Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-03-16
NO. 10
Strange Phenomenon.

A citizen of this county, who is not
only prominent locally, but is we'll
politically throughout the state, SAYS
the Punxsutawny (Ps. correspond.
ent of the New York Sun, was pres.
ent recently where . number of per-
sons were ridiculing supernatural or
psychological phsnomena, and finally
said:
There is no person who is more
skepsical on such matters than I, but
| had an experience once that was
more than enough to make me more
ardent and sincere believer in the su.
pernatural. l could never bring my.
self to think. however. that it was
anything more than the result of some
natural law beyond the cognizance or
explanation OF any human being.
1T occurred several years ago.
One cold, but clear, winters night I
was on my way to Reynoldsville on
horseback The Reynoldsville road,
as you all know, leads for some dis.
tance throus b the woods, and I was
passing over that stretch of the road
when suddenly, appeared in the road,
probably rod ahead of me. the figure
of man and he seemed to be sur.
rounded by fierce fall of snow,
which was apparently hurled against
him by terrific gale of wind. The
man struggled along feebly against
the storm l had NO need to draw
my horse up. for he seemed to see the
strange appariaion too, and stopped
suddenly. pricked up his ears and
paved the. snow impatiently. All
around, except in the small space sur
rou unding the figure of the man, every
thing was calm and clear. / rubbed
my eyes and made up my mind the
man was some drunken fellow on his
way home from the village, and that
the storm was an optical illusion. I
called ont to him, but no answer
came back. shouted again and a.
gain. louder each time, but the strug-
Cling figure gave no response. At
last the man fell az if exhausted, and
the snow continued to fall upon him,
and the fierce gale whirled it around
him. Knowing that if the fallen man
was drunk he would freeze to death
if | left him lying there, / jumped
from my horse and ran to help him
up, intending to take him to the near
est place of shelter. 1t was starlight,
but in that light alone the features of
NO person could have been recognized
under the closest scrutiny, I hurried
to the PROSTATE figure, and as reach
ed it saw the face was turned up
ward The face was revealed in the
darkness as plainly as If it was broad
daylight, and it was the face of my
brother. who lived in Dakota, and it
was bis face ss . corpse. When I re-
covered from the shock the sight had
given me and turned again to
the body it was gone.
There was not even an impress
sion in the snow where it had lain.
Bewildered and much unstrung by
this singular vision, finally mounted
my horse and rode on. / gradually
recovered my composure, and at last
convinced myself that bad been the
victim of . strange and unaccounta-
BILE halluciaation. But slept but lit.
tie that night, and Q strange forebod-
ing of evil haunted me for several
days; in fact, until / received letter
from the station in Dakota where my
brother was, and which informed me
that he had been caught in blizzard
while on his way to bis cabin,
and was overpowered By it and froz-
en- to death. The letter gave the
time and date of his sad death. 1t
bad occurred the very hour and night
that the apparition Of the man strug-
Cling against the storm appeared to
me on the Reynoldsville road, and |
recognized my brothers. face as he
lay in the snow"