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56              Ed & Lorraine Warren Exposed as Frauds





                 Every Time Ed &                         true, despite numerous investigations and an exorcism, man is cured.
                                                         accounts that seem to indicate otherwise.  The         But it's real! Because the  Warrens are
             Lorraine Warren Were                        events in question took place during the 1980s, awesome and they don't lie! Say it with me now:

                                                         roughly speaking, and feature all the trademarks "The Warrens tell the truth, this I know / For the
           Exposed As Total Frauds                       of a classic, Amityville-style demonic haunting, Warrens told me so."
                                                         in which the supernatural baddie made "loud
                  Continued from Page 55                 noises and bad odors" and "pig grunts"; it also Union Cemetery 'White Lady' Video
                                                         threw the Smurls']dog into a wall, shook their
                                                         mattresses, pushed one of their daughters down  One of the ghosts purported to haunt the grounds
                 This case centered mostly around Janet  a flight of stairs, and physically and sexually  of Union Cemetery in Easton, CT  is a White
          Hodgson, at the time 11 years old, who was     assaulted Jack on several occasions, as stated in  Lady, otherwise known as a Lady in White, a
                                                         a 2008 Times-Leader article by Sheena Delazio.  tortured spirit generally sprung from grave
          alternately tormented and possibly even
                                                         Ed Warren - who came to the Smurls' aid along   misfortunes - usually the victim of betrayal by a
          possessed by a poltergeist. The evil spirit was
                                                         with his wife Lorraine in 1986 - even claimed   husband or boyfriend, who died either by
          responsible for throwing random items across
                                                         that he saw a dripping message on a mirror that
          the room, knocking sounds, strange voices, and                                                 suicide or murder. Given that the cemetery is
                                                         told him to 'Get out.'
          growling noises, and even causing young Janet                                                  near Ed and Lorraine's stomping grounds,
                                                                 Paul Kurtz, a philosophy professor at the
          to levitate in midair. The story became a media                                                they've been all over this legend, claiming to
          sensation, and led to numerous investigations of  State University of New  York, Buffalo, drew  have actually captured the Union  White Lady
          Janet, her 13-year-old sister Peggy (who also  connections between the Smurls and the Lutzes   and a few "shadow ghosts" on video. Watch Ed
          seemed to be affected by the poltergeist's     around the same time the story (with full       Warren describe his encounter here, though note
                                                         backing from the  Warrens, of course) was       that the footage itself is never actually shown.
          presence), and the entire house.
                                                         exploding in the media. He said of the
                 What most of the investigators took
                                                         demonologists, "They have no credentials in the                        (Continued on Page 57)
          away was that the girls were playing pranks. Joe
                                                         scientific or parapsychological communities,"
          Nickell wrote a detailed piece for Skeptical
                                                         and further added, "There is no explanation for
          Inquirer in July/August 2012, referencing
                                                         the Smurl house, but I wouldn't simply assume it
          numerous sources that reveal how most of the
          paranormal happenings in the Hodgson house     is a haunting... It seems to us that a great-to-do
          occurred when no one was actually looking at   has been made about it, and we wonder if it s
          either Janet or Peggy, such as instances of    like the  Amityville horror hoax, which was
                                                         based on imagination rather than an actual
          objects being flung across the room. An audio
                                                         haunting." Even members of the clergy, brought
          recording of a dresser falling to the floor
                                                         in for the usual blessings and exorcisms,
          seemingly of its own accord reveals what could
                                                         reported "nothing unusual" happening there.
          very likely be footsteps creeping up to the
                                                         Despite the quick skepticism, the Smurls tale
          dresser just prior to its collapse. Instances in
                                                         was turned in to a paperback "true story" titled
          which the poltergeist seemed to converse with
          Janet happened mostly when Janet and/or Peggy  The Haunted, with Ed and Lorraine's name
          were behind a closed door, and when the voice  emblazoned on the cover right next to journalist
          would manifest in the presence of others, it was  turned author Robert Curran's credit.  A  TV               CONNECTING
                                                         movie of the same name followed in 1991.
          painfully obvious Janet had learned to throw her
                                                                                                                            WITH
          voice - i.e., she was practicing ventriloquism.
                                                         Werewolf Demon                                               COINCIDENCE
                 There are a series of photographs that
          staunch believers of the paranormal insist show
          Janet levitating. Click here to see a collection of  This is perhaps the most ludicrous case in the  MAESTRO MELODY, SONGWRITER. Francesco
          gifs of these photos, but just be aware that if  Warren roster: the couple, alongside Catholic  "Maestro Melody" Ronchetti is a Composer, Vocalist
                                                                                                          and Musicologist. His stage name is self-explanatory: a
          you're hoping to see an exorcist or Dana-      bishops and retired police officers, exorcized the  lifetime at the service of H.R.M. the...'Queen' Melody.
          possessed-by-Zuul-style levitation, you'll be  angry spirit of a werewolf from a man's body.    Founding member of the experimental a cappella trio
          sadly disappointed.  The photos depict nothing  Sounds like a great episode of Supernatural, but  “Trinovox" (Jaro, Germany; EMI, France;  Alula,
          more than a girl jumping off her bed. And yet,  it's apparently one hundred percent true, at least  USA), M.M. holds a Doctor of Music from the oldest
          Ed  Warren swears up and down in  The          according to the famous demonologists and their  university in the  Western  World: Bologna (Italy),
                                                                                                          founded in 1083. For his Doctorate M.M. wrote the
          Demonologist that he witnessed the girl levitate  book (there's always a book), Werewolf: A True  first ever thesis based on the teaching of Pop-Rock
          in midair. Did he?                             Story of Demonic Possession.  This tome is       Singing, another of his great passions. Currently M.M.
                 But perhaps most damning of all is the  wonderfully summed-up by Kirkus Reviews, in      is busy performing with “Monster Songster", a unique
          admission by Janet in 2015, then 45 years old,  which the unnamed writer states, "Skeptics,     duo that specializes in turning its audience's 'on-the-
          "that she and her sister faked some of the     please note the Warrens' assurance that this is a  spot' poems into finished songs in real time.
          phenomena," about "two percent," to be precise.  'carefully documented' case (they forgot to    DOCTOR COINCIDENCE, LYRICIST.  Bernard
          Though Nickell insists the evidence suggests   include the documentation, though)."             "Dr. Coincidence" Beitman is an Author, Researcher
          one hundred percent fakery, perhaps this is again      You can read an overview of this case in  and University Professor.  A psychotherapist and
          a case of the truth lying somewhere in between.  a blog post by Ritoban Mukherjee at            psychiatrist, Dr. C. decided to dedicate his life to the
          Perhaps Janet and Peggy did encounter a        Unexplained Mysteries, if you so choose. What    study of...’Everything Coincidence' as a consequence
                                                                                                          of a very dramatic and unforgettable occurrence
          supernatural being, but began to fabricate much  is most interesting about this post, however, is  connected to his father's death, when he was 31, as
          of their interactions with "The Thing" once they  that it both demonstrates the Warrens' fraudulent  reflected in the song "Karl Bled Into His Throat". We
          realized how much attention it garnered them.  nature and shows how blindly faithful and        could say that Dr. Coincidence is to Coincidence as M°
          Perhaps the affair was, as Nickell states, a total  devoted believers of their work can be. Consider  Melody is to Melody (although this might seem almost
          fabrication, through and through. One thing is  this passage: "The Warrens haven't been able to  too...coincidental to be true).  With prestigious
                                                                                                          academic titles from the top U.S. Ivy League
          certain: Ed  Warren likely didn't see Janet    produce any photos or material evidences. But    universities under his belt, Dr. C. has increasingly
          levitating.                                    the very presence of the famous demonologist     turned his attention to developing a mystical
                                                         couple, paranormal collector John Zaffis, and    relationship with Nature, a tendency probably started
          The Smurl Haunting                             famous exorcist Bishop McKenna greatly           many years ago, as a child, with his first puppy, as
                                                         increases the credibility." Moreover, most       described in the song “Snapper”.
          The details of this case feel more like something  resources touting the truthfulness of this case are
                                                         blogs that love to gush on the Warrens. There are
          out of a  William Peter Blatty novel (or a Jay                                                                      Visit
                                                         no articles devoted to debunking this one
          Anson "True Story" horror tale) than actual
                                                         because it really debunks itself: man gets violent  store.cdbaby.com/cd/drcoincidencemaestromelody
          events, but like many families on this list, the
                                                         with some cops, blames a werewolf demon, has
          Smurls of West Pittston, PA swear their story is
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