The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-10-07
rHE DELrsrON or a HiKEN MIND.
a strange story Of Michigan Hermit Spir-
Its Fighting for the Possession 81 no"S
The TichbOrne Mystery solved.

fton, Me Chcogo TD'es.
BATTLE CHEEK, Mich. sept. 2.-The
etrnuge-t ui strange characters T. j OK str md
MI" i've. 4 hermits life ON The shore of wall
Lake. IN cur neighbOring county uf Barry, and
whose story il such weird. unique ~ frhtiNe,
th,t us -it gul rity entities IL to publications.
strand WHO !. iamiatN known ns the .old
spirit has d. narted from his own body. and Is
now IN posse sion ofanuther mans tody. Ac-
cofdiug to biz own narrative, Suand was born IN
Massachuset'4 bon the Neur ls2j. he town 81 ms
nativity and his correct nHtnc no viii not, aud
says he never will dvuGe. He went to school
until lac 5 fifteen years Of age. when, choosing
the occupation of his father and eldest brother,
he shipped az cabin boy on mefchantman.
vice, he returned home End married ilor's
daughter. a charming little lassie who had been
he adopted the fisherman lie. and then again
went before the mast in the merchant service,
On one OF his VOYAGES, while ~ lnc 1oast 9i
bic storm and was wrecked.
strand claims that from boyhn'd he had POS
sessed the power. OF properly A H. as u came
invOuntarily upon bin, Of going into sort -
trance state. and while IN that CONDITION c9uld
free his spirit from his body. glide e. aud fro
through space, and witness that which was
transpiting in remote l0calities OFTEN he mad
lowered over and about his own body when 10
this state. and seen II wing ~ II IN sound
sleep. The moment any person disturbed or
approached bis apparently sleeping BODY, hi'
spirit would return to II IN an instant. no matter
how remote the distance from the body. space
and distance seemed nothing, d. the surit triv-
elled like fash Of electricity. Generally 1t was
while hc was ~ duty ana lay Ia areyetie upon
deck. or III ms fhfntuOfk tuhl ne Tel INTO lnt
tr nee state. and while IN his condition ire;
quently visited the scenes Of his childhood and
his home, and silently and unseen SAW the loved
ones there. Ihe night Oi the wfc'k ne Nnldly
remembers q terrible crash. After that all was
blank, Hts nrst CONSCIOUSNESS wa-a rcullalion
that his spirit was out OF his body. anu that some
hours had passed since the wreck "a. u was night
when the vessel went TO pieces. aud ii was then
broad daylight. The Impulse To return 10 nus
body came suddenly and furriuls upon MS
spirit, and he sought his material abode, but II
was missing The spirit paTt Of himself tuied Tor
the iirst time g. loCate tue whereahH ats of or to
be able tn take possession Of the material p.rt
OF himself. ON tho shore Jay the body Of
stranger. who with several other Gentlemen had
taken Inssase just for the novelty "f a voy ige
on a merch ri ship. This gentleman hal tccn
injured and was Just returning t. cons riousness.
Strands spirit Attempted to Re possession of
the other mans body when - fierce struggle cn-
sued between the two suirts fui it, posses ion
of the Others thourht Strani - great incentive
to longer earthly existence wa his great love
for wife children and home. whii' the others
was the dread Of live athcis, to pass from
the known to the unknown. IcrrOr and
fear OF what wa o. come M that hereafter
which he had alwaYp professed to disbelieye in
caused the atheist spirit t. struggle with the
strength Of spirit demon hght between two
spirits. How strange TO think Of. strand says
possible for the human tongue. IL j. not in the
reach Of the widest imagination TO lcture the
same. II j. awful fearful more terrible than
battle b' tween two armies IN tue mat crial world
while the conflict was IN progress between the
spiritual for the posseseion Of the material. the
body which wa being commended fJr WIS hOr-
rihle sight 10 behold. with prH ttudins eyes,
distorted features. the BODY "rithed on the
sands Of the sea shore. like a PEI. ON la cnnyul-
oi'"N' 'ht ,.l'''. - - 500.
sion OF the body, ana drove thc other spirit
from its own abode A. the last chance Of pos
session was rellnquished the atheis : irit
"spectfe wall az strand cslis it. has ever since
haunted HIM and Of an things terrible. he saws.
there Is nothing that sounds So appalling or
strikes terror t. the heart Of man u the wall Of
a lost spirit.
OF AN the crew Of his good ship. Strand was
the onN survivor. Rescued by wreckers. no
succeeded at last IN reaching Liverpool. lie ex-
perienccd strange feelings ard felt nut II place
In his new body but after eiapse Of time he
became more accustomed 70 his new self. Ship
ping from Liverpool. he, after some months. ar
rived at Boston, aud starred for his home with
ardent hopes and loNs 10 see ms wife and chill
dren. At his gate he met his little boy and girl,
but thew turned away from HIM with fright at
the sight of a stranger. His wife too the one
poster. His appearance was changed that
there was 10 possibility Of recognition. Agitated
and excited. he attempted To explain to his wife
she cause Of his changed appearance, but his
strange looks and actions. and still Granger
story. only confirmed her suspicions that he was
some unfortunate lunatIC escaped from the
Asvum, and she started to call for help to elect
him from the house. rhen u was that ne br Ike
away from his own wife aud children aud He'd
from the sight OF his once happy home. With
crushed hopes and broken heart he sought
New Bedford and shipped on whaler
strands recital Of the scene at hi home when
no met his It'll, ones aud wife their failure to
OF his subsequent despair. wa mighty dramatic
No person could hear the narrative from his
Since the tllie Of his shipment on the New D d.
ford whaler strand has beenarovcr on the seas,
having served on whaler- snl mcr' hantmen,
and during the wal OF the rebellion IA the navy.
Many and many NIGH. when al ne on watc1 f,
has strand heard that wall OF tie LOST spirit re.
sounding In bis ears. IL haunts MIN like spirit
spectre, and he eutertains the queer idea that
The atheist suirt ! sort Of spiritual wander
ing Jew, destined I, externally roam about on
the border land Of the seen and unseen. without
pmpety be.gnEi9s either t. the material Or
Of his second bod', he Las lu-t tie power to
leave II.
fvey years 60 s,rund came 20 VII lake and
purchased a small piece ~ .ud 90 lis shore, and
now SPENDS ni- time M bunting and FISHING,
only cuitivatng ME land sum clently to produce
g. ufortablr log house M which be says he in
tends to live until his de-th. He IS anparently
Latsc OF stature, of nne physique, gray hair and
long gray wAiskers, lac prerents q commanding
not educated. Hts KNOWLEDGE Is more OF a
practical sort picked W. from personal ooserva-
measure, his old gloomy, melancholy ways, he
now appelrs very pleasant nan, lie likes 10
~ and enter ains them with such charming and
interesting stories that his neighbors ever
delighted 70 hear him narrate his experiences as
sailor. lhls - what gave rise 10 MS soubri-
quet OF the old sailor Only IN one respect is
he like the traditional hermit; lie lives alone
by himself, DONG his own cooking,w washing and
household WORK. Aside from the strange halu-
cLton which possesses bun IN regard to hi.
spirit occupying another man dy' ne other
wise appear, perfectly sane, and IL really an IN
tercsting and intelligent man.
At the time the l1chbOrue excitement was At
Its height IN England a chance copy Of the Chi
GagO Tunes. containing an account 81 the case,
VS. obtained 10y Straud from some member Of a
nshing party. encalnped at Wall Lak-. lie read
the rticis with great Interest, aud Immediately
solved the chuorne mystery. lie was Instantly
and deeply Impressed with the idea that tn Is
va case analogous wllh hi own. Sir Roger
Tirhbornc was In possession Of another man 3
bOdy-that Of Arthur OrtOu. THIS certainly IVES
acuriois aud original solution ~ this celebrated
case. From that time forward he read with the
greatest avidity everything pertaining to the
case that he could mud Ia the newspapers, and
hiss carefully preserved and fled away "A great
stack Of papers Containing notices AMI refer
snces to the a1air After having read every
thing that he could get hold Of concerning the
trial, he Is all the more cert in, and very EN-
piatic In his belief tina, the conclusion he first
arrived at 10 correct.