The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-05-11
1AE1LA1eST enoST STORY.

~; ~. 1AE5LATesT6AoST STORY. =.
A Marvellous Tale That They Tell in
Havana, New York.
large audience assembled Yesterday
afternoon in the Harvard rooms to hear
about the wonderful witch of Havana, a
pretty village eighteen miles from Elmira.
New York. DR.. j. B. Newbrough, of 1928
West Thirty.fourth stree-, who lately
made visit there. told the following
ghost stories:
Mrs. Peter Compton, the wife Of an in
valid husband, and mother Of seven chill
dren, is descended from the old far.
mers OF Havana, a we'll known and not
rich, yet respectable stock. A woman of
sound, uncultured intellect, she married a
carpenter and builder, aud on his perma-
nent failure in health fourteen Years ago,
and their subsequent restitution of other
resources, she supported him and their
numerous children by washing the clothes
and scrubbing the houses of her neiehbors.
Two years ago Mrs. Compton was
developed into full.blown spirit medium
OF the most woodworking kind. Her
own body changes into strange, other and
sometimes beautiful bodies, according to
whatever spirit takes possession Of her.
She may be fastened in a cabinet in anv
manner, the cords are loosened- not cut
or untied-the nails are taken out. and a
new being walks forth, man, woman or
child, ancient sage or modern savage, and
the new person walks about, talks, can
be felt of, shaken hands with, patted on
the shoulder, and meanwhile there is not
on this earth to be found the bodv Of
Mrs. Peter Compton. The cabinet is
emPty-no Mrs. Compton, nor her
clothes.
POSSESSED OF A DEVIL.
DR.. Newbrough procured some shoe.
makers thread, and the man who vas
waxing the ends for him said they would
be of no use, for she was possessed of q
devil. DR.. Newbrough used them, how
ever. He also procured nails without
heads, and so fine that pinchers could
not get hold of them, and with them
closely nailed her gown all around the
bottom to the floor. Out of tire cabinet
walked strange and fine lady, of differ
ent stature, complexion and manners
from the plain, the homely washerwoman
who few moments before was nailed to
the floor in an alpaca gown. DR.. New
brough rushed to the cabinet. 1t was
empty his nails were nowhere visible,
and his waxed ends had also
evaporated. The new lady's dress
was a brown, Ssummery tez-
ture, that looked as though it might have
been made on material loom. Dr.. New.
brough said to the ghost: ''Kind lady,
have pair Of remarkably sharp scissors
in my pocket; will you oblige me by al
lowing me to clip a souvenir from your
robe - The beautiful being smiled on
him graciously, but answered: "Nothing
to wear. My medium has but the one
gown: If you cut piece out, there will
be hole in it, and she will be entirely
destitute 'But. persisted the
doctor, IL will see that she
has money to buy another gown
''Ah, my dear SIR sadly answered the
beautiful spirit, ''perhaps you would, but
I do not know it; for Mr.. Gleutt was here
and DR.. Storer, of Boston, was here. and
they both, and many others, said that
they would do something to relieve the
poverty Of our medium, but they have
not, and can not let you cut piece out
and make hole in her only gown
After the beautiful lady stepped awav.
and after a six'foot tall ghost had come
and gone, and no more ghosts would be
evoked: DR.. Newbrough again inspected
the cabinet. There sat the homely and
motherly Mrs. Crompton, with the waxed
ends all rigidly fast, and her alpaca dress
nailed to the floor again, the fine little
nails being with almost perfect exactness
driven into the holes the had previously
occupied.
Mrs. Compton has lately been assisted
by the overseer Of the poor of the county,
for these changes to which her body has
been subject during two years have ru.
ined her health, and in addition to being
unable to work, the reputation Of being
possessed by spirits has deprived her OF
her former employers. The people of
the town say nothing against her, except
that she is sorceress. The little chill
dren had mended their clothes with yarn
and with Irvine, or with whatever they
could get. A mortgage on their house,
added to other obligations, harrassed
them with debts amounting to nearly
three hundred dollars, and the prospect
Of the county poor house for more per-
manent home.
DR.. Newbrougb announced that he
raised $3.50 for the poor family before he
left Havana, and from the spiritist meet
ing yesterday morning in Republican
Hall, $50. One of his heaters asked
whether the persons in Havana who con-
tributed the $3.50 were lnfidels, spiritual
lists or Christians. He answered that
they were two intidels, one spiritist and
himself. Three or four ladies passed
among the audience and collected $62.
A pillar of the society suggested that