"During
the seance one of the participants in a voice not his own, called
out the name 'Nancy', and began crying violently. Later, when
questioned, the individual didn't remember anything about the
incident except arriving at the Peckham family [burial] plot earlier
in the evening." In the ensuing weeks there were several incidents
involving loud noises, moving furniture and disappearing items
reappearing in unusual places. In 1965, two additional seances
were held in the fraternity house for the purpose of banishing
Peckham's ghost: ". . . all power in the house was cut off, the
candle went out and the room became extremely cold. The same individual
became possessed and this time cried out in a voice not his own,
'no, no, no, . . not any more!'" There are some problems with
this story, the major one being that Will Peckham could not have
been executed in 1884. The last person executed in Rhode Island
was John Gordon, and that occurred fifteen years before William
Peckham was born! For more on John Gordon, the haunting of Sprague
Mansion and a seance there, read on.
Text © Dr. Michael Bell |