Great Falls tribune., 1922-04-01
The HaSki11 Letter
LIVE GHOSTS.

New York City, March 29.-Are
ghosts a nervous disease? Is it kind
of hysteria which causes young perosns
to torment their families with fire
raising, sleight- of-hand performances
and surreptitious rapping and knocking,
thus continuing to make it appear that
house is haunted?
In the recent Antagonist ease, inves-
tigated by DR.. Walter F. Prince of the
New York Physical Research society,
the ghost turned out to be subnormal
girl, foster daughter Of the terrified
McDonalds, given-according to Dr..
seems possible, therefore, that other
historic ghosts may be accounted for
by similarly afflicted individuals.
The idea is not new. Long before
Antagonist leaped into the limelight
as the home Of spiteful ghosts, Brit
ish man of letters advanced the sug-
gestion that a neurologlst was the
proper person to be set on the trail
Of an irritating ghost.
"In tracing the history Of haunted
houses" says this gentleman, II have
been struck with the fact that In many
instances the ghostly activities tnvari-
ably center around certain member
of the family-usually q young woman.
In these instances, the ghosts atroci-
ties are always the same. There Is
mysterious knocking at sudden inter
walls; household articles are moved or
flung about, and fires break forth in
unexpected places. I am convinced,
however. that these wild disturbances
are not always deliberately planned.
L. %oiv enAfQnaifu AhnnS
them which leads me to conclude that
they are often involuntary like the
peculiarities Of Chorea-in short, that
they are the symptoms Of a nervous
disease. At any rate it is noticeable
that they always cease when GER
tain member Of the family is absent
from the house."
Another Nova Scotia Ghost
A celebrated incident Of this kind
is the celebrated Amherst mystery, IN
which the ghostly manifestations, which
spread terror throughout Nova Scotia
some forty odd years ago, all centered
around a young woman named Esther
Cox. Like the Antigonish spook, the
Amherst ghost or ghosts attracted
widespread attention; made convinc-
ing impression upon the incredulous,
and finally lot Of money for an actor,
walter Hubbell, who had the sagacity
to put them into book form.
The Teed family, which was victim
lied in this case, consisted of Mr.. and
Mrs. Teed, their children, Willie, aged
five years, and George, aged II months
as well as the wife's two sisters, Jen-
ME and Esther Cox. They lived in a
lonely farmhouse in Amherst under
practically the same circumstances as
the McDonalds in their farm house at
Antagonist.
The first alleged supernatural dis
turbances occurred in the room OF the
two girls. Jennie and Esther who
slept together. They were just going
to sleep one night when Esther leaped
suddenly out Of bed, screaming that
there was a mouse IN the mattress.
Upon investigation, no mouse was
found, but an innocent pasteooard box
under the bed jumped into the air and
fell over on its side.
After this, the ghost or ghosts star
ted in on their campaign Of petty
frightfulness. When Esther was in bed
the bed clothes would fly off her and
settle into a far corner of the room.
When they were replaced the pillow
under her head flew out and landed
in the center of the floor. 1t also, was
replaced, upon which it again flew out,
hitting Mr.. Teed in the face. Where
upon, it is reported, Mr. Teed un-
scientifically left the room, declaring
that g he had had enough of it.
The next night the sound of scratch
ing on the wall was heard for the first
time. "All looked in the direction from
whence the sound came" say the re-
ports, when to the family's great as
constituent there could be plainly read
these words. Esther Cox, you are mine
to kill Everybody present could see
the writing, but moment before moth
ing was to be seen but the kalsomlned
wall"
Now, articles began to De mysteri-
ously moved about the house. some
times violently and sometimes surrep-
titiously, according to the mood of the
ghost. "All saw lighted match fall
from the ceiling to the bed" continue
the reports, having come out of the
air, which would certainly have set the
bedclothing on fire had not Jennie put
it out instantly. During the next few
minutes, eight or ten lighted matches
fell on the bed and about the room out
of the air, but were all extlngulshed
before anything could be set on fire.
spooks Start BIazes
tThe fire-raising continued for sew
eral days. The family would smell
smoke, and on running up into the bed
room. they would find a bundle of
clothes placed in the center of the floor
blazing Or they would descend to the
cellar, and there find pile, Of shaw
ings alight and blazing merrily. They
lived in constant danger of having the
house burned over their heads" 1t IS
interesting to note in this connection,
however, that the ghostly incendiaries
usually confided in Esther as soon as
they had started fire, although some
times they coyly withheld it's exact To-
cation.
"Soon after this" we are told,
things got SO bad that Esther Cox
had to leave home, and went to visit
friend For four weeks there was
peace. Then trouble began again. This
time, knocks and raps were heard all
over the house, and Esther now began
to see the spooks" There were two
OF them. it seems-Maggie, whose fem
inine personality was recognized by her
timid ard ingratiating raps, and Bob,
who pounded out his communications
with a huge fist, or possibly, it was
thought, with a stone. OF some of the
additional phenomena which occurred
about this time, Mr.. Hubbell, the actor,
who visited the Teed home for the pnr-
pose of investigation, gives the fol-
lowing account:
IrI knI Hvr hA a