I remembered the name. Sybil Leek when I found in my office an old article written by Marge Crumbaker about the haunted property in Westlake that was once called the Eanes- Marshall Ranch. Bruce Marshall was an artist and a columnist with the Houston Chronicle, owned the property.
There was an old farmhouse and was once a sheep and goat farm on the land. Rumors from the neighbors, mentioned strange things happening on the property. And on one of their vacations to the property in the 1960s, they decided to bring a psychic. At that time, the psychic was a local Houston person who was a part of a paranormal group that practiced automatic writing in their ghost investigations. Automatic writing is when one person loses consciousness or gives themself up to anything that wants to use them as a means of communication, and another person holds their arm and a pen and the spirit writes on a piece of paper answers to questions. The second person holds the arm so there’s some awareness that no one’s taking control of that pencil except the other world.
At that time they discovered what was a man named Barnes, still on the property who had been murdered. I have written a story about him.
They mentioned a man named Anderson. They said there were several spirits on the property. All of this led to the very famous Sybil Leek making a drive to Austin, Texas to discover more about the ghosts on the Marshall Eanes property.
At the time, Sybil visited the property she was at the height of her popularity.
Psychics, mediums, and such were very much in vogue at that time. She was born in England and relocated to Florida. She loved astrology, she was a psychic medium, but she first and foremost was a witch. She considered herself a good witch. And she came from a long line of good witches.
This was a fascinating concept, and this English woman in America made it on to many popular shows at the time in the 1960s and 1970s.
At the bottom of this article is a link to her appearance on the old TV show To Tell the Truth. There were three different people one is a witch and the other two are actors and popular people at that time had to pick which one was the real witch in this instance.
In the article by Marge Crumbaker, which was written in 1969 on March 30th, has a sentence that to me really gave context to that time, that era.
” A picture of cold martinis, resting regally on a silver tray in the back seat of the first car. World famous witch Sybil Leek, carefully seated herself beside the martinis. Sybil said ”I prefer to know nothing of what we are about to do, that way whatever I pick up in the way of vibrations can be checked later.” ”Now, as we prepare to leave, Sibel pours a martini, touches a lighter to a cigarette, and size contentedly.”
The article reads, ”the idea of the expedition had blossomed suddenly the evening before, so there was little planning.
Sybil had agreed to make the trip, but she didn’t know where she was going and had not cared to be told.” Before even arriving at the Eanes Marshall property, she distinctly mentions the name Anderson, Andrew or Andrews as one of the ghosts on the property. This was the ghost that she seemed to be the most connected to, and the most emphatic about and the most interested in finding upon arriving late at night on the property.
”Bruce Marshall, who was with the group, said while he didn’t know if there are ghosts, he does know that the complete history of the land and all who live there. We shall be able to check whatever Sybil might discover. By midnight we were walking up the hill where the house rests. Sybil plunges ahead, dashing about in the dark, without any aid of a light. Suddenly, she pushes against a door. It opens with creeks and groans. She enters the musty room.”
”It is a small room, about 10 by 12 feet. As Sybil strides around it, her walk becomes jerky.
Her eyes seem to be looking at something or someone not visible to us. Suddenly she stops and raises her hands to her head. She says very, very softly. It is very difficult to pick up an entire name or a single incident. A lot of things have happened in this room. Andrews, Anderson is the name that’s coming through.” Another thing she mentions is there was a woman who wanted all of this land, she said. A very strong, domineering woman. ”This woman has connections with the man named Anderson and there is stone. There’s a stone flat and 4 inches thick. It has something to do with another house.”
Bruce says yes, there is another house. Or at least there was. ”That old house they’re currently in was built from the lumber of the old house. That old house no longer exists.” They go to the the location of the old house. Huffing and puffing, we struggled to keep up with Sibyl. Aha, she calls it is here.
Then she starts talking about the man named Anderson again and she’s getting very strong psychic impressions. She says that Anderson is not in the house he’s outside, and again it’s by an old tree struck by lightning and the rock. And she concludes with, oh well, whatever Anderson did or was, he certainly had a lasting effect on your family, Bruce.
”Later, Bruce would tell this newspaper reporter that in 1885, when Viola was about 18, she met a man who came into Austin Hill country from some unknown place.
The man’s name was Anderson. Anderson and Viola Eames fell madly in love, and Anderson asked to marry her. But Viola loved the ranch more than she loved Anderson, and she married Hudson Boatner Marshall, who kept the property from falling into the hands of debtors. Anderson, a bitter, scorned lover, never left the Austin area. As I understand the history of my family, Bruce Marshall said. Anderson was killed on this land. I don’t know the exact spot. I don’t know the exact spot, he repeats, But my mother has told me he was struck by lightning. Somewhere on the property.”
By Jeanine Plumer
Sybil Leek on To Tell the Truth – 1964
