Los Angeles herald., 1890-10-06
A REAL LIVE SPOOK.
DISCOVERED BY THE LENSES OF A
PHOTOGRAPHER'S CAMERA.
A Sensational Episode in Photographic
With Reckoning Finger.

A lady who is we'll known in society
circles of this city recently had most
curious experience at photographers s
establishment. She and the picture
taker both desired their names to be
suppressed; the lady because OF the
notoriety which would at once attach
itself to her, and the photographer be-
cause as he expressed it "such story
would ruin my business" He is most
respectable man, one of the best known
and favorite men in his business in the
city. Neither the lady or the man are
spiritualists. The man believes that all
alleged 'spirit photographs" are frauds.
The personal identity of the two is not
essential; the story is told here just as
it occurred, and if any one can explain
it they are smarter than the participants
are.
Z The lady, who for convenience will be
called Mrs. A., went to Mr.. BIS photo
graphic gallery some two weeks ago to
have her picture taken. She took her
position and the man threw his cloth
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when with an exclamation of fright his
head bobbed suddenly out from beneath
it's covering and he stared at the lady.
"What is the matter ?" she asked.
ooh, nothing" he replied.
"Did any one pass behind you just
then?"
"Why, certainly not" she answered.
He, without going to the trouble of
looking through the camera, again took
the picture and went into the dark
room with it, He came bouncing out in
few minutes and with q white face
and strange manner, said that she must
sit again. She. complied, and again when
he proceeded to adjust the lenses he
could not restrain his terror. His face
became beaded with cold perspiration,
his hands trembled so that he could
hardly proceed with the work. Five
times did he take the lady's picture, re-
fusing to give her any explanation OF
his strange behavior. At last he told
her she would have to 60 to some other
place; he could not take her picture
satisfactorily. Then she insisted on an
explanation. He refused for long
time, but at last he made her faithfully
promise not to divulge his name to any
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from the dark room. In each of them
by her side, dressed in grave clothes,
with outstretched arm and beckoning
finger, stood the figure of a person who
had been very near and dear to her, but
who had recently died. The lady
nearly tainted and denounced the
thing as trick, but was soon
convinced by absolute proof that if there
was fraud the photographer did not
know of it or participate in it. The
photographer fully developed the plates
and the portraits of the living and the
dead are exact and startling
The lady is not in the least supersti-
tious, but the inexplicable affair and
perhaps the beckoning finger of the ter.
rible figure, has worn on her nerves SC
as to render her seriously ill, while the
photographer is so badly upset by the
gruesome incident that he hardly dares
to peer through a camera any more.
There is the story. 1t is true one
the facts as stated occurred just as
described, and can be verified if il
should become necessary. 1t is passing
strange, is it not?