Evening star., 1922-03-16
Ma1yEllen, While Under Psychic
Urge, Set Fires, Says DR.: Prince

Urge; Set Fires,
By the Associated Press.
HALIFAX. N. S., March 16.-While
DR.. Walter Franklin Prince. New
York scientist and layer of ghosts. is
satisfied that entirely human. and
not superhuman, agencies constituted
the Antigonish ghost, it was learned
today that residents near Caledonia
Mills. which iy near the Macdonald
home, were reluctant to accept his
version that Mary Ellen MacOonald,
fifteen, was at the root of the phe-
nomenon.
DR.. Prince, in a lengthy report. the
fruit of a weeks stay in the haunted
house" of Alex Macdonald. declared
the adopted daughter Of the old
supernormal fires and pranks among
the livestock which drove the ram
lily from the old homestead IN the
dead Of winter. The ghostly slaps
which Harold Whidden. reporter, ana
|P. o. Carroll. provincial detective.
claim to have received were attri-
buted to natural phenomena by DR..
Prince.
Skeptics of Antagonist county are
shaking their heads today. however,
and placing their tongues In their
cheeks. They are seemingly loath so
easily to reIinquish the Importance
that attached to their section OF tne
country so long as the outside world
was fascinated with tales OF what
they are wont to believe was
prankish wrath with designs on the
MacDonalds. They characterized as
absurd the scientists nomination OF
Mary Ellen as combined author and
cast of their mystery" while in
dream state" and the victim OF an
ALTERED consciousness.
Dinproves Wireless Theory.
DR.. Princes summary Of his report
INV visit of six nights and five days
at the house in the vicinity or Anti
gonish, N. S.. which has attracted SO
much attention, ended Monday morn
ing. a.. s..+.ments of
Signor Marconi and other experts, 1
have proved that the wireless wave
theory cannot be true unless tne
waves are endowed with intelligence
to know Just when people are In the
house, with a dislike for the upper
part Of the room walls. with a
repugnance to having persons see
them break out into flames and with
ability to TRANSPORT cushions from
one room to another and the like:
1.-THE fires were undoubtedly set by
human hands, judging by the unmis-
taxable signs left In the house. The
burns are never found on the wall
paper higher than the reach OF
height of the girl in the family. Over
the bed which fills one end of room
they are never higher than such
person kneeling could reach. and In
muddy or snowy weather one would
not wish to stand on the bed.
"Other slightly higher places on
the woodwork were always set on
fire by pieces of cloth, which could
easily have been tossed.
Fires Avoid witnesses.
"The fires avoided starting before
witnesses, as there was no occult rea-
SON for doing, and avoided all parts
of the dining room and parlor visible
from the meeting place in the kitchen.
IAN odorless, inflammable liquid
was found in bottle' on beam
which produced the described effects
on wet paper. Other indices were
found pointing to the same conclu-
sion, namely. that a person five feet
tall secretly performed the acts as
opportunity offered.
"The various witnesses were un-
doubtedly honest in believing that the
acts could, not have been thus per-
formed. but my acquaintance with
the errors Of observation and Of men,
ory on the part Of intelligent persons
dealing with large number of de-
tails in a matter quite new TO them
has often demonstrated that such
testimony may be vitality in error.
"For example. it was thought that
a cushion which some time before
had been put upstairs was placed
upon the bedstead downstairs by oc-
cult agency, but it appears that the
next preceding fire was upstairs,
making it likely that an opportunity
was found in the meantime to bring
But am emphatically of the opin-
ion that the girl was not mentally
culpable. She is mentally exceeding
ly young for her years, and within
the past year has had singular dream
states from which it was difficult to
she was the victim of altered states
of consciousness. about which psy,-
chology has learned SO much Of late.
III the views of the late DR..
Hyslop are correct. this would be a
case whore a. discarnate agency per-
If Thompson In the case reported at
length by the American Society for
Psychical Researce, having no ex-
perience in painting and suddenly
acquiring a technique which was
pronounced by an expert to be that
Of at least ten years experience and
a style which experts said much re-
sembled that of the deceased artist
clifford, was really Influenced by
telepathic contact with the dead ar
fist, it would be conceivable that the
Antigonish case was similar, al
though on different line.
slsps Were supernormaL
"The experiences of Messrs. Whid-
dan and Carroll when at the house for
the purpose of Investigation, by way
Of hearing strange sounds as Of foot
are supported as supernormal expe-
riences Of some kind by other cases
Investigated at length by experts, and
which revealed no psychical cause.
The experiences were unsuggested by
any previous reports, were shared by
two persons, were not assignable to
any known existing cause and there
was less wind on that night than on
several occasions when / and other
persons were in the house. There was
wind during the night which /
passed alone in the house and I ex-
amined the loose board which some
one suggested vibrated, and there was
no movement nor sound.
my own personal study of q series
of raps and other sounds which lasted
for months in my own house makes
the testimony Of Messrs Whidden and
Carroll quite creditable. to the effect
that the sounds were not from ordi-
nary causes. For reasons which ]