Monday, August 14, 2017

A Haunted Girl in Amherst, Nova Scotia, 1879 Article


A Haunted Girl in Nova Scotia, article in Spiritual Notes, July 1879

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Attempted Assassination By Invisible Agents.

At Amherst, in Nova Scotia, there is a good deal of excitement in regard to the alleged persecution of a young woman by spirits, who hurl missiles at her, and who have, on more than one occasion, apparently attempted her assassination. A gentleman of high literary position in London, who knows something of the circumstances, and who is not a Spiritualist, has kindly furnished us with the following extracts from the Amherst Gazette, from which it will be seen that the Editor of that Journal personally testifies to some of the mysterious occurrences. Esther Cox, who is the object of these so-called spirit persecutions, is employed at White's Saloon at Amherst; and the Editor says—

The case has lately, on account of the undoubted nature of the testimony to several remarkable incidents having occurred, in which it was impossible for Miss Cox to have been the voluntary agent, excited increased interest. Persons who previously would give no credence whatever to reports in the case have been satisfied of its bona fide character by personal observation. Among those who have recently received new light on this subject, we observe that the Sentinel, which some time ago thought there was entirely too much made of the matter, refers to the actual hurling of various objects about Miss Cox by four spirits. Having often been asked if we had ourselves personally observed any of the strange occurrences, we will say that until Tuesday we could speak from personal knowledge of the rapping only, the reality of which we had already tested by causing Esther to place herself upon a stool which would not admit of her feet touching the floor. To illustrate as plainly as possible the developments and reported occurrences of the past week, we give a diagram of the room in which matters have been particularly lively this week. The room is attached to the rear of White's Saloon.



Esther was standing at I, washing dishes. Our position was a little outside of the door J. She had not moved from her position when we heard a crash, and, on going forward, found a glass tumbler, which had evidently contained a paper of pepper, had been broken in pieces by falling upon a large earthen bowl which lay upon the table. Esther said the tumbler came from the top of the cupboard, B, and the spot struck and position of the pieces were sufficient evidence that it had at least come from that direction. The distance was 7 feet. A rim of the top of the tumbler was unbroken. Taking the same position we saw, a minute or two afterward, this rim flying over her head, and it fell at H and was shattered. She was still at I washing her dishes, and could not have thrown it herself, nor was any other person in the room.

This is all we have seen. We have frequently heard drop articles which she said struck her, and which we were told by reliable persons had been hurled from certain points 6 to 15 feet distant.

W. F. Cutten, Esq., was standing at the lower side of door J, and Esther on the upper side, L, when a pile of scale weights he had previously seen on the counter, 12 feet distant, fell near their feet.

While Mr. R. Hutchinson was standing at L he heard a hard substance strike the ceiling of kitchen and afterwards the wall of saloon at M. Picking it up he found it to be nearly a whole Bath brick, which Mr. White and Esther said had come from a shelf between D and E.

On Tuesday evening, Esther, as she states, locked the shop to go to tea, and while crossing the street was startled by a tremendous noise in the building. She dared not return alone, and after meeting Mr. Hutchinson they entered and found, as they both informed us, that the following articles had moved from various points to positions near the middle of the floor. O O O represent three earthenware bowls, 16, 14, and 12 inches in diameter, which had been on table A, inverted, and were now top upwards. In one was a tea-kettle from the top of stove, which with contents would weigh 20 lbs. In another a coffee-pot was found which had been on shelf at right of E. The box C was on its side at G. A basin which had been on it was at O, still containing water. A pot had come from F, and ranged itself near the kettle, so that one might not call the other names.

But of all the attacks upon the poor girl the most serious was that which she affirms was made by the blade of an open jack-knife, penetrating her clothing and cutting her back. Mrs. White examined her back, and states that the mysterious assassin drew blood. Esther states that this was the second attack by the knife, which she and Mr. White's son say was closed niter its first flight, and must have opened of its own accord.

Mr. Cutten saw a basin of water, which he had previously noticed on a stand in this kitchen, move to a point 9 feet distant, and upset upon the floor. Esther had passed the stand, and the basin followed her at a distance of a few feet.

Esther was sitting in the kitchen at Mr. White's when a large glass bottle moved from a pantry shelf and was hurled across the kitchen floor, breaking in pieces, and was seen to do so by members of the family.

Mrs. White placed some nails upon Esther's lap, and in a few minutes they became quite hot. She told Esther to walk out, hoping there might be a cessation of hostilities. She went into the woodshed, when lumps of coal flew about and at her, and as she returned to the kitchen Mrs. White saw a stone as large as her clenched hands follow her in, though she is sure no one was there to throw it.
The Amherst Gazette reports a large number of other incidents of a similar character, but the above will suffice to show the nature of "Esther's persecutions," most of which seem to have been fairly well attested.

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