Do Not Fear The Unknown

This was an impromptu investigation conducted by Erin and Josh at the Mississippi Belle Restaurant. Erin received a phone call from an employee concerned about items moving and other activity recently discovered. They asked if she and or other team members could please come to the site immediately. She relayed the information to Josh, gathered up some equipment and wend to the site.

Please read the full investigation report below.

Thanks,

HPT

Time: Approximately 2230

Location: Mississippi Belle Restaurant

Members Participating: Erin and Josh

Background:

This business located in downtown Hastings had been visited by HPT on three past investigations to include one with IPRA. After the completion of the February 9th investigation, there was a reported escalation in the amount and variety of activity. Activity reported included chairs moving out from tables, silverware being initially set up correctly only to be found a short time later being moved into what resembled a cross at the place setting. Candles at tables had been reported being replaced at night, only to have employees return a short time later and finding some candles being lit at certain tables. One of the owners also reported an incident whereby while in the basement, a light appeared to switch on and off by itself. Also, all employees reported a feeling of being watched and an overall feeling of uneasiness since the 2-9 investigation.

On this night, Erin received a call at home on the HPT Cell phone from employees at the site that they had witnessed some of the previously described activity. Erin immediately enlisted the help of Josh, gathered up an EMF meter and digital camera and went to the location.

Impromptu Report filed by Erin...

Investigation:

Impromptu Visit to the Mississippi Belle

At around 10:45 our team line cell phone rang. I generally just let it ring and then listen for a message if there is one. There was one from Greg, the cook down at the Belle. He said that they were having some activity that is new for the place down there and it was happening with about twenty people at the bar. I called them right back and spoke with Hope on the phone. She told me that a chair from table 11 had been pulled out and also a candle at a different table had been lit seemingly all by itself. She asked if we could just come down to check these things out and I told her I'd grab Josh and some limited equipment and be right down. We got there at right around 11:00 PM and went inside and started speaking with the cook and the server. They explained to us that a week ago on Friday night, the same thing had happened, in that the chair from table 11 had been pulled out just as it had happened that night. They also stated that they had heard a sound at the other table where now the candle was burning. I had Josh do an EMF sweep all around table 11 and he did get some readings from the wall that abuts the kitchen. He also, interestingly enough got a fairly high reading from the wooden chair itself. I was standing with my back to the kitchen door and suddenly felt that someone was behind me off to my right so I told Josh to take a series of three photos at that time. It felt as if someone had been there and passed from my right to my left and headed down the stairs towards the office/boiler room hallway.

I asked if it would be all right to go on down and around and take some pictures. With the go ahead we went down towards the office hallway. The boiler room door was closed and it was extremely hot in there. Our lenses on the cameras kept fogging due to that. I could feel that there was possibly the presence of a woman in the hallway who could have been who had previously been up in the dining area. Yet, I cannot say for sure as while in the dining area I got the sense of a man who likes to play tricks. I did not sense him so much in the hallway downstairs.

We then came back up and spoke again with the Cook and Server in the dining room. The Cook said the common denominator in both what happened that night and the week before was that he and the Server had been preparing to leave. Then he said that when it had happened the week before, that he decided to try to get some sort of communication going with whoever it was. He said they asked for knocks...one for no and two for yes. He said he asked if whoever had made the noise by the table had pulled the chair out as well. He told us that they heard one knock immediately, an indication of a no answer. Then he said that he asked if it was someone else who had moved the chair and they immediately heard two knocks, indicating that someone else had moved the chair. They didn't pursue this further on that night.

Then we decided to just go on down to the wine cellar as I felt that we should, yet also compelled to take a few pictures of the bar area where Hope and Bill were. In the wine cellar I sensed a young teenaged girl...who was very frightened of us being there. I explained that we were just there for a short visit as something had happened upstairs that Bill and Hope wanted us to return, check it out, and we'd only be there a few minutes. We took some pictures in that area and left. After coming up we spoke with Bill and Hope for a bit who let us know that since we had been there on a joint investigation that more things have started to happen, and that it was indeed much more noticeable. Not so much when they had a lot of customers, but at times when it was quieter. The chair being pulled out is not disturbing to me as I think that's pretty cool. What did disturb me was the candle which seemed to light itself. That's a concern of mine. We then thanked them for giving us a call and left. I think it would be a good idea to be down there on a weekend night to just sit for a while between 10 and 11:30. Since this is when this new activity is occurring, place a camera on table 11 and another camera, which will show the rear end of the dining area.

Occurrences or Experiences:

 One investigation detected an EMF reading on a wooden chair that was found to have moved out from a table by employees closing the restaurant for the evening
 A candle was reported to have been found lit when employees were closing for the evening. None of the employees reported lighting it

Conclusion...

Through reports gathered by HPT from employees on site, it was determined that an additional equipment drop may be necessary in an attempt to gather more evidence to try and determine the basis for the activity escalation. Evidence gathered or viewed by Team Members on this visit did support the claims that there did appear to be an escalation in the amount and type of activity.

None Obtained

*We are now adding the name of the team member who carried the device that picked up the EVP*

Investigation Photos...

Photo of one of the owners, Bill in the bar area.	Position of the chair when found by employees closing for the evening.
Josh taking an EMF reading by the chair that was reported moved. It should be noted that the EMF meter he is holding is lighted indicating he is obtaining some form of reading off of the wooden chair.	This is a photo of the candle that the employees found lit prior to leaving for the evening. There were only two employees present, both left the dining room area and returned a short time later to find it lit

Videos...