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rounded by pillows and cushions, but they Stephen. This would have been some two _ last she was able to tell her story. were not bumed. There had been no out- generations after the Norman conquest, The girl said that she had lived in a land cry. No fire in the grate. when people were speaking a mixture of where the light was always dim and dap- Mrs Cochrane died on 16th December Anglo-Saxon and Norman-French. pled, where all the animals and the people 1904. About a week later, another fire vic- One bright sunny day, some good people _ were green, as she had been. tim was Elizabeth Clark, an elderly inhabi- from the village of St Mary's in Suffolk, She said that her home was called St tant of the Trinity Almshouse in Hull. She found two children wandering and crying Martin's Land and that although the people was found with her body covered with near a wolf pit. The children, a girl and a were Christian, she thought they also wor- burns, but still living. She was unable to younger boy, were like normal humans in shipped St Martin. The sun never rose in explain her injuries, and died "without giv- shape, but their skin and hair were green. St Martin's Land, but a bright country ing a clue to the mystery". Her bedclothing The children seemed to be dazzled by the could be seen far away, across a wide river. was not scorched. Persons in nearby rooms sunlight and confused. They spoke in a One day she and her brother were tend- had heard no outcry. "There was no fire strange language and did not appear to ing their flocks when they came to the nor light in the room.” understand what the villagers said to them. —_ entrance of a large cavern. They heard the Early in February 1905, a woman in Not knowing what else to do, the people sound of sweet bells and could not resist London was fatally burned while sitting in of St Mary's took the children to the house —_ going into the cavern to see what was mak- a chair asleep in front of a fireplace. The of Sir Richard de Caine. His was the ing the beautiful music. On and on and-up coroner was puzzled. He said a cinder biggest household in the district and he had and up they wandered, through twisting might have shot from the grate igniting the room in which to shelter the children. passages, until suddenly they came out into victim's clothing, but she had been facing Even Sir Richard, who was a man of the _ brilliant sunlight. They had never seen the the fire and the burns were on her back. At world, could not understand what the chil- sun, nor such bright daylight before. Their about the same time a man, Ashton Clodd, dren were saying. They were treated kind- eyes hurt and their heads ached. They aged 75, died in the Louth Hospital of ly, and meat and bread was set before - blundered about in confusion and could not severe burns. The coroner in Louth was them. find their way back to the entrance into the puzzled, too. A witness testified that “if The children appeared to be hungry, but cavern. After hours and hours, when they there was a fire in the fireplace, it was very pushed the bread and meat aside and con- were hungry and exhausted, they were little". tinued to weep. Then, by chance, some found by the villagers. Barbara Bell, aged 77, died on 28 green broad beans were brought in from the Many times after this, Sir Richard February. Smoke was observed by neigh- gardens. Eagerly, the children snatched at ordered a search to be made for the bours coming from the windows of her cot- them but opened the stalks instead of the entrance to the cavern, but it was never tage in Blyth. Her body, found lying on a pods, and when they found no beans inside _ found. sofa, was "fearfully charred...as if fora they once more fell to weeping. A member The girl remained in service in Sir long time it had been in the midst of of the household showed the children how Richard's household, and when she was intense flames". to open the pods and find the fat beans grown up she married a man from Lenna. Did the mass hysteria of that winter have inside. At last the children ate and became (Source: unconfirmed) any relationship to these deaths? Could the more composed in released emotions of thousands of persons _ their manner. have attracted forces or beings that attack The children with fire?? stayed with Sir Richard de Caine. Footnotes: At first they ate 1. Quoted in Encyclopedia of Psychic only green food? Science, p. 207; other accounts are in and the boy Proceedings, Society for Psychical became depressed Research, vol. 19; Occult Review, vol. 1; and sickly. Sadly, Review of Reviews, July 1905; and Books he died, but the girl of Charles Fort, p. 655. learned to eat the 2. Harry Price, Poltergeist Over England, same food as the Country Life Ltd, London, 1945, p. 332. rest of the house- (Source: Vincent Gaddis, Mysterious Fires hold and she lost and Lights, Borderland Sciences Research her green colour Foundation, Garberville, CA, USA, 1994, pp. and took on the 147-48) appearance of a normal human THE GREEN CHILDREN being. This story is told by two old English After a while she chroniclers, Ralph of Coggeshall and came to speak the William of Newbridge. The events are Anglo-Norman supposed to have taken place in the twelfth language of her century, some say in the reign of King benefactors and at Footnotes: 1. Quoted in Encyclopedia of Psychic Science, p. 207; other accounts are in Proceedings, Society for Psychical Research, vol. 19; Occult Review, vol. 1; Review of Reviews, July 1905; and Books of Charles Fort, p. 655. 2. Harry Price, Poltergeist Over England, Country Life Ltd, London, 1945, p. 332. (Source: Vincent Gaddis, Mysterious Fires and Lights, Borderland Sciences Research Foundation, Garberville, CA, USA, 1994, pp. 147-48) THE GREEN CHILDREN This story is told by two old English chroniclers, Ralph of Coggeshall and William of Newbridge. The events are supposed to have taken place in the twelfth century, some say in the reign of King APRIL - MAY 1995 NEXUS ¢ 65