St. Landry democrat., 1883-07-28
A Queer Story.

AL oDJcCG "od WI my VI ooioh'iiio
investigation may be seen in the win
dow Of the drug store at No. 4S5
South Western avenue, between the
hours OF seven and eight every
evening. Tha object in question
is nothing more nor less than an ordi-
nary pane of plate glass, and at any
time except the hour specified there is
nothing about it that would attract at
tention, but as the sun wanes in light
and heat each evening it exerts an in
fluence in the glass that is believed by
many to be supernatural, and there are
hundreds of people in the neighborhood
who will not under any circumstances
go near it. Here is the story of the
wonderful glass as told reporter for
the Times by DR.. A. K Smith, in whose
drug store the pane is kept: About three
weeks ago an East India jew, who was
possessed Of many eccentricities of char
acter, 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 afew days. He
dressed for burial and laid out in the
center Of the room directly in front
of the window. About half-past seven
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 to look toward the center win
dow. AS she did SO she uttered a
piercing scream and rushed toward it,
and began to pass her hand gently over
the lower pane, speaking words of ten
derness 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 kissing the win
dow-pane and acting in such peculiar
manner that they at once concluded
that she was insane. She turned sud-
denly, however, in such manner as to
expose the pane, and the people in the
room saw sight that brought forth a
yell and a general rush for the stairs
leading to the ground floor, for there in
the glass was as perfect q likeness of the
dead man as the best photographer
could produce. The eyes were closed,
the features were calm, and the beard
and hair were just as they had been ar
ranged for the burial; the picture showed
the head and a 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 is of super
stitious turn of mind, and firmly be-
ieved that her husband had returned to
express some wish he desired fulfilled,
and stayed constantly by it. The story
of the ..apparition" spread through the
neighborhood like wildfre, and hum
dreds came at all hours of the day to
see it. Many who came in the morning
and early afternoon and failed to see
anything pronounced the story canard,
but those who returned and viewed the
glass at the hour specified, were aston
ished to see the picture as it had been
represented. DR.. Smith was doubling
Thomas for awhile, and would not even
take the pains to go into the room and
examine the glass. He did so atlength,
however, and was astonished beyond
description at beholding the picture, or
whatever it is, as it was a perfect like
ness of the departed Jew, whom he had
known quite well. the face and features
being identical in every particular with
what is supposed to have been the
original. The glass attracted SO much
attention outside and excited so
much superstitious fear inside the house
that the landlord determined to have. it
taken out. DR.. Smith got possession of
it by substituting q new pane in its
stead. The glass is placed in the show
window facing west, and during the
day it is very innoeent-appearing
piece of glass, but when the sun reaches
a certain point the lineaments of a mans
bearded face gradually begin to appear,
and in about ten minutes the picture is
complete, presenting an appearance not
unlike the negative of a photograph,
only it is somewhat more distinct. The
glass has been washed over and over
again with strong chemicals, but its
wonderful popularity can not be de-
stroyed, and ineredulous persons may
have their curiosity fully gratifed BY
visiting the show-window named be-
tween the hours of seven and eight p.
M, as at eight o'clock the picture be-.
gins to grow dim and quickly .disap-
pears altogether. DR.. Smith says that
during the past week the picture has
grown somewhat dan, but not to any
great degree. He is anxious for some
one to explain the mystery or scientific
freak. Chicago Times.
s---
Curing Balky Horse.
On Thursday q man came into the
Sun Office with the worst looking head