Newspaper Clipping of the Day

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Proof of reincarnation--sort of--appeared in the “Ottawa Citizen," December 16, 1933:

LONDON (by mail).-Here is the man who has "died" three times in three years. He is Mr. Tim Sandell, of Templar street, Camberwell.

On the first occasion the report spread among his friends that he had met with a sudden and mysterious death, and that a post-mortem was to be made. His wife's friends called to console her.

A few months ago he was in hospital. Again the report went round that he had died.  Again the friends called to sympathize.

At five o'clock on a recent Monday morning a policeman knocked at the door to tell Mrs. Sandell that her husband had been knocked down by a motor car at Wandsworth and was dead.

Mr. Sandell answered the knock, and protested that he hadn't and wasn't.  The cause of the mistake was that the dead man had with him a pair of boxing gloves bearing Mr. Sandell's name and one-time address.

Mr. Sandell told the story of his latest "death" to a press representative.

"The police, in their efforts to trace me," he said, "first went to the address in Brixton marked on the gloves, and subsequently to every address at which we have lived since.

"All along the trail the news spread like wildfire that I had been killed.  A friend at Smithfield disgustedly informed me last night that they had whipped round for a wreath for me!

"A man I met that night turned deathly pale when he saw me. He took some time to recover.

"Then I attended the inquest on the still unidentified body.  I shall always think of it as my own inquest."

When Mr. Sandell finally did shuffle off this mortal coil for good and earnest, I assume everyone--including Mr. Sandell--was a bit surprised.

Newspaper Clipping of the Day

This odd little story appeared in the “Burlington Republican,” March 20, 1884.  It is a reprint from the “Gatesville (Texas) Advance.” (Via Newspapers.com)

Last week Mrs. Reneau, who with her husband and family lived on Coryell Creek, some five miles from Turnersville, died rather suddenly. At the time of her death several neighbors were present, together with the attending physicians, Dr. J. D. Calaway, of Turnersville, and Dr. Toland, of Jonesboro.

When the spirit had parted from the body and wended its way to the home above, a sight was seen which, to the faithful ones who were watching by the couch, was as startling as it was real. The spectacle presented itself just above the house and was frightful in the extreme. Six coffins of different sizes were seen to come and hover immediately above the house. The night was dark, and ordinary objects at any distance were invisible, but the coffins were as plainly seen as they would have been in broad daylight. When the gaunt and ghastly coffins had been visible for some time they disappeared, and as they seemed to glide gently upward sounds of the sweetest and most melodious music were heard, and seemed to accompany the dark omens in the journey toward the skies.

We did not see any of the parties who saw the strange phenomenon, but no doubt can be entertained of their veracity, or the facts regarding the strange sight as herein stated. The phenomenon was indeed a curious one and we do not remember to have ever chronicled such a rare occurrence before.

Newspaper Clipping of the Day

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This unsettling little story--which definitely belongs in the “Odd Stuff That's Impossible to Categorize” file--appeared in the “Louisville Courier-Journal” on July 30, 1876:

One of my neighbors has had a very mysterious experience lately.  He went out to plow about sunrise a short time since, and he saw, as he thought, one of his neighbors walking among his wheat shocks, thinking at the same time that he acted rather queer by keeping his back toward him all the time, though quite near; but he paid no particular attention to him, only casting an occasional glance to see what he was at.  On getting to the far side of the field, he turned his team and started back, and again saw the man very plainly; he was still walking about without any apparent object in view, but, on getting near enough to clearly note the movements of the figure, it was observed to take three long strides, throw up its hands, and then float in the air near the surface of the earth for a distance of fifteen or twenty feet, and suddenly vanish into nothingness.  Such is the tale my neighbor tells me, and he entirely believes it.  He is neither superstitious nor timid; is about twenty years old, and of undoubted courage and coolness.  Mr. Starr, the name of the gentleman who saw the vision, will convince anyone who will talk to him of his own honest belief in the apparition.  On one of two occasions he was within twenty feet of it, and it could not possibly have been an optical illusion.