Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-04-01

New York, April Are ghosts H.
nervous diseasc2 IL 1t kind OF hys-
TERN which causes young persons 10
torment their families with fire-rais-
ing, sleight- of-hand performances and
surreptitious rapping and knocking,
thus contriying to make IT appear that
a house is haunted
In the recent Antigonish case. In
vestigated by DIR. Walter f. Prince Of
the New York Psychical Research So
ciety. tho ghost turned out to be a
subnormal girl, oster-daugfter OF the
terrified McDonalds. given--accord-
Ing TO DIR. Prince--to peculiar dream
states. II seems possible, therefore.
that other historic ghosts may be &C
counted for by similarly afflicted in
dividuals.
The idea is not new. Long before
Antigonish leaped into the limelight as
the home Of spiteful spooks, British
man Of letters advanced the sugges-
ton that neuroiogist was the proper
person 10 be set on tho trail OF an IT.
ritnting ghost.
In tracing the history OF haunted
houses" says this gentleman. Il have
been struck with THO fact that IN many
instances tho ghostly activities IN
variably center around certain
/ member OF the f1mily-usually
young woman. In these instances. the
ghosts atrocities are always the Same
There is mysterious knocking at sud-
I den intervals; household articles are
moved or flung about, and fires break
/ forth In unexpected places 1 am
2 - a
disturbances arc not always dellber-
ately planned. There ~ certain
Fpontaneity about them which
leads me 10 conclude that they are
often involuntary liko tho peculiari-
ties Of chores--in short. that they are
the symptoms OF a nervous Olsen -.
A. any rate 50 is noticeable that they
always cease when certain mem ber
Of the family II absent from the
house"
Another Nova Scotia Ghost
A celebrated instance u This kind q
the Great Amherst Mystery. IA which
the ghostly manifestations, which
spread terror throughout Nova Scotia
some forty odd years ago, all csnt-red
around ~ young woman named Esther
Cox. Like tho Antagonist spook, the
Amherst ghost or ghosts attracted
, widespread attention; made a con
vincing impression upon the credulOu,
and finally lot Of money for an zctOr
Walter Hubbeil. who had tho sagacitJ
70 put them into popular book form.
The iced family. which was victim
lied in this case. consisted OF Mr. AM
airs. iced, their children, Willie
aged Ave years. and George. aged 1
! months. as well as the -~lfe's two sig
D. ters, Jennie and Esther Cox. The
lived In a lonely farmhouse in Am
herst, under practically the same cir
: cumstances as the McDonalds in thei
u farmhouse at Antagonist.
Tho first alleged supernatural dis
= -turbances occurred In the room Of III
, two girls, Jennie and Esther, wh
). slept together. They were Just zoin
= to sleep one night, when Esther sud
q denly leaped out OF bed screannin
= that ther6 was a mouse IN the rnat
. tress. Upon Investigating no nous
: was found, but an innocent paste
: board box under the bed jumped int
- the air and fell over on its side
70 After this, the ghost or ghosts start
ed in on their campaign OF pett
y frightfulness. When Esther was
. bed. the bed clothes would fly off h,
ii and settle into a far corner OF u
10 room. When they were replaced, u
. pillow under her head few out al
- landed in the center OF the floor.
10 also, was replaced, upon which
az again Iiew out, hitting Mr.. Teed
X the face. Whereupon, il IS reports
n Mr.. iced unscientitically left the roo
IS declaring that he had had enough
a it."
The next night. the sound
OF scratching on the wall was heard /
K the first time. All looked in the
NJ rection from whence the sound cam
ru say the reports. when TO the famu,
ne great establishment there could
le' plainly read these words: Esther =,
you are mine to kill Everybc
ne present could see the writing. but
L. moment before nothing was to
ere seen but the kalsOmined wall
zen Now, articles began TO be myst
mo iously moved about the house. son
eX- times violently and sometimes 81
i'A' reptitousiy, according 10 the mood
ere the ghost. AL saw a lighted ma.
fall from the ceiling TO the bed" CO
tinue the reports. having come
- Of the air, which would certain
20 have set the bed clothing on IRE.
- not Jennie put Il out instantly. D,
.. ing the next few minutes, eight
.a- ten lighted matches fell on the I
use and about the room out Of the
rlv but were all extinguished before al
thing could be set on fire.
SpoOks Start Blazes.
led The fre-raising continued for s.
eral days. The family would ST.
smoke. and on running up into