The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-08-26

relates to a gentleman well known IN
this vicinity, being at one dine pro-
lessor in Bethany college;
This Is the story of scientist
learned college professor, a eonssrva-
tive, hard headOd. muahrreRpected man,
who says that he has shaken hands
witha ghost
Professor Amos y. Dolbear is tho
name Of this gentleman, and he is pro-
fesserofsciences inTufts college, Massa-
chusetts. Moreover Professor polbear
shares with Bell the honor of producins
the telephone In lis present stage OF
perfection. AS an original experlmenter
In the field of applied electfieity ne
ranks with Tesla and with Edison lie
mas written on scientific subjects for
American and foreign magazines OF the
hinhest authority. The one churacteris-
tic Cor which ha has been especially no.
ted among those who know his nest Is
freedom from visionary tendencies
And vet this man says that q ghosuy
hand was thrust out of the darkness at
him; that he grasped It and found It
deadly cold; that "a mysterious voice,
heard simultaneously with the appear
anoe Of the hand, told him that the
hand was that of a certain person VINO
had been dead year
Professor Dolbaar does not, In so
many. words, designate the nature OF
this nocturnal appartlon; he merely re-
iates the fact. lie has been annoyed a
good deal by being called upon TO tell
his remarkable experience over ana ov-
en- again. Yet his patience is not en-
haustad and he Is still ready 10 gratiiy
the curiosity. of all legitimate inqulrers
and to answer such questions as theS
may aalS on the subject
Some portions OF the story OF ProteA-
sap, Dolbean's, remarkable qSpeplenee
have got into print, with the result that
there has been. attached to the original
version divers eXaggerations and addi-
tons. These have been q source or
much annoyance to Prof. Dolbear, and
ha was very glad to give representa-
tiye,og tho Sunday World full and ao-
carate account OF what actually occur
rad, on tho OCCASION IN question, In addie
ton 10. this extraordinary experience,
Professor Dolbeap also related two othr
err events which happened IN, the past,
and. which are, aa hard To- account for on
tha. basis 0f natural known cause and
effeet as Is the affair of the bodiless
hand and voice.
u, tia, Room OF Seven DsSF%
Professor Dolbear lives at the ex-
tseme end of what is known as Profess.
sor. Row, Collage hill, in Medlord. a
beautiful little village near this city. II
was here that he. related his three cur
ious adventures as follows:
aThree years ago, during the aisemb-
ling OF the ela0trlpal engineers Of Green
acre, Me-, to celebrate the lilaworlt or
Mosea GesrlHh FaTmeE inventor Of the
street electric railway. l bad been In
vlted to address the, gathering. ao7
cepted went to Greenaare, and spoke
before the engineers,
ut was ono year rrior TO- thai tlrne
thai Mr. Farmer died knew him only
as casual acquaintance having mel
him on two or three different OCCASIONS
Miss Sarah Il. Farmer daughter OF the
inventor, Invited me to spend the Right
at their Residence. l Went there. About
IL, O'clock went to my room and went
to bed. The room Ia which ] slept -
somewhat noted locally as the room
of the ReVen days" 1t Is on the second
fioor-a small, nearly sduaFe room, thai
is light airy and comfortable. Its most
notable feature Is It's oolieeupn OF DOORS
They arc finished In tho natural wood,
and each has white china door-knob
"a short time after going To bed j
went to, sleep, or Thought / was asleeP,
although l realized. fully that l was In
Moses Farmers house and was fully
conscious 0f my surroundings.
haard Hfn nfF1ns. tnllgiun To me.
though don't peOali particularly what
was said tit asked him: How do l
know you are Moses Farmer?'
Mind you, all this time | had not
seen him but had only hoard his voice.
After L asked him that question he
held out his left hand. / took II IN
mine and noticed that It was cold, The
unoanny feeling It gave me was SO
strong that Il awakened me. l folt ner-
vous and uncomfortable, and after
twisting and turning for while, went
to,slpep. / had just about the same OK
perianes rfght oyer again
Ghost IdenuntS Himself.
II asked him again how 1 should
know him, and no held out his hand
once more, and asked him how was
TO know Il was his hand more than an
others.
"Hll do this he said. crooklng two
OF his fingers UP I'm peculiar way
while holding tho two others straight
and very rigid The trick Ia a difficult
one--in fact I have never found anyone
since who can do 1t. ] tried to do the
same thing with my own fingers, and
the EFFORT awakened me. After thinking
the matioi, over FOIL to sleep again.
and did not awake TN morning, At no
time did SEQ anything bit q hand,
"Ap braahfnst mentioned 10 Miss
Tarmer In a joking sort Of. way, that |
believed had been IN conference With
hsr fatheH and than, dpRoribed tho po'
culinr aot with lils fingers. by which no
had sought 10 prove hts identity
miss Farmer dropned her knife and
fork and looked az mo with a8tpnIsh-
ment, dashed; Didn't YOU know that
was a. peculiar trick Of fnthoFB?'
"ftolh her 1 did.Dot, She then explain
cd, that Withipeoplp whom no Knew very
WE'LL, no had a habit whom In o merry
mood, or fixing his fingers IN tina way
and, nQIIng his hand at, them, he would
say. Can YOU do thulH
~ afterWard talked with several pOo-
pie who 1Inew him wolf and who re-
IHtlNUtI'N VlWl .lNituilWIakVVllUlFih
perfectly. A. Mr. tSeof0. who was Mr.
Farmers assistant FOR years, told mo
that Mr Farmpr had ltnaolt Of crook
ing any one Of his fingers AZ viii while
keeping tho othOra perfectly Btraight,nn
exceedingly hard thlng go do AZ any
one can 800 who wlllItry IT,
lat I'ayHl,l1ai Itrscaroii 0
Tho only explanation Professor Dol.
hear attemPiB u alva NJ Hiis peeuilaf
affair Is that 1t 10 Of clnss with tho
mysterious phenomena 10 which the