The penny press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1859-1860, 1859-10-20
A Strange Story.

Mr.. Hector Mcdonald, Of Canada, was re.
Gently on visit to Boston. When he left
home his family were enjoying good health,
and he anticipated pleasant journey. The
second morning after his arrival in Boston,
when leaving his bed to dress for breakfast,
he saw reflected lin mirror corpse OF
woman, lying in the bed from which he had
just risen. SPELL bound, he gazed with in
tense feeling, and tried to recognize the fea-
lures of the corpse, but in vain; he could not
even move his eyelidsj 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 spraDg to the bed to
satisfy himself if what he had seen reflected
in the mirror was real or an Illusion. He
found his bed as he had left it; he looked
again into the mirror, but only saw the bed
truly reflected. During the day he thought
much upon the Illusion, and determined next
morning to rub his eyes and feel perfectly
awake before he left bed. But notwithstand-
ing these precautions, the vision was repeated,
with this addition, that he thought he recog-
pized in the corpse some resemblance to the
features Of his wife.
In the course Of the second day 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 devotedly
attached to her, and always anxious for her
safety, he supposed that his morbid fears had
copjured up the vision he had seen reflected in
the glass, and did his business as cheerGully as
usual. 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 corpse TO the grave, he heard
the earth rumble upon the coffin, he saw the
grave filled, and the green sods covered over 1T
yet, by some strange power, he could see
through the ground the entire form of his wife
as she lay in her coffin.
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 rock. Enraged at bis
own want Of feeling, he determined to throw
himself upon the grave and lie there until hi,
heart should break. He was recalled to con-
seriousness by friend, who entered the room
to inform him that breakfast was ready. He
started as II awoke from a profound sleep
although no was standing before the mirror
with hair. brush in his hand
After composing himself, he related to hi,
friend what he had seen, and both concluded
that good breakfast only was wanting t.
dissipate his unpleasant impressions. A few
days afterward, however, he received thu
melancholy intelligence that his wife hac
suddenly died, and the time correspondet
with the day he had been startled by th'
first vision in the mirror. When ho returned
home, he described minutely all the detail
of the funeral, he had seen in his vision, ant
they corresponded with the facts. This j
probably one Of the most vivid instances 0
clairvoyance on record. Mr.. Mcdonald
knows nothing Of modern spirtualism o
clairvoyance, as most Of his life has beei
passed upon farm and among forests.
may not be amiss to state that his father
who was o Scotch Highlander, had the gil
Of "aecond sight"