Night Stalks The Mansion: A True Story Of One Family's Ghostly Adventure by Constance Westbie, Harold Cameron

to in
vestigate. I called the FBI. They agreed to work on the case.
I told them about the dissatisfied client. The FBI only succeeded in letting the man know that the authorities were
after him.
    I was livid! Now that my extortionist knew I had made
contact with law enforcement agencies, he would probably
carry out the rest of his threats. I tried the police again who
were unwilling to enter the case which the FBI had apparently fumbled.
    Finally, I went to the top. The mayor of Philadelphia
listened attentively to my story. Protection was assigned to
my home and office on a twenty-four hour basis until the
perpetrator-the same irate refund demander-was caught.
    Reflecting on these incidents, I could only nod and tell
Dorothy that indeed, she was right. Sometimes an unseen
presence could be easier to deal with - and far less threatening-than that which was perfectly visible!
    Although we had finally come to terms with our ghostly
situation, we all knew that it would be illogical to expect
others to come to a similar acceptance. This was certainly
true when it came to household help.
    I hadn't exaggerated when I told my dad that we had
trouble keeping servants. They lasted such a short time that
I can't even recall all names and faces -even though I have
a good memory. I became a regular visitor at the employment agency. In a very short time, I became an unwelcome
one. There was no money to be made from the Camerons.
    "What kind of a place are you running out there?" the
agency manager finally asked irately. "It's hard to get people to even apply and, according to the grapevine, if they do
try it, they'll be sorry."

    I replied with what dignity I could muster that we had
a nice home, got along very well with all our help, and were
never unreasonable in our demands upon them in the matter
of work. Naturally, I couldn't mention ghosts.
    "That isn't exactly what I meant," the man replied.
"Anyway, we've gone through the list. We don't have a soul
for you right now."
    Something told me that he wouldn't have a soul for us
in the near future, either, so I went to another agency.
    Although we preferred a husband and wife combination
we settled on singles again. We hired Samantha as housekeeper and Ernie for the outside work. They had rooms in
the servant's quarters and because their doors did not open
into the upstairs hall, I felt there was no reason why they
should be disturbed by unusual noises.
    Samantha fed Ernie in the kitchen while the family ate
in the dining room. They both seemed capable enough.
After two weeks went by without apparent trouble, we began
to hope that they would stay. It was futile. One day after a
serious huddle, they both quit at the same time.
    I tried to pin them down. "Just why do you want to leave?"
I demanded.
    "I got my reasons," Samantha said stubbornly and refused to discuss the matter any further.
    "We just don't like certain things," Ernie answered
evasively and clammed up when I tried further interrogation. They had already packed their belongings before
announcing their joint decision to leave immediately. That
night Dorothy again cooked dinner by herself.
    I do remember Ellen. I liked her immensely. She stayed
three weeks. She seemed placid and hardworking and was
cheerful most of the time. It was pleasant to come down to breakfast in the morning and be greeted by her wide grin.
However, this was before she decided to do some ironing
in the dining room.

    Humming to herself, she heard someone come in the door
behind her and assumed that it was Dorothy who stood close
at her shoulder and was evidently scrutinizing her ironing
technique. She chatted happily to her mistress for a few
minutes and then it occured to her that Dorothy was unusually silent and hadn't answered her at all. She looked
around. There was no one in the room but herself.
    "Mrs. Cameron? she called tentatively.
    There was no answer. Ellen stood in petrified silence. She
had heard