Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-08-25
A MYsrERIous pRorooKAPk.

An object well worthy Of scientific in
vestigston, says the Chicago Times, may
be seen in the window OF drug store in
that city, between the hours Of Z and S
every evening The object in question is
nothing more nor less than sn ordinary
pane of plate glass, ana at any time except
the hour specified there is nothing about
i that would attract attention, but as the
sun wanes IN light and heat each evening
1t sXsrts an influences IL the glass that IS
believed by many TO be supernatural, and
there are hundreds of people IL the neigh
bordood who will not, under any circum-
stances, 90 near it. Here Is the story OF
the wonderful glass, as told by De A. K
Smith, in whose drug store the pane is
kept About three weeks ago an East
India Jew, who was possessed Of many
eccentricisies Of character, boarded in
house q few doors east Of the drug store
or Taylor street, aud 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
vas dressed for burial and laid cut in the
center of the room directly in front Of the
window.
About half past o'clock on the evening
of the second day after The funeral, the
dead mans wife was sitting in the same
room weeping over the loss of her husband,
when she CHANGED 20 look toward the cen
ter window. As she did so ahe uttered a
piercing scream, and rushed towards it and
began to pass her hand gently over the
lower pane, speaking words OF tenderness
and love in her own language as she did SO.
When the people in the lower portion OF
the house rushed into the room, in response
to the woman's scream, they saw her kiss.
ing the window pane and acting in such u
olu1c5 that she was insane. She turned
sudo however, in such manner as 10
expose pane, and the people in the
room saw ut that brought forth q yell
and gener4 for the stairs leading to
the ground floor, ere in the glass was
as perfect likeness dead man as
the best photographer coul. luce. The
eyes were closed, the features e calm,
and the beard and hair were jus. as they
wers arranged for the burial. The picture
showed the head and portion Of the bust
almost to the waist, a linen handker-
chief that had been placed across the
breast of the dead man when he was
laid out was also accurately reproduced.
The wife Of the deceased was of super
stitious turn Of mind, and firmly believes
that her husband had returned to express
some wish he desired fulfilled, and stayed
constantly by it.
The story of the "appsrition spread
through the neighborhood like wild fire,
aud hundreds came at all hours Of the day
TO see it. Many who came in the morning
and early afternoon and failed TO see any.
thing pronounced the story Q caDaFd, bat
those who returned and viewed the glass
at the hour specified were astonished TO
see the picture as ii had been represented.
Dr. Smith was 4 doubling Thomas for
awhile, and would rot even take the pains
to 20 into the room and examine the glass.
He did so at length, however, aud was as
touished beyond description at beholdng
the picture, or whatever IL was, ga it was 6
perfect likeness OF the departed Jew, whom
he had known quite well, the iaceand feat
ares being identical 10 every particular
with what Is supposed TO have been the
original.
The glass is placed in the show window
facing west. and during the day it is very
innocent appearing piece Of glass but
when the sun reaches certain point the
hnesments of mans bearded face gradu-
ally begin to appear, and in about ten min
utes the picture is complete, presenting an
appearance not unlike the negative Of 4
photograph, only it is somewhat more dis-
tincs. The glass has been washed over and
over again with strong chemicals, but its
wonderful popularity cannot be destroyed,
and iucrednlous persons may have their
curiosity fully gratifed by visiting the
show window named between the hours OF
: and in the evening, as at O'Clock the
picture begins to grow dim, and quickly
disappears altogether, DR.. Smith says
during the past week the picture has grown
somewhat dim, but not TO any great de-
gree. He is anxious for some one TO ex-
Dlain the lnvsterv or scientific freak.