55: The Hills We Die On pt.1: Friends in Weird Places

Maia Warner-Langenbahn
May 29, 2024
4 min read

Updated: May 1

OUR ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! And a story as odd as any we've told. A potentially unsolved mystery. A podcast episode about a spooky (and at times hilarious) cryptid that takes us from the streets of London, to the Isle of Man, to the space between walls. You will not believe what the creature ends up being, or what is ends up saying. That is, if you believe the story at all. Depends on the hill you're willing to die on. Gef the Talking Mongoose AKA Jack the Talking Weasel AKA The Dalby Spook!

They trace the origins of a comfortably well-off Liverpool family, the Irvings, who purchase a remote farmhouse called Doarlish Cashen on the Isle of Man. What begins as a charming rural investment soon turns terrifying when a “weasel-like” creature emerges from the walls, rapidly learns to speak nursery rhymes and local slang, and terrorizes the family with knocks, bangs, and sardonic laughter. Dubbed “Jack” and later “Jeff the Talking Mongoose,” this entity befriends the Irvings (especially their youngest daughter, Voirrey) but drives neighbors and investigators wild with fear and fascination. Captain Harold “Dennis” Eggerton and famed paranormal investigator Harry Price eventually descend on the island, only to witness raps on panels, voice projections, and even spoon-clattering chains—validating one of the most bizarre haunting cases ever recorded.

Key takeaways to listen for

[00:00:00] Catch-Up
[00:21:25] Friends in Weird Places: Liverpool’s Irving clan
[00:38:46] Creepy Contractors: What freaked out local laborers so badly they refused to stay overnight
[00:53:55] First Jack Sighting: The moment in October 1917 when a “rat-like” visitor appeared
[01:06:04] Linguistic Lightning: How Jack went from babbling to perfect Manx nursery rhymes in just weeks
[01:19:59] Meet Jeff the Mongoose: Why overhearing “Jeff Lowey” prompted the entity to announce its new name
[02:00:58] Price’s Proof: Ghostly voices, flying stones, and clanking spoons on record
[02:10:30] Glowing Secrets: Phosphorescent flares in the attic and mysterious metal shards in the walls
[02:18:50] Rabbit-to-Lamb Barter: How Jeff’s surplus rabbit “catches” led to bizarre meat trades
[02:26:05] Village Legends: Staging “Jeff the Talking Mongoose” as folk-drama folklore

Photos Referenced:

*Commissioned drawing of Gef per Irving's description - courtesy of the Harry Price Archive, Senate House Library, University of London*

Doorlish Cashen - courtesy of Physical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library, thought to be taken by Nandor Fodor during a visit in Feb 1937	Doorlish Cashen - courtesy of the Society of Psychical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library
Margaret Irving (center), Voirrey Irving (right), - courtesy of the Harry Price Archive, Senate House Library, University of London	Margaret Irving - courtesy of the Harry Price Archive, Senate House Library, University of London
The Peep Hold Gef theoretically used to spy over the mantle of the fireplace - courtesy of the Society of Psychical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library	Gef Hair Samples - courtesy of Dave Jackson / the Harry Price Archive, Senate House Library, University of London
Mona, the Irving family dog - courtesy of the Society of Psychical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library	Gef's paw and teeth imprints: A and B are front paws, C is a back paw, D is the teeth - courtesy of the Harry Price Archive, Senate House Library, University of London
Photos of Gef (bottom is of Gef sitting along the fence, top is Gef facing the camera) - courtesy of the Society of Psychical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library	News Chronicle, November 1936 - courtesy of the Society of Psychical Research Archive, Cambridge University Library
(Left) Isle of Man Examiner, 23 November 1945; (Right) Isle of Man Examiner, 16 November 1945	Announcement of killed polecat on Doorlish Cashen - courtesy of Isle of Man Examiner, 21 February 1947
Polecat - courtesy of Malene Thyssen Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 (Generic) via Britannica	Mongoose - courtesy of njsphotography/Fotolia via Britannica

Quotes:

“During Queen Cleopatra’s reign, she was closer to the opening of the first Pizza Hut than she was to the building of the pyramids. That’s how ancient they were.” - Grant Thomas
“This is what makes history interesting: it’s all just like gossip and travel tips.” - Grant Thomas
“It’s a wartime tax passed in 1915, intended to save cargo space for essentials.” - Maia Warner
“There’s so much information on this. I love that people kept diaries.” - Maia Warner

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