The Halloway House

Northford, New Hampshire is a small town with a population of just under six hundred. South-east of New Hampshire’s capital Concord, it sits inland 37 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. On the surface, Northford is an assuming place with nothing much to set it apart from any of the other small surrounding towns. ... Nothing, that is, it wants known.1

For more than three quarters of a century the people of Northford have kept a secret. One they dare not tell outsiders about. One they are wary to even speak about amongst themselves... except in warning.2

On the eastern outskirts of Northford, separated and surrounded by a dense wood, stands the Halloway House. Or as the locals call it, ‘The Hellaway House’. As in, “Get the hell away there as fast as you can!” This severe and grim looking three story mansion rests on a patch of land that is a half mile’s walk through forest from the rest of the town. The house has a long history extending into the 18th century. But it wasn’t until the 1920’s that it first became the source of fear to the townspeople that it is today.3

Northford was founded, under British rule, in the early 1700s. In 1792 it became the residence of Captain James Halloway, a captain in the Revolutionary War. The home he built where he and his offspring lived for a little more than a century is to this day still referred to as the Halloway House. The last of the family line to reside in the mansion was Theodore Halloway, James’s great-grandson, who sold the home in 1896 shortly before moving to California. It was purchased by Robert Lindsay, the owner of an import/export business, and became the home to he and his wife Amanda. After Robert died in 1917, Amanda continued to live in the house alone until her own death in 1922. Thereafter the Halloway House was sold again. 4

...5

Perry Barlett was a wealthy textile factory owner from New York. After taking control of a lumber mill in the nearby town of Crestview; Perry, his wife Emily and their grown son Arthur moved into the Halloway House in 1923. There the three lived, peacefully, for the next four year... until December of 1927.6

It was one week before Christmas. Perry Barlett was described as a humorless type. A stern and shrewd businessman who rarely, if ever, took the day off from his duties at the mill. So after a three day absence and numerous attempts to contact him, Northford authorities were summoned to visit the Halloway House in hopes of finding a reason. 7

The home was still. Knocks at the door were met with silence. Perry and Arthur’s automobiles idled in the garage. Fearing the worst, the two officers forced open the front door and began to search the house. Entering the dining room they came upon a scene of unimaginable horror. With their dinner still laid out before them, now cold and molding, the Barletts sat around the dining room table dead. They had been most obviously murdered and mutilated.8

Perry Barlett sat at the head of the table. His belly had been slit open and his intestines snaked out before him across the table top. A large kitchen knife stuck protruding from his chest and his eyes appeared to had been carved out. The eyes were not at the crime scene and have never been found.9

To Perry’s right sat his wife Emily. Head leaning back, her mouth had been slit at either side with cuts extending upwards forming a sort of sinister grin. Inside the mouth were placed the severed fingers from both her left and right hands. She had also been bludgeoned, her blond hair matted with blood. The instrument used for this remains a mystery.10

Opposite Emily was the Barlett’s only son, Arthur. He sat slumped forward, his hands pinned to the table with a pair of steaks knives. His head hung loosely on his neck, having been sawed three-quarters off. And his shirt was ripped open exposing a gaping hole in the chest where his heart had been dug out. It now rested on the dinner plate before him.11

Cordoning off the surrounding area, Northford police, with the assistance of Manchester authorities, searched the Halloway House. On the basement level in the darkened furnace room they discovered the corpse of the Barlett’s maid, Caroline Reiner. There were no marks on the body nor any apparent types of trauma. The cause of her death would later be ruled unknown by the coroner.12

With the exception of the four unfortunate victims, the rest of the house stood untouched. All valuables were intact and accounted for, including a safe in Perry Barlett’s office that contained, among other things, nearly ten thousand dollars worth of jewels, stocks and bonds. With windows sealed and doors locked from the inside, there was also the question of how an assailant could have entered the house. There were no tell tale signs such as foreign hairs or fingerprints to be found. All avenues seemingly exhausted, the FBI was called in to see if they could add anything to the case. But they’re investigation would not take it much further.13

Shocking enough for a large city, the Barlett murders was a crime completely unheard of in such a small town. Fear ran rampant. Rumors began to fly about Northford as to what may have led up to the grisly events.14

Some thought it was due to Perry Barlett’s own doings. As much as he was a competent and astute businessman he was also equally as cunning and ruthless. It was said about Mr. Barlett, “He was not one adverse to stepping on more than a few toes.” He made a habit of seizing businesses at their lowest points and forcing owners to sell below their asking prices. He had driven more than a few competitors out of business and had even once sold out a friend for a large amount of money, leaving the other man penniless. Any of these may have been reason enough to exact revenge.15

Others said it might have been on account of Arthur Barlett. Arthur, the complete antithesis of Perry, was already in his early thirties. He was a spoiled playboy who had never worked a day in his life and lived off his father’s money. Much of his time was spent driving back and forth to New York where he wined and dined his many girlfriends. As handsome as he was, Arthur was also known to be arrogant, unreliable and selfish. Some thought he may have gotten a poor, young girl pregnant and refused to marry her, then suffered the retaliation of her family. 16

Whether either of these theories hold any truth, it was more than agreed the murders were done with an intense malice.  17

The Barlett’s had no other living relatives save for Perry’s twin brother Gabriel, who stood to inherit his sibling’s numerous businesses as well as the bulk of his amassed fortune. Gabriel Barlett had already been investigated by the FBI and was completely cleared. Previously the brothers had not seen each other in years. Though on speaking terms, they were not close. The two were described as pretty much night and day with Gabriel being more of an easy going sort. He lived in San Francisco and was a wealthy man in his own right, owning a trio of popular hotels. 18

Gabriel had no interest in having dealings to bother with on the east coast. After the funerals of Perry, Emily and Arthur, he arranged for the businesses to be sold and hired a realtor from Manchester, Walter Lewisham, to take charge of the Halloway House. Under his care it would remain vacant for nearly two years.19

...20

In 1930 deeds changed hands once more, giving the home a yet another owner. The Reverend Oliver Cambridge was the new pastor in town. He was a man of some money, and coming from Boston to Northford he snatched up the Halloway House at what he thought was a steal. Accompanied by his wife Suzanne and their three children; Elizabeth, Alexander and Michael, the family quickly adjusted and became a welcome part of town society.21

Time passed. And by 1938 things had changed. America was at the tail end of the Depression and Northford had survived it well. The presence of the Reverend Cambridge and his family had driven the dark cloud of the Barlett murders from the towns mind. And six years before Suzanne had given birth to another child, Isaac.22

The Cambridge’s eldest son Alexander was described as being intelligent and studious with top honors at school. He was a happy young man who was popular and social. But shortly after his sixteenth birthday Alexander’s attitude started to take a drastic change. He became withdrawn and temperamental. His grades slipped. He severed all ties with friends and when before he was an obedient son, he now began to rebel against his father’s authority.23

There seemed to be no outwardly apparent reason for Alexander’s change. When confronted he would become argumentative and even on a few occasions volatile. But there was once when he gave a clue to his mindset. In a later police interview Elizabeth Cambridge would tell this story; “[Alexander] had stayed home that day. He wasn’t feeling well. I was walking home from school and was surprised to meet him in the woods. I said to him, ‘Alex, if you’re feeling sick you really shouldn’t be out here in the cold.’ And he looked at me. Before... there had been such joy in his eyes. But now they were completely dull. It never ceased to shock me. He said, ‘I need to be away from that house. I need to leave soon.’ I was surprised and I asked him why. ‘It’s the very soul of the house. I don’t know where it is leading me.’ And then he looked away. I was speechless and even a bit afraid. I left Alex there and quickly made my way home.”24

Two weeks passed after this meeting. It was the second Sunday of October 1938. As every Sunday, the Reverend Cambridge and his family set off for the day’s services. Alexander stayed behind saying he was still feeling ill. Five hours later when the family returned they discovered the house seemingly empty. But upon searching the attic it was young Michael who found his older brother.25

Alexander Cambridge was dead. He had braided two bed sheets into a noose and hung himself from an attic rafter. He was bare-chested with numerous cuts covering his torso, arms and face. The blood gathered beneath him in a pool on the floor.26

Northford police was quick to rule the death a suicide. There was no note found. Most everyone thought that poor Alexander had been the victim of a mental disorder. But there were some who questioned whether he had indeed died at his own hand. When he was found there seemed to be nothing under him he could have stood on. The only possible object was a large trunk resting six feet from him. The trunk was heavy and it was wondered how it could have slid so far when he kicked off. There were also the wounds. If Alexander had cut himself elsewhere he would have most likely left a blood trail. The house was clean though, meaning it must have happened in the attic. But there was never any sort of knife or razor recovered. Neither of these reasonings though weighed much with authorities and the majority of the town agreed that Alexander had killed himself.27

The somberness it had once escaped returned to Northford. Oliver Cambridge and his family tried desperately to continue their lives in the home, but to no avail. Seven months later the Halloway House was put up for sale again.28

Northford had been affected deeply by these two separate tragedies. But there was no one who suspected that there might have been mysterious forces at work. In the coming years though this would change.29

...30

In September of 1939 the Reverend Oliver Cambridge sold the Halloway House to an old parishioner of his from Boston, Mrs. Catherine Averly, a widow and a very wealthy woman. The Averlys were and still are a well known New England family of prestige and old money. 31

The home was not bought for Catherine herself, but for her son Julian and his new bride Rachel as a wedding gift. They were a young couple, married the year before, and very much in love. Julian worked as an executive amongst the family businesses and Rachel, befitting a woman of her time, took charge of the home. She loved it and the surrounding town of Northford completely. Together the couple made themselves quite comfortable in the Halloway House. They finished many of the renovations started years before by Perry Barlett and even cleared out a small section of woods behind the home to build a rose garden. 32

In April of 1942, not too long after America’s entry into the Second World War, Julian left Northford to do his part as a naval lieutenant in the Pacific Theater. To keep Rachel company while he was away, her sister, Melissa Dorsey, temporarily moved into the house. And all seemed well... for a time.33

When Julian returned in 1946, he was shocked to see that his wife had become a different person. During his absence Rachel had wholly dedicated herself to the Halloway House. But it wasn’t long before her dedication turned to obsession. It started normally with the usual tending to the garden and overseeing of the housework. But soon Rachel became consumed with the home’s cleanliness. Forbidding the servants to enter, she would spend an entire day dusting, polishing and scrubbing a single room and its contents, even long into the night. She refused to leave the mansion grounds and gradually started to turn guests away at the door. She even evicted her own sister and fired all but three of the regular servants.34

Julian was at a loss how to deal with Rachel. She became distant and unaffectionate, eventually taking her own bedroom on the third floor. He worried Rachel was slipping into madness. She still obsessively cleaned and could be heard speaking behind closed doors as is conversing with someone, but would later deny it. He was concerned... but as a member of an old, illustrious family he was also worried about how something like this would affect the Averly name. So he kept quiet and resigned himself to his new life.35

Then, in March of 1947... Rachel disappeared. As Julian would tell the story it all started the previous night. It was late and he was resting in his bedroom on the second floor. Rachel appeared at his doorway in her nightgown. Julian was caught off guard. The coldness of the many months before seemed to melt away as she suddenly became very affectionate towards him. Together, the two spent their last night as husband and wife. ... And in the morning Julian awoke to find her missing.36

Northford police along with family and friends of both the Averlys and Dorseys as well as local men from town combed the surrounding woods looking for Rachel. The family feared that in her current state of mind she might have been in trouble. Wherever she was she hadn’t taken anything with her. Nothing of hers was missing from the home. All clothing, jewelry and personal articles were still in her room. Despite all efforts though, there seemed to be no trace of Rachel. After a week the search was abandoned.37

Manchester authorities had stepped in to help with the investigation. Almost immediately Julian Averly came under scrutiny. He was the last one to see his wife alive. Before him it had been a maid who had taken Rachel’s dinner up to her bedroom. She, another maid and the gardener were all excused by the police. Julian, for all appearances, seemed shaken and grief stricken. He was confronted with the fact that he and Rachel were having trouble in the marriage, but still proclaimed his love for his wife and vehemently denied any involvement in her disappearance. With no clues or any type of evidence to build on, he was released and the case went cold.38

In the course of Rachel’s disappearance and following investigation, Julian became a shell of his former self. Once an eager and energetic young man, he steadily slipped into a deep depression that would last for months.39

On Christmas Eve of 1947, Julian was at a family gathering in Boston. Except for work he had for the most part become a recluse, but was finally lured out by his mother for the occasion. Family members would say Julian was acting peculiar that night. He seemed nervous and at times almost disoriented. This was all overlooked though, thinking this was still due to the loss of Rachel. 40

Some time that evening Julian pulled his brother David aside. David was surprised. Julian had smiled and hugged his brother tight. When asked why he was suddenly so happy he said, “It’s Christmas... and Halloway has a very special gift for me.” David asked what this meant but his sibling wouldn’t say anymore. Julian, along with much of the family, stayed the night... but in the morning he was gone.41

With his car also missing, it was assumed that Julian had decided to go home. But after fruitless attempts to phone him, David began to ponder his brother’s odd statement the night before and decided to drive out to Northford.42

David found Julian’s automobile resting in the driveway of the Halloway House, but knocking at the front door yielded no response. Trying the knob though it was unlocked. The servants had been given the holiday off and the home seemed vacant. David went from room to room calling out to his younger brother... and entering Rachel’s bedroom he found him. Julian lay sprawled on the bed, pistol in hand and a gunshot wound at his temple.43

Some citizens of Northford saw the fates of the Averly couple as merely a coincidence, as yet another happening in a series of unfortunate events. But there were a growing number of people who became convinced that darker forces had been responsible, not only for the Averlys but for all the tragedies in the home in the past twenty years. As far as they were concerned... evil nested in the Halloway House.44

...45

Almost immediately the mansion was bought again. This time by Walter Lewisham, the same realtor who had sold it years before to Oliver Cambridge. Walter was not a superstitious man. It could not be denied that the Halloway House was a beautiful home. Three stories, spacious with master woodworking, a swimming pool, full gardens and surrounded by scenic woodland. To him the house was a prime piece of real estate, not a place where people met their demise at demonic hands. Walter worked, though, for years trying to sell the home. There just seemed to be no outside interest and no one from Northford, whether they claimed to believe the rumors or not, would come near the house. Ultimately he would not see his investment rewarded. Walter Lewisham died in 1953 of a coronary. This was taken as nothing but natural considering his history of heart problems. After Walter’s death the home was passed on to his wife Eleanor Lewisham... who proved to be just a bit more superstitious than her husband. To the relief of the people of Northford, Eleanor locked up the house and vowed never to sell it.46

No one would ever live in the Halloway House again. ... But its bloody history was far from over.47

Years passed and the town was finally breathing easier, free from the worries of the Halloway House. It was 1955. Jimmy Finnegan was a sixteen year old high school student. He was a bookish type who loved science fiction and the unknown. He got good grades and had a small close knit group of friends. 48

The younger citizens of Northford had all grown up hearing the whispered tales of the Halloway House, stories of violent and mysterious deaths. And in a small town with not much to offer, the home was looked upon by the younger generation with fear, awe and fascination. It wasn’t unusual for Northford teenagers to dare each other to venture late at night through the woods to visit the eerie vacant mansion. For the most part it was seen as nothing but harmless fun.49

Jimmy, like many of his peers, was enthralled by the old manor. That’s why, when assigned a report to do over the winter holiday, he chose the Halloway House as his topic. By January the paper had been written and turned in. He had spent weeks diligently researching the history of the home and spoken to many unwilling citizens who had lived through its grisly events. But even after the report was finished, the Halloway House stayed in his mind. In the few months that would follow Jimmy Finnegan changed. Friends say he began to speak of nothing but the mansion and claimed someday he would own it. His grades failed and everyone around him noted that he started to go through the day in a sort of daze. Before he had gone to see the house once when writing the paper, but now found himself visiting it over and over again.50

On a May morning in 1956, Jimmy left home for school... and then disappeared. A search party was gathered and for three days they combed the town and surrounding woods, including the Halloway House grounds, but could find no trace of him. Word of Jimmy’s macabre obsession spread and rumors instantly began to fly that the home had claimed another victim.51

The following Saturday evening, two days after the searched ended, fifteen year olds George Thorton and Michael Norris had been dared by two high school seniors to go to the Halloway House and plant a small flag in the backyard as proof of their presence. With only the glow of a small flashlight to guide them through the dark, the two boys braved the woods and made their way behind the house. What they would find there would haunt them for the rest of their lives.52

In the still blackness of the night, Jimmy Finnegan hung from a tree in the old garden. A length of rope was tied into a noose around his neck, the other end tied to a branch. He was nude with small cuts covering his entire body. His clothes appeared to be nowhere near the scene. 53

Officially, Jimmy Finnegan’s death was ruled a suicide. But the majority of Northford believed that he had fell prey to the Halloway House. The similarity to Alexander Cambridge’s own demise was certainly not lost. But Jimmy’s death was different. It frightened the townspeople more than before. All of Halloway’s previous casualties had been occupants of the house itself... but Jimmy had been one of their own. The evil of the cursed mansion had reached beyond the woods into their backyard. And many wondered now who would be its next victim.54

...55

In July of 1962 Eleanor Lewisham died. In her will she left ownership of the Halloway House to her oldest son Victor. Victor had little time or interest for the home and passed on the deed to the town of Northford itself.56

It should be noted that in all the time the Halloway House was under Eleanor Lewisham’s care she had not allowed anyone to enter the mansion, not since 1953. All the windows had been barred and all the door locks had been changed. Eleanor alone held the only set of keys.57

On the record, Northford dismissed any ideas that the Halloway House might be cursed or haunted. But off the record, most everyone in town, including town officials, believed that some sinister force inhabited the mansion. For years they all sat helpless, wondering if and when the home would make its evil known again. But now finally, with the house in their possession, something could be done about it. In December of 1964 it was announced that Halloway would soon be demolished.58

... Getting rid of the home, though, would turn out to be not so easy.59

A crew of town employees were given the job of inventorying and salvaging anything of value they could from the mansion. On a cold February morning in 1965, the Halloway House was opened for the first time in more than a decade. Going through the home all seemed normal... until they descended to the lower level.60

Past the main basement and farther into the wine cellar there lay off to the side a small windowless storage room. After years of disuse the door to the room stuck fast in its frame. But when finally pried open... a puzzling and disturbing discovery was made. In a heap on the storage room floor rested a set of clothing: a wool jacket, a shirt, an undershirt, a pair of briefs, trousers and a pair of loafers. The very things that Jimmy Finnegan was wearing the last time he was seen alive. The clothing was stiff, stained with blood that had long since dried and darkened.61

No one could explain how Jimmy’s clothes came to be in the Halloway House. Like said, the home had been shut tight for more than ten years. Eleanor Lewisham was adamant in that no one would be allowed to step foot inside the mansion and she dared not enter it herself. Surveying the house none of the doors or windows had been tampered with. There seemed to be no possible way his clothing could have been placed there. The frightening discovery served to fuel Northford’s desire to see Halloway destroyed and the demolition date was moved up.62

On a Wednesday evening in May of 1965, the night before demolition preparations were to begin, town construction workers Thomas Yardley, Hugh Bale, Paul Willmington and their foreman Peter Cammon were all driving home from the nearby town of Crestview. Just outside the town limits, some time after 10 PM, Thomas Yardley lost control of his car and plowed the vehicle into a roadside tree. Thomas’ family would say that he was a careful driver. He was also not a drinker. But to have hit the tree with the force he did Thomas must have been driving at a reckless speed. The windshield shattered on impact and Peter Cammon, who was sitting shotgun, was ejected several feet from the car. Thomas was crushed between the steering wheel and the driver seat. And Hugh Bale and Paul Wilmington were propelled forward with enough force to snap both their necks.63

The death of these men was a serious blow to the morale of Northford. Not only had they lost four good and productive members of town society but it literally overnight dashed any hopes of seeing the Halloway House gone. Even a true believer couldn’t say with certainty that this tragedy was the work of the home’s dark influence. But it was enough for Northford. Plans to demolish the house were abandoned.64

...65

In 1968 the Northford Medical Clinic welcomed a new addition to their staff. Dr. John McCollum and his wife Natalie had just moved from Montpelier, Vermont. The clinic’s chief physician had retired the month before and another attending doctor, who had met John some years back, recommended him for the position. The couple, who were in their early forties, had recently sent their only daughter to college and were excited to start a new life for themselves in a quiet little town. ... Their quiet life though would not last too long.66

In September of 1971, John and Natalie McCollum and town councilman Dean Hayden were all found dead within the Halloway House.67

The circumstances that led up to this event were a complete mystery to the people of Northford. But after police searched Dean Hayden’s home, the details of the story fell into place.68

John McCollum was a man wholly dedicated to his profession. Colleagues say he went above and beyond the expected duties in his calling to help people. He worked tirelessly and often for long hours. Before, in Vermont, this had all worked fine. Natalie was a loving mother who gave all her time and attention to their daughter. But now, with their only child gone, she found herself many times alone and dissatisfied.69

Several months after arriving in town Natalie met Dean Hayden at a church function. Dean had lived in Northford for ten years. He was single and had been first elected to town council in 1966. Speaking to one another the two instantly formed a connection. And what started as coy, harmless flirting steadily became a full-blown affair.70

Natalie found in Dean what she had longed for from her husband, a man who showered her with love and attention. She wrote of this in poems and epic love letters professing her total affections for him. These letters would later all be found in Dean Hayden’s desk.71

In Northford, like many small towns, everyone seemed to know everyone else and it was near impossible to do anything without your neighbors knowing. The lovers had met twice at the McCollum’s home but Natalie was fearful their secret would eventually be revealed. So Dean offered up a solution. As a member of the town council he was given access to town artifacts that were not available to the public... including the keys to the Halloway House.72

Halloway seemed to be the perfect answer. There were few who would dare to venture out to the old mansion. Natalie had heard the stories, but gave them little thought. Dean, even though he had lived amongst the paranoia for ten years, was never a believer. He borrowed the keys from town hall and returned them after having another set made for himself. The house became their secret rendezvous spot.73

One can only imagine the events of that September night in 1971. In the preceding days co-workers said John McCollum seemed distant and unhappy. Authorities guessed that John may have found a letter that Natalie had written to Dean and then when confronting her he flew into a jealous rage. They believe he forced his wife into his car and drove her to the Halloway House where he left her tied up in the attic. Dean Hayden was last seen around 9:30 PM. Police think some time after, John abducted Dean at gunpoint and drove him back to the house where he tied him up as well.74

Those who knew John McCollum said he was a gentle soul. A man who was born to heal others, not hurt them. ... Leaving the frightened lovers inside, John went out to the car and took an axe from his trunk. Returning, he brutally dismembered Natalie and Dean Hayden, viciously chopping off their arms and legs. Medical examiners believe the two were alive and fully conscious during this assault. After he was done, John McCollum placed the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.75

By reasonable logic alone one could say this tragic happening was nothing but the product a love triangle ending with horrific results. But those who believe in the home’s dark influence are quick to put forth two questions. The first... Besides the town’s set, Dean Hayden was the only person with keys to the Halloway House. These keys were also found in his desk by police when searching his home. How could John have entered a house that was supposed to be locked tight? ... Of course it could be argued that the lovers, thinking no one would come near mansion, merely left it open. It’s quite plausible. But the second question is a bit harder to explain. John McCollum had never been to the Halloway House. He would have known nothing about it layout. But yet he was able to navigate the three story home all the way up to the attic... in pitch blackness. It must be remembered that this all took place on a moonless night and the electricity to the mansion had been cut many years before. A flashlight, a lantern nor any kind of light source was found at the scene. How could John have accomplished all this?76

To true believers these questions left little doubt that the three had met the evil of the Halloway House.77

...78

The remainder of the seventies passed without event. And by the 1980’s Northford, though still on it’s guard, had begun to breath easier again. In the past half century not a decade had gone by without some sort of strange and gruesome incident. But the townspeople had long spotted a common factor to these happenings. Everyone who had died had been, in some way or other, linked to the home. Beyond the obvious residencies of the Barletts, Alexander Cambridge and the Averlys; Jimmy Finnegan had spent, almost to an obsessive degree, long hours researching Halloway’s history, Peter Cammon and his crew were all set to demolish the house, and Natalie McCollum and Dean Hayden, and John McCollum by association, had involved themselves by making the mansion the scene of their affair. All this offered up an important lesson still repeated by many citizens of Northford. ... “Leave Hellaway alone, and it’ll leave you alone.”79

Unfortunately this was a lesson not known by outsiders.80

Jay Andrew Vaughan was a parapsychologist who had more than fifteen years experience with the paranormal. He had traveled to many parts of the world and had worked on hundreds of cases dealing with hauntings and the unknown. In the early 80’s he discovered and began to study the Halloway House and quickly became fascinated with it. On many occasions he sought permission from town hall to investigate the home and was each time shot down. He even offered to buy the mansion outright but was again refused. Citizens quickly caught wind of Vaughan’s interest. Many times he had been spotted near the woods on the eastern side of Northford and twice he was arrested outside the Halloway House for trespassing on town property.81

Contemporaries of Jay Andrew Vaughn say he was man who looked at the paranormal with a scientist’s reasoning. He went into each case as a skeptic and let the investigation itself sway his opinions. He was a calm, collected individual who usually approached each situation rationally. ... But with the Halloway House, he now seemingly became a fanatic, an alarming trait he was not known for.82

After a nearly two year constant pursuit to investigate the mansion, Vaughan suddenly seemed to drop off the Earth. Family, friends and colleagues lost all contact with him and a search of his West Virginia home offered up no clues to his whereabouts. It was around this time in the northern New Hampshire town of Logan that eight year old twins Matthew and Jessica Fisher went missing. As far as anyone was concerned though, the two sets of disappearances were seemingly unrelated.83

Then, on June 20, 1984, Jay Andrew Vaughan walked into the Northford Police Department and confessed to having kidnapped and murdered the Fisher twins and then burying them under the old rose garden of the Halloway House. He then pulled a pistol from his coat pocket and shot himself in the head. 84

Searching the grounds of the Halloway House, the rose garden had indeed recently been dug up and refilled. But excavating the scene, the bodies of the two children were not found. Years later, Matthew and Jessica Fisher are still missing.85

Jay Andrew Vaughan’s car was discovered in the woods not to far from the house. The inside of the vehicle was empty and appeared to have recently been cleaned out. But stuck beneath the driver’s seat a torn journal page was found. On it, written in large frantic scrawl were the repeated words, “I need to wait... I need to wait...”86

...87

By 1992 the credo of leaving the Halloway House to itself still held strong. For many the fear remained a constant. But it had been twenty years since the McCollum/Hayden deaths. And even some true believers in the home’s sinister nature questioned whether Jay Andrew Vaughan’s confession and suicide were indeed products of Halloway’s influence or of his own madness. There was no actual proof that he had kidnapped and murdered the Fisher twins. The house had been reopened, but a search revealed nothing. Like in Jimmy Finnegan’s time, the youth of Northford had grown up being warned of the mansion. But unlike before, even though they had not experienced Halloway’s worst, the home’s past had now removed any sense of awe or mystery and left only a cold dread ... for most anyway.88

Seventeen year olds Leah Welholme and her boyfriend Nathan Ulrich were juniors at the local high school. By many of their peers the two were considered outcasts. They were goth; they dressed all in black, listened to goth music and were enthralled by the darker aspects of life. The center of this fascination was of course the Halloway House. Leah and Nathan had known each other since elementary school. And even as far as junior high the couple had admired the dreary old mansion, spending hours secretly exploring its grounds.89

In January of ’92 the pair suddenly began to take interest in another student. Fifteen year old Kyle Barnhart was a sophomore. He was described as a shy, quiet loner with few friends. In later interviews Kyle himself would say he never knew what attracted Leah and Nathan to him. He and the couple were very different types of people. But they had began to sit with him during the school's lunch hour, striking up conversations, and eventually deciding on their own to take him on as a friend. Kyle, befitting his timid demeanor, didn’t argue.90

It wasn’t too long before Leah and Nathan introduced to Kyle their love for the Halloway House. At first he was uneasy about visiting the home with them. Like everyone else in town he knew all the stories. He was wary, but soon began to enjoy himself.91

“[Leah and Nathan] never treated me like an equal.” Kyle Barnhart said in a 1995 interview. “Leah was kinda like the boss. She called all the shots, right. Nathan would chime in with his own stuff now and then. But mostly it was her. But me... I was like their lackey. They kept me along. They included me in everything but they didn’t treat me like they treated each other. But... you know, despite that, I liked being with them. I had fun with them. It was like, this strange, but good feeling I had when I was with them. I can’t explain it.”92

It bears repeating that the Halloway House should have been locked tight. But Kyle would say that Leah and Nathan wandered in and out of the mansion with ease. He never questioned this, accepting that the front door was just not locked. The three would spend hours exploring the home, recounting to each other the grisly deaths that had taken place in its many rooms.93

It was Leah who first introduced the idea of starting their own secret society. The Vassals of Halloway they called it. “To Halloway I pledge my blood, my soul. To it I give myself, my all.” That was their oath. The meetings started fairly harmless. Nathan had a copy of the Satanic Bible and the three would sit in the basement drawing satanic symbols and reciting ritual chants, substituting the devil’s name with that of Halloway. But after a mere couple of months the society took a darker turn. It began with blood lettings, cutting oneself and marking the house in its honor. They engaged in sado-masochistic sex and even once captured a dog and ritually sacrificed it in the attic.94

On August 8, 1992, Leah, Nathan and Kyle had all failed to come home that night. Northford authorities were called and they set about to search the town... starting with the Halloway House. Following the long forest lined driveway, police pulled up in front of the home and quickly spotted a soft glow through the window in an upstairs room. Entering the mansion they found Kyle Barnhart at the bottom of the stairs, unconscious and covered with blood but otherwise unharmed. An ambulance was summoned and while one officer stayed with the boy, the other continued on upstairs. ... In an empty second floor room the bodies of Leah Welholme and Nathan Ulrich were discovered.95

The room was lit by black candles that lay scattered about. Nathan sat slumped against the wall in his underwear. His hands were pinned to the wood by a pair of hunting knives, his arms spread in a crucifix like pose. His throat was slit and numerous small cuts covered his entire body. Leah was positioned face down on the floor. The top of her dress had been pulled down and her wrists were bound behind her. She had been stabbed in the back more than two dozen times and she too had various cuts covering the lengths of her arms and legs.96

Kyle was tried for the murders of Leah and Nathan. In his defense he claimed to have not remembered anything from that night in August and said he couldn’t be sure if he had indeed killed his two friends. But with the evidence of his blood stained clothing and the stories of the three’s satanic practices, his pleas fell on unforgiving ears. Kyle Barnhart was found guilty of two counts of second degree murder. He spent time in a juvenile detention facility before being transferred to the New Hampshire State Prison for Men at the age of 18 where he is now serving two consecutive life terms.97

“I have finally admitted to myself that I killed Leah and Nathan. They died by my hand, but I wasn’t the one in control. It was that house. It took control of me. I truly believe that. ... There is true evil in the Halloway House. And now I’m paying the price for messing with it.”98

...99

At the writing of this the mansion has stood silent for more than ten years. In 1999 a wall was built flanking the eastern edge of town, separating it from the woods. It’s a small solution but has eased the minds of the townspeople some. Is the home, as Kyle Barnhart says, a place where true evil dwells? Or is it merely just a house struck by an unfortunate and horrific string of coincidences? Either opinion is entirely left up to the individual. But to the citizens of Northford there is no doubt. And they all wait now wondering not if... but when and who will be the Halloway House’s next victim.100

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Clicking off the penlight, I close the file and step out of the car. I take a deep breath. Before me in the moon’s glow stands the daunting form of the Halloway House.104