Ghost hunters search College Hill building for source of bumps (and beeps) in the night.
By Barry Owens
It was late into the witching hours one night last month and all was quiet inside a two-story commercial building in College Hill, except in the basement where there was a seance of sorts going on. There was no hand holding or hocus-pocus, just a group of paranormal investigators fussing with their equipment, whispering to one another in the gloom and raising their voices slightly when addressing whatever it was in the darkness that was spooking building employees. Some of the employees call it “Shadow Man,” a shady and mostly silent character spotted hanging out on the walls. There were infra-red cameras and other devices throughout the building to record any motion or message the “Shadow Man” or other restless spirit cared to give them that night. The scene was also streamed live over the group’s Web site so others could listen in and chat about it.
At 2:43 a.m., something or someone finally replied.
“BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP…” blared a detector near the fireplace.
A second electromagnetic field meter also beeped in the middle of the room. And from a corner, where no living thing was sitting, came the sudden and unmistakable smell of ammonia (“Urine,” an investigator later suggested).
It was difficult in the darkness to see the reaction of the group as the E.M.F. detectors went off, but the sound of leaping from chairs was distinct. The beeping meant they were no longer alone in the basement. The smell was sort of a give away, too. The “Shadow Man” had arrived.
Or, maybe not.
The Wichita Paranormal Research Society, a local ghost hunting group huddled on this night in a College Hill basement, offers free investigations of any home or building (contact them at www.wichitaparanormal.com.) More often than not, the group finds that those things going bump in the night are caused by surges of electricity, or that those mysterious cold spots are caused by drafty windows.
“I really enjoy the cases where we can find normal causes for what the homeowner thinks is something scary,” said Shane Elliott, who founded the society last year along with his brother-in-law Darin Klein. “That’s why I do it, so they can feel comfortable in their home again.”
There was a strong suspicion, however, that something paranormal was going on in this particular building (the building owner requested that the address not be disclosed). It was the group’s fourth visit.
“I’ve experienced shadow people, voices, full blown apparitions, unexplainable noises, lights coming on and off,” said one building employee, who is also a member of the paranormal research group.
“Every time we’ve come here, we’ve picked up some sort of activity,” said Elliott.
So for about five hours the team toured the building in complete darkness, pairing off in teams of two with flashlights, voice recorders and electromagnetic field meters, in search of ghostly activity.
“We think that spirits give off energy,” said Klein, explaining the use of the E.M.F detectors. Digital voice recorders, carried by each member of the team, are used to capture voices imperceptible in real time.
“Spirits can communicate when they want to,” Klein said.
“It’s pretty reliable,” Elliott said of the system. “But at the same time we have to wonder if it is just something we don’t understand right now.”
The investigators seemed baffled, though excited, by the stirrings in the basement. They waited for the detectors to go off again, which they did 30 minutes later.
About 4 a.m., the lights were turned back on and the cameras shut off. With practiced efficiency, the members packed up their gear, which included hundreds of feet of cable, crates of electronics and computers, in a matter of minutes. The activity in the basement seemed a promising development, but it would be weeks before the group had completed its study of the hours of audio and video recordings, Klein said. Only then could a determination be made, and a report turned over to the client.
The group gathered near the reception desk, where Elliott jokingly conducted a final test.
“Any ghosts in this place?” he asked, shaking a Magic Eight Ball, a novelty toy with supposed oracle powers, which he had found on the front desk. He shook it again and again until the answer was “a solid yes.”
With that, a weary group of ghost hunters finally called it a night.
