids at the inn have also reported having trouble unlocking doors--they feel cold spots each time this happens.

These two ghosts seem to be obsessed by the inn’s elevator--it often goes up and down, and the door opens and closes without human assistance.

They are also fascinated by the inn’s second-floor ice machine. One evening the desk clerk heard a commotion upstairs when no guests were staying on the second floor. This staff member found ice strewn around the hall and stacks of cubes melting on the floor in various guest rooms.

Another time a maid saw ice cubes being thrown across a room.

These two also enjoy moving objects. One noted incident involved a large potted plant that was seen levitating off a coffee table by a guest staying in a suite. This man demanded a new room.

A rocking chair that is near the front desk is seen rocking on its own.

In this same area one evening the desk clerk stepped away from the counter briefly and returned to find a pair of scissors on top of the counter--moments before these scissors were in a box where they are usually stored beneath this shelf.

The male ghost has gained a reputation as an amorous ladies' man. Female guests often report having their bottoms grabbed. One female visitor reported seeing this ghost lie down on the bed with her.

Maids have also reported his cheeky behavior. One stated this ghost approached her from behind and placed his hands on her hips.

So why is the ill haunted?

What is unusual is the two ghosts in this building have no apparent connection to the home’s history. Most haunted houses have former owners, servants, or someone that stayed on the property while living, then they return after death.

One favorite backstory or legend that is circulated about the home states a butler of Sise’s fell in love with a housemaid, but when their relationship went sour, the butler killed the maid and then hung himself. But there is no evidence this actually happened.

Most feel since these two ghosts are playful that it is doubtful they experienced violent or tragic deaths.

Who these two might be remains a mystery.

Washington State: Lady of the Lake

Lake Crescent

Lake Crescent, located within Olympic National Park, has a reputation for “rarely giving up its dead.”

The following ghost story is an exception to this rule. Olympic Peninsula citizens often share this gruesome, tragic tale about a murder and a body that turned to soap.

The Discovery

One summer morning in 1940 two fishermen boating on Lake Crescent spotted a large object floating on the surface. When they drew near, they realized it was a human body wrapped in blankets and hogtied with rope.

The coroner who then took charge of the body discovered a corpse in an unusual condition.

The body had not decomposed or decayed, and it had no apparent odor. The flesh was hard and waxy. It was found the body had gone through a process known as saponification--this is where fatty acids convert to soap.

The cold deep waters of the lake had preserved the body, and the salt and calcium had slowly converted the tissue into a material similar to Ivory soap called adipocere.

The coroner noted this 36-year old female victim had been murdered for she had discoloration and bruises on her neck and evidence of an extensive hemorrhage on her chest. She had been beaten and strangled.

Her Identity

Despite the well-preserved state of the corpse, the authorities had a hard time determining who this woman was. The body was missing a face, fingertips, and toes.

The preserved corpse.

The locals quickly dubbed the mystery corpse--Lady of the Lake.

Her dental records were sent to over 5,000 dentists. Finally, a dentist in South Dakota came forward in 1941 stating the upper dental plate belonged to a former patient of his--Hallie Latham.

Hallie Latham Illingworth

Hallie Lathan Illingworth

Hallie was born to a hard-working farm couple in Greenville, Kentucky in 1901. As a young adult, she had moved slowly across the west in search of a better life.

By the time she reached Port Angeles in Washington in 1936 she had ended her second marriage and was working at the Lake Crescent Tavern --today the Lake Crescent Lodge--as a barmaid.

She met and married her third husband Montgomery “Monty” J. Illingworth, a beer-truck driver and known ladies man in Port Angeles on January 16, 1936.

The marriage was a turbulent one. Hallie often would show up to work with bruises on her arms and face. At one point the police were called in to break up a pre-dawn fierce fight between the two only five months into their marriage.

The Disappearance

After almost one year of marriage, Hallie suddenly went missing shortly before Christmas in December of 1937. Monty told her family and friends that she had run off with a fisherman from Alaska.

Hallie’s close-knit family though became alarmed when she did not contact them over the holidays.

In the meantime, Monty seemingly unconcerned about his missing wife moved to Long Beach, California with a woman he had been romantically connected to in Port Angeles before Hallie’s disappearance.

By 1938 Monty was granted a divorce from Hallie.

Three years after her disappearance on July 6, 1940, Hallie reappeared as the Lady of the Lake sending the citizens of the Peninsula Coast into shock.

Apprehending a Killer

In October of 1941, Monty Illingworth was arrested in Long Beach. He was brought back to Port Angeles and was put on trial for Hallie’s murder in Clallam County Superior Court in February of 1941.

Monty Illingworth during the trial.

This 9-day trial’s sensationalized headlines competed with news about the Second World War around the U.S.

Throughout the trial, Monty maintained his innocence. Stating that the body that was found was not his ex-wife. He even said that she was still “gallivanting around with her lover.”

But the evidence against him was overwhelming. The Dentist from South Dakota was a very credible witness--he insisted the dental plate belonged to Hallie.

A friend of Hallie's who testified identified the clothing found with the corpse as belonging to her.

The critical evidence turned out to be the heavy rope the corpse was hogtied with. Monty had borrowed 50 feet of rope from the storekeeper at the lake. The store still had remnants from this rope--the fibers matched precisely.

After four hours of deliberation the jurors found Monty guilty of second-degree murder * he was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Washington State Penitentiary at Walla Walla.

Illingworth served nine years of this sentence and then was paroled in 1951. He died in 1974, in Los Alamitos, California.

* The murder was not considered premeditated -- it was believed instead to be just one more of the couple’s violent fights-- but this time it had escalated out of control.

The Haunting

Since this murder, a legend has grown about Hallie's spirit still haunting the area where she worked and died.

Lake Crescent Tavern
The Mid-1930s.

Tourists that stay at the lodge have seen her ghost. She is spotted sitting at a table smoking a cigarette. Some unsuspecting visitors have reported she spoke to them.

Staff at the lodge report hearing her clatter up and down the stairs in the early hours of the morning.

Other reports include lights flickering, doors slamming, and music playing loudly in the lounge. Some state this makes sense since Hallie liked to drink while alive.

She is also seen walking along the lake’s shore. She is described as a dark, pale translucent figure. More legendary reports mention she is sometimes seen gliding across the water.

One first-person account mentions seeing Monty in a rowboat and him carelessly dropping Hallie’s weighted body into Lake Crescent. 

Belmez Ghost Faces

In 1971, Belmez de la Moraleda a tiny town located in southern Spain became the center of a world paranormal controversy that is still hotly debated today.

Maria Gomez Pereira was cooking in her kitchen when she noticed a face start to form on the cement floor beneath her feet. Maria a superstitious woman had her husband destroy the cement with a pick ax. He then laid a fresh slab of cement.

A week later the face reappeared again on the spot where the slab was replaced. Maria then noticed this face faded but later another one replaced it on her floor.

Word spread quickly and people by the thousands began to show up in Belmez with the hope of catching a glimpse of this strange phenomenon that became known later as the Belmez Faces.

Research was done and it was discovered that the Pereira home sat on an area that had been used for hundreds of years as a burial site. 

The Belmez City Council decided to excavate the spot where the faces appeared.

Nine feet down human remains were found. When these bodies were removed and given a “proper burial” it was assumed the faces would stop appearing. But this wasn’t the case.

After this excavation more faces appeared--among them smaller ones that appeared to be children.

Scientists and paranormal teams were called in to try and determine what was happening. * It was felt by many that these faces could easily be debunked. But again this wasn’t the case.

Skeptics immediately announced that it was just a hoax. Over the years many have pointed to the Pereira’s son as the culprit, stating he was painting these faces on the home’s floor and the family was just out to gain attention.

But it was determined the faces were apparently within the cement not on it. 

The mayor of Belmez at one point had the slab completely removed--it had two different faces on it at the time-- so it could be checked for tampering, etc.

No definitive conclusions were drawn from this investigation including any kind of chemical reaction. No paint was found on the cement.

Bender and Argumosa

The main investigative team of Hans Bender and Greman de Argumosa arranged to have the floor in the kitchen and the home sealed off for 3 days. No one was allowed in during this time.

When the Pereira’s home was reopened it was discovered that the face on the floor that was observed before the home was sealed off had shifted position. 

Oddly, neither of these two men ever published an official report about their investigations. Bender did make the following statement during a lecture.

“In Belmez, slight changes of the faces’ configuration during the period when the phenomenon was under seal (attested by a notary) have contributed to ensure its paranormal origin.”

Maria eventually viewed the faces as a blessing and the Periera’s stopped trying to remove them. She lived with them for 33-years--these faces were both male and female and appeared in various shapes and sizes. 

In 2004, Maria died at the age of 85.

It was believed after her death the faces would stop appearing. They did stop, but strangely soon after her death, they appeared in another home nearby--the one she was born in.

* Some investigators felt the faces were a “thoughtographic” phenomenon--caused by Maria--which is the ability to burn an image onto a surface with the power of the mind.

The following video has an investigator that believes Maria was the cause. It also has an interview with Maria--my impression is she is telling the truth.

The Ghost of Lon Chaney

Lon Chaney Sr. was a beloved character actor in the silent film era.

His portrayals of tortured, often grotesque and afflicted characters are celebrated even today. 

Lon Chaney's Phantom

Lon Chaney’s skilled and artistic use of makeup set him apart in roles such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923, and The Phantom of the Opera 1925.

His unique ability to transform himself with makeup earned him the nickname, The Man of a Thousand Faces.

Chaney’s characters of Quasimodo the bell ringer of Norte Dame and Erik, the phantom of the Paris Opera House are considered to be “the most grotesquely deformed characters” in film history.

But this is not why he is beloved by all who view his films. What many forget is the success of most of his characters resulted from the fact they solicited both sympathy and pathos from the viewing audience. This is the true testament to Chaney’s ability to act.

Under the masks he created for his characters was a compelling need for all things human.

Chaney often picked characters that experienced unrequited love-- he chose to betray men who it would be impossible to love. This concept hit home with his audiences because as author Ray Bradbury once stated, Lon Chaney brought a universal fear--never to be loved--out into the open.

Chaney's Quasimodo

Lon Chaney Sr.

Lon Chaney Sr. had talents beyond the horror genre and his makeup artistry. He was a highly skilled dancer. This is evident in the grace in which most of his characters moved across the screen. He was also a comedian and a singer with a rich baritone voice.

He died of Lung Cancer in 1930 at the age of 47.

The Phantom Stage

Stage 28 at Universal Studios located in Los Angeles is known as The Phantom Stage. It was on this stage where Lon Chaney filmed his classic story The Phantom of the Opera.

For years, both visitors and employees of this studio have considered Stage 28 to be haunted. The ghost that is seen is believed to be Lon Chaney.

Electricians, carpenters, designers, art directors and studio security guards have all reported seeing a man in a black cape who comes and goes without warning.

Many who have seen this figure’s face close up have stated it is looks just like Lon Chaney Sr.

The Phantom of the Opera set is
still hidden at the back of  stage 28.

Visitors and employees have reported seeing Chaney’s ghost running overhead in the catwalks. It is sometimes reported he carries a chandelier.

Security guards who are reticent to talk about this ghost often admit that when Stage 28 is shut down for the night they have seen lights go on and off and heard doors slam shut when the stage is deserted.

Other witnesses have stated they have heard whispered voices on this stage that have no logical source.