The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-11-17


Gently on a visit to Boston. When he left
home his family were enjoying good health
and he anticip tied a pleasant journey. The
second morning after his arrival in Boston,
when leaving his bed to dress for breakfast,
he saw reflected in mirror the corps OF a
woman lying in the bed from which he had
just risen. Spell-bound, he gazed with in
tense feeling and tried to recognize the feat.
lures Of the corpse, but in vain he could not
even move his eyelids; he felt deprived If ac-
ton, f,r how long he knew not He was al
last startled by the ringing of the bell for
breakfast, and sprang to the bed to satisfy
himself if what he had seen reflected in the
mirror was real or an illusion. He found the
bed as he had left it; he again looked into
the mirror, but only saw the bed truly re.
fiected. During the day he thought much
upon the illusion, aud determined next morn.
ing to rub his eyes and feel perfectly sure
that he was wide-awake before he left bed.
But, notwithstanding these precautions, the
vision was repeated, with this addition, that
ne thought he recognized in the corpse some
resemblance to the features of his wife.
In the course Of the second day he receiv-
ed 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 devotedly attached to her, and always
anxious for her safety, he supposed that his
morbid fears had conjured up the vision he
had seen reflected in the glass; and went
about his business as cheerfnlly as usually.
On the morning of the third day, after he had
dressed he found himself in thought, in his
own house, leaning over the coffin of his wife.
His friends were assembled, the minister was
performing the funeral services; his children
wept-he was in the house Of death. He
followed the corps to the grave; he heard the
earth rumble upon the coffin, he saw the
grave filed, and 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 the coffin.
He looked INTO the faces ofthose around
him; he tried to weep, but the tears
refused to flow; his very heart felt as hard
as a rock. Enraged at his own waLt of feel
ing, he determined to throw himself upon
the grave and lie there till his heart should
break, when he was recalled to conscious
ness by friend, who entered the room to
inform him that breakfast was ready. He
strrtcdas ifawoke from profound sleep,
though he was standing before the mirror
with hair brush in his hand. 74.fl.l.
Alter composing himself. he related to his
friend what he lad seen, and both concluded
that GOOD breakfast only was wanting to
dissipate his unpleasant impressions. Afew
days afterward, however, he received the
melancholy intelligence that his wife had di.
ed suddenly, and the time corresponded with
the day he had been startled by the first riv-
ion in the mirror When he returned home
he described infinitely all the details Of the fu-
neral he had seen in the vision, and hey cor
responded with the facts. This is probably
one ofthe most vivid instances Of clairvoy-
ance on record. Mr.. Mcdonald knows moth.
ing Of modern spiritualism or clairvoyance,
as most ofhis life has been passed upon
farm among forests. 1t may not be amiss
to state that his father, who " as Scotch Hi.
lander, had the gin Of second sight, 'ei'