On 13th February, 1888, Mr. Walter Hubbell, an actor by profession,"being duly sworn" before a Notary Public in New York, testified tothe following story:--In 1879 he was acting with a strolling company, and came to Amherst,in Nova Scotia. Here he heard of a haunted house, known to the localnewspapers as "The Great Amherst Mystery". Having previouslysucceeded in exposing the frauds of spiritualism Mr. Hubbelldetermined to investigate the affair of Amherst. The haunted housewas inhabited by Daniel Teed, the respected foreman in a large shoefactory. Under his roof were Mrs. Teed, "as good a woman as everlived"; little Willie, a baby boy; and Mrs. Teed's two sisters,Jennie, a very pretty girl, and Esther, remarkable for large greyeyes, pretty little hands and feet, and candour of expression. Abrother of Teed's and a brother of Mrs. Cox made up the family. Theywere well off, and lived comfortably in a detached cottage of twostorys. It began when Jennie and Esther were in bed one night.Esther jumped up, saying that there was a mouse in the bed. Nextnight, a green band-box began to make a rustling noise, and then rosea foot in the air, several times. On the following night Esther feltunwell, and "was a swelling wisibly before the werry eyes" of heralarmed family. Reports like thunder peeled through her chamber,under a serene sky. Next day Esther could only eat "a small piece ofbread and butter, and a large green pickle". She recovered slightly,in spite of the pickle, but, four nights later, all her and hersister's bed-clothes flew off, and settled down in a remote corner.At Jennie's screams, the family rushed in, and found Esther "fearfullyswollen". Mrs. Teed replaced the bed-clothes, which flew off again,the pillow striking John Teed in the face. Mr. Teed then left theroom, observing, in a somewhat unscientific spirit, that "he had hadenough of it". The others, with a kindness which did them credit, saton the edges of the bed, and repressed the desire of the sheets andblankets to fly away. The bed, however, sent forth peels likethunder, when Esther suddenly fell into a peaceful sleep.Next evening Dr. Carritte arrived, and the bolster flew at his head,_and then went back again under Esther's_. While paralysed by thisphenomenon, unprecedented in his practice, the doctor heard a metalpoint scribbling on the wall. Examining the place whence the soundproceeded, he discovered this inscription:--Esther Cox! You are mineto kill.Mr. Hubbell has verified the inscription, and often, later, recognisedthe hand, in writings which "came out of the air and fell at ourfeet". Bits of plaster now gyrated in the room, accompanied by peelsof local thunder. The doctor admitted that his diagnosis was atfault. Next day he visited his patient when potatoes flew at him. Heexhibited a powerful sedative, but pounding noises began on the roofsand were audible at a distance of 200 yards, as the doctor himselftold Mr. Hubbell.The clergy now investigated the circumstances, which they attributedto electricity. "Even the most exclusive class" frequented Mr. Teed'shouse, till December, when Esther had an attack of diphtheria. Onrecovering she went on to visit friends in Sackville, New Brunswick,where nothing unusual occurred. On her return the phenomena brokeforth afresh, and Esther heard a voice proclaim that the house wouldbe set on fire. Lighted matches then fell from the ceiling, but thefamily extinguished them. The ghost then set a dress on fire,apparently as by spontaneous combustion, and this kind of thingcontinued. The heads of the local fire-brigade suspected Esther ofthese attempts at arson, and Dr. Nathan Tupper suggested that sheshould be flogged. So Mr. Teed removed Esther to the house of a Mr.White.In about a month "all," as Mrs. Nickleby's lover said, "was gas andgaiters". The furniture either flew about, or broke into flames.Worse, certain pieces of iron placed as an experiment on Esther's lap"became too hot to be handled with comfort," and then flew away.Mr. Hubbell himself now came on the scene, and, not detectingimposture, thought that "there was money in it". He determined to"run" Esther as a powerful attraction, he lecturing, and Esthersitting on the platform.It did not pay. The audience hurled things at Mr. Hubbell, and thesewere the only volatile objects. Mr. Hubbell therefore brought Estherback to her family at Amherst, where, in Esther's absence, hisumbrella and a large carving knife flew at him with every appearanceof malevolence. A great arm-chair next charged at him like a bull,and to say that Mr. Hubbell was awed "would indeed seem an inadequateexpression of my feelings". The ghosts then thrice undressed littleWillie in public, in derision of his tears and outcries. Fire-raisingfollowed, and that would be a hard heart which could read the taleunmoved. Here it is, in the simple eloquence of Mr. Hubbell:--"This was my first experience with Bob, the demon, as a fire-fiend;and I say, candidly, that until I had had that experience I neverfully realised what an awful calamity it was to have an invisiblemonster, somewhere within the atmosphere, going from place to placeabout the house, gathering up old newspapers into a bundle and hidingit in the basket of soiled linen or in a closet, then go and stealmatches out of the match-box in the kitchen or somebody's pocket, ashe did out of mine, and after kindling a fire in the bundle, tellEsther that he had started a fire, but would not tell where; orperhaps not tell her at all, in which case the first intimation wewould have was the smell of the smoke pouring through the house, andthen the most intense excitement, everybody running with buckets ofwater. I say it was the most truly awful calamity that could possiblebefall any family, infidel or Christian, that could be conceived inthe mind of man or ghost."And how much more terrible did it seem in this little cottage, whereall were strict members of church, prayed, sang hymns and read theBible. Poor Mrs. Teed!"On Mr. Hubbell's remarking that the cat was not tormented, "she wasinstantly lifted from the floor to a height of five feet, and thendropped on Esther's back. . . . I never saw any cat more frightened;she ran out into the front yard, where she remained for the balance(rest) of the day." On 27th June "a trumpet was heard in the houseall day".The Rev. R. A. Temple now prayed with Esther, and tried a littleamateur exorcism, including the use of slips of paper, inscribed withHabakkuk ii. 3. The ghosts cared no more than Voltaire for ce coquind'Habacuc.Things came to such a pass, matches simply raining all round, that Mr.Teed's landlord, a Mr. Bliss, evicted Esther. She went to a Mr. VanAmburgh's, and Mr. Teed's cottage was in peace.Some weeks later Esther was arrested for incendiarism in a barn, wassentenced to four months' imprisonment, but was soon released indeference to public opinion. She married, had a family; and ceased tobe a mystery.This story is narrated with an amiable simplicity, and is backed, moreor less, by extracts from Amherst and other local newspapers. Onmaking inquiries, I found that opinion was divided. Some held thatEsther was a mere impostor and fire-raiser; from other sources Iobtained curious tales of the eccentric flight of objects in herneighbourhood. It is only certain that Esther's case is identicalwith Madame Shchapoff's, and experts in hysteria may tell us whetherthat malady ever takes the form of setting fire to the patient'swardrobe, and to things in general. {239a}After these modern cases of disturbances, we may look at a few old, oreven ancient examples. It will be observed that the symptoms arealways of the same type, whatever the date or country. The first isGaelic, of last century.DONALD BAN AND THE BOCAN {239b}It is fully a hundred years ago since there died in Lochaber a mannamed Donald Ban, sometimes called "the son of Angus," but morefrequently known as Donald Ban of the Bocan. This surname was derivedfrom the troubles caused to him by a bocan--a goblin--many of whosedoings are preserved in tradition.Donald drew his origin from the honourable house of Keppoch, and wasthe last of the hunters of Macvic-Ronald. His home was at Mounessee,and later at Inverlaire in Glenspean, and his wife belonged to theMacGregors of Rannoch. He went out with the Prince, and was presentat the battle of Culloden. He fled from the field, and took refuge ina mountain shieling, having two guns with him, but only one of themwas loaded. A company of soldiers came upon him there, and althoughDonald escaped by a back window, taking the empty gun with him bymistake, he was wounded in the leg by a shot from his pursuers. Thesoldiers took him then, and conveyed him to Inverness, where he wasthrown into prison to await his trial. While he was in prison he hada dream; he saw himself sitting and drinking with Alastair MacCholla,and Donald MacRonald Vor. The latter was the man of whom it was saidthat he had two hearts; he was taken prisoner at Falkirk and executedat Carlisle. Donald was more fortunate than his friend, and wasfinally set free.It was after this that the bocan began to trouble him; and althoughDonald never revealed to any man the secret of who the bocan was (ifindeed he knew it himself), yet there were some who professed to knowthat it was a "gillie" of Donald's who was killed at Culloden. Theirreason for believing this was that on one occasion the man in questionhad given away more to a poor neighbour than Donald was pleased tospare. Donald found fault with him, and in the quarrel that followedthe man said, "I will be avenged for this, alive or dead".It was on the hill that Donald first met with the bocan, but he sooncame to closer quarters, and haunted the house in a most annoyingfashion. He injured the members of the household, and destroyed allthe food, being especially given to dirtying the butter (a thing quitesuperfluous, according to Captain Burt's description of Highlandbutter). On one occasion a certain Ronald of Aberardair was a guestin Donald's house, and Donald's wife said, "Though I put butter on thetable for you tonight, it will just be dirtied". "I will go with youto the butter-keg," said Ronald, "with my dirk in my hand, and hold mybonnet over the keg, and he will not dirty it this night." So the twowent together to fetch the butter, but it was dirtied just as usual.Things were worse during the night and they could get no sleep for thestones and clods that came flying about the house. "The bocan wasthrowing things out of the walls, and they would hear them rattling atthe head of Donald's bed." The minister came (Mr. John Mor MacDougallwas his name) and slept a night or two in the house, but the bocankept away so long as he was there. Another visitor, Angus MacAlisterBan, whose grandson told the tale, had more experience of the bocan'sreality. "Something seized his two big toes, and he could not getfree any more than if he had been caught by the smith's tongs. It wasthe bocan, but he did nothing more to him." Some of the clergy, too,as well as laymen of every rank, were witnesses to the pranks whichthe spirit carried on, but not even Donald himself ever saw him in anyshape whatever. So famous did the affair become that Donald wasnearly ruined by entertaining all the curious strangers who came tosee the facts for themselves.In the end Donald resolved to change his abode, to see whether hecould in that way escape from the visitations. He took all hispossessions with him except a harrow, which was left beside the wallof the house, but before the party had gone far on the road the harrowwas seen coming after them. "Stop, stop," said Donald; "if the harrowis coming after us, we may just as well go back again." The mysteryof the harrow is not explained, but Donald did return to his home, andmade no further attempt to escape from his troubles in this way.If the bocan had a spite at Donald, he was still worse disposedtowards his wife, the MacGregor woman. On the night on which he lastmade his presence felt, he went on the roof of the house and cried,"Are you asleep, Donald Ban?" "Not just now," said Donald. "Put outthat long grey tether, the MacGregor wife," said he. "I don't thinkI'll do that tonight," said Donald. "Come out yourself, then," saidthe bocan, "and leave your bonnet." The good-wife, thinking that thebocan was outside and would not hear her, whispered in Donald's ear ashe was rising, "Won't you ask him when the Prince will come?" Thewords, however, were hardly out of her mouth when the bocan answeredher with, "Didn't you get enough of him before, you grey tether?"Another account says that at this last visit of the bocan, he wassaying that various other spirits were along with him. Donald's wifesaid to her husband: "I should think that if they were along with himthey would speak to us"; but the bocan answered, "They are no moreable to speak than the sole of your foot". He then summoned Donaldoutside as above. "I will come," said Donald, "and thanks be to theGood Being that you have asked me." Donald was taking his dirk withhim as he went out, but the bocan said, "leave your dirk inside,Donald, and your knife as well".Donald then went outside, and the bocan led him on through rivers anda birch-wood for about three miles, till they came to the river Fert.There the bocan pointed out to Donald a hole in which he had hiddensome plough-irons while he was alive. Donald proceeded to take themout, and while doing so the two eyes of the bocan were causing himgreater fear than anything else he ever heard or saw. When he had gotthe irons out of the hole, they went back to Mounessie together, andparted that night at the house of Donald Ban.Donald, whether naturally or by reason of his ghostly visitant, was areligious man, and commemorated his troubles in some verses which bearthe name of "The Hymn of Donald Ban of the Bocan". In these he speaksof the common belief that he had done something to deserve all thisannoyance, and makes mention of the "stones and clods" which flewabout his house in the night time. Otherwise the hymn is mainlycomposed of religious sentiments, but its connection with the storymakes it interesting, and the following is a literal translation ofit.
