The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-01-30
A BELFAST MYSTERY.
spiritualists Talk of Manifestations but
Druggist Moody Thinks 1t Only Luck.

Belfast, Me-, January 29.-This town
has but one Mecca these days. 1t is the
drug store run by Apothecary Moody,
who has found stored away on his shelf
one of the grisliest mysteries that ever
popped up in the State of Maine.
R. H. Moody's father died about ten
years ago. He was an old-fashioned
Maine farmer with high forehead,
marked features and a full beard, which
hung out slightly over his stand-up col
lar. There was no mistaking Moody's
father or photograph of him after you
had once seen it.
Three weeks ago the druggist took
down from shelf a box containing some
sort of chemicals he wished to use. He
set the box up on end and turned away
for moment. When he turned back he
thought he saw something startling on
the bottom of the box, so startling that
he rubbed his eyes and shook himself to
see whether he was really in his store in
Belfast or not.
He inspected the box closer. Yes,
there was no doubt about it.
There. on the bottom of the box. where
it had rested on the shelf, was perfect
picture of old Dr. Moody, the druggists
father, dead and in his grave these ten
years. -
1t was perfect likeness: there was the
retreating forehead, the strong features,
the full whiskers even the cellar itself.
The portrait had been ground into the
bottom of the box by the action of the
dirt on the shelf and was outlined by dis
tinct and necessary lines of drawing, as
if the hand of a master sketcher had
drawn it-not a false step anywhere, not
a line out of drawing.
Moody has kept the box on exhibition
now and turns it up for the inspection Of
chance visitors, at the same time exhibit
ing photograph of his father. Nobody
has questioned the similarity yet and the
box has been exhibited to hundreds al
ready. 1t is quite the fad to drive in
from the back towns and look at "that
box of Moody's with old Dr.. Moodys
face on it"
Spiritualists allege that Moody, mate
rallied, has been at work under the box
on his sons shelves. They have photo,
graphed the box and are calling on the
old gentleman to explain himself through
spiritualistic mediums. They want to
know why he persists in stamping his
portrait into his sons box of chemicals.
Apothecary Moody has not been con-
verified by the spiritualists yet. He thinks
it was Just luck, anyhow
Mr.. Moody says: MY father was a
practicing physician, and in connection
with his practice in 1852 purchased the
drug store, which he, and subsequently
myself, carried on ever since.
''Tne box had been in my store about
year and a half 1t was an original
package containing acetanilid. The top
of the box was the like the bottom. It
opened by cutting round hole in the top
of the box.
II have a dispensing bottle which fill
from the original package-after filling
which | was accustomed to paste a
piece of paper over the hole in the
top of the box to keep it air tight.
Three weeks ago I noticed my
dispensing bottle was empty. went tony
workroom and took from the shelf the
original box. On opening it I found my
dispensing bottle would hold it all, so
tore off the top of box and turning it
upside down, was tapping on the sides
and bottom to completely empty it, and
was about to throw it away when |
noticed the face on the bottom, and
instantly recognized the resemblance to
nv father.''