1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: Alone with everybody. Part two. Bill defintely wiped away the 2 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 1: paint with the cloth and tried once more, this time 3 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 1: taking extra care as he dipped the brush before again 4 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: attempting to correct the line from the upper thigh to 5 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,840 Speaker 1: the knee. He stood back to get a better look 6 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: and was immediately disappointed. Damn it, he thought, as he 7 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: grudgingly wiped the paint away again. Though the week since 8 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 1: the house had been exercised in July had been comparatively calm, 9 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: the family's financial situation was becoming increasingly desperate. Things appeared 10 00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:59,639 Speaker 1: to be looking up, however, when Bill was commissioned out 11 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 1: of the by his neighbor Susannah, to paint a portrait 12 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:08,039 Speaker 1: of her favorite horse, Echo. Bill wasn't entirely sure if 13 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 1: it had been out of sympathy or genuine interest, but 14 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:15,319 Speaker 1: either way he was grateful not only for the money, 15 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:18,200 Speaker 1: but also the chance to finally put his mind at 16 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: rest and move on from the stress of the previous year. 17 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: It was a fairly simple piece to complete by his standards, 18 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:32,000 Speaker 1: constructed in two parts, the first being the composition of 19 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: the backdrop, which Bill had decided on himself after spending 20 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: the day scouring the local countryside for the perfect setting. 21 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:44,679 Speaker 1: With that completed, he had then set about painting in 22 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: the horse on top, using a recent photograph provided by 23 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: his neighbor. All was going well until it came to 24 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: finishing up the back leg. No matter how many times 25 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: he tried, the brush just wouldn't do what he wanted. 26 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: In the end, despite countless efforts, Bill was eventually forced 27 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 1: to admit defeat, hoping that his neighbor wouldn't notice. Thankfully, Susannah, 28 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:16,360 Speaker 1: who was clearly very fond of the animal, was delighted 29 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 1: with his efforts, and so it was with some distress 30 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 1: when she informed Bill a few weeks later that Echo 31 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 1: had died. It began soon after Susannah had hung up 32 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: the painting, watching the horse in the paddock one afternoon, 33 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:43,680 Speaker 1: she noticed he was limping and clearly in some considerable pain. 34 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:47,799 Speaker 1: A subsequent check up with the vet revealed a peculiar 35 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: injury to one of its hind legs, which had caused 36 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: it to swell up inexplicably. Echo's condition deteriorated rapidly over 37 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:01,640 Speaker 1: the next few days, until one morning he simply wandered 38 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:09,120 Speaker 1: out into the fields, keeled over and died. Having returned 39 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 1: home after burying the animal, a devastated Susannah found herself 40 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 1: reminiscing in front of Bill's painting when she noticed something 41 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 1: peculiar At the precise spot where the horse had developed 42 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: his injury. Bill's multiple attempts to get the leg just 43 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:34,480 Speaker 1: right had left it looking oddly swollen. Then she noticed 44 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: something else that sent a sharp chill along her spine. 45 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: The backdrop that Bill had randomly chosen was the precise 46 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: spot where Echo had been found dead. A few nights later, 47 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 1: Bill and Liz were woken at home by that familiar sound, 48 00:03:55,240 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 1: like heavy footsteps lumbering about the house. The thing, it seemed, 49 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: was back in August, it was the turn of Reverend 50 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: Roy Matthews of the Holy Trinity Church in Abergavenny to 51 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:20,839 Speaker 1: try and put an end to the couple's troubles. Arriving 52 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:24,479 Speaker 1: with three colleagues, he immediately set about getting a feel 53 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: for the property, extraordinarily without any prompting from Bill or Liz. 54 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,680 Speaker 1: He also came to the unsettling conclusion that a plaintive 55 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: elderly woman, as well as two young men and one 56 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: other much darker and distinctly inhuman entity, were haunting their home. 57 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 1: The couple were left a little disappointed, however, when the 58 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: best the reverend could offer was to get together and 59 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:58,479 Speaker 1: pray whenever they sensed the atmosphere growing oppressive. Soon after, 60 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 1: whilst clearing space in his studio, Bill discovered a photograph 61 00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:07,839 Speaker 1: of an elderly woman hidden amongst some old furniture. When 62 00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: he showed it to Liz, her face dropped in astonishment. 63 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 1: The woman, who turned out to be Marion Hoben, the 64 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:20,359 Speaker 1: landlord's mother and former occupant of heel Fannog, was the 65 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 1: same ghostly figure she had been seeing. In December nineteen ninety, 66 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:32,279 Speaker 1: the couple's second child, Rebecca, was born, arriving like a 67 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:36,920 Speaker 1: spark of fire to illuminate the incessant gloom. But it 68 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:40,040 Speaker 1: wasn't long before the darkness was beginning to press in 69 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:47,679 Speaker 1: once more. Shortly after the birth, Liz had just returned 70 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:50,280 Speaker 1: to the house after taking the babies for a stroll 71 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:57,920 Speaker 1: when she sent something moving across the kitchen doorway, calling 72 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:02,279 Speaker 1: out for Bill, she got no ply, despite now clearly 73 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:06,719 Speaker 1: seeing the outline of a tall figure hovering just inside 74 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 1: the door. Hurriedly, she gathered up the children and whilst 75 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:14,919 Speaker 1: keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the figure in the kitchen, 76 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: quietly backed out of the house. A few days later, 77 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 1: Liz and Bill packed their things and moved into Lizz's 78 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:35,840 Speaker 1: mother's house in nearby Cowbridge. The quiet market town of 79 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:40,160 Speaker 1: Cowbridge was a welcome respite from the isolation of Hilfanov, 80 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 1: and though money was still an issue, with demand for 81 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:47,440 Speaker 1: Bill's work struggling to pick up, it wasn't long before 82 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:51,839 Speaker 1: they felt a sense of normality being restored for a 83 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:57,480 Speaker 1: short while. At least it was Liz who noticed it first, 84 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:02,800 Speaker 1: that sudden familiar fee of being watched, as if a 85 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: wispy tendril of darkness were reaching out to them from 86 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:12,160 Speaker 1: out of the depths of the countryside. One evening, having 87 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:15,920 Speaker 1: put the children to bed, Bill, Liz and her mother 88 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: were just sitting down for dinner when a weird crackle 89 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 1: of static came through on the baby monitor. That wasn't static, 90 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:31,840 Speaker 1: thought Liz with horror, it was a voice. Immediately she 91 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 1: rushed to the bedroom and switched on the light, but 92 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 1: found only her two children fast asleep in their beds. 93 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:46,560 Speaker 1: A few days later, having heard all about Lizz's troubles, 94 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 1: a neighbor suggested she make contact with local reverend David Holmward, 95 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 1: having reached out to him. Holmward arrived at Lizz's mother's 96 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 1: home a few days later along with his associate and 97 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 1: Anita to discuss the couple's predicament. By the time he 98 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: left at two am, he was in no doubt as 99 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:11,840 Speaker 1: to the source of their affliction. It was simple, he 100 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:19,520 Speaker 1: told them, you are being stalked by demons. That night, 101 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:23,160 Speaker 1: as David and Anita drove home through the narrow, winding 102 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 1: country roads, something shot toward them from out of the 103 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 1: dark and smashed into the windscreen with a mighty crack. 104 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 1: The pair screamed as David slammed on the brakes and 105 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 1: brought the car to a shuddering stop by the side 106 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:42,560 Speaker 1: of the road. Catching their breath, they looked up to 107 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:48,560 Speaker 1: find the shattered windscreen covered in blood. Cautiously, David stepped 108 00:08:48,559 --> 00:08:53,160 Speaker 1: out into the road, and there, illuminated by the glare 109 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 1: of the headlights, he found the twitching body of a 110 00:08:56,640 --> 00:09:02,560 Speaker 1: dead owl. The message was clear, he thought, stay away 111 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:12,480 Speaker 1: from the house. It was two weeks later that David 112 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:15,920 Speaker 1: and Anita were back on the road, keeping their eyes 113 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:19,160 Speaker 1: fixed on Bill's car up ahead as he led them 114 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:23,440 Speaker 1: through the winding country lanes toward their destination under the 115 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 1: shadowed edges of the Northern Beacons. But as they turned 116 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:33,000 Speaker 1: a corner, David was gripped by a sudden pang of anxiety, 117 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:36,840 Speaker 1: as if something were pushing down hard on his chest. 118 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:41,520 Speaker 1: Anita could only watch in terror as he struggled to 119 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:44,680 Speaker 1: keep control of the vehicle, before finally bringing it to 120 00:09:44,679 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 1: a skidding stop by the side of the road. Immediately, 121 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: David reached out for Anita's hand, and there they sat, 122 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:58,240 Speaker 1: repeating the Lord's prayer over and over until they were 123 00:09:58,280 --> 00:10:04,160 Speaker 1: certain a disturbance had been left. Moments later, they pulled 124 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:11,160 Speaker 1: into the driveway of hiel Fannock. The plan was simple 125 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:15,120 Speaker 1: to get in and out as quickly as possible, confiscating 126 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:17,680 Speaker 1: anything that could be serving as a conduit for the 127 00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:22,960 Speaker 1: demonic forces which David believed were plaguing the home. From 128 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:27,280 Speaker 1: incense burners to books on the paranormal and Buddhism, all 129 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:30,160 Speaker 1: of it was thrown into a box and taken out 130 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 1: to the car. Upsettingly, for Bill, it was largely his 131 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 1: own artwork that was of most concern to the evangelists. 132 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:43,880 Speaker 1: It was this, above all else that David believed to 133 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:49,360 Speaker 1: be empowering whatever demons were stalking the family. Bill could 134 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:53,560 Speaker 1: only watch with dismay as one offending article after another 135 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:59,240 Speaker 1: was removed and promptly escorted from the house. But what 136 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:03,040 Speaker 1: will you do with all, he asked, We will burn it, 137 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:14,080 Speaker 1: of course, came David's prompt reply. The following morning, with 138 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:17,439 Speaker 1: the help of his son, David dug a shallow pit 139 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:21,440 Speaker 1: in his garden into which all the tainted items were dumped, 140 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:26,960 Speaker 1: covered in lighter fluid, and set on fire. The pair 141 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:31,400 Speaker 1: watched as the flames jumped and licked ever higher, spitting 142 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 1: and crackling as the fire feasted on the myriad items. Then, slowly, 143 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:41,040 Speaker 1: David became aware of another sound, seeming to emanate from 144 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:47,079 Speaker 1: deep within the flames, a hideous screeching sound, as if 145 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:56,720 Speaker 1: something inside the fire were being burned alive, but it 146 00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:02,680 Speaker 1: would all be in vain. Despite his best efforts, David's 147 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:07,680 Speaker 1: attempted exorcism would ultimately prove ineffective when only a few 148 00:12:07,679 --> 00:12:13,480 Speaker 1: weeks later the hauntings returned with a vengeance. Unable to 149 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:17,760 Speaker 1: afford a move away and with all avenues seemingly exhausted, 150 00:12:18,559 --> 00:12:21,080 Speaker 1: Bill and Liz had no choice but to try and 151 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,720 Speaker 1: learn to live with it all. And so they did, 152 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:29,840 Speaker 1: doing all they could to ignore the disembodied footsteps and 153 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:36,559 Speaker 1: strange spectral visions. As ever, Bill sought solace in his painting, 154 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:40,720 Speaker 1: and with one painting in particular, with which he was 155 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:47,000 Speaker 1: becoming increasingly immersed, a peculiar canvas of past all colors 156 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:51,400 Speaker 1: and tubulus strands that seemed to wrap and snake around themselves. 157 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:57,720 Speaker 1: It was like nothing he had painted before. But such 158 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:01,920 Speaker 1: endeavors only ever provided fleeting moments of comfort, and by 159 00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:04,840 Speaker 1: the end of nineteen ninety three they had all but 160 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:11,000 Speaker 1: given up hope of ever escaping their horrifying ordeal. Little 161 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:14,880 Speaker 1: could they have known then that help was just around 162 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:22,240 Speaker 1: the corner. Are you always taking care of your family? 163 00:13:22,559 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 1: Do you often take care of others and not yourself? 164 00:13:25,559 --> 00:13:28,200 Speaker 1: Now it's time to take care of yourself, to make 165 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:31,680 Speaker 1: time for you. You deserve it. Tele adoc gives you 166 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:34,680 Speaker 1: access to a licensed therapist to help you get back 167 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:38,480 Speaker 1: to feeling your best, to feeling like yourself again. With 168 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:41,520 Speaker 1: tele adoc, you can speak to a licensed therapist by 169 00:13:41,559 --> 00:13:45,200 Speaker 1: phone or video. Therapy Appointments are available seven days a 170 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:48,800 Speaker 1: week from seven am to nine pm local time. If 171 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:53,160 Speaker 1: you feel overwhelmed. Sometimes maybe you feel stressed or anxious, 172 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:56,439 Speaker 1: depressed or lonely, or you might be struggling with a 173 00:13:56,520 --> 00:14:01,240 Speaker 1: personal or family issue, teledoc can help. Teledoc is committed 174 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:04,920 Speaker 1: to facilitating great therapeutic matches, so they make it easy 175 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:09,360 Speaker 1: to change counselors if needed. For free. Teledoc therapy is 176 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:13,560 Speaker 1: available through most insurance or employers. Download the app or 177 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:17,960 Speaker 1: visit teledoc dot com forward slash Unexplained podcast today to 178 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:28,080 Speaker 1: get started. That's teladoc dot com slash Unexplained podcast. Film 179 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:32,280 Speaker 1: producer Annie McDonald had been wrestling with a documentary idea 180 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:36,120 Speaker 1: for some time regarding the exploits of apparent psychic and 181 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:41,960 Speaker 1: self styled ghost hunter Eddie Burkes. Back in August nineteen 182 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:46,440 Speaker 1: ninety two, Burkes had achieved some notoriety after he claimed 183 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:49,960 Speaker 1: to have successfully banished the ghost of a sixteenth century 184 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:57,400 Speaker 1: courtier from the offices of the exclusive British banking institution COOTS. Incredibly, 185 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:00,560 Speaker 1: not only had Burkes been invited to local the ghost 186 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:04,120 Speaker 1: by representatives of the bank itself, but they had also 187 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:07,440 Speaker 1: attested to his success in removing it from their offices. 188 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:12,680 Speaker 1: When McDonald who also lived near the Breckham Beacons, heard 189 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:16,560 Speaker 1: about the peculiar goings on at Joel Fannock. She wasted 190 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:21,800 Speaker 1: little time in contacting listened Bill with a proposition she 191 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:24,960 Speaker 1: would set them up with Burks if they agreed to 192 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:29,360 Speaker 1: let her film his process. Though the couple were reticent 193 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:32,120 Speaker 1: at the thought of letting a documentary crew into their home, 194 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 1: they also knew they had nothing to lose. It was 195 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:40,480 Speaker 1: difficult to know quite what to make of the slight, 196 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:45,000 Speaker 1: bespectacled Burks when he first arrived that early March afternoon, 197 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:51,080 Speaker 1: dressed unassumingly in his dark green anorak. Nonetheless, Lizz and 198 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 1: Bill tried to remain optimistic as they invited him, along 199 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:58,400 Speaker 1: with his friend and writer Julian Cribbs, as well as 200 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:04,840 Speaker 1: McDonald and her production into their home. Moments later, with 201 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 1: everyone gathered around the kitchen table, Liz and Bill filled 202 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:14,320 Speaker 1: them in on all that had happened so far. The 203 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:17,920 Speaker 1: tiredness and distress etched across the couple's faces as they 204 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:21,800 Speaker 1: talked showed just how difficult the last few years had been. 205 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:27,240 Speaker 1: While behind them, long triangular strips of wallpaper hanging limply 206 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:30,720 Speaker 1: from the wall gave the impression that even the house 207 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:35,760 Speaker 1: itself was starting to crumble from the strain. When Liz 208 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:39,800 Speaker 1: finally brought their account to an end, Burkes became suddenly 209 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:43,680 Speaker 1: distracted and asked to be taken outside to inspect the 210 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:48,520 Speaker 1: ruins of the old manor house. With the camera operator 211 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:51,800 Speaker 1: following close behind, the group made their way into the 212 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:55,480 Speaker 1: garden through a line of trees and onto the crumbling 213 00:16:55,560 --> 00:17:03,440 Speaker 1: ruins behind. Strangely, when they arrived, much to the operator's dismay, 214 00:17:03,600 --> 00:17:08,800 Speaker 1: the camera completely shut down. The battery, despite having been 215 00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:13,399 Speaker 1: almost fully charged only minutes before, had gone completely flat. 216 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:19,960 Speaker 1: A second camera operated by McDonald appeared unaffected as she 217 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 1: kept it steady on Burks while he requested quiet from everyone, 218 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:34,760 Speaker 1: and then promptly fell into a trance. When McDonald had 219 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:38,119 Speaker 1: first traveled to meet Burks not long after she first 220 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:42,120 Speaker 1: informed him of the situation at Lisabelle's home, he had 221 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:46,000 Speaker 1: also entered a trance. When he came out of it, 222 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:49,200 Speaker 1: he explained that he had been communicating with a young 223 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:53,920 Speaker 1: man whose soul he said was trapped at hiel Fannock. 224 00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:58,920 Speaker 1: The man had apparently described the experience to him as 225 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:02,440 Speaker 1: like being caught in a thicket that conspired to entrap 226 00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:07,040 Speaker 1: him every time he tried to escape. The young man 227 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:11,120 Speaker 1: had apparently also told Burkes that he had been murdered 228 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:15,439 Speaker 1: sometime in the nineteenth century by a sickening blow to 229 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:20,240 Speaker 1: the back of the head. Back in the garden. Burkes's 230 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:25,840 Speaker 1: voice broke the silence. The young man was with them now, 231 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:32,480 Speaker 1: he said, and was trying to tell him something. This 232 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,560 Speaker 1: was the place, he was saying, where he had seen 233 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:39,879 Speaker 1: something he shouldn't have, the very thing that had cost 234 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:44,880 Speaker 1: him his life. As Burkes went on to detail more 235 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:49,000 Speaker 1: about the boy's murder, Gillian noticed a look of recognition 236 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:55,639 Speaker 1: spreading across Liz's face. As Liz explained later, during the 237 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:58,800 Speaker 1: second year of their stay at the house, she had 238 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:01,760 Speaker 1: learned about the brutal murder of a young farm hand 239 00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:06,360 Speaker 1: that occurred in the mid nineteenth century within walking distance 240 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:11,879 Speaker 1: of Heolfanock. All this time she had wandered if it 241 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:15,040 Speaker 1: had anything to do with the strange activity in their home. 242 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 1: Could it be she thought that this was the young 243 00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:29,879 Speaker 1: man that Burke's had been communicating with. It was a 244 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:33,480 Speaker 1: cold and misty morning in November eighteen forty eight at 245 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:37,240 Speaker 1: Coombe Goody Farm, a kilometer away from what would later 246 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:42,720 Speaker 1: become heol Fannock. When farm servant Elizabeth Phillips rose just 247 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:45,760 Speaker 1: before dawn and made her way to a nearby brook 248 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:50,639 Speaker 1: to fetch some water. Approaching the entry gate to the yard, 249 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:54,160 Speaker 1: she was surprised to find seventeen year old farm hand 250 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:58,720 Speaker 1: James Griffiths suddenly appear from out of the dark with 251 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:03,919 Speaker 1: an odd grin on his After muttering a brief good morning, 252 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:08,280 Speaker 1: he headed off toward the farmhouse, leaving Elizabeth to fetch 253 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:12,639 Speaker 1: the water on her own. When she returned via the 254 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:16,080 Speaker 1: gate a few minutes later, she was startled by a 255 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:20,280 Speaker 1: strange moaning sound that seemed to rise out of nowhere. 256 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:25,359 Speaker 1: In terror, she hurried back to the house and called 257 00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:27,800 Speaker 1: out for James to help her find the source of 258 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:32,280 Speaker 1: the noise. When Elizabeth heard it again, coming from somewhere 259 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:35,359 Speaker 1: toward the back of the yard, she asked James to 260 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:39,200 Speaker 1: stay put while she went to fetch a torch. By 261 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:45,879 Speaker 1: the time she returned, however, James had disappeared after failing 262 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:48,960 Speaker 1: to find a source for the noise. It wasn't until 263 00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:52,320 Speaker 1: much later in the day that Elizabeth caught sight of 264 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:56,480 Speaker 1: something lying underneath a dunkeep that caused her to cry 265 00:20:56,520 --> 00:21:02,959 Speaker 1: out in horror of legs lying in a pool of blood. 266 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:08,800 Speaker 1: Having been roused by Elizabeth's screams, farmer John Powell and 267 00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:12,960 Speaker 1: his son rushed to her aid. Together they pulled the 268 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:15,520 Speaker 1: body from the heap to find it was in fact 269 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:22,000 Speaker 1: another of their farm hands, the eighteen year old Thomas Edwards. Remarkably, 270 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:27,520 Speaker 1: the young man was still alive. Remarkable because on picking 271 00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:31,040 Speaker 1: him up to carry him inside, they discovered a four 272 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:35,359 Speaker 1: inch wide hole in the back of his head, bleeding profusely, 273 00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:40,959 Speaker 1: and beneath him clearly visible on the ground the missing 274 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:47,400 Speaker 1: pieces of his skull. Thomas clung on for a number 275 00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:51,040 Speaker 1: of hours in a state of severe confusion, before eventually 276 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:55,920 Speaker 1: succumbing to his injuries. Just as Eddie Burkes had claimed, 277 00:21:56,560 --> 00:22:00,480 Speaker 1: the unfortunate man had been killed by a sickening to 278 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:06,320 Speaker 1: the back of his head. Four months later, James Griffiths, 279 00:22:06,359 --> 00:22:09,760 Speaker 1: who also went by the name of Thomas Williams, was 280 00:22:09,840 --> 00:22:13,919 Speaker 1: arrested in Ipswich, some three hundred miles away, still wearing 281 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:18,800 Speaker 1: clothes that he had stolen from Thomas Edwards. Griffiths eventually 282 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:21,960 Speaker 1: confessed that he had murdered Edwards to steal what little 283 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 1: money he had in his possession. It was Eddie Burkes's belief, however, 284 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:31,159 Speaker 1: that Edwards had in fact stumbled upon some kind of 285 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:36,000 Speaker 1: Satanic ritual and was murdered by Griffiths, acting under the 286 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:40,720 Speaker 1: instructions of someone unknown to protect the identities of those 287 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:45,520 Speaker 1: who had been seen. However, no evidence has ever been 288 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:50,199 Speaker 1: found to support this theory, although curiously not that it 289 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 1: suggests anything to do with the greatly misunderstood practice of Satanism. 290 00:22:55,359 --> 00:22:59,359 Speaker 1: When Griffiths first confessed committing the murder, he also claimed 291 00:22:59,359 --> 00:23:02,879 Speaker 1: that a woman named Jane Morgan had been the cause 292 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:07,159 Speaker 1: of it. This name was later retracted from his confession. 293 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:12,639 Speaker 1: Once convicted of his crime, Griffiths, who had been abandoned 294 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:15,640 Speaker 1: by his family at a young age and spent most 295 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:18,680 Speaker 1: of his teenage life drifting from one job to another, 296 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:24,959 Speaker 1: was sentenced to death by hanging on Wednesday, eighteenth April 297 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 1: eighteen forty nine. The by then eighteen years old James 298 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:33,800 Speaker 1: Griffiths was marched to the gallows at Brecon County Jail 299 00:23:34,359 --> 00:23:37,960 Speaker 1: in front of a large crowd of onlookers and hung 300 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:49,920 Speaker 1: from his neck until death, with liers concluding the tragic 301 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:53,879 Speaker 1: tale of the farm Hands. Something striking occurred to the group. 302 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:58,040 Speaker 1: Could it be that perhaps the spirits of those two 303 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:01,280 Speaker 1: young men were the same spirit that the couple had 304 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 1: been told on two separate occasions were trapped in the property, 305 00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:10,800 Speaker 1: with the landlord's mother possibly accounting for the third. That 306 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:17,080 Speaker 1: left only the fourth in human entity unaccounted for. With 307 00:24:17,119 --> 00:24:20,760 Speaker 1: the group back in the kitchen, the quiet Burke's took 308 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:25,359 Speaker 1: a seat at the table. After confirming that the spirit 309 00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:28,280 Speaker 1: of the young man he had been communicating with had 310 00:24:28,359 --> 00:24:32,520 Speaker 1: now moved on, he closed his eyes and fell into 311 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:38,840 Speaker 1: another trance. Opening them again, Burke was drawn immediately to 312 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:41,639 Speaker 1: the spot near the bathroom close to the bottom of 313 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:45,880 Speaker 1: the stairs, sensing a strange darkness was being harbored there, 314 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:51,879 Speaker 1: but there was also something else. He closed his eyes again. 315 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:56,639 Speaker 1: He could see a vision, he said out loud. A 316 00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:02,719 Speaker 1: bright cross was manifesting, bringing light into the house. Something holy, 317 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:08,119 Speaker 1: he said. Bill got up immediately from the table and 318 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:13,120 Speaker 1: appeared a moment later holding a large canvas painting. Burkes 319 00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:17,840 Speaker 1: opened his eyes and looked up. Though the background was 320 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:22,080 Speaker 1: an abstract mesh of dark colors and thick brushstrokes, the 321 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:27,240 Speaker 1: large white cross in the middle was unmistakable. It was 322 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:33,320 Speaker 1: just as Burkes had described. Yes, he said quietly, that 323 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:40,159 Speaker 1: is what's been keeping you safe. Bill had painted the 324 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 1: White Cross three years previously, over the course of a 325 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:47,360 Speaker 1: few nights, the imagery having come to him completely out 326 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:52,560 Speaker 1: of the blue. One evening, Burkes's friend Gillian was instantly 327 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:56,240 Speaker 1: intrigued to know what else Bill might have unconsciously channeled, 328 00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:02,000 Speaker 1: and asked to see the studio. In amongst what Gillian 329 00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:06,120 Speaker 1: later described as a collection of landscapes and pop art studies, 330 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:10,159 Speaker 1: there was one painting that stood out against the rest, 331 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:17,119 Speaker 1: a strange and puzzling picture, unlike anything else in the room, 332 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:21,679 Speaker 1: comprised of a vast, pastel colored mesh of tubular, tendril 333 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:28,800 Speaker 1: like things linked together in a bizarre organic circuitry. Looking closer, 334 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:34,880 Speaker 1: Gillian noticed they were in fact vines, complete with sharp thorns, 335 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 1: and in amongst them were what looked like internal organs, 336 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:45,080 Speaker 1: outstretched hands, and even the occasional face peering out with 337 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 1: pained expressions as if they were screaming. Gillian was instantly 338 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:57,600 Speaker 1: reminded of Eddie Burkes's first conversation with producer Annie McDonald. 339 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:03,639 Speaker 1: Was this, she thought, not a depiction of the imprisoned soul? 340 00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:07,480 Speaker 1: As had apparently been described to Burkes by the spirit 341 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:11,200 Speaker 1: of the deceased young man, had he been calling out 342 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:23,560 Speaker 1: to Bill for help all this time. Although a possible 343 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:28,360 Speaker 1: identity to the apparent fourth in human presence was never ascertained, 344 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:32,280 Speaker 1: Burkes was adamant he had done enough to exercise whatever 345 00:27:32,359 --> 00:27:35,879 Speaker 1: it had been from Liz and Bill's home. In the 346 00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:39,600 Speaker 1: immediate aftermath of his trip to the house, once again 347 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:43,679 Speaker 1: the family felt a renewed likeness, and though they experienced 348 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:47,399 Speaker 1: a few subsequent troubles with Burke's returning in June to 349 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:52,480 Speaker 1: conduct a further exorcism, his intervention appeared to have done 350 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:57,480 Speaker 1: the trick. That following day after Burkes's second visit, the 351 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:01,760 Speaker 1: rate of electricity usage dropped the first time since they 352 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:06,720 Speaker 1: had lived in the house. By nineteen ninety five, the 353 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:12,520 Speaker 1: family experienced no further hauntings, and Bill's work was starting 354 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:18,119 Speaker 1: to pick up again. As for film producer Annie McDonald, 355 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:22,359 Speaker 1: she never did quite get her film of Burke's in action, 356 00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:27,720 Speaker 1: with the battery of one camera having inexplicably died as 357 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:33,160 Speaker 1: Burke's attempted communication with the spirits, McDonald's second camera appeared 358 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:36,680 Speaker 1: to be capturing it all fine It was only when 359 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:40,040 Speaker 1: she returned home later, however, that she had a chance 360 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:46,240 Speaker 1: to review the footage. Switching on the camera, she ran 361 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:48,920 Speaker 1: the tape forward to the point where the group made 362 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 1: their way to the back of the garden, impressed play 363 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:58,240 Speaker 1: with great anticipation, she watched as Burke's positioned himself by 364 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:03,560 Speaker 1: the ruins and asked for silence. Then, just at the 365 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:09,600 Speaker 1: moment of apparent contact, the screen went blank. She fast 366 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:14,320 Speaker 1: forwarded in desperation, but it was to no avail. The 367 00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:38,800 Speaker 1: rest of the tape was completely empty. If you enjoy 368 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:42,200 Speaker 1: listening to Unexplained and would like to help supporters, you 369 00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:46,240 Speaker 1: can now go to Unexplained podcast dot com forward slash support. 370 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 1: All donations, no matter how large or small, are massively appreciated. 371 00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:58,960 Speaker 1: All elements of Unexplained are produced by me, Richard McClain smith. 372 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:02,040 Speaker 1: Please subscribe, I rate the show on iTunes. Feel free 373 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:04,400 Speaker 1: to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding 374 00:30:04,440 --> 00:30:07,280 Speaker 1: the stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps you have 375 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:09,960 Speaker 1: an explanation of your own you'd like to share. 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