Sea Captain Sued for Slandering Ghost

Throughout history there have been several fascinating lawsuits brought that involved ghosts or hauntings. The following is a favorite.

This lawsuit was brought before the Court of the King’s Bench in 1688. This case, Booty vs. Barnaby is  bizarre but true.

On the afternoon of May 15, 1687, a sea captain by the name of Barnaby and his crew went ashore on the island of Stromboli in Italy. While shooting rabbits they spotted a man being chased across the island by a dark figure dressed in black.

Barnaby was amazed for as this pursued man drew closer he recognized him as being one of his neighbors back home in England—a Mr. Booty.

Stromboli volcano

The Captain and his crew watched these two figures—run faster than was humanly possible—right into the fiery flames of a volcano. They then heard unearthly screams.

This sight was so odd the captain had his crew note the time, 3:30 p.m. Once back onboard the ship he requested each man write down or remember what they had seen. He felt the devil himself had chased his neighbor into hell.

Once back in England, his ship at anchor in Graves-end the captain’s wife came onboard in October. In passing she mentioned that a neighbor of theirs, Mr. Booty had died.

Gravesend 1600s

Her husband then told her what he and his crew had seen. “We all saw him run into hell.” His wife then told him that Mr. Booty had died on the exact date he had been chased across the island.

The Captain's wife then shared this story with a friend in London. When her husband joined her at their home he was stunned to hear that a lawsuit had been brought against him for slander.

Mrs. Booty the widow of the deceased man upon hearing the rumors that her husband had been “condemned to hell” was so disturbed she had filed the lawsuit—claiming a 1,000 pounds in damages.

The suit was heard in the King’s court. The Captain had recorded the incident on Stromboli in his ship’s journal and at least 30 crew-members backed up his story with specific details.

They described the grey suit the man wore down to the placement of each cloth button—the suit they described was the one Mr. Booty was wearing when he died at exactly 3:30 p.m..

The court came to the conclusion that all the witnesses could not be mistaken. It ruled in favor of Barnaby stating he had not committed slander.

The Bryan Times
May 18, 1909

The judge was so impressed by the evidence presented he stated:

“Lord have mercy upon me and grant that I may never see what you have seen. One, two or three may be mistaken but not thirty.”

Later the London Chronicle noted that the case of Booty vs. Barnaby was the only time a ghost story was judicially accepted on record.

Hawaii’s Haunted Plantation Village

Worker's huts in the old village.

This village in Oahu is used to teach people about how sugar cane plantations were run in Hawaii in years past. 

The village’s collection of houses—several have been reconstructed-- reflects the immigrants that labored on this plantation from 1850 to 1950.

These immigrants were from China, Korea, Japan, Portugal, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. Native Hawaiians also worked on the plantation.

Guided tours of this living museum are given year-round that recount the history of the plantation—but in the fall tours are offered that reflect the plantations’ hauntings.

Of the 25 houses located at this plantation half of them are considered to be haunted—the Portuguese house being the most active.

Village

Most of the activity occurs at night but one small female ghost that resides in the Portuguese house has been known to play with school children and their mothers that tour the village during the day.

Village houses.

One Filipino female docent states that this little ghost touched her shoulder numerous times and flipped her hair. After this, she would not go back into the Portuguese house.

Later she was informed this little ghost is attracted to females because her mother abandoned her when she was little. She died in a house fire that occurred on the plantation. 

The Puerto Rican house has a mysterious doll that has been known to move from the case it is kept within.

One guide that works at the village states a “choking ghost” that resides in the Okinawan house followed him home one night.

Portuguese house.

The executive director of the village, Jeffery Higa, states he did not believe in ghosts when he first took this job in 2006. He has changed his mind.

There is so much activity at night that he does not go to the village alone. He takes his Collie with him. This dog typically does not bark, but often when he is with his master at the village, he stops and barks at something unseen.

One actor

The plantation village for a decade has hosted a “haunted plantation” attraction in the fall. This attraction includes over 60 actors and is so terrifying children under the age of 12 are not allowed.

There is an aggressive ghost in the Portuguese house that has physically attacked actors hired to work during this attraction. It is believed to be a male. 

Because of this, the actors are no longer allowed to work alone—they now work in pairs.

This rule was made after two female actors that worked alone in the Portuguese house had their legs grabbed. Later both discovered multiple bruises on their legs, which looked like fingerprints. One immediately quit.

Higa had the Portuguese house blessed and purified because of this activity.

More than 15 actors have quit over the years because of being spooked by the real hauntings at the plantation.

The following video done by Honolulu Magazine has Jeffery Higa and Noa Laporga talking about the ghostly activity that people have experienced while at Waipahu plantation.

Haunted Doll: Ghostly Attachments

This doll created in 1740 was used as a “plaything” in order to distract spirits while two men performed exorcisms.

After these rituals were performed many felt various spirits must have attached themselves to this this doll during these rituals.

The reason for this belief is it changes its facial expressions.

Click to enlarge.

In 1888, this doll was given to Cedric Argyle Brown in London. He and a friend, the Rev. Thomas Blythe used it while performing exorcisms, around the UK, at stately homes that were haunted by ghosts.

The reverend was the first to notice something odd. He felt it followed him with its eyes and he noticed that it changed its expressions.

A friend of the two men photographed the doll twice—the second picture taken twenty minutes after the first. When he developed these plates he became spooked for the expression of the doll in the second picture had changed. It was now smiling.

All the people who viewed these two photos were amazed by the difference in the expressions on its face—the facial features had definitively changed.

Rumors began that the some of the spirits that had been exorcized must possess the doll. It appeared they were trapped—so it was now considered to be haunted.

In the late 1950s, Mr. Brown’s grandson sold the doll to a dime store in America.

While it was displayed here—old photos taken of the doll were displayed around it. A red line of tape was placed on the floor.

Thousands of visitors stood behind this tape and took photos of the “possessed doll.” In most instances its' expression changed in each picture taken.

Mouth is now open.
Click to enlarge.

Sometimes the doll looked like a boy and in other photos it looked like a girl. It sometimes was smiling and in other photos it appeared to be sad.

The doll made its way back to the UK and was exhibited at the Museum of Curios in Cornwall for 7 years—until 2007.

It again was photographed thousands of times. It became the most popular exhibit at this museum.

This doll is made of cloth with glass eyes. It is nine inches long and because of its age it is in delicate condition.

Prison Hospital Ward

Sometimes people confuse Guardian Angels with just nice people who return as ghosts. This story is about a helpful spirit that returns to a place where she helped out while alive.

Denver’s Hospital Unit 8 was once a children’s wing but in the 1990s it was used as a prison hospital ward.

These patients—mostly lifers-- were locked away in individual rooms—they all had terminal illnesses and so they were brought to this unit to die.

Two nurses and two deputies worked each shift in this unit. But this unit according to a nurse, Sandy Maxwell often had another visitor—one with a more altruistic motive.

One female deputy spotted this strange female visitor late one night in a part of the ward that was empty and locked. This deputy told this woman “No one is supposed to be in here. I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

The mysterious woman complied. She walked right through the shocked deputy. According to Maxwell, after this the female deputy refused to work in the ward and had to be reassigned.

Workers that remained in the ward felt this ghost was Mrs. Speers –the wife of a former mayor who used to volunteer in the ward before she died.

The prisoners often reported seeing her—especially in Room 6. These prisoners took comfort from her visits.

Maxwell never saw this apparition but states she did see a male child ghost who liked to play peek-a-boo with her. When she would turn around he then always disappeared.

She often heard phantom noises including toilets flushing and doors slamming when everyone was locked in their rooms. All the employees heard these sounds.

Two other nurses did see the ghost of Mrs. Speers when she sat down on the edge of one of the patient’s beds. This startled prisoner, a man in his forties had AIDS. He and these nurses got a good look at her.

One morning before he passed Sandy entered his room to talk. She noticed he was in good spirits. He told her, “that nice woman was in here again.” Maxwell stated he appeared less frightened about his impeding death after this visit.

This ward was demolished in recent years but some claim they have seen this helping spirit in other parts of this Colorado hospital.