Diary of a Polt Chaser
By Paul Cropper
These are the slightly expanded version of the original notes Paul Cropper made during the on-site investigation at Humpty Doo, Northern Territory, between Monday 27 April and Thursday 30 April, 1998.
The individuals involved were:
Paul Cropper & Tony Healy Dave Clark & Jill Sommerville (Dave's partner) Kirsty Agius & Jasmine Agius (Kirsty's daughter) Andrew Clarke (Kirsty's husband) Murph (friend & housemate) Frank Robson (Sydney Morning Herald reporter)
The main room refers to the large room at the rear of the house that, at one end, housed the kitchen area.
Monday, 27 April, 10.00am Tony and I arrived at the house. Present were Kirsty & Jill (then inside the house), Murph and Andrew. Tony and I walked around into the patio area at the rear of the house and introduced ourselves to the two men, who were seated at the table.
10.03am As we stood talking, we heard a 'tinkling' sound and turned around. A 60 watt, yellow light globe had fallen around 2 metres behind us on the cement and was rolling. The globe had fallen and bounced, yet had not broken. Both girls had been inside, and the only others present were directly in front of us. I went inside to talk with the two girls, Kirsty and Jill. I sat at the table facing the kitchen, while the two girls moved around the kitchen sink area directly in front of me.
10.25am I heard two clear, loud, distinct sounds; the first sounded like a handful of stones hitting the sloped corrugated tin roof (from outside), the second was the sound of stones hitting the kitchen floor (after apparently coming through both the roof and a working ceiling fan) and scattering widely. There were thirteen stones, apparently gravel from the long gravel driveway. I had both girls in view at all times and no sudden moves were evident. Tony had been outside with both men and noticed nothing. I did not see the stones in flight, only noticing them in motion after they had hit the kitchen floor and scattered.
10.30am I was standing in the main room (the open area next to the kitchen) with Kirsty, Jill and Murph when a large 'C' size battery flew out from the lounge room, landing under the kitchen table. There was a loud sound associated with the battery moving - it possibly ricocheted off the main room's wall. No one was in the lounge room at the time
10.35am We walked to check Jill's room. Her bed comprised two mattresses - the top mattress had been twisted and moved to one side, along with sheets and pillows.
10.45am A small shower of gravel stones fell in the lounge room. I was just around the corner in the main room and was moving towards the lounge room but did not see or hear the fall. Jill, Kirsty & Murph were in the lounge room as the stones fell and they excitedly pointed out the gravel on the carpet.
10.46am A clothes peg fell on the aluminium kitchen benchtop. Kirsty and Jill were nearby. I was in the main room and heard the peg fall.
11.15am Jill's bed (which had been tidied up) was disturbed again, with the top mattress moved in a similar manner to previously.No further events occurred on Monday. Tony and I slept in sleeping bags in the lounge room.
Tuesday, April 28th, 1998, 8.20am Tony decided to return to our nearby cabin for a shower and shave leaving Andrew, Kirsty, Murph and Jasmine (Kirsty's young daughter). Murph was asleep (genuinely) on the lounge room sofa.While we all sat at the kitchen table, Andrew asked me if I wanted to "stir it [the poltergeist] up". A little incredulous, I asked what he meant. Andrew indicated that "it didn't like religion", so reading from the Bible often provoked a reaction. Kirsty resisted this idea. Andrew then picked up the Bible that had been left by a local priest, and disappeared into the back bedroom.Kirsty and Jasmine moved into the corridor between the main room and the bedrooms. Andrew commenced reading a Psalm loudly. I sat at the kitchen table alone.
8.40am I heard a small shower of gravel fall on the carpet in the lounge room near Murph. He did not wake up. There were less than a dozen stones in the fall. Andrew kept reading ( I could hear his voice reading the Psalm from the back bedroom).
8.50am I was standing main room, alone, halfway between the door and the refrigerator, with my back to the wall. A small crucifix (provided by one of the priests who had earlier visited the house) hit the wall to my right with considerable force. The crucifix was kept on a sideboard near the corridor to the bedrooms. Andrew was still in the bedroom reading, with Kirsty in the corridor. It makes a loud bang as it hit.
8.51am While standing in the same position, with no one else in the room, a large battery hits the wall close to where the crucifix had hit. It makes a huge 'thump' as it hits the wall.
8.55am A peg falls in the main room close to the kitchen.8.59am A bullet case falls and ends up under the kitchen table. Andrew and Kirsty return to the main room and seat themselves at the kitchen table. I sit facing them both.
9.03am A small brass fitting falls behind the kitchen table. I have both Kirsty and Andrew in full view. Neither appeared to throw anything.
9.05am A small silver skull (probably from Dave's bike) falls in the corridor to the bedrooms.
9.06am A spanner falls behind Kirsty and me as we walk to the bathroom from the main room. There is a loud 'clang' as the spanner falls.
9.10am An empty bullet case falls in the corner of the kitchen. I clearly hear it fall.
9.14am Another spanner falls in the main room while Andrew and I are outside.
9.25am A battery falls - location unclear from my notes.9.29am A knife falls in the main room whilst Kirsty and I are in the kitchen. Andrew is outside.
9.40am Gravel falls again in the lounge room, where Murph is still asleep on the lounge. Tony arrived back from the Caravan Park at about this time. After Tony's arrival, more incidents occurred but my notes do not indicate exact times.Shards of glass fell in the main room. One shard ricocheted around the kitchen cupboards.
At some point (my notes are unclear) as I sat at the kitchen table alone, a small rain of gravel stones (3-6) fell on my head. No one else was in the room at the time.
Another incident took place as Kirsty, Tony, Andrew and I sat drinking coffee at the kitchen table. I was facing Kirsty and Andrew directly - they were less than 2-3 feet away. I was sitting about 2 feet back from the table, with my legs crossed. As I sat there, an empty bullet casing fell on my left leg, then onto the floor and towards Kirsty (who sat to my left). I remember clearly the bullet's impact on my leg was strangely gentle - I hardly noticed it at all. Andrew, who sat across the table from me, said he had seen the bullet appear over my left shoulder and fall.
As Tony walked down the corridor to the bedroom with Kirsty behind him (I was in the bathroom) a knife was thrown past his ear, hitting the wall. Tony and I left the house after lunch.
Wednesday, April 29th, 1998 Tony and I arrived about 2pm and left about 5pm. No activity was noted. Frank Robson, a reporter with the Sydney Morning Herald, arrived in the early evening and experienced a stone-fall at the bar next to the garage.Thursday, April 30th, 1998 11.25am Kirsty, Frank and I were present. I was sitting at the kitchen table. Frank indicated that he intended to leave the house, and as he walked towards the back door a small AA size battery fell in the main room between Frank and me. Kirsty was behind me in the kitchen. My exact words to Frank - "It wasn't me!".
11.26am A single stone fell in the corner of the kitchen. Frank and Kirsty were inside, I was outside.
11.30am I was outside in the patio area, Kirsty and Frank were around 40-50 feet away, close to Kirsty's car. Frank was photographing Kirsty. I clearly heard somethingfall behind me - I was between the sound and Kirsty and Frank. I remember clearly the feeling that I was meant to hear the sound. I walked over to find the small crucifix that normally was placed on a sideboard in the main room. Frank or Kirsty could not have thrown the item.
11.35am I look inside Jill's bedroom and notice gravel all over the bed.
11.36am I am in Jill's room, Kirsty and Frank are in the corridor when there is a loud 'bang' as a 20c piece hits the wall in the corridor.
11.40am A knife falls near the bathroom as I am still in Jill's room.11.50am Kirsty and I are alone on the patio behind the house. Frank was inside. Kirsty is in front of me (less than 2 feet) moving towards the back door as there is a huge load 'whack' as a small ceramic pot lid hits the patio roof then the cement floor and bounces. Kirsty clearly did not throw it.
Further events that took place on Thursday between 11.50am and 2.03pm are not specifically identified by time.
Tony arrived at the house.
A pair of scissors fell behind me at the toilet door as I entered the bathroom. Kirsty was on the phone (the sideboard separated me from her), but as I walked around to observe her I noted she had a phone in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other. There was no one else in the room.
A small piece of a broken glass fell in the kitchen. Tony was facing the kitchen, with Kirsty nearby. Frank was also in the room. Kirsty was seated at the kitchen table reading a clipping (with both hands on the paper) facing Tony who was standing in front of her across the table. Frank and I were also in the room. A small brass fitting fell as Kirsty talked and bounced in the middle of the table as she spoke.
I was outside on the patio, talking to Kirsty through a window as I clearly heard a piece of glass go 'whack' as it fell in the kichen area.
2.03pm Kirsty and I were in the bedroom corridor as Tony was sitting in the main room alone. Tony told me later he had been thinking, "OK - show me something". Three scrabble tiles fell from the ceiling spelling the word ASS. This was the last event recorded.
Read the full story of the Humpty Doo Poltergeist, and see what the Australian Skeptics had to say about a Humpty Doo Hoax.
Paul Cropper retains the sole copyright © 1998 for this article.