The Vinton record. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1866-1891, 1866-01-25

"seen things that-well, l would
find out whenI got there"
l. On my arrival | found no person
present with the patient except
Mrs. Green, who informed me that
the spirits had been playing such
! pranks that not a soul, DR.. w, in
cluded, could be induced to remain.
The children had been gone for
some time (; they were at her
house. 47
/ found the patient very low, and
with no prospect of surviving the
attack. He was, however, quite
free from pain, though very weak.
While in the house l noticed
many manifestations of the pres
! ence Of the power called spiritual
ism. Chairs and tables were
moved, and removed, billets OF
wood thrown upon the fire, and
doors opened and shut without any
apparent agency. | heard strug-
giles and unaccountable noises, too,
and felt an unusual sensation,
caused, no doubt, by the mysteries
which surrounded and mocked me.
Noticing my manner, the patient
observed: /.
"It's nothing. You must get
used to it, Doctor"
81 should not be content unless
| couldjexplain them, as well as be-
come indifferent to them," | re-
Piled. p. .'r
This opened the way to long
CONVERSATION, during which /
probed my patients mind to the
bottom, but without detecting a
shadow ofbelief. Speaking CT Lis
wife, he said:
"You heard Helen promise to
warn me Of my time to die ?"
81 hd-but you do not believe
her 20 ..
mo. II it's possible, she will
keepher word, in spite of heaven
or hell. But it is simply impossi-
bic. She promised to come in body
and speak to me. shall accept
no other warning from her save the
literal meaning of her words :"
"And what then ?"
"How much of her body is there
left, even now, Doctor? and she has
not come yet. She promised to
comeifrom the grave. Can she do
it2 No, mo-; it is all hnmhng-a
delusion. Poor Helen! Thank
God, Doctor, the deviltry which so
haunted her life, and stood between
her soul and mine, cannot reach
her now." boo
"But if she should come! You
may be deceived"
81 cannot. Others must see her
too, and hear her. | shall believe
no spectre, if there are such things.
Her body as it is, or will be, let
that speak ifit cant ...
From that day up to the hour of
his death | was with him almost
constantly, and was daily intro
duced to some new and startling
phenomenon. The neighbors had
learned to shun the house, and
even the vicinity, as they would the
plague; and strange stories tra-
veled from gossip to gossip, ac-
quiring more of the marvellous at
every repetition. Nevertheless,
my practice increased.
On the morning Of March 90, !
called earlier than usual. During
the visit, the manifestations of a
supernatural presence were more
frequent, wild and violent than
ever before. l was informed that
they had been exceedingly violent
during the preceding night. Their
character, too, had greatly changed.
Beside the moving of all movable
articles, the tinkling of glasses and
the rattle of tin ware, there were
frequent and startling sounds, as of
whispered conversations, singing
and subdued laughter-all perfect
limitations of the human voice, but
too low to enable me to detect the
words used, if words they were.
Still, however, none Of these un-
usual sounds had entered the sick
room. They followed the footsteps
of Mrs. Green like a demon echo,
but paused on the threshold of that
room, as if debarred by superior
power from entering there.
found Mr.. Hayden was worse,
and sinking very fast. He had
passed a bad night. Doubtful
whether he would survive TO see
another morning, left him prom
ising to call at evening in my Sc
I, L a.. Hath IL