The Don Jolly House

[Passtheflask]

Written by Barry E. Taff. One of the best ghost stories I've ever read. This is a shortened copy, the full length version can be found here http://www.worldoftheunknown.com/ahauntingthought.html

Have you people read anything on this before?

What do you think about its credibility?

The area of Hollywood where the house is located was not exactly known for its beauty

or safety. In fact, it was noted mostly for its high crime rate and drug trafficking. As

such, I was far more concerned about the threat from burglars, muggers and flying lead

than belligerent ghosts.

When the owner of the house, a banker named Don Jolly first moved in, he immediately

hired a houseboy to clean and do the cooking. Shortly thereafter, the houseboy began

telling Jolly of strange events that really unnerved him.

Objects were rapidly moved from one room to another, and enigmatic shadows and

apparitions were seen out of the corner of his eye.

According to Mark, during a party, many loose objects began flying about the house.

At one point after a young woman entered the house, a large throne chair suddenly

moved under its own power across the room pinning her against the wall of the living

room directly in front of other guests.

This was followed an instant later by a kettle flying in from the kitchen stove which

quite deliberately dumped its water over the girl's head.

Later that evening, the houseboy was chased around the house by a cabbage

with a huge butcher knife stuck in it. It was this particular event that finally

caused the houseboy to abruptly quit his job.

The next evening, my colleague and I went to the house to attend a party. While at

the house, we did have the opportunity to observe some of the most astounding

psychokinetic displays we had ever seen. On several occasions, numerous books would

take off from their resting place, fly madly about the house and abruptly drop to the

floor. A telephone left its secure position on a stand flew over Don Jolly's shoulder in my

direction, as did a large glass jar.

The most humorous event occurred while several of us stood in the foyer directly at the

entrance to the house. In the middle of us was a large wrought-iron chandelier. As we

continued to speak, I commented that I was very hungry. Within seconds, a large clump

of bananas came flying across our path landing at my feet. I bent down to pick them up

and noticed that they were rather cold to the touch. Their exact source could not be

determined even after checking out the kitchen where they supposedly originated. We

eventually returned to the foyer to continue our conversation.

Suddenly, the front doorbell began ringing relentlessly, as if some madman outside was

seeking entrance. When we examined the doorbell, we were shocked to discover that it

was electrically disconnected as its wires were completely frayed and rotted, incapable

of carrying even the minimal household voltage or current. What then caused the

doorbell to ring? Or more precisely, what allowed it to ring?

After some background research, we discovered that the Hollymont house had a rather

sordid background. Two murders and one suicide had occurred there over the last fifty

years. This, combined with the fact that both Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck once

lived there contributed to its celebrity atmosphere.

We were not able to return until about ten days later on May 14, 1976, at which time we

were accompanied by a news crew headed by Connie Fox from local Los Angeles

television station, KTTV [which recently became part of the Fox Network (no relation to

Connie].

On this particular visit, we experienced more sustained phenomena in a finite period of

time than in any case before or since.

We arrived about 6:30 P.M. and at one point we all were in the dining room. Suddenly an

ice tray came flying out of the kitchen and soared across the dining room into the west

wall.

Shortly thereafter, a large sack of cloth napkins flew out of the kitchen (which was

empty) and struck silver platterware in the dining room directly in front of Connie Fox.

A large world atlas suddenly appeared flying in front of the house and literally chased a

screaming and terrified Connie Fox down the front Z-shaped stairway, making three

distinct ninety degree turns (changes of direction) in doing so. All the while, the atlas

was flapping its pages as though it was a bird in flight.

When one of my friends laughingly commented on the above event, an old shoe flew

around the outside of the house and struck him on the side of the head.

While in the pantry area between the dining room and kitchen with Jolly, showers of

coin, primarily pennies and dimes, fell from the ceiling pelting us. These thousands of

coins appeared to fall from the empty air.

While several members of the crew and I stood in the foyer discussing these

occurrences, a large black robe apported itself onto the massive wrought iron chandelier

positioned immediately above and between all of us. One instant the chandelier was

empty, in the next the robe appeared out of thin air. When examined, it was discovered

that the robe was intricately wrapped around the workings of the light fixture requiring

several minutes with a stepladder to remove it.

A religious vestment [metal cylinder] disappeared from the upstairs chapel and appeared

outside in front of the house dropping in open air. A pewter goblet flew out of the kitchen

storage area and impacted the west wall of the dining room. A large shower head from

the main upstairs bathroom came flying down into the living room under its own power.

It somehow managed to miss the more than fifteen (15) individuals present in the room

at the time.

Several sharp and loud explosive sounds came from the hallway. Investigation could not

determine their source.

When the Bishop attempted to bless the house using his Holy Water scepter, the top

explosively blew off its base and flew around the room.

A fire broke out upstairs in one of the wastepaper baskets in the bathroom.

A telephone, several large jars, and a large book were observed to fly across various

rooms.

The electrical power in the house was turned on and off repeatedly during our visit that

evening. Checking out the fuse box provided no clue as it had not been tampered with.

Whatever force was accomplishing this feat could selectively negate the power along

specific circuits whenever the TV news crew attempted to use the AC lines in the house.

The power to those lines was cut off while other lines were left unaffected.

Even the battery powered equipment refused to function while in the house. Also

affected was the street lamp directly in front of the house that began blinking

erratically. However, the rest of the block's street lamps were not affected.

Due to very fortunate circumstances, we actually were able to temporarily live in this

house----a parapsychologist's dream. What made this case even more interesting was

that both my colleague and I lived less than twenty minutes away, almost in our

backyard.

We formally took up residence on August 2, 1976. What follows is a chronology of events

that took place over the next nine days.

August 3 11:58 P.M. Stove turned itself off and pulled away from the wall. Library door

unlocked itself. Master bedroom door locked and unlocked itself.

After putting down a glass of iced tea on the kitchen counter, I went to the refrigerator

in search of more lemon. Returning to the counter, the glass of tea was gone and was

later found in the library three rooms away behind a door that I had locked the evening

before.

11:57 P.M. Something approached the master bedroom door, grabbed and jiggled the

knob, then turned it to the right. Opening door revealed nothing. Large chair was moved

5 feet and turned around while I was out of the bedroom for not more than 3 minutes.

4:45 P.M. While talking on a newly installed telephone, the jack pulled itself out of the

wall and threw itself over a chair, pulling the 25 foot cord along with it.

August 7 2:30 P.M. While attempting to make repairs to the upstairs bathroom shower,

a large tool box that I had just brought upstairs was apported from the floor next to me

to the downstairs kitchen drawer where it was originally located. My attention was taken

off the tools box for not more than 15 seconds while removing old shower handles. Upon

turning around, the tool box was gone.

On several occasions throughout the 1980’s I was able to re-visit the Hollymont house,

once in October of 1986 for the syndicated TV show Two On the Town. At that time, the

house was being shared by three gay men. Their experiences were consistent with those

of Don Jolly, myself and others. However, there was one particular aspect regarding

their encounters that is unique. Apparently, the ghost in the Hollymont house may have

been homophobic. Phenomena only occurred when straight men or heterosexual couples

were over, never when the three men were there which each other or their lovers.

The last occurrence in this case was one of high strangeness indeed. Just before we

abandoned the house prior to the new tenants moving in, we left a note on NPI/UCLA

stationary informing the new residents that their house was haunted and if they wanted

us to continue our investigation, to contact us directly by telephone.

Several weeks later, I received a peculiar phone call from a young lady who lived several

miles east of the Hollymont house. She asked if I was the author of a note she found

stuck to the inside door of her closet at home. Somehow, the note I had left on the

inside of the kitchen cupboard ended up in someone else's closet many miles away who

had absolutely no relationship to the old or new owners of the house.

Taken from http://www.worldoftheunknown.com

[kiddglock]

Even in this weird day and age, this may be the first time a ghost has been accused of being homophobic.

[Barek Halfhand]

Even in this weird day and age, this may be the first time a ghost has been accused of being homophobic.

hey! what the heck is glocky talking about..?

When the owner of the house, a banker named Don Jolly first moved in, he immediately hired a houseboy to clean and do the cooking.

nevermind.........B

don jolly......

[sheleven]

I cant stop laughing after reading "chased around the kitchen by a cabbage"

[1stname]

So a news crew goes there and the reporter is chased around by a flying book and yet there is no video footage? Uh huh..im so tired of these stories.

[Pigmonkey]

So a news crew goes there and the reporter is chased around by a flying book and yet there is no video footage? Uh huh..im so tired of these stories.

didn't you read it properly the electricity went repeatedly went on and off, and battery equipment would not work, and don't say that was a lie to make it seem believable, i've seen a program about ghosts and the presenter spent a night in a prison cell in alcatraz there was a mains camera in the corner of the cell and he also had a battery operated camera, he had two battery packs for the battery operated camera and they both ran out within 5 minutes each

[1stname]

the whole story is b******s. with all the years of supposed activity in that place, not 1 video or photograph can back up the claims? show me proof, not stories.

Edited March 12, 2007 by 1stname

[Barek Halfhand]

proof!... I DEMAND PROOF!

never mind the bullocks, heres the Halfhandshuffle:pistols-problems

Edited March 12, 2007 by Barek Halfhand

[D0nni3]

don jolly lol just reminds me of trigger happy tv in the UK

errr back to the subject

yea sounds alittle like a story i would tell my kid on halloween without proof it's just that a story

sounds quite cool if it's true though

[my_psychosis]

I cant stop laughing after reading "chased around the kitchen by a cabbage"

He He Killer Cabbage. Fun read but I to want proof.