"On the 5th April 1873 my wife's father, Captain Towns, died at
his residence, Cranbrook, Rose Bay, near Sydney, N. S. Wales.
About six weeks after his death my wife had occasion one
evening about nine o'clock to go to one of the bedrooms in the
house. She was accompanied by a young lady, Miss Berthon, and
as they entered the room--the gas burning all the time--they
were amazed to see, reflected as it were on the polished
surface of the wardrobe, the image of Captain Towns. It was
barely half figure, the head, shoulders, and part of the arms
only showing--in fact, it was like an ordinary medallion
portrait, but life-size. The face appeared wan and pale, as it
did before his death, and he wore a kind of grey flannel
jacket, in which he had been accustomed to sleep. Surprised and
half-alarmed at what they saw, their first idea was that a
portrait had been hung in the room, and that what they saw was
its reflection; but there was no picture of the kind.
"Whilst they were looking and wondering, my wife's sister, Miss
Towns, came into the room, and before either of the others had
time to speak, she exclaimed, 'Good gracious! Do you see papa?'
One of the housemaids happened to be passing downstairs at the
moment, and she was called in and asked if she saw anything,
and her reply was, 'Oh, miss! the master.' Graham--Captain
Towns' old body-servant--was then sent for, and he also
immediately exclaimed, 'Oh, Lord save us! Mrs Lett, it's the
captain!' The butler was called, and then Mrs Crane, my wife's
nurse, and they both said what they saw. Finally, Mrs Towns
was sent for, and, seeing the apparition, she advanced towards
it with her arm extended as if to touch it, and as she passed
her hand over the panel of the wardrobe the figure gradually
faded away, and never again appeared, though the room was
regularly occupied for a long time after.
"These are the simple facts of the case, and they admit of no
doubt; no kind of intimation was given to any of the witnesses;
the same question was put to each one as they came into the
room, and the reply was given without hesitation by each. It
was by the merest accident that I did not see the apparition. I
was in the house at the time, but did not hear when I was
called."
"C. A. W. LETT."
"We the undersigned, having read the above statement, certify
that it is strictly accurate, as we were both witnesses of the
apparition.
"SARA LETT,
"SIBBIE SMYTH
"(_née_ TOWNS.)"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account