The Ghost Whistle of Riccarton

In March of 1902, a gentleman was traveling into town on a Riccarton Coach, and the story goes that while on this coach, he passed a butcher. This butcher later became sick and was advised to travel by sea, so he took a Union Steam Ship to Sydney. The gentleman then went to Oxford Terrace at 9 AM, and shortly after he left, an acquaintance mentioned hearing the butcher whistling. That same afternoon, news arrived that the butcher had died at sea early that very morning.

This is just one of the accounts from a scrapbook detailing various paranormal incidents across Christchurch and beyond. These stories gave a sense of tangibility to Spiritualists and provided empirical data for Psychical Researchers, showing how spiritualist beliefs circulated like rumors.

Another incident happened in Harewood, where four young men heard rapping in a deserted house. Frank Wood and his 15-year-old brother were delivering chaff at 10 o'clock when they entered the house and heard a methodical knocking. It was too loud for rats and too systematic, a sound that filled the house but couldn't be located. The next week, some friends, including Mr. Broadhurst, William Cassels of Yaldhurst, and the Tavendale brothers, came to investigate. They were armed with torches and a gun. The noise started as they entered, and they saw a black, hooded figure about 20 yards away. They called out and shot twice, and the ghost faded, causing everyone to run. The following night, two reporters tried to find the ghost, but it didn't appear, not even knocking. The reporting journal, *Aquarius*, suggested that a shotgun was not ideal for this type of encounter and appealed to students of the occult in Christchurch to try psychic contact.

Professor F.W. Haslem, an Honorary Associate of the Society for Psychical Research in London, lived on Yaldhurst Road here in Riccarton. In 1897, his son had a dream about a rider in a scarlet coat winning the Riccarton Races. He whimsically bet on a horse called Scarlet Rider that morning, even though he was told it had no chance of winning because it was so new. Later that day, while he was at university, the horse won, confirming his dream.