Man auctions night in haunted house

[Neo]

HARSENS ISLAND -- Bob Kowalski said he used to wake paralyzed with fear when he lived at 177 William St.

"Quite often I used to wake up pinned to the bed, and it felt like cold hands to my throat," he said. "I'd be in complete terror."

After hearing a psychic on television describe similar experiences as a haunting and consulting with family members who, after nearly 10 years since living there, confessed similar experiences, Kowalski decided to get the house checked out.

But because the place is a rental home and normally a source of income, he's auctioning on eBay.com the chance to spend a night in the house. He's had three such auctions, and a fourth was to start Tuesday night.

Minimum bid for the auction, which ends Thursday, is $100. Kowalski is planning other auctions through February.

Members of the Michiana Ghost Society won the first and third auction. No one bid on the second auction.

Michigan Paranormal Investigations was invited to come in February.

So far, things look promising, said Keith Oliver of White Lake Township, research director for the Michiana Ghost Society. He stumbled on the first auction while trying to find a birthday present for his brother.

Oliver plans to spend a weekend at the house with his brother, some friends and a few mediums -- people who say they can communicate with spirits -- to get some initial impressions. Then a team of researchers from Michiana of South Bend, Ind., will be out with high-tech equipment later in the month. The exact dates are being wit**eld to prevent hoaxes.

"We've had plenty of feedback from multiple mediums," Oliver said, adding the mediums have only a photograph or telephone conversation to go on. "It's obvious they have some sort of spiritual connection.

"Obviously, they get their information from a different source."

That last line is hilarious. The only thing obvious about this is that someone is about to get ripped off. The experiences Bob reported sound very much like a phenomena known as sleep paralysis.