4 and 5 May, 2007

     On the 4th of May, we held our second 102 class with graduates of previous 101 classes.  The weather was nice enough for us to go up to the Bentonsport Cemetery.  Chris Moon had a portable "Frank's Box" and he turned it on to test it before the session.  Immediately a voice came through.  It was Markie!  Chuck heard the exchange, but I did not and so the conversation did not get recorded, thus no transcript.  But the gist of the conversation between Chris and Markie was that Markie is now working for Chris as a technician of his Frank's Box!  He said he is happy and thanked Chris for sending him to the light.  He saw his mother there and it was wonderful.  He was given a job, that of a technician for Chris.  Chuck asked if he inhabits the Inn anymore, and he replied that he would come and go.  Chuck asked him to let us know when he is here by knocking 3 times on a door.  He said he would try to do that.  His voice was no longer a sleepy teenager sounding voice, he now has a strong, young man's voice.  He says he's healthy now.      Markie also came through on the following sessions.  This is a selection of those sessions.  (I did not get a clear recording of the session up at the cemetery the first night as the wind was blowing right into my recorder,  I shielded it the second night.)   (I did not transcribe the personal messages.)

Friday, 4 May 2007, GHU 102 class, in Room 5:

"Who's here with us?".......'We are'  (gives a long list of names)

"How many are here, on your side?".........'Fourteen'

Joy asked "Are there any Mason Family members here?"..........'James'

'Whose baby was Gayle?".........'Who?'

"There is a stone in the cemetery that says 'Gayle Mason  1892 - 1892'.  Whose baby was Gayle?".........'Make room for her.'

"Is Mary here?".......Harold said 'upstairs'.

"Does Mary like my new toy upstairs?".......Harold said 'She won't answer.'

Chuck asked "Mary, are you there?".........Mary said 'I'm here.'

"Can you tell us what you think of Joy's new toy up there?"........'Crowded.  Too big.'  (It's an 11 foot long quilting table and takes up most of the room.  Chris did not know this.)

"But do you like the quilts she is making with it?"..........'No.  Too big.'

"Where do you suggest we put it?"........'Outside.  Too big.'

A guest asked "Harold, can you hear me?"..........'Yup'

"What war were you in?".........'Great battle, great war.'

A guest asked "When I am here at the Mason House, I always feel so welcomed by Chuck and Joy, but I also feel there is someone else who welcomes me.  Who is it?".......'Amanda'

"Thank you, Amanda, I appreciate it.".......'You remind me of my mother.  Like my mother.'

Another guest asked "Who shook my legs last August in this room?"........'Me'

"Who is me?".........'Harold.   I was just playing with you.'

Chuck asked "Fannie Mason Kurtz, are you here?"........'Not here'

"Amanda, are you here?".......'Uh huh'

"Did you go with Jinni to Iowa City for the Special Olympics Basketball tournament?"......'We did'

"Who else went?"........'Harold and Carolyn'

"Who is Carolyn?".......'She's little'

"How old is she?".......'Three'

"Does she stay here all the time?".........'No'

"Amanda, what do you think of Markie's new job?"........'I miss him as a playmate.'

"But aren't you glad he's a technician now?".......'Helps Chris'

"Amanda, is Ashley still here?".......'She is.  She speaks French.'

"Who speaks French?".........'Ashley'     Ashley says 'Oui'   (French for yes)

"She's 7 years old and she speaks French?".........'Oui'

"Jinni saw two little girls playing in the hallway, can you tell us who they were?"...........Harold said 'Upstairs'

"Yes, in the upstairs hallway.  Do you know who they were?"........'Don't know them.'

"Were they from the Inn or just passing through?"........'Passing through'

"Were they here with our gentleman guest?"......'Yes'

"What's the deal with Rooms 4 and 6 doors?".........'I closed them.'

"Why were you closing them?".........'They were getting cold.'

"So you were closing the doors to keep the rooms warm?".......'Yes'

"So we should turn up the heat a little more in the winter?".......'A little.  It would help.'

"Okay, thanks for telling us.".........'Thank you'

"Harold, what determines whether you interact with our guests or not?"........'Gotta be cordial.'

"We had some guests here lately who wanted to meet you and you did not play with them.  Were they not cordial enough?".........'Too boring.  I saw them.  Other room.  I saw them.'

"So if they are boring, you don't interact with them?"........'You got it.  Not enough energy.'

"So we have to tell them to be exciting then?".........'Exactly'

"Are you going to keep everyone awake tonight?".........'Oh yes'

"Now, Harold, you don't have to wait till they go to bed to do this, you know."......'I'll be here.  Ha ha ha ha.'

Joy asked "Somebody called my name last week, who was that?".......'Me.  Harold'

"What did you want?".......'You were ignoring me.  I even messed up the bed.  What an effort!  You did not mention it.'

"Which bed did you mess up?".......'Room 6'

"I did find Room 6 bed messed up and I fixed it because there were guests checking in."........'You could have said something about it.'

"Okay, from now on I'll say something and acknowledge I noticed it."........'Thank you.'

Chuck asked "Harold, during the winter time it's really quiet around here.  We don't hear anything from you for days at a time.  Why is that?"........'Low energy.  I made pops.'

"Yes, we heard the pops"......'So'

"Was that you today making pops in the dining room when Joy and I were eating lunch?"........'Who else is going to do it?"

"Do it more often so we know you are here.  We commented on the pops.".......'Alright'

"Did you hear our comments?  And we thanked you for it."..........'But you didn't say my name.'

"Oh, I'm sorry.  We did not know it was you, Harold.  It wasn't tapping, it was popping."......'That's me'

A guest asked "Who was looking in the window at me earlier?".......'Ashley'

"Does Ashley like me?".......'Yes'

"Thanks, I like you too.  Will you play with us tonight?".......Harold said 'She fascinated with the cars outside.  The black one.  She's fascinated with the black car outside.'

A guest asked "Was somebody in the closet earlier, when I took a picture?".......'Harold'  (During a break, this guest had gone up to the third floor and took a picture into the eves.  As soon as he stepped out of the doorway, the door slammed shut and latched.  This has actually happened to me before when I was in the storage space, but luckily it did not latch all the way and I was able to force it open.  Now I put something in the doorway, just in case.)

Chuck asked "Ashley, have you shown yourself to Jinni yet?".......Amanda said 'No, just me.'

"Amanda, can you tell us what street you lived on here in Bentonsport?".......'Osage'

"Is David here tonight?".........'Yes, he's here now.'

"David, did you know Markie went to the light?"........'Yes.  I'm sorry.'

"Why are you sorry?"........'Now he's gone.'

"But he comes back now."...........'He's surrounded.'

"David, would you like to go to the light now?".......'No'

"Why aren't you ready to go to the light?  Can you see it?".......'No I can't.'

"Markie's all healed now, he better."...........'Not my time.'

"Would you like Harold and Amanda to take you to the light?".......'Don't threaten me.'

"Don't you want to be our of the fear of your uncle?".......'He's still here.  You can't convince me.'

"Is Markie here?".......'Hi'

"Can you tell David how wonderful it is to go to the light?"........'I tried to convince him.  He won't listen.'

"Can you describe what it's like to go to the light?".......'It's wonderful.'

"Did you see anyone you know there?".......'My Mom.'

"Markie, now that you are out of your dream state, can you say you last name for us?".......'Rodston'

"Is your first name Mark or Marcus?"........'Marcus'

"What is your middle initial?".......'E'

"We're going to try to find some information on you.  You're from Macon, Georgia aren't you?".........'Yes.   Joined in Tennessee.'

"Where in Tennessee?"........'Ashton.  Settlement.  Northeast.'

"Did you have a unit number?"........'Outfit'

"Okay, what was your outfit number?"......... (It wasn't clear)   '(something) 07'

"What did you think of Chris being on the Coast to Coast AM radio show?"..........Harold said 'Chris was in the box!'

"Yes, he was talking on the radio.  Were you trying to talk to him?"........'Yes'

"Was that why we could not get a clear station on the radio?"..........'Yes, I tried to pull it.'

"You tried to pull the dial to talk too?"  (He thought it was a Frank Box and was pulling the stations back and forth like he does on the Frank Box.  Chuck had his hand on the dial trying to keep it on the station so we could hear the show.) ..........'Yes, Chuck pulled it back.'

"I was trying to keep it on the station so we could hear Chris."...........'I was going insane!'

"Who was doing all the knocking and thumping in the dining room while the show was on?"........'Who else?   Me, Harold.'

"We're glad you were there.  It was frustrating you not being able to talk to Chris, wasn't it?"......'That's why I was knocking and making noise.  Frustrated.   Sorry.'

"That's okay, it was a tough night for both of us.".......'Okay'

"Okay, we're going to go now.  Keep them awake tonight."...........'I will'

"Thanks for talking with us."..........'You're welcome.'

        During the night, the people in Room 5 and 6 heard knocking on the wall adjoining the rooms.  Each thought the other was doing it.  Room 5 also heard someone walking around on the third floor.  Nobody had gone up there after the class.  They heard a loud BANG about 5 a. m.   The people in Room 6 heard tapping on the window and also heard the BANG.  The people in Room 7 saw the ceiling fan chain going around and around.  Then it would stop and swing side to side.  Then in circles again.  This went on for several hours.  The fan was not on, nor was a window open.  During the night, the girl sleeping on the left side of the bed woke up because she heard something near the dresser.  She looked and saw a shadow of a man passing across the mirror.  The people in Room 8 heard footsteps walking back and forth outside their door most of the night and also smelled baking cookies.  The scent came and went, not continuous.  Out at the Caboose, the people heard a knocking on the back door window, but they did not see anybody.  Then their water kept turning off and on.    Later, I learned that the chandelier in Room 5 had been swaying during this session.  Several people saw it, but no one mentioned it at the time.

Saturday, 5 May 2007, GHU 101 class at the Bentonsport Cemetery:

"Who is with us?  What is your name?"........'Amanda'

"You followed us up here.  Are you looking for Markie?"......'I found him.'

"Are there any other spirits here?"........(long list of names)...Markie said 'They've been here a long time.  They need help.  They're here now.'

Chris said we need to ask something more specific.

A guest asked "Are they all from this part of the country?".......'Some made a journey.'

"In relation to the cemetery?".......'On boats.  Several came from far away.'

"What's your favorite food?"........Amanda said 'Cherries.'

"Do you feel safe?".......'Not right now.'

"What year is it?".........'I don't know.'

Joy asked "Are there any Mason family members here?"........'Just to the right of you.'

"Who is it?   What's his name?"........'Mason'

Joy asked "This is the Frederick Hancock monument we are standing near, so is Frederick Hancock here?".......Markie said 'He's watching all the people.  He died when he was eighty.'

"Does he inhabit his old house?"........Markie:  'Chuck knows that.  Yes.'

"What about James Brown?  Is he here?".........'No'

A guest asked "Did Harold follow us here?".......'No'

A guest asked "Is the Wood family that is buried here from Ireland?"........'Not that one.'

"How does it make you feel, talking to us this way?".......Various voices:  'It's amazing.'  'You're here to help.'   'What in the world are you doing here?'      'It strikes me as odd.'    'Amazing technology!'      'It's going to rain.'      'I'm surprised you're all here.'

Joy:  "I want to talk to Frederick Hancock again.  Mr. Hancock, did you hide slaves on the Underground Railroad?".........'Can't talk about it.'

"You won't get in trouble.  Do you know of anybody who did?".......'Marshalls did.'

"Anybody else?"........'I might have.'

"What about Lewis Mason?"..........'Yes.  But I took responsibility for what I did.  Free state, free town.'

"What about Herman Greef, did he do it too?".........'I don't know.  He might have.'

"What about James Brown, did he do it too?".......'Yes.'

"Who else, can you name them?".......'I did.  Frederick.  I want to show myself.  By the monument.       Remove the alcohol bottle!!'

"Bottle?"........(someone had put a bottle of Mountain Dew on the shelf of the stone)....'Remove it!  I can't believe you did that.    So rude!'

Guest:  "Sorry, my hands were getting cold.".......'I saw that.'

Chris:  "Okay, do you want to show yourself now?".......'Yes, I'll try.'

(We all took pictures of the monument and many got a bright orb over and around the stone.  This picture, from Bob Hamburg, has a red orb to the left of the monument on the far right.)

Amanda:  'It's going to rain.  Go back to the hotel.'

Chris:  "Yes, we'll go back to the Mason House now.  Good bye."

Amanda:  'I'm coming!'

Saturday, 5 May 2007, GHU 101 class, in Room 5:

"Who is here with us?"........'Harold'   'Markie'    'Amanda'

"Is Fannie Mason Kurtz here with us tonight?".......'Not here.  She was called back.'

"Will she be back?".......'Don't know.   She had plans.'

"Will she be back in the future?".......Various answers:  'Maybe'    'I think so'   'I don't know'

A guest asked "What year is it?".......Harold: '2007'

A guest asked "Amanda, did you see my flying my kite earlier?".........'Uh huh.   Fun.'

"Would you like to fly it with me?".......'You're trying to trick me.'

(Markie comes through)  'Don't trick her.'

Chuck:  "Hi Markie.  You're still very defensive of Amanda aren't you?"..........Amanda: 'I love him.'

"Markie, how does it feel to be on the other side now?".......'Feels good.  Good to be healthy.'

"Do you like working with Chris as a technician?"......'I have much to learn yet.  Yes, I do.'

Amanda:  'I don't like that he's not here.   He's always gone now.'

"He's here tonight with you."........Amanda: 'He's working, not playing.'     Markie: 'She's always yelling at me.'

"Do we have a squabble starting?".......Markie: 'Yes, I guess.'

"Is this a love squabble?".......Amanda: 'Yes, it is.'    Markie: 'No, it's not.'    Amanda: 'It's about love.'     Markie: ' They're in the basement.'

"What's in the basement?".......Markie: 'She's still hiding things.'    Amanda:  'Stop tattling!'

"Oh, and you know where they are at, Markie?"......'Yes'

"You're not going to tell on her are you?"........'In the off shoot space.'

Chris:  "Amanda's mad now.  She's yelling at him."

Chuck:  "It's okay, Amanda, we're not going to take them back."

A guest asked "Who knocked on the Caboose window last night?".......Amanda: 'He did.'

"Who was that?  Was that you, Harold?"......Amanda: 'Yes, that was him tapping.  He's always tapping.'

"Was that Harold who turned on the water?".......Harold: 'I'm sorry about that.'

"Why are you sorry about it?"......'I feel bad for it.  I think I really scared her.'

"She wasn't really scared."........'You weren't there.'

"She had some trouble trying to figure it out."......'Yep'

Chuck: "I'd like to thank you and all the residents for all the activity last night.  They really had a good time.".....'You're welcome.'

"Can you repeat it again tonight?"........'There's less food.'

"Do you mean energy?"......'Yes, less, it's different.'

"Are the guests tonight not as exciting as last night's?".......'I used alot of energy.'

"So if we have a lot of energy form our guests, you'll keep them up all night?".......'I'll try.'

"Harold, we have a reporter here tonight.  Is there anything you want to say to her?".....'Is she staying?'

"No, she's not staying overnight."........'Find her a room.'

"You're going to have to do something for her before she leaves.".........'Does she know code?'

"No.  Can you tap for her in the speaker?".......'I am.'

"Mary, are you here with us tonight?"........'The toy, it's too big.'

"But doesn't it make wonderful quilts?"........'No.  Remove it.'

"Would you like to learn how to use it?".........'No, thank you.'

"Mary, what's the deal with the radio up there?".........'It's broken.'

"Do you keep changing the station on it when Joy leaves the room?".........'I can't turn it off.'

"But when it's on, were you trying to change the station?"........'The broadcast.'

"Why were you trying to change the broadcast?".........'Too noisy'

"Were you trying to turn it down?"........'Yes, turn it off.'

"Don't you like the music?"..........'No'

"What kind of music do you like?"...........'Low.   The standards.'

"Mary, can I ask you a personal question?"...........Harold: 'Don't do it.'

"Mary, is there any reason why you don't let us talk to Frank?".........Frank: 'Now you did it.'

"Frank, what's going on that we can't talk to you?".........Frank: 'She's jealous.  Stop laughing.'

"Mary, don't you think it would be nice to give Frank a turn to talk?"..........Mary: 'No.  He doesn't want to talk to you.'

"It would be interesting to hear what his perspective of things are."..........Mary:  'That's not a good idea.'

"Frank, do you still show yourself to Joy when she's playing the piano?"........Frank: 'I hear her.'

"She likes it when you do that."........Mary:  'He watches.'

"We don't want to interfere with you and Mary, but we'd like to talk to you too, if that's okay.".......Mary: 'Talk to me first.'

"We'd like to learn about Frank sometimes."........Frank: 'If she lets me.'

"Okay, thank you."........Harold: 'That was successful.'     Mary: 'I'll see you soon.'

"Are you going to show yourself, Mary?"........Harold: 'She's gone.'

"Did Frederick Hancock come down from the cemetery and join us here?".........Frederick: 'I'm here.'

Guest: "I'm sorry about putting the bottle on your monument."..........'Why would you do that?'

"It was cold and wet and I needed to put it down.".........'You could have put it on the ground.'

"It would spill."........'It's a powerful liquid.  Not good to drink it.'  (Frederick Hancock was a prohibitionist and up at the cemetery he thought it was an alcohol bottle.)

Chris:  "We understand how you feel.  He's sorry."..........'Railroad'

"He wants to talk about the railroad.  The Underground Railroad?".......'Yes'

Chuck:  "How many tunnels were there in town that you know of?".......'Ten'

"Was there one between the Greef Store and the Greef House?"........'I think there was.'

"Can you tell us the location of the others?".........'Somewhere on Main.  Not under the store.'

"Where was the entrance?"........'Under the house.'

"Where did the tunnel go?"..........'Various ways.'

"Did it go along the alley behind the Inn?".........'Up the street.  Different locations.     East.   Not there anymore.'

"And did they go up to the churches?"........'Three of them did.  They were independent.'

"How tall were the tunnels?  Were they tall enough to stand in?".........'4 feet'

"How wide were they?"..........'By 8.  Some were.'

"How many of the tunnels still exist today?".........'Two'

"Can you name where they are?".............'Greef house.   Still has structure.'

"And where is the other one?"........'Right next to the hotel.'

"It still exists today?".........'Under the woodshed'

"Behind the Inn?"............'Yes.  Three deceased in it.'

"So there are slaves buried in the tunnel?".........'Yes.  We could not save them.'

"Is the tunnel still intact."..........'Still there.'

"Is there a way to find it?".........'Dig'

"Is the entrance from the Inn itself?"...........'To the east.   Under the woodshed.'

"Is the wood shed still there today?"..........'No'

"Is it near the train, the caboose?"..........'East of the locomotive.   There used to be a wood shed there.'

"Is it near the neighbor's house?"...........'Don't know where that is.  Need to find them.  Need to be brought out.'

"Do you know how many slaves were helped by Bentonsport people?"...........'There had to be hundreds.'

"Where did they go from here, that you know of?".........'North.  To the settlement.'

Chris:  "He's getting weak."

Chuck:  "Okay, well thank you for talking to us about this.  We'd like to talk to you again about this sometime, if that's okay.".........'Yes.  Certainly.  Needs to be brought out.'

"Thank you very much, Frederick.".........'Sure'

A guest asked "Harold, do you remember me?  You made my phone beep."..........Harold: 'That was Markie.'

"Weren't you doing it too?"........'Tone two.'

"Yes, and Markie was Tone one."........'I know'

"Why did you do that?"..........."To get your attention.  There's a connection.'

"My friend said you came to me because I'm a teacher.  I teach Civil War history."..........'I saw you.'

"You saw me here before?".........'That's why we tapped.'

"Do you need to tell me something?".........'There's a connection.  He was sad.'

"Was Markie sad?"...........'Yes, he had a fever.  You helped him.  You reminded him of someone.'

Another guest asked "Who turned off my phone tonight?"........Harold: 'Amanda'

"Why did you turn it off, Amanda?"........Amanda: 'I wanted it.'

Chuck:  "You're not going to try to take anybody's phone tonight are you?".........Harold: 'Yes, she wants to.'

"Amanda, you can play with the phones, but don't take any of them, please."..........Harold: 'She's looking for a light purple phone.  It's important to her.'

"Amanda, do you know there's a ring on the little lamp table that Cindi left for you?".........Amanda:  'It's a trick.  You're tricking me.'

"No, it's not a trick.  You can have it."........'I like it too much.'

"Well, you can have it.  Cindi said it's for you."............Harold:  'She's afraid of the dark.'

"Amanda, why are you afraid of the dark?"......'I fell in the mud.'

A guest: "Is there anybody here who wants to say hi to Beau?"........'Me'

"Who's me?".......'Harold.  Hi Beau.'

"Harold, we all think you're great.  Keep it up."..........'Okay'

"Thank you, everybody, for talking to us."........'Okay'

"Good bye"

      The people who stayed that night had few experiences.  Harold said there was not enough energy.  Many of the guests said they slept so soundly that they would not have noticed anything if something did happen.  The people in Room 1 said the water in the bathroom turned on and off a few times.

To return to Joy's Journal 2007, click here

To return to the GHU 101 and 102 page, click here.

To read the August 3 and 4, 2007 results, click here.