The San Francisco call., 1908-03-29
San Francisco. March aoth.

r HREE times nave seen 8p.
partitions" or ghosts during my
lifetime. but my first experience
remains the most vivid in my
mind and the memory of it is as clear
had transpired but yesterday instead Of
81 years ago. The "apparition" was
remarkable for the two reasons--that
1 saw it in broad daylight at noon.
with the sun shining brightly. and that
it was seen by others.
l was years old when my mother
took my eldest brother, aged 3. my sis-
ter Of years and my youngest brothezs
years Of age, one summer to . ~
sort in Ohio, where we spent some tine
during the warm weather.
The house at which we were stop
ping stood near the road and on . long
hill. Down the well travelled road nsas
the foot OF the hill. about quarter e
a mile or little farther from the housA
stood large chestnut tree. which be-
children. A few rods from the tree
stood a small country church OK the
Presbyterian denomination. alongside
of which a crossroad passed, while
little farther up the road and on the
opposite side was small cemetery.
Ny brother, my sister and myself
had loaded the baby into a little ex-
press wagon and hauled him to the
chestnut tree, under whose cool spread
ing branches we had played for
couple of hours, as we often did. 1t
was a warm summer day. BY the good
healthy appetite that we had acquired
we knew that it was time for lunch
con, or dinner time" as we called it
then. Putting the baby in the littley
wagon. my brother pulling it, we left
the pleasant shade of the tree.
As we turned into the road I looked
up and saw a man coming over the
brow of the hill and down the road
past the house where we were living.
There's q strange man coming down
the road. l said to my brother and
sister. Both saw him and quickly per-
ceived that il was not an ordinary
human being. We were opposite the
little church and stood still, watching
the man approach. He came down the
road very rapidly and seemed to float
rather than walk. 1t seemed but a
moment until he was near 10 US and
we could see him very distinctly The
figure was not in the conventional
modern attire
That fact We observed when he was
some distance away and first attracted
ou- attention. AS he came nearer we
were rooted to the spot and practi-
cally speechless. AS the figure neared
the crossroads from which we were
but few yards distant l saw that it
was dressed in loose robe or gown
! of white, similar to those worn in bible
times and as seen in oriental coun-
tries to this day. He was a man OF
large stature, though slender. His long
hair hung down his back and over his
shoulders. He wore nothing on his head
and had short beard. His face had
soft, kindly and benevolent expression
and looked like some of the paintings
of Christ that ! have seen since that
time. In one hand he had long staff;
on his feet were sandals. About him
was peculiar pinkisa light like fire,
which was soft yet brighter than the
dazzling MONDAY sun overhead.
l looked at my brother. His face
was as white that of a dead person.
His mouth was open, but he could not
speak and his eyes showed that he was
nearly frightened to death. My sister
was clutchihg me convulsively. Strange
to say l was more awed than fright
ened The baby began to cry and my
brother finally stammered out, "Oh, my.
Let's run. He and sister dragged
the baby out Of the wagon and ran
toward the church.
They did not go to the gateway
through the low fence surrounding the