The Encyclopedia Of Demons And Demonology

Smurl Haunting 237
tongues. She hypnotized herself into a trance and allowed
her control, Leopold, to speak and write through her.
Smith claimed she had been a Hindu princess and Marie
Antoinette in previous lives. Her present humble life
was repayment of a karmic debt for her transgressions as
Antoinette. One of the spirits she channeled in trances
was Cagliostro. When he appeared, Smith exhibited signs
of temporary spirit possession. Her appearance changed
markedly to drooping eyelids and a double chin. The
spirit used her vocal cords, speaking in a deep bass voice.
She also underwent marked physical changes when Leopold
spoke through her.
Leopold, who controlled a bevy of spirits around
Smith, said he had been transported to Mars. The spirits
were able to take Smith to Mars while she was in a
trance. The results of these journeys were crude pictures
of Martian landscapes, including plants, houses, and city
streets, and automatic writing of a Martian language.
Many spiritualists believed her.
In the late 1890s, Smith was studied by a number of
leading investigators, most notably Theodore Flournoy, a
Swiss professor of psychology. Flournoy, using psychoanalytic
techniques, spent five years sitting in on séances,
researching Smith’s personal history, and corroborating
historical information she provided at her séances.
Flournoy described the takeover of Cagliostro as a
gradual process. First, Smith felt as though an invisible
force seized her arms and she could not move them. Then,
pain arose in her neck at the base of her skull. Her eyelids
drooped, and her chin dropped and formed what appeared
to be a double chin, giving her a resemblance to
portraits of Cagliostro. She took on a pompous bearing,
made Masonic signs with her hands, and spoke in a slow,
deep, masculine bass voice with an Italian accent. Cagliostro
addressed everyone as “thou” and acted as though
he was “the grand master of secret societies,” according
to Flournoy.
Flournoy concluded that Smith had a fantastic imagination,
perhaps complemented with telepathy and psychokinesis.
The Martian language that she produced was
a childish imitation of French; a Sanskrit expert declared
that 98 percent of the words could be traced to earthly
languages. “Leopold,” who was pompous, dignified, and
sensible, was probably her most highly developed secondary
personality.
Flournoy published his findings in 1900 in From India
to the Planet Mars. Smith’s supporters stood by her, and
Flournoy was banished from her life. The exposé served
to increase her popularity, and Smith enjoyed comfortable
wealth and fame.
FURTHER READING:
Flournoy, Theodore. From India to the Planet Mars: A Study
of a Case of Somnambulism with Glossolalia. New York:
Harper & Bros., 1900.
Gauld, Alan. Mediumship and Survival. London: William
Heinneman, 1982.
Myers, F. W. H. Human Personality and Its Survival of Bodily
Death. Abridged ed. Edited by Susy Smith. New Hyde
Park, N.Y.: University Books, 1961.
Oesterreich, Traugott K. Possession and Exorcism. Secaucus,
N.J.: University Books, 1966.
Smurl Haunting (1986–1987) Demonic activity in a
private residence in West Pittston, Pennsylvania. The
phenomena at the home of Jack and Janet Smurl at 328–
330 Chase Street received wide attention in the media,
primarily due to the investigations of ED AND LORRAINE
WARREN, lay demonologists. Three EXORCISMs were performed,
but the DEMON refused to leave. Skeptics said the
case was a prank or hoax. The events were the subject of
a best-selling book, The Haunted by Robert Curran, and a
film by the same title.
The afflicted house was a duplex, built in 1896 on a
quiet street in a middle-class neighborhood. The Smurls
were a close-knit Catholic family living in Wilkes-Barre,
Pennsylvania. A Navy veteran, Jack worked as a neuropsychiatric
technician. The Smurls were forced to move
by the devastation caused by Hurricane Agnes in 1972.
Jack’s parents, John and Mary Smurl, bought the house
in West Pittston in 1973 for $18,000. They lived in the
right half, and Jack, Janet, and their first two daughters,
Dawn and Heather, moved into the left half. The Smurls
did their own redecorating and remodeling and enjoyed
a close relationship with Jack’s parents. For 18 months,
their new life seemed idyllic.
Then strange things occurred. In January 1974, a mysterious
stain appeared on new carpet. Jack’s television set
burst into flame. Water pipes leaked even after repeated
soldering. The new sink and bathtub in the remodeled
bathroom were found severely scratched, as if a wild animal
had clawed at them. Freshly painted woodwork in the
bathroom showed scratches, as well. In 1975, their older
daughter, Dawn, repeatedly saw people floating around
in her bedroom.
The Smurls tolerated the annoyances. Life went on,
and they had two more children, the twins Shannon and
Carin in 1977. By then, something was obviously wrong
in the house. Toilets flushed without anyone using them.
Footsteps were heard on the stairs; drawers opened and
closed when no one was in the room. Radios blared
even when unplugged. Empty porch chairs rocked and
creaked. Strange sour smells filled the house. Jack felt
ghostly caresses.
In 1985, the annoying disturbances became frightening
experiences. The house was often ice cold. John and
Mary Smurl heard loud, abusive, obscene language from
Jack and Janet’s side of the duplex when they were not
even arguing. Then in February, Janet heard her name
called several times when she was alone in the basement.
Two days later, icy cold announced the arrival of a
black human-shaped form, about five feet nine inches
tall, with no facial features. First, it appeared to Janet in