Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1859-12-10
NUMBER 80.



Mr.. Hector Mcdonald, Of Canada, wa 70.
Gently on . visit to Boston. When he left
home his family were enjoying good health,
and he anticipated Q pleasant Journey. The
second morning after his arrival m Boston,
when leaving his bed to dress for breakfast, he
saw reflected in mirror the corpse Of wo-
man lying on the bed from which be- bad lust
risen. Spell.bound. he gazed with intense feel
ing, and tried TO recognize The feaGuF9s Of the
corpse, but In vain he could not even move
his eye.lds he felt deprived Of action, for how
long he knew not He was at last startled by
the ringing Of the bell for breakfast, and spranR
TO the bed to satisfy himself if what he had
seen reflected in the mirror was real or an illu-
sion. He found the bed as he had left It he
looked again into the mirror but saw only the
bed truly reflected. During the day he thO't
much upon the illusion, and determined next
morning to rubhis eyes and feel perfectly sure
that he was wide awake before he Iele his bed.
But notwithstanding these precautions, the
vision was repeated with this addition, that he
thought he recognized in the corpse some re-
semblance TO the features of his wife.
In the course Of the second dry he received
letter from his wife, in which she stated that
she was quite well, and hoped he was enjoying
himself among his friends. As he was devO-
tedly attached to her, and always anxious for
her safety, he supposed that his morbid fear
had cOnjured up the vision he bad seen reflect
cd in the glass, and went about his business
as cheerful rs usual. On the morning Of the
third day, after he had dressed, be found HIM
self in thought in his own house, leaning over
the coffin of his wife. Ills friends were As
semblcd, the minister was performing the fu.
neral service, his children wept-he was in
the house Of death. He followed the corpse
to the grave; he heard the earth rumble upon
the coffin, he saw the grave filled. end the
green sods covered over it; yet, by some
strange power, he could see through the ground
the entire form Of his wife as she lay In her
coffin. n
He looked in the faces of those around him.
but no one seemed to notice him; he tried to
weep, but the tears refused to flow; his very
heart felt as hard as a rock. Enraged at his
own want Of feeling, he determined to throw
himself upon the grave and lie there till his
heart should break, when he was recalled to
consciousness by q friend who entered the
room to inform him that breakfast was ready.
lie started as IL awOke from q profound slUUp.'
though he was standing before mirror with
hair brush in his hand.
After composing himself, he related 10 bis
friend what hc had seen, and both conelud.d d
that good breakfast only was wanting to dis.
Slpate his unpleasant Impressions A few days
afterwards. however, he received the mslan.
choly intelligence that his wife had died sud.
denly, and tho time correspOnded with, the
day he had been startled by the first viaion ia
the mirror. When he returned home he de-
scribed minutcy all the details of the funeral
he had seen in his vision, and they correspond.
cd with the facts This is probably one of
the most vivid instances Of clairvoyanee ON
record. Mr.. Mcdonald knows nothing Of mod.
ern spiritualism or clairvoyance, the most Of
his life has been passed upon farm and Smong
forests. IL may not be amiss to state that his
father, who was Scotch HighlandeF, had the
singular gift Of "second sight t"-Beston Ira
reIer.