Ghost stirs an Ohio community.
Uncanny visitor pumps water and works around in the kitchen.
Tells of buried money.
Spirit gives name as Martha Donald and thus adds to mystery.
Whole countryside flocks to farm in Preble county.
Piqua, O. – Hundreds of people have visited the Heeter home in the vicinity three miles east of Sonora in Preble county within the last few days. During the last few weeks all sorts of ghostly manifestations have taken place here. Since the fact was first made known several weeks ago the whole countryside has been caught up over the mysterious happenings and various mediums who have been called to investigate have tried to explain the phenomena.
Not only by rappings in the house does a spirit give evidence of its presence, but out in the yard the pump handle moves up and down, impelled by some invisible force, while the water flows freely. A sound of thumping is heard as if from a metal washtub; kettles rise from the stove, float about in the air and then return to their places. A number of people have attempted to investigate and the following is the story told by one of these venturesome individuals:
“I first asked the invisible visitor how long it had been in the house and to give a rap for each month. It gave eight raps. ‘How long will you stay here?’ I asked. It rapped six times. ‘Will you tell me your name? If so rap three times.’ It answered ‘Yes.’
‘Now,’ I said, ‘I will begin at the top of the alphabet and name the letters as I go down and when I come to the letters of your name, in regular order, tap once.’ When he came to M the ghost rapped. The investigator then went back to the beginning and when he got to A it rapped again and so it continued until it spelled the name Martha Donald. This man never knew a Martha Donald or that anyone of that name had ever lived in that house. He then said to the spirit: ‘I will ask you some questions. If you answer ‘yes’ rap three times; if ‘no’ rap twice. Are you in trouble? “No.” Do you wish to tell anything? “Yes.” It then went on and told (by rapping) about some money that had been buried and said that it wanted so much of the money to be Mrs Heeter’s, so much to be given to her boy and the rest to pay for a monument, and if Mrs Heeter would go out near the barn when she was near the place it would give three raps in the house. It was midnight and the old lady was not asked to go to the barn.
It is also claimed that the window panes respond to the summons of the unseen influences and reply with promptness and precision to the questions that are propounded by visitors who are anxious to ascertain whether the wonderful tales that are told are true.
It is stated that so pronounced are the manifestations that even the most skeptical go away completely mystified by the inexplicable happenings about the Heeter farm. Magicians, astrologers and others who adhere to the belief that spirits periodically manifest themselves on earth declare that this is the most conclusive evidence of their doctrine that they have ever observed and their fidelity to occultism has grown commensurately stronger.
The story has spread broadcast and hundreds of people have visited the scene until the Heeter family is annoyed to the point of exasperation by the notoriety they have unwittingly attained and the unwelcome attentions that have been thrust upon them.
Long Valley Advocate (Idaho), May 16th, 1907.