Girl who paints in her sleep.
Peasant’s strange gift.
Physic problem [sic]
By a Berlin Correspondent.
Considerable interest has been attracted to the case of a German peasant girl, Hannah Zupp, on account of the mysterious psychic manifestations which are said to occur in her presence. Fraulein Zupp, who is 15, lives in a small village not far from the main manufacturing town of Zizkov, in the Province of Bohemia.
I have spoken with her, and she confesses she is unable to account for the mysterious happenings. She is dark, strikingly handsome, and spends the best part of her time helping her mother in her household duties. Her father works on a nearby farm. Hannah’s mother told me that the first psychic manifestations occurred nearly 10 years ago. At that time, Hannah was subject to epileptic fits, an illness which she has long since outgrown. Each fit was invariably followed by a disturbance in some part of the house.
China would fly, chairs and tables move, and books and ornaments drop to the floor. That the disturbances were in some way centred on the daughter was proved by the fact that when Hannah was sent away for a period of nearly a year they immediately ceased. It was said that the manifestations were due to a poltergeist (“mischievous ghost”) which was attracted by Hannah’s personality. However, they appeared to become less frequent, and by the time she was eleven, and was no longer subject to fits, they entirely ceased.
Throughout the next three years, peace reigned in the Zupp household. Then a mysterious change came over Hannah. From an ordinarily looking child, she became the handsome girl she now is. The change was not gradual, but was effected within the space of two or three months. She still bears a slight resemblance to her mother, but is quite unrecognisable from the girl of less than two years ago.
She also became a sleep walker. During the night, she would walk from her bedrom to the humble parlour of her parents’ cottage, and execute some remarkable sketches with a pencil. She has now developed this gift to such an extent that in less than two hours she can paint in water colours extremely beautiful landscapes and seascapes. I have seen some specimens of her work, and can vouch for their originality and high artistic merit. Hannah has had no artistic training, and declares she remembers nothing of her sleep walking.
Still more remarkable, perhaps, is her ability to go into trance and speak in French, Russian, and Greek without the slightest trace of a German accent. She has also written down long messages in all three languages in a handwriting quite different from her own. She can go in trance at will, but, like most mediums, can give no idea of what passes during her periods of unconsciousness.
I have not actually seen the girl in any of her psychic phases, but many people have assured me of the accuracy of the reports. Nor is it easy to accept the theory of fraud, for it is a fact that the Zupp family have not made a single penny from Hannah’s manifestations. Indeed, they seem to resent the publicity which the affair is bringing them.
One thing I did see, however, which seems fairly conclusive evidence of the truth of Hannah’s claims. Occasionally, when waking in the morning, she has noticed peculiar red markings on various parts of her body. The markings sometimes take the form of a perfect circle, but more often a cross. They do not occur at any given intervals, and sometimes there is a space of months between one manifestation and the other.
It is possible that Hannah may shortly be examined by a committee of scientists and psychic experts. She expressed her willingness to undergo the test, although her mother is not anxious she should do so, on account of the additional publicity which may be involved.
Meanwhile, Hannah considers herself a very uninteresting little person and is carrying on with her household duties in the ordinary way.
The Sunday Sun, 19th October 1930.