Myths & Mysteries
Priest bids to count ghost out
ROSEMARY GALLAGHER AND EBEN HARRELL (rgallagher@scotsman.com)

THEY may be more used to dealing with superannuation than the
supernatural, but a Scottish financial advice firm has been forced to
call in a priest after being targeted by a suspected ghost.
Several of the 40 staff at Alan Steel Asset Management in Linlithgow say
they have witnessed an elderly man wandering around or heard a male
voice when no-one is there, and books have fallen off shelves.

They say such incidents have become more frequent in recent months,
which is why Alan Steel, the company chairman, brought in a local
historian and a priest, believing an exorcism could be the answer.
The firm is built on the site of a former explosives factory which
produced dynamite.
During the First World War there was an explosion at the Nobel factory,
and two women workers and the foreman are thought to have been killed.
Staff think the poltergeist may be the ghost of the foreman.

Leslie Dick, Mr Steel's personal assistant, said: "I was typing the code
into the keypad to open the main office door and heard a man saying,
'Excuse me' - but no-one was there. Another time books had fallen off a
shelf and been scattered around the office."
Receptionist Elaine Henderson said: "I can definitely feel a presence
when I'm sitting in reception - not a nasty one, but something is
there."

Local historian, Bruce Jamieson, and the priest visited the office and
spoke to staff yesterday afternoon.
They were unable to confirm if there is a presence but will review the
situation in a month before deciding whether or not to refer the mystery
to someone who can perform an exorcism.

Mr Steel said: "I think it could be the ghost of the bull market. I
haven't checked with the Financial Services Authority to check if my
ghost is compliant."
In recent years, Scotland has become a centre for psychologists
attempting to explain what causes people to report paranormal
experiences.

Last year a team launched a massive experiment to investigate Mary
King's Close in Edinburgh, the notorious scene of reported hauntings.