Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-06-15
4 SPECTRAL LIGHT exrlNeuIsHEo.
Produced by the Sun and Water Myssen-
ously, but Easily Explained.

Produced by the SUN and water MysseH-
ously, but Easily Explained.
ssIn these days we find many people VINO
are ever ready to place odd incidents winch
occur to them in the category OF the super
natural" said business man to q report
er. II have had an experience IN my own
house which is extraordinary In that IL
caused woman to take to her bed as the
result of nervous prostration, and had not
a natural cause been discovered for the
peculiar happening it is likely that an IN
valid who was compelled to witness this
supposed manifestation from the spirit
world would not have been here today.
IT have an aunt who is an invalid, and
the one thing that is required above all
others is the exclusion of light from her
room. The shutters of her apartment are
never opened. One morning not long ago
NV aunt noticed weird, fluttering light
on the ceiling. As she looked at IL IL
seemed to take form, so that she dis
cerned wings and a body. The longer she
looked at it the more convinced she be-
came that it was a spirit. Now, before
this she had held the most materiallstlc
views, soothing at the possible existence
of anything beyond what is deemed nat
ural, but so terrorized did she become at
this strange light that she gave shrek
of horror. No one answered, and she lay
in bed, looking up at the fluttering glim-
mer. which seemed to get fainter and
fainter until, when the, door opened and
her sister appeared, it had disappeared al
together.
'.Trembling, she told the story of the
strange light and its sudden disappear
ance Without stopping to consider, both
concluded it was the spirit of brother
who had died several months before, and
although the occurrence left an impression
nothing more was said about it that day.
The next morning at the same time the
invalid gave a shrek of terror which
caused her sister to come to her side.
Look up there, she cried, pointing to the
ceiling. The sister looked and uttered a
low cry. It's there again. See! said the
invalid. Sure enough, there was the flick
ering light. There was no accounting
for it, as the shutters were tightly closed.
Both looked steadily and concluded the
light was some spirit manifestation. IS
before, it slowly vanished, leaving the two
women in state of nervousness that they
could not overcome. t.,
tsFor three days after this the light ap-
peared regularly at the same time every
morning and after a short visit disappear
ed. So nervous did the sisters become that
one had to go to bed, and the others con-
dition grew serious. They did not men
ton the occurrence to any one, and as
was away did not learn of it until my ar
rival home ON the sixth day of the phe-
nomenon.
1.-THE sisters told me of the spectral mar
vel and informed me I was just in time
to witness it myself. I remained in the
darkened room awaiting the manifesto
ton. Sure enough, after short time q
hazy light appeared on the ceiling, grad
ually growing brighter and brighter until
well, didn't blame my aunts for con
sidering it supernatural. But l always
seek for cause, and after a time fount
that the fiuttering light was caused by 6
bucket of water which was standing il
the yard, rejecting the rays of the sun. o.
course the shutters were tightly closed, Sc
that there was apparently no way for the
light to enter the room, but l discovered {
very small crack in one shutter which act
ed as the opening of camera obscura does
rejecting the image of the glistenins
surface of the water on the ceiling TIL,
image appeared at the same time each day
as at that hour the suns rays formed thu
angle required to throw it into the room
AS the sun advanced the angle was grad
ually changed, making the image disap
pear slowly. So it was that a great mys
terry was spoiled by matter of fact investi
cation. "-Pittsburg Dispatch.