Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-12-22
&c BOYS SECOND SIGHT
REMARkAHLE GIFT OF A BOY WHO
LIVED HALF A CENTURY AGO.

Found In "The Annals of PhilsdeIphis."
He Saw His Father Chasing Jug-The
{ Incident Of the Stolen Pocketbook-Ths
Seer Eventually Becomes . wreck.
Looking over watson's "Annals Of
Philadelphia" published in 1880, i came
across q remarkable story, which cannot
fail to be Of interest both locally and
generally, even at this late day. Tho
author says:
"The good people Of Caledonia have 30
long and exclusively engrossed the fac
ulty Of second sight that II may justly
surprise many TO learn that we also have
been favored with at least one case as
well attested as their own. refer TO the
instance Of Eli YarnaIl, Of Franbford.
Whatever were his first pcculiarities, he
In time lost them. Ho fell into intem.
perate habits, became wanderer, and
died in Virginia, Q young pnan.
This remarkably gifted person was
born In Bucks county, Pa, and came
with his parents TO the vicinity Of Pitts
burg. Tho account Of him contained In
the narrative before mentioned is In sub
stance rs follows:
When Yarnell was living near this
city, being then q child only 2 years OF
age, as he was sitting in the house one
day he suddenly burst ipto n fit of al
most uncomfortable laughter. His
mother asked him what pleased him 30
much. The boy replied that he saw his
father (who was not at home) running
rapidly down tho mountain side, trying
10 ovartake q jug Of whisky which he
had let fall. The jug rolled part way
down the decliyity, but was caught by
the old man before hc got to the bottom.
When tho father reached home he con-
firmed the whole story, TO the great sur
prise Of all. After this the boy excited
much talk and wonderment In the neigh
borhood.
SEEN AT LoSa RANGE.
About two years later tho Yarnalls
were visited by friend named Robert
Vcrree, with other Quaker relatives or
acquaintances from Bucks county.
Verreo, to test the lads miraculous
power, asked him various questions and
among other things inquired what was
then going on OF his own home In Bucks
county. The boy described the house,
which he had never seen; stated that it
was built partly of logs and partly Of
stone; that there was n mill pond In front
Of the house which had recently been
drained, and concluded with q descrfp-
ton Of the people in the house, and OF
two persons, man and woman, who
were setting on the front porch.
When Vcrree reached homo he in
quired who had been at his house at the
day and hour he had held his converse
ton with young Yarnall He learned
that there had been shower at the time;
and several of the field hands had gone
into the house TO escape tho rain; the
persons on the porch had been faithfully
described, even to the color OF their
hair. AS to the mill pond, the men had
drained il in order to catch muskrats. In
short, every detail given by the boy was
proven to bo accurate.
The habit Of tho young seer, when
asked TO exercise his singular faculty,
was to hold his head downward, often
closing his Dyes. After waiting for somo
time, apparently deep In thought, he
would declare what no saw in his visions.
He was sometimes found alone In the
fields, sitting on stump and crying.
On being asked the cause Of his grief he
said he saw great numbers of men en-
gagged In killing each other Although
he had never seen battle, ship or q
cannon, ho described military and naval
battles az IL he had been IN actual
locker on.
FINALLY BECAME A WRECK.
Some OF tho Quakers who saw him be-
came much interested in the boy, believ-
ing him possessed Of noble gift, and
desired to have charge Of his bringing
up. He was accordingly ;spprenticed to
u Frankford tanner, but he attracted 80
much attention, and SO many called at
the shop to hold conversation with him
that his master bcccmo annoyed and
tried to discourage such curiosity. The
boy, therefore, began to shun questions
as much as possible, and seemed by de-
grees to lose his singular gift. Hedrifted
into bad company and eventually became
wreck.
His mother mover allowed him to take
any money for answering questions, be-
lieving that his visions were God given,
and that it would be wrong to turn them
TO account pecuniarily. Wites whose
husbands had long been missing and
were supposed 10 have been lost at sea
or perishcd in accidents, and others
whose relatives had disappeared would
come to him for information. OF those
still alive, he would tell how they looked
and what they wero doing. On one oc-
casion man asked him in jest who had
stolen his poclEctbook, and was much
taken aback when tho lad replied;
"No one; but you stole u pocketbook
from another man when IN u crowd"
And the historian of the boys wonder
full deeds states that such was the fact.
This Is about all there is of the strange
narrative, which, like Sam Weller's love
letter, ends so abruptly that the reader
wishes it were longer, r,-Pittsb,irp Dis