Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-04-05
DO GHOSTS EXIST
Or. MInot j. Savage Certain That
They Do-An lnciden MT In Proof.

ttoy ~ Nu iuS'oouk w EESoE
DIR. Minot j. Savage in Ainslee's: The
history Of the world is full OF reported
apparitions or ghosts. Do such things as
ghosts exist? ] am perfectly certain hat
they do. This does not mean that I feel
that 1 am ready to explain their origin
or nature. ] simply recognize the fact.
Whether they are purely subjective or
whether they represent some objective
reality-this is a question TO be settled In
each particular case. / ave many in
stances In my notes; but they must be
omitted for the present.
There Is one case, however, which Is
OF a very extraordinary kind. It occurred
about a couple OF years ago here in the
immediate vicinity of New York. There
was IA certain young man who had been
studying abroad. He had been at Heidel-
berg university. He was Of anything but
an imaginative temperament. Tall and
stalwart IN build, he had a reputation as
an athlete. His favorite studies were
mathematical physical and electrical. He
had returned home from abroad, and, so
far as anybody knew, was In perfect
health. lie was at the summer home OF
his mother. 1t was his habit, after dinner,
to so out on the piazza and walk up and
down while smoking his pipe. One even
ing he came quietly In, and, without talk
Ing with anybody, went up to bed. The
next morning he went into his mothers
room before she was up. and laid his hand
on her cheek In order to awaken her
quietly. Then he said, Mother, L have
something very sad to tell you. You must
brace yourself and be strong 10 bear it.
or course, she was startled and asked him
what he was talking about. He said.
Mother, | mean just what ! am saying. I
am going to die, and very SOON
When his mother, startled and trou-
bled, pressed him for an explanation, he
said: Last night, when l was walking up
and down the piazza, smoking. a spirit
appeared and walked up ena down by my
side. i have received my call, and I'm go
ing to die The mother, OF course, was
seriously troubled and wondered whether
anything might be the matter with him.
She. therefore, sent for the doctor and
told him the story. The doctor made "a
careful examination, said there was moth
ing the matter, treated the whole thing
as a bad dream or an hallucination, told
them to pay no attention to II, and said
that within n few days they would be
laughing at themselves for letting such a
thing worry them. The next morning the
young man did not seem quite as we'll as
usual, and the doctor was sent for a sec
ond time. Again he said there was moth
ing the matter, and tried to laugh them
out OF their fears. The third morning the
young man appeared in still poorer con-
dition, and the third time the physician
was summoned. He now discovered a case
OF appendicitis. The young man was OPP
Grated on and died in q couple of days.
From the time Of the vision until his
death not more than five days had gone
by. Some time after this experience the
mother visited a psychic here in New
York. She made no previous appointment.
but went as a perfect stranger and waited
her turn. The son claimed at once to be
present, and told his mother a whole
series Of very remarkable things, which
by no possibility could the psychic ever
have known. Then In answer TO the
question, who was It that you saw that
night? Cthe question being purposely SC
framed as not to seem TO refer to any.
body out of the body). Re at orce replied
1t was my father The father had beer
dead for some years, and the mother had
been married again"