14. The haunting of 136 Clinton Avenue in Brooklyn was reported in The New York Times – twice
Known as the Lefferts-Laidlaw House for reasons unclear, 136 Clinton Avenue was assaulted by spirits from outside the house, if the tales be true. That they are documented in police records and news reports lends some credence. The resident of the house, Edward F. Smith, encountered a malevolent spirit, or spirits, which rang the front door bell and simultaneously rattled the back doors, as if trying to get in. Suspecting children of practical jokes, the police were notified, but the bell ringing and door rattling continued for weeks, augmented by a brick thrown through a window while police were present both in the house and on the lawn outside. Nobody was found who could have done it, so the police searched the interior of the house, again finding nothing.
The harassment continued for three consecutive weeks in 1878 before abruptly ending. The resident of the house (real estate records indicate that Smith was not the owner at the time) was convinced that the culprit was Satan, and that fervent prayer had driven him away, rather than the efforts of the police. According to The New York Times the police discounted the theory of the master of hell ringing the doorbell, but were at a complete loss as to who or what did. In 2016 the house was listed on the market at a price of $4.5 million, with articles describing the three week bout of paranormal activity either adding to its luster or driving potential buyers away, depending on their point of view regarding the supernatural.