Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-10-03
A Baby Who Sees Spirits

have been for some years the medical
adviser of a family whom. for conven ;s,,cei
l shall call the F-'s. About two ,- vnor,
ago this family lost a Young baby b,f
were shortly consoled by the arrival If
another. This was beautiful little GIRL
who became the pet of the family. but
especially that of her oldest brother. a
young man just reached his majority. He
was an employee of one of our railroads
and was often from home. but. when there.
was the inseparable companion of the
little Minnie, whose love for him was most
devoted. Unable to talk, she would ALWAYS
give peculiar little cry of welcome when
ever she caught sight of him, when he
would return from his trip 1t was while
he was away on one of these that the fami-
y was aroused one night by the baby Civ
ing this cry of welcome to her brother.
Thinking she was dreaming the mother
ran to the cradle and found that the little
thing had drawn itself up to sitting
position, and, wide awake, was stretching
its arms towards the door This door was
standing ajar, though Mr. r remem-
bered locking and boiling it himself on re-
turing. The family was rendered very UNI
easy by these two circumstances taken to-
gether, and their fears were confirmed
next morning by the arrival of telegram
announcing the accidental death on the
road of the son and brother. Singurally
enought, too, his death occusred at the very
hour of the night when the baby had
awakened them
Mittle Minnie since this has often been
heard when alone In her room to laugh
and coo as if in play with some one, and
will occasionally turn to the door with her
old cry of joyous greeting, stretching her
arms out as If to embrace some one. Sew
eral times on entering the room where
Minnie has been left alone her mother has
found her cradle being rocked to and fro.
The little girl will sometimes look upward
and prattle as children do when they see
another child and try to articulate the
word baby" The mother believes that
she sees on these occasions the spirit of
the little child who died before her birth,
but Mr.. F., man of an unusual practical
turn of mind, was at first inclined to be
skeptial ON the subject of the supernatural
visions seen by his child and asked me to
ascertain if its brain were not affected. |
examined it carefully, watching it closely
for some time and, | can testify that
morg intelligent, brighter, and happier
little creature does not exist. During one
of my visits | was sitting with her in my
arms when the wind, as | supposed, blew
open the door Little Minnie looked
around carelessly, but her face instantly
frightened. and she scrambled down from
my lap and ran to the door with an unmis-
taxable expression on her little face, hold
ing up her arms as if she expected to be
taken. The door was quickly closed again,
and the little girl came back to me, her
eyes filled with tears of disappointment, as
she tried to tell me some one was Gone! -"
Hitherto have been an unbeliever in spir-
itualism of any sort, but | am convinced
that little Minnie p actually sees and
holds communion with the spirits of her
departed baby sister and brother. There
is absolutely no explanation of the little
things conduct, for she is now 16 months
old, and her brother died last February,
so it is impossible that she could remem-
Der him if she has not seen him since.