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The House of Knocks and Bumps, pg. 8

Typewritten manuscript, page 8, "The House of Knocks and Bumps" by Daniel Lehmann The text reads: Number 6. 11P.M., Father and Alice in the bedroom, Mother in the living room, Julia in the kitchen, A set of serving trays fell from stand to floor in bedroom After this list was assembled, Mrs. Marx recalled an event that happened the day before, September 1: Number 7. 1:30 P.M., Toothpaste and shampoo fell off shelf in bathroom, shampoo broke. Alice was alone in bathroom During the making of the above list, Mr. Marx was helping. However, as the items progressed, he became somewhat more nervous, got up, and went out to do his chores. By the simple listing of these items, it became obvious that Alice was present in the room in which the strange events took place in every instance. In three cases she was alone, and in four cases her father was with her. Then, it was recalled that, on the first night that the knocks were heard by all, and the knocks began to be heard on the stairs and later descended to the living room, Mr. Marx had stayed with Alice in her room upstairs. Of course, this listing would in no way account for the literally hundreds of knocks and noises that must have been heard in six weeks of trouble. However, it was sufficient to form a working hypothesis that the disturbances were centering about Alice -- with the father as a possible "catalytic" or co-operating agent. However, the question remained open as to whether Alice was the conscious cause of the trouble, whether she was doing the acts unconsciously, or whether she was the source of some force, which in mysterious, unknown manner, might be operating through her body and moving objects by psychokinesis.

Lehmann notes how Alice was present at the scene of all recorded poltergeist activity, with her father present in some instances, hypothesizing that the poltergeist activity centers around her, with her father perhaps acting as a catalyst or cooperating agent. The question he asks is whether the activity is conscious or unconscious, drawing to the theory that paranormal activity is a product of the unconscious mind. Psychokinesis is also suggested as a possible explanation.

See: “The House of Knocks and Bumps,” pg. 7, page 1, page 2

Manuscript, “The House of Knocks and Bumps,” Daniel Lehmann, pg. 8, Folder “Baltimore Poltergeist,” Box D, Eileen J. Garrett Parapsychology Foundation collection, Collection 331, Special Collections, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD).

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