THE APPARITION AT MINNESOTA.
By Editor
As announced last week, we now lay before our readers the account of the wonderful manifestation at the Winslow House, St. Anthony, Minn. On first reading the account, we addressed a note to Prof. McBain, named below, and received over his own signature a corroboration of the statements published, which we append to this article. We, of course, are unacquainted with the parties, but on the evidence we have, insert the account in all good faith as authentic. We have reason to believe that Satan, through the manifestations of what is called Spiritualism, will bring before the living the appearance of the bodily forms of their dead friends; and we know not why this may not be already beginning to take place. If so, it indicates that the climax of the last great deception is about reached. From the Minneapolis (Minn.) Tribune, March 23. For some days past much excitement has been created in St. Anthony by reports of the appearance of a genuine ghost at the Winslow House. The apparition was said to be that of the late Dr. Jewel, who died in the building during the month of January, we believe, and who, it was stated, had of late been frequently seen about the house in open daylight, but upon near approach would vanish or disappear. For the purpose of ascertaining what foundation, if any, existed for the many wild and incredible rumors afloat, we visited the Winslow, yesterday, and under the guidance of Prof. F. E. McBain, who resides in the building, visited the apartment in which these strange sights and sounds have been seen and heard, and from him obtained the following statement: “GO TO ROOM 74, ON THE FOURTH STORY, AND SEE WHAT YOU CAN SEE.” I am no Spiritualist, neither do I believe in Spiritualism; and yet I am at a loss to account for the following facts: The Winslow House is a very large building, lately run and occupied by the late Dr. Jewel, who died some eight or ten weeks since. In his lifetime the house was used as a water-cure establishment, but since his death it has been closed, and, with the exception of the room occupied by his widow and her family, and those occupied by myself and family, and two other families, the house is tenantless. The doctor, before his death, frequently said he would revisit the house to see how things were getting along; but no attention was paid to those remarks, which were generally made while suffering from excruciating pain. His wife and family, however, cherished the words in their memory, and frequently repeated them to their intimate friends. He (the Doctor) did not, however, show himself until Saturday, the 14th inst. Mrs. Jewel had advertised for sale by auction all her furniture, bedding, &c., which is to take place on the 24th inst. In the center part of the building, on the ground floor, are cellars, laundry, &c., and in one of these rooms a steam engine which had been used for heating, pumping water, &c., but all the belting has been removed, and the engine out of use for years past. The first thing that attracted the attention of myself and neighbors, was the occasional running of the wheels upon which the belts used to be placed. This seemed strange, but we said little about it, for fear of being laughed at by our neighbors. On Saturday morning, the 14th inst., my daughter, an intelligent girl of fourteen years of age, was returning from the Post Office, (which, by the way is kept in a room on the ground floor, in the southeast corner of the building,) and came through the room in which the engine stands, and there saw a tall, slim man, dressed in a fine suit of broadcloth, with a white night-cap on his head, and a pair of white stockings on his feet. She passed him without speaking, and came into the house, and made the remark to her mother and myself that a strange looking man was walking through the laundry, dressed as above, and that he must be a fool. This was about 10 o'clock, A. M., and I went out with her to see the man whom she described as looking and acting so strangely. When we went out, nothing was to be seen, and we went and looked through the largest cellar, a dark and bleak apartment forty feet long by about twenty wide—when all at once she exclaimed, “Father, there he is, coming toward us,” and began to draw me back to the door by the hand, and seemed to be very nervous. I could see nothing, but supposing it was some one who was trying to frighten us, I demanded in an angry voice, “Who is here? What do you want?” I received no reply—and yet the strange appearance passed out of the cellar within two feet of us, as it appeared to her. We came into the house, and myself and Mr. Hubert, my next door neighbor, got a lamp and made a thorough search of all the premises; but neither saw nor heard anything. That evening we again explored the dark and dreary cellars, &c., in company with another man; and at the extremity of the interior cellar, in a dark corner, found a large towel, clean and ironed, as if dropped by some one. This towel belonged to Mrs. Jewel, and had been washed and laid by about a month ago. We then came to the conclusion that our visitor was flesh and blood, and that his visits were not of an honest character. Under this belief, both Mr. Hubert and myself came to the conclusion that we would bring his ghostship to grief by the application of powder and ball, and for the benefit of all concerned, gave due notice accordingly. Mr. Hubert got his revolver in readiness, and gave my daughter a pistol also; but that night all was still, nothing seen or heard. On Sunday morning we were congratulating ourselves that our threats of vengeance dire had had the desired effect; but about ten o'clock, A. M., our hopes were dispelled by the loud report of a pistol, and the piercing cry of “O my God!” I had instructed my daughter that in case she should see him again to shoot him instantly if he would not speak, and that I would stand between her and any harm. She went to the laundry door for the broom, having her pistol in her pocket, and just inside of the door stood the man, looking directly at her, in the same garb in which she first saw him. She immediately drew the pistol, presented it at him; but he seemed indifferent to the weapon, and at the distance of six feet she fired at him. He at once bent forward, clasping his hands across his breast, exclaiming, “O my God!” and disappeared into the cellar. I heard the report of the pistol, and heard the cry of “O my God!” and, under the impression that she had shot herself, I ran to the door, when she exclaimed, “Father, I have shot him; he is in the cellar.” We, in company with Hubert, got a lamp, went into the cellar, and, as we were going in, she said, “Oh! father, I have killed him! What shall I do?” We looked for the man, searched for the traces of blood; but, to our great surprise and consternation, found neither. On Monday, while placing clothes on the line in the yard, she saw him again. When she asked him who he was, and what he wanted, he looked at her in a very imploring manner, and after having surveyed her attentively, asked, “What is your name?” She replied that her name was A. E. McBain. He then in a clear, shrill voice, said, “Go to No. 74, on the fourth story, and see what you can see!” She, in company with several others, went to the room indicated, but neither saw nor heard anything. This, be it remembered, was at mid-day, in open daylight, with a clear Minnesota sky, and the sun shining brightly. She did not even know that there was such a number in the house on the fourth story. When I asked why she did not at this interview shoot him, she said that he looked so pitiful that she could not find it in her heart to do so. On Thursday, 10th inst., she saw him again, when she fired at him, but as he was rapidly gliding through the cellar door she missed him, lodging the bullet in the wall. Half an hour later she saw him at the cistern, when he beckoned her to him, and told her to tell Mrs. Jewel “to sit on the west side of the table when she held the next circle,” and then disappeared. Mrs. Jewel, who is a practising physician, and a highly-educated lady, myself and daughter, went down, but could see or hear nothing. Now, my daughter never saw Dr. Jewel during his life, and, to test the matter, Dr. Thomas W. Deering took the photographs of seventeen different persons, all men, among which, was one of the late Dr. Jewel, and placed them before her, and asked her, “Are any of these like the man whom you saw?” After looking them over carefully, she took Jewel’s likeness, taken shortly before his death, and said, “Oh! here is the man; I know his face, eyes, and beard.” Dr. Jewel was interred in his wedding suit, and although she did not see him at any time in his life, or know how he was dressed when placed in the coffin, her description was true to the very buttons on his coat. Several men, on Friday night last, paid a visit to the laundry, but beat a hasty retreat, having to encounter the attacks of a dreadful dog with fiery eyes and savage mien; and they declared that it was really a dog, and thought that he belonged to the house; but there is no dog about the premises. This is a brief outline of the singular story, and incredible as it may seem, it is true in every particular. I might add that I have omitted many incidents of minor importance, but these are the main facts. I will not attempt to explain this mystery, but will, if possible, try and solve it. (Signed) F. E. McBAIN.
St. Anthony, March 22, 1868. Prof. McBain and Mr. Hubert relate many circumstances quite as unaccountable, and tell us that their statements can be substantiated by others who have been eye-witnesses. Neither Professor McBain nor his daughter, to whom the apparition appeared, are believers in modern Spiritualism. On the contrary, their opinions are very strongly against it, and they are not liable, therefore, to be easily misled or deceived. The widow of Dr. Jewel is a firm believer in Spiritualism, as are a number of relatives and friends, and at their séances, frequently held, they have received what purported to be a communication from the deceased doctor, stating that he had in reality appeared to Miss McBain, and was often in and about the building. A still later account says:— Since the first announcement of ghostly appearances at the Winslow House, hundreds of people have visited the building, and occupants of the house state that the strange sights and sounds have often been repeated. As the manifestations were very similar to those spoken of in our first account, we have not referred to them, but the following statement in reference to occurrences on last Sunday morning, verified by three witnesses, will be read with interest, and furnishes food for reflection. Mrs. Jewel is at present in Northfield, and expects to start for California in a few days. The prophecy made by the apparition in reference to the burning of an ocean steamer, will furnish a test of his ghostship’s reliability: On Sunday morning last, at about half past eight o’clock, I met a gentleman from Stearns County, by the name of Secord, who came down to see if he could not solve the mystery connected with the “Winslow House Ghost.” He told me his business, and requested me to show him through the haunted portions of the house. He is a strong believer in Spiritualism, and displayed a good deal of enthusiasm in its advocacy, and felt confident that the apparitions which had been previously seen, were from the spirit world. On our way to the engine room, we met Mr. Hubert, who accompanied us. We went through all the cellar rooms and holes in the lower part of the building, and all was silent as the tomb; not a sound was heard nor anything seen until we went into the room on the northwest corner of the building, in which stands a large, heavy table. When we entered this room the door was closed behind us, and owing to the fact that the inside knob was off the lock, I, in a joking manner, remarked that we had closed ourselves in, and would have a poor chance to beat a hasty retreat, if such generalship should, in case of emergency, be required. We were, at this time, about ten feet from the door, and had assumed a half-leaning posture against the table. I had scarcely made the remark about the door being shut on us, when it gently opened back to the wall, and a tall, ghastly-looking man deliberately entered the room. He was clad in a black broadcloth coat and pants, a satin vest, broken and hanging in shreds just above the right hand pocket, showing that it was considerably worn, and his appearance showed what might be called, “shabby gentility.” He was in his stocking feet, which were blue in color, while nearly one-half toward the toes were white. His head was covered by a clean and very white night-cap, with long, broad flaps to it, like a woman’s hood. His beard was long and black, and had a wavy appearance on the chin, while on his upper lip, toward the angles of his mouth, it turned up toward his cheek bones in a long curl. His complexion presented a ghastly and cadaverous appearance, his eyes were large, glassy and rolling, and were deeply sunken in his head, and were shaded by very long, glossy eyelashes. His eyebrows were heavy, but not large, and his forehead was very high and full. When he entered, I must confess that I did not feel quite at ease, and hardly knew where I was; but recovered my thoughts when Mr. Hubert exclaimed, “In the name of God, doctor, what do you want?” I had never seen Dr. Jewel in my life before, and while he was seemingly meditating on his answer to Mr. Hubert’s question, I saw him before me as described above. His appearance was not in point of materiality like anything earthly. It seemed to lack weight and substance, and more resembled the gravity and movement of a very dense and heavy shadow. His movements were noiseless and graceful, and he seemed to slide rather than walk, and looked like a man on skates with both feet together under very slow motion. After a pause of a few seconds which seemed an age, he said, “I have a message to communicate, and have hitherto failed to get any one to whom I could unbosom my troubles, because they seem to fear me, and in their confusion leave me, or forget to ask me the question which you have done. I am not happy in my present sphere, which is one of the lowest, and places me in too close proximity with earthly friends and things. I am permitted, as all are here, to see all that transpires on earth, and our thoughts, like those of strangers in a strange land, are continually reverting to friends and things we have left behind; but those in the higher spheres are too pure and enwrapt in heavenly enjoyments to be defiled by such contaminating scenes—but my probation here will soon terminate, and then upward, higher, and more delightful will be my course. My troubles are concerning my wife and daughter who are shortly going to California, and unless they take this warning they will both be lost. The steamer that will be waiting for them on the Pacific, after being three days out, will be destroyed by fire, and many lives lost. They must not go on that vessel, but on another of smaller dimensions, which will safely reach its destination. This is my trouble, and now I shall be at rest, and will not be here any more.” I then asked him why he had told my daughter to go to room 74 on the fourth story. He said that “it was for the purpose of getting her to go there that she might find an old paper in which was the full account of the destruction of one of the Pacific line of steamers a few years ago.” Why did you desire Mrs. Jewel to sit on the west side of the table? “This I thought would arouse her attention, and cause her to inquire about her projected journey, and then I could impart the necessary information.” Why did you not appear to her instead of my daughter? “I have done so frequently; but although she is fully aware of my presence, is incapable of seeing me, and I cannot speak to those who do not behold me.” The most singular part of this affair is, that although Mr. Secord was standing between Mr. Hubert and myself, he saw nothing, although he distinctly heard all that was said. He attempted to elicit some information from him concerning dead relatives, but he seemed not to heed Mr. Secord’s interrogations at all. His voice was subdued, but clear, and his words were articulated with a marked precision that indicated labored effort, and each sentence was followed by a long pause as if he was pondering over the next sentence before uttering it. He then vanished, but did not go out of the door, and it appeared that he had been in the room half an hour; but as to the exact time I cannot tell. We came into the house and talked the matter over, and the above is the exact version upon which we all agreed. We are satisfied that there was no optical delusion, no working of imagination, but that we both saw and heard what is herein stated. F. E. McBAIN,
T. HUBERT,
SAMUEL SECORD. St. Anthony, April 5, 1863. P. S. For the last twenty years I have combatted both with pen and tongue the manifestations promulgated and placed before the world, as emanating from the spirit land, as mere humbugs; have looked upon Emmanuel Swedenborg’s “Life of Man after Death” as the vagaries of a disordered mind, have pronounced Robert Dale Owen’s “Foot Print” the mere effusions of a visionary; but the painful solemnity of yesterday’s interview is so indelibly stamped upon the tablets of my memory, that it cannot fade while life lasts. Let not the idle jeers of the skeptical be hurled in ridicule on that which is above their reach, or beyond the power of mere man to explain. I am incapable of treating lightly that which my senses of hearing, seeing and feeling incontrovertibly placed before me, and for which science cannot furnish a rational solution, have for days borne the laugh and jeers of many from whom better might have been expected; but all the harm I wish them is, that they had been present at that interview, and beheld the awful solemnity of the scene while listening to the clear, measured tones that came from one whose every appearance clearly indicated that he was not flesh and blood. In the name of reason and charity, respect the feelings of those who are already too much troubled with this unsolicited notoriety, and oblige, Yours truly, F. E. McBAIN. We herewith present the letter addressed to us by Prof. McBain: Sir: Yours of the 15th inst. came duly to hand, and in reply, I beg to state, that I have written those articles over my signature, relative to the “Winslow House Ghost;” and farther state that several others since have had their nerves well tried, and their curiosity satisfied by seeing it also. Whatever it may be is still (to me) a profound mystery; but to others who are Spiritualists, it is, as they assert, nothing new. The sensation is not decreasing by any means, and the appearance of what is supposed to be the ghost of the late Dr. Jewel, is almost of daily occurrence. There is no humbug in the matter whatever, singular as it may appear to the savans of the nineteenth century. Yours in haste, F. E. McBAIN.