The Joller Family Poltergeist

In 1860,The Joller family lived happily in Stans, Swizerland. It is a provincial capital in the centre of the country, southeast of Lucerne. Mr. Joller was a well connected and prominent lawyer. He lived in the Joller ancestral home with his wife and seven children.

Then strange activities began in the house. The poltergiest activity first was apparent to a servant girl employed by the family. She reported she was visited by strange grey shapes and the sounds of  someone sobbing. This situation went on for a year. Finally, the Jollers, fed up with the girl's complaints, terminated her employment in the fall of 1861 and subsequently hired a new servant girl. This change of servants seemed to bring an end to the purported infestation as the new servant reported no strange activity nor had the family ever noticed anything strange. Mr Joller was convinced the whole episode began and ended with the former maid. 

However, after a period of inactivity, Mrs. Joller and her seven children became frightened in the summer of 1862 when they began to witness  many strange sights and sounds of the poltergiest which included the throwing open of all windows, doors, cupboards, and drawers, the materialization of the “ thin grey cloud’, noises and apparitions. In short, the classic poltergeist infestation.

. At first Mr. Joller was unconvinced being an analytical and skeptical minded attorney. However, he soon realized such events were not easily explained away. Then he too was finally convinced of poltergiest activity. No imaginative wife nor mischievous child was behind the activities.

Meanwhile, the manifestations became more and more outrageous, and continued in full view of thousands of people who were attracted by curiosity to the house including the Land-Captain Zelger, the director of police Juan, the President of the Court of Justice, and other prominent people, some of whom suggested that a commission be appointed to examine the house thouroughly.

Three of the heads of police were appointed to conduct the enquiry. They demanded the withdrawal of Mr. Joller and his family, and remained in the house six days without witnessing anything abnormal, and drew up a report to this effect.

However, when the Joller family returned to the house the poltergeist activity started up once again.  Mr. Joller, unfortunately, became the butt of ridicule to all, even his political and personal friends, and was fully compelled to move out of his family home the laughing stock of Stans. The general public thought that the whole event was a hoax. The poor Joller family, once open to public gatherings at the home to witness the activities with amazement now were met with scorn and derision from the prominent citizenry.  

Still  this case is one of the most compelling poltergeist hauntings on record as many spectators  were present when the most violent disturbances were witnessed and when the whole family was assembled outside the house, and so not in a position to assist in the manifestations.

Like the UFO phenomenon of the Twentieth century, the Joller family found that the press and the  public quickly discounted the evidence and saw the official investigation's findings as the final word on the matter. This poltergeist story fulfills my requirement for witnesses, The sad fact that the investigation found no activity while the family was away gives more credence to the poltergiest being authentic than discounting the story. The skeptic may be unconvinced but needs to put the matter in context and sift through the events. Unfortunately, the cynic is always unconvinced and needs little proof to dismiss the matter.

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