"My Experiences at the MacDonald Homestead"
by H. B. Whidden

...page 4

During the twenty-five minutes or half an hour which witnessed the strange sounds, the footsteps, the touch on Carroll’s arm and the blow or impression on my arm, a feeling entirely new to me posessed me. I was simply that there was a strange presence in the house, and I was filled with expectancy. The impression could not be compared with any that I had ever experienced before. I was wide-awake at the time. Fifteen or twenty minutes after the slap on the arm, the strange feeling had entirely disappeared from my conscious mind at least. I felt that the strange power or presence had left the place.

This may sound incredible to some readers; nevertheless every word of it is absolutely true. The only thing wrong with it is that it is impossible for me to describe the impressions and occurrences adequately. Perhaps some people could—perhaps nobody could.

There were many who thought me indiscreet and lacking in common-sense to write this experience for the general public. No one knew better than I that I stood in danger of ruining my reputation for life, that I would be ridiculed and censored in some quarters. But I was so thoroughly convinced that my impressions were not imagined –that they were true and honest –that I resolved, even if the whole world laughed and scoffed, to tell the truth. I am glad now that I had the courage to do so.

Since then I have had what to me was a stupendous experience, which has opened a new page in my life. My mind has been revolutionized: my conception of the Unseen has altered somewhat. In other words, I was stone blind and a strange light has given me sight. As a result of this experience—and even though some people will scoff and ridicule—I feel that I must tell the world, that in my humble opinion, the mysterious fires in Alexander Macdonald’s house and the mysterious unfastening of his cows were caused by the spirits.

And I will tell you why I am convinced of this.

Some time Thursday afternoon or evening, March 9, Dr. Walter Franklin Prince; principal research officer of the American Research Society, New York, who went to the Macdonald house to carry on a scientific investigation, said casually that he would not mind giving Mr. McRitchie and myself a psychological test he added that he did not expect it to succeed, but that it would do no harm to try it anyway. He also said that of the two, I seemed the more likely to be physic. We innocently tried the experiment. It was simple.

He spread several sheets of common news-copy paper on the small table in the dining room of the house and asked Mr. McRitchie to hold the pencil in his hand passively over the paper. He then gave anyone (meaning spirits) who desired to communicate, an opportunity. Nothing happened. I went through a similar test with no better success. Personally I did not expect anything to happen.

The next afternoon I decided, out of curiosity, to ask the doctor at different times during our stay in the house to repeat the test, but did not for a minute even imagine that there would be any success.