Emily Chase



Emily Chase worked at The Mermaid from 1952 to 1964. She started as a bus person and bar back, but worked her way up and became hostess.

During her last two years of employment. Emily had moved into the small cottage that is on The Mermaid property. Her friends mention at this time she was happy with the arrangement. She was close to work and the rent was cheap.

In 1964 things changed. Emily co-workers said she started to act strange. Jumping at any loud sound. She refused to go into any darkened room. She would make her co-workers stay and have one of them walk her to her cottage. Some that did, reported they smelt garlic.

Finally, Emily confided in an another waitress. She claimed to have seen the owner of The Mermaid, Charles Preston, take a young woman out to the back of the inn. When he returned without the young woman. Emily asked him if his guest was staying. The owner said that he "had seen to her."

Emily then claimed to walk into the back, as she was finishing her nightly rounds of closing the inn. She found blood sprayed along the walls. The owner found her and told her not to tell anyone. She told her co-worker that she had seen other things, but no one would believe her.

The co-worker did not go to the police with the story. Instead, she tried to contact the Mr. Preston. No one had ever seen him and Emily's claim of seeing and talking to him did not seem to fit what the other workers knew of the owner of The Mermaid.

Mr. Preston denied Emily's story. He claimed he was in London at the time of the "disappearance" and had not been to Maundbury since buying the inn.

Emily defended her story, claiming Charles Preston did come to the inn once a month.

A month later, while Emily was on her shift. She apologized to everyone on the staff. She said that she had been exhausted and must have dreamed everything. Two hours later, she went on break. She left the inn and walked into Telemark Forest.

She has not been seen since.