About this episode
“The manifestations described in this story commenced one year ago. No person has yet been able to ascertain their cause. Scientific men from all parts of Canada and the United States have investigated them in vain. Some people think that electricity is the principal agent; others, mesmerism; whilst others again, are sure they are produced by the devil. Of the three supposed causes, the latter is certainly the most plausible theory, for some of the manifestations are remarkably devilish in their appearance and effect.” The opening lines of an account that describes an event that perplexed, excited and angered the citizens of the small, Canadian town of Amherst in the 19th Century. It probably comes as no surprise that the man who wrote them had a professional flair for dramatics, though the events were hardly short of drama to begin with. A young girl, haunted by demons, whose story book-ended a series of supernormal events with an assault and a conviction for arson. SOURCES Hubbell, Walter (1879) The Great Amherst Mystery. "Daily News" Steam Publishing Office, Canada. Prince, Walter F. (1919) A Critical Study of The Great Amherst Mystery. Journal of the American Society of Psychical Research, Vol. XIII. NY, USA. Carrington, Hereward (1913) Personal Experiences in Spiritualism. Read Books Ltd. UK. Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1897) Long Island’s Hamlet. Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 15 Dec. 1897, p.7, NY, USA. The Montreal Star (1881) Strange Doings. The Montreal Star, 25 May. 1881, p.3, Montreal, Canada. The Daily Expositor (1879) Esther Cox The Medium: Is She A Humbug? The Daily Expositor, 15 Jul 1879, p.1. Ontario, Canada. The Montreal Star (1879) The Amherst Mystery. The Montreal Star, 18 Jul 1879, p.2, Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Star (1879) The Amherst Mystery. The Montreal Star, 10 May 1879, p.3, Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Star (1879) The Amherst Mystery. The Montreal Star, 19 May 1879, p.3, Montreal, Canada. Ottawa Daily Citizen (1879) The Amherst Mystery Revived. Ottawa Daily Citizen, 7 May 1879, p.1, Ottawa, Canada. The Montreal Star (1879) The Amherst Mystery Further Developments. The Montreal Star, 25 Jan 1879, p.3, Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Star (1878) The Amherst Mystery A Puzzle For Scientists. The Montreal Star, 21 Nov 1878, p.3, Montreal, Canada. Ottawa Daily Citizen (1878) The Amherst Mystery. Ottawa Daily Citizen, 23 Nov 1878, p.1, Ottawa, Canada. The Montreal Star (1878) The Amherst Mystery. The Montreal Star, 13 Dec 1878, p.3, Montreal, Canada. Evansville Courier and Press (1888) A Wonderful Book . 23 Apr 1888, p.1. Indiana, USA. ---------- For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9 Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories & Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/ Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com or via voicemail on: (415) 286-5072 or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices