Author Topic: Phantom of the Blue Bell Inn: Sorell: TAS  (Read 1884 times)

Offline KANACKI

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Phantom of the Blue Bell Inn: Sorell: TAS
« on: January 15, 2022, 02:24:55 PM »
Down in Tasmania there is an ancient Inn in the village of Sorell that is haunted by ghost of a women.

The Blue Bell Inn is a heritage-listed building with a history that extends back to 1829. The original wooden building was unfortunately lost to fire 1863, yet the inn was re-built later, this time using stone. The inn has witnessed plenty within Sorell during its time and has remained an important location for the town, functioning as more than just accommodation over the years. The building has much significance to Sorell, even being utilized as an emergency makeshift hospital during WWI. In addition, the building has also functioned as an influenza and maternity hospital. Despite this history, the building is not said to be haunted by these moments in its past but by more mysterious events.

To be continued......

Kanacki


Offline KANACKI

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Re: Phantom of the Blue Bell Inn: Sorell: TAS
« Reply #1 on: January 15, 2022, 02:31:36 PM »
The main ghost story associated with the haunted Blue Bell Inn is that of a lady named Ann. She is said to have died in 1840 within the Blue Bell Inn after falling down a flight of stairs.  At this time she was a live-in mistress for the current inn-keeper. Following Ann’s death, William Currie, the inn’s proprietor, was accused and charged with her murder. However, William was a powerful man and was later pardoned of this crime.

The following picture below shows the haunted staircase.

For those gusts you cannot see the pictures I suggest you join the forum to see some of the most intriguing haunted places in Australia.

Kanacki

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Re: Phantom of the Blue Bell Inn: Sorell: TAS
« Reply #2 on: January 15, 2022, 02:40:35 PM »
The details surrounding Ann’s death remain a mystery, yet are quite suspicious. She did die within the original wooden inn that was destroyed by fire, this was curiously a one-story building. It seems strange for her to sustain such terrible injuries causing her death by falling downstairs in a one-story building. There were also witnesses who stated Ann appeared to have been beaten days before her death.

Whatever the cause for Ann’s tragic death, her spirit is rumored to have remained to haunt the inn. Despite the original building being destroyed and rebuilt her spirit has clung to the land and the inn. She is quite active throughout the building, yet Room 4 seems to be especially interesting for the paranormal. Her spirit is believed to be good and is mostly known for moving around objects like curtains or glasses. The current owners claim to have had interactions with her spirit, including the husband receiving a cold kiss from Ann’s ghost one night while his wife was away.

Here is picture of the haunted bedroom below.....

Kanacki

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Re: Phantom of the Blue Bell Inn: Sorell: TAS
« Reply #3 on: January 15, 2022, 02:45:30 PM »
The Blue Bell Inn is a cozy and historic bed and breakfast that should be visited by anyone passing through Sorell. It contains several rooms for accommodation and a large, elegant ballroom. The owners of this property are delightful and very open to sharing their experiences with Ann, as well as the inn’s history.


Does the ghost of Ann still haunt the old inn? I leave that for others to decide.

Kanacki

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Re: Phantom of the Blue Bell Inn: Sorell: TAS
« Reply #4 on: January 18, 2022, 09:41:33 PM »
 In the following newspaper True Colonist Van Diemen's Land Political Despatch, and Agricultural and Commercial... (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1834 - 1844), Friday 8 May 1840, page 6 reported the following.


MR. CURRIE. — We are happy to find, that Mr. William Currie, of the Blue Bell, Sorell, who was convicted of manslaughter, on most extraordinary evidence, and sentenced to transportation for life, has been discharged, on the case being reported to the Governor. The Colonial Times says, that Mr. Currie was dis-charged in consequence of the article headed "Minor Jurors," which appeared in that Journal, Lieut. Rumbold, one of the Jurors in Mr. Currie's case being under age.

In justice to Mr. Currie, and to the Governor, we are called upon to correct this mistake of the Colonial Times. If Mr. Currie was discharged because one of the Jurors was a minor, then have nearly all the convictions, transportations, and hangings, under our Supreme Court Act, been illegal.

 And Mr. Currie is subject to all the moral stain of his conviction, having escaped from punishment by a fortunate chance. But this is not true. The Colonial Times has really found a "mare's nest," in its objection to a minor sitting on a sort of Court Martial, or, at least, a Martial Court of Justice. It has been objected to, at a very early period of the Colony and again shortly after the present Court Act came into operation here, and the objection has been overruled.

And,we can tell the Colonial Times, frightful as it appears, that a boy of six years of age, if he holds a commission in Her Majesty's land or sea forces, is elligible to sit as a juryman on the life or death of any man in this island. Mr. Currie was discharged, first, because his conviction was contrary to evidence, the medical witnesses having proved that the wounds or bruises which he was accused of having inflicted, could not have caused death.

Second, on the force of evidence sent in on affidavit after the trial, which Mr. Currie's counsel omitted to call on his defence, considering his acquittal certain after they heard the evidence of the medical men. Third, these reasons were supported by the very excellent character which Mr. Currie received from numbers of the most respectable individuals in the Colony. Mr. Currie, by his discharge, is not only free from the legal con- sequences, but also from the moral stain of a conviction for manslaughter.

Kanacki

Offline KANACKI

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Re: Phantom of the Blue Bell Inn: Sorell: TAS
« Reply #5 on: January 18, 2022, 09:42:49 PM »
Perhaps the ghost Ann was the mother of this unfortunate 6 years that died and haunts the building? Was she a ghost cursed by guilt of beating her son to death? Or she haunts the old inn in protest of William Currie escaping justice by a legal technicality?

Kanacki

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Re: Phantom of the Blue Bell Inn: Sorell: TAS
« Reply #6 on: January 18, 2022, 09:53:51 PM »
Hobart Town Courier and Van Diemen's Land Gazette (Tas. : 1839 - 1840), Friday 7 February 1840, page 4
newspaper reported the following....

Friday, January 31.

William Curry was charged with the wilful murder of Ann Podmore, a woman with whom he cohabited, and who was more generally known as Mrs. Curry. The Attorney-General appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Sydney Stephen and Mr. Horne for the defence.

Mr. Diggory Mill, an apothecary, was called, and stated, that he had examined the body, at the inquest, and that in his opinion the deceased came to her death from the shock to the nervous system, produced by various bruises and injuries, which he described.

Several witnesses were called, who deposed to the brutal and inhuman treatment of the deceased by the prisoner at different periods, within a week of her decease, and especially a day or two previous. The prisoner was seen beating and kicking her on several occasions, and dragging her by the hair of her head, and on one occasion he took her up and threw her over some palings. He is a very powerful man.

For the defense - Drs. Bedford and Hobson were called, who gave it as their opinion, that none of the ¡njuries described by Mr. Mill could have produced death.

The Chief Justice directed the Jury, that if they were satisfied that the deceased died from the injuries inflicted, and that the treatment of the prisoner was of such a brutal and inhuman character as showed a wicked and hardened mind, that they must find the prisoner guilty of the whole charge.

The Jury, after a few minutes' deliberation, returned into Court, and the foreman stated, that they were of opinion that the deceased came to her death through the brutal treatment of the prisoner, but they could not think that he intended to kill her.

My apologies Kanacki's old eyes mixed up the 6 year old boy on the jury was not a victim or son of Ann, It was Ann Podmore murdered by domestic violence by William Currie who got off Scot free.

No wonder her restless soul is haunting the Blue bell Inn?

Kanacki

Offline KANACKI

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Re: Phantom of the Blue Bell Inn: Sorell: TAS
« Reply #7 on: January 23, 2022, 03:07:23 PM »
Perhaps the ghost of Ann Podmore murder and acquittal of William Curry was result of male dominated legal system that had a bind disregard for domestic violence being a personal matter not legal one?  Shows the terrible  rights of women at the time.

Also being a women not in eyes of court system not legally married she would of looked down upon as her life did not matter anyway. Been seen as a women of ill repute thus in their eyes justify be beaten to death.

In some ways her life and death and haunting is reminder what a long we have come in human rights for all.

Kanacki

 


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