The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-08-02
CHICAGC'S WONDER.
A Dead Man Picture Impressed Upon
Window Pane.

An object we'll worthy Of scientific
investigation may be seen in the
window of the drug store No. 485
Southwestern avenue, between the
hours Of seven and eight every even
ing. The object in question is moth
ing more nor less than an ordinary
pane Of plate glass and, at any time
except the hour specified. there is
nothing about it that would attract
attention. but as the sun wanes in
light and heat each evening it exerts
an influence on the glass that is be-
lieved by many to be supernatural,
and there are hundreds of people in
the ne;ghborhood who will not under
any circumstances go near it. Here
is the story Of the wonderful glass
as told by DR.. A. X. Smith, in whose
drug store the pane is kept: About
three weeks ago an east India Jew,
who was possessed of many eccen.
tricities of character, boarded in a
house few doors east of the drug
store on Taylor street and occupied
the front room on the second floor,
the windows of which faced the west.
The Jew took sick, and died after an
ILLNESS of a few days. He was
dressed for burial and laid out in the
centre of the room directly in front
lof the window.
/ About half past o'clock on the
evening of the second day after the
funeral the dead mans wife was sit.
ting in the same room weeping over
the loss of her husband, when she
Ichanced to look toward the centre
window. As she did so she uttered
a piercing scream and rushed toward
it and began to pass her hand gently
over the low pane, speaking words of
Tenderness and love in her own Ian.
guage as she did so. When the peo-
pie in the lower portion of the house
rushed into the room in response to
the woman's scream, they saw her
kissing the window pane ard acting
IN such a peculiar manner that they
at once concluded that she was in
sane. She turned suddenly. howev-
Ier, in such a manner as to expose
the pane, and the people in the room
saw sight that brought forth yell
and a general rush for the stairs
leading to the ground floor, for there
in the glass was as perfect likeness
of the dead man as the best photo.
|grapher comld produce. The eyes
were closed, the features were calm
and the beard and hair we're just as
they had been arranged for the
burial. The picture showed the
head and portion of the bust almost
to the waist. A linen handkerchief
that had been placed across the
breast Of the dead man when he was
laid out also accurately reprodu ced.
The wife of the deceased is of su.
perstitious turn of mind, and firmly
believed that her husband had re.
turned to express some wish he de-
sired fulfilled, and stayed constantly
by it. The story OF the "apparition'
spread through the neighborhood
like wildfire. and hundreds came at
all hours of the day to see it. Many
lwhO came in the morning and early
h afternoon and failed to see anything
pronounced the story a canard, bu,
Those who returned and viewed the
glass at the hour specified were as
r tonished to see the picture as it ha6
been represented. DR.. Smith was .
: doubling Thomas for awhile, and
would not even take the pains to g
into the room and examine the glass
t He did SO at length, however, ant
4 was astonished beyond description
e at beholding the picture. or whateve
8 it is, as it was a perfect likeness o
: tie departed Jew, whom he hal
e known quite we'll. the face and fea
t lures being identical in every particu
: lar with what is supposed to hav
il been the original.
f The glass is plac ed in the sho,
}. window facing west and during tn
j day it is very innocent appearing
: piece of glass, but when the SUI
9 reaches certain point the lineament
o Of mans bearded face gradually b
e gin to appear. and in about ten min
g utes the picture is complete, presen,
y ing an appearance not unlike tn
r negative of a photograph, only it
n somewhat more distinct. The glas
Il has been washed over and owe
o again with strong chemicals. but it
,. wonderful popularity cannot he de
! stroyed, and incredulous person
d may have their curiosity fully graft