08-04-2007, 09:54 PM
By MIKE CONLEY
For 13 long years, a Pennsylvania family lived in a house that was supposedly haunted by evil spirits.
In many ways, the case is very similar to the famous Amityville Horror but it lasted far longer. The Smurl family also had to endure violent attacks from a demon that supposedly followed them from place to place.
In 1973, Jack and Janet Smurl moved into one section of a large split-level house in West Pittston, Pa. It was a typical suburban residence that had no history of any paranormal activity. Their two daughters Dawn and Heather moved into the section with them. Jackââ¬â¢s parents John and Mary Smurl lived in the houseââ¬â¢s other section. The Smurls spent much of their time and money redecorating and remodeling the place, according to a Web site about the case.
For the first year, the Smurl family enjoyed their new home and everything was fine. But in January 1974, a strange stain appeared on a new carpet for no reason and Jackââ¬â¢s television burst into flames. Water pipes leaked even after repeated re-soldering and weird scratches appeared on the woodwork. Jackââ¬â¢s oldest daughter Dawn claimed to see people "floating" around her bedroom.
Three years later, the strange activity continued. Toilets flushed without anyone using them, footsteps would be continuously heard on the stairs and drawers would open and close on their own. Empty rocking chairs would creak back and forth as if someone was sitting in them. The family also reported smelling foul odors. By that time, Jack and Janet Smurl had two more daughters.
A few years later, the weird activity became more frightening and violent. The house often became ice cold and loud, abusive language could be heard at night. One day in 1985, a black, human-shaped form with no face appeared before Janet in the kitchen. It disappeared through a wall and appeared to Jackââ¬â¢s mother on the opposite side. The familyââ¬â¢s German shepherd was repeatedly picked up and thrown about. One night, one of the younger daughters was tossed out of bed and thrown down the stairs by an invisible force.
Even the next-door neighbors knew something weird was going on. They heard screams and strange noises coming from the house when the Smurls were not even home.
In January 1986, the family contacted Ed and Lorraine Warren, the famous paranormal investigators and demonologists best known for their work on the Amityville Horror case. After checking the house over, the Warrens said they detected the presence of four evil spirits. Three of them were minor entities but the fourth was a demon.
The Warrens tried twice to provoke the demon by playing tapes of religious music and confronting it with prayer. But that only made the situation worse. Both Jack and Janet were physically assaulted by the spirits. Ed Warren was choked and began to suffer from terrible flu-like symptoms. The Smurls got help from their church but the haunting continued. The demon allegedly accompanied the family on camping trips and tormented Jack at work. When asked why donââ¬â¢t they just move, the Smurls said the evil spirits would follow them wherever they go, according to a Web site.
Desperate for help, the family went public with their story on a Philadelphia talk show. But that further angered the demon. Janet was levitated and hurled against a wall. The evil spirit appeared again but this time as a monstrous creature that looked like a pig.
The Warrens helped arrange another exorcism of the house and prayer groups gave comfort and support to the family. A bishop made another attempt to drive the evil spirits out. This time, it seemed to work because everything was quiet for about three months.
But shortly before Christmas 1986, Jack again saw the black shape. The weird noises and violent attacks on the family started up again.
After 13 years, the Smurls decided to move to another town. They later helped write a book about their ordeal titled "The Haunted." And in 1991, the book was adapted into a television movie.
To this day, some people believe that the weird events actually happened while skeptics say the whole thing was a hoax perpetrated by the family and the Warrens.
http://www.mcdowellnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=MMN%2FMGArticle%2FMMN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173352244572&path=%21news%21localnews
For 13 long years, a Pennsylvania family lived in a house that was supposedly haunted by evil spirits.
In many ways, the case is very similar to the famous Amityville Horror but it lasted far longer. The Smurl family also had to endure violent attacks from a demon that supposedly followed them from place to place.
In 1973, Jack and Janet Smurl moved into one section of a large split-level house in West Pittston, Pa. It was a typical suburban residence that had no history of any paranormal activity. Their two daughters Dawn and Heather moved into the section with them. Jackââ¬â¢s parents John and Mary Smurl lived in the houseââ¬â¢s other section. The Smurls spent much of their time and money redecorating and remodeling the place, according to a Web site about the case.
For the first year, the Smurl family enjoyed their new home and everything was fine. But in January 1974, a strange stain appeared on a new carpet for no reason and Jackââ¬â¢s television burst into flames. Water pipes leaked even after repeated re-soldering and weird scratches appeared on the woodwork. Jackââ¬â¢s oldest daughter Dawn claimed to see people "floating" around her bedroom.
Three years later, the strange activity continued. Toilets flushed without anyone using them, footsteps would be continuously heard on the stairs and drawers would open and close on their own. Empty rocking chairs would creak back and forth as if someone was sitting in them. The family also reported smelling foul odors. By that time, Jack and Janet Smurl had two more daughters.
A few years later, the weird activity became more frightening and violent. The house often became ice cold and loud, abusive language could be heard at night. One day in 1985, a black, human-shaped form with no face appeared before Janet in the kitchen. It disappeared through a wall and appeared to Jackââ¬â¢s mother on the opposite side. The familyââ¬â¢s German shepherd was repeatedly picked up and thrown about. One night, one of the younger daughters was tossed out of bed and thrown down the stairs by an invisible force.
Even the next-door neighbors knew something weird was going on. They heard screams and strange noises coming from the house when the Smurls were not even home.
In January 1986, the family contacted Ed and Lorraine Warren, the famous paranormal investigators and demonologists best known for their work on the Amityville Horror case. After checking the house over, the Warrens said they detected the presence of four evil spirits. Three of them were minor entities but the fourth was a demon.
The Warrens tried twice to provoke the demon by playing tapes of religious music and confronting it with prayer. But that only made the situation worse. Both Jack and Janet were physically assaulted by the spirits. Ed Warren was choked and began to suffer from terrible flu-like symptoms. The Smurls got help from their church but the haunting continued. The demon allegedly accompanied the family on camping trips and tormented Jack at work. When asked why donââ¬â¢t they just move, the Smurls said the evil spirits would follow them wherever they go, according to a Web site.
Desperate for help, the family went public with their story on a Philadelphia talk show. But that further angered the demon. Janet was levitated and hurled against a wall. The evil spirit appeared again but this time as a monstrous creature that looked like a pig.
The Warrens helped arrange another exorcism of the house and prayer groups gave comfort and support to the family. A bishop made another attempt to drive the evil spirits out. This time, it seemed to work because everything was quiet for about three months.
But shortly before Christmas 1986, Jack again saw the black shape. The weird noises and violent attacks on the family started up again.
After 13 years, the Smurls decided to move to another town. They later helped write a book about their ordeal titled "The Haunted." And in 1991, the book was adapted into a television movie.
To this day, some people believe that the weird events actually happened while skeptics say the whole thing was a hoax perpetrated by the family and the Warrens.
http://www.mcdowellnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=MMN%2FMGArticle%2FMMN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173352244572&path=%21news%21localnews