Failure. Later Miracles. The Fire-raiser Arrested. Parallels. A
Highland Case. A Hero of the Forty-Five. Donald na Bocan. Donald's
Hymn. Icelandic Cases. The Devil of Hjalta-stad. The Ghost at
Garpsdal.
MORE HAUNTED HOUSES
A physician, as we have seen, got the better of the demon in Mrs.
Shchapoff's case, at least while the lady was under his care. Really
these disturbances appear to demand the attention of medical men. If
the whole phenomena are caused by imposture, the actors, or actresses,
display a wonderful similarity of symptoms and an alarming taste for
fire-raising. Professor William James, the well-known psychologist,
mentions ten cases whose resemblances "suggest a natural type," and we
ask, is it a type of hysterical disease? {229} He chooses, among
others, an instance in Dr. Nevius's book on Demon Possession in China,
and there is another in Peru. He also mentions The Great Amherst
Mystery, which we give, and the Rerrick case in Scotland (1696),
related by Telfer, who prints, on his margins, the names of the
attesting witnesses of each event, lairds, clergymen, and farmers.
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