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Showing posts with label apparition seen by multiple witnesses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apparition seen by multiple witnesses. Show all posts

Friday, January 30, 2026

When Apparitions Get Observed by Not Just One

Let us look at cases of apparitions reportedly seen by more than one witness, without repeating any of the examples given in my posts mentioned at the end of this post.

Below is a report of two workers seeing an apparition of a worker who recently died at their work site:

saw ghost of co-worker

You can read the account here:

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88085947/1910-03-27/ed-1/seq-12/

Below is an account of two people seeing the same apparition, an account found on page 99 of the February 13, 1936 edition of the periodical Light:

ghost seen by more than one
You can read the account here:

http://iapsop.com/archive/materials/light/light_v56_n2875_feb_13_1936.pdf

Below is a report of four people seeing the same apparition:

ghost seen by four

You can read the account here:


Below is a report of several workers seeing an apparition of a worker who recently died at their work site:

ghost seen by more than one

You can read the account here:

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86075298/1923-09-07/ed-1/seq-7/

Below is another report of several workers seeing an apparition of a worker who recently died at their work site:

ghost seen by more than one

You can read the account here:


Below is another account of an apparition seen by more than one. We read that "the ghost has been seen repeatedly by every member of the family." 

haunted house

You can read the account here:


Below is an account of an apparition seen by multiple witnesses:

apparition seen by more than one

The account above is found on the front page of October 1934 edition of The International Psychic Gazette, which you can read below:


At the link here we read an account of actor Henry Oscar claiming that he saw an apparition that many other have seen. At the link here we read of an apparition apparently seen by more than one at a school.  At the link here we read of multiple witnesses claiming to see the same apparition of a girl ghost. 

For other cases of apparitions seen by multiple witnesses, see my posts below:

When Multiple Witnesses See the Same Apparition


Many Said They Saw Nelly Butler's Apparition

If the topic of this post interested you, you may want to check out my free 292-page book "Eeriest Events," now available on www.archive.org using the link here. The book discusses phenomena such as near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, apparition sightings, deathbed visions and precognitive visions.  Using the native www.archive.org file viewer in single-page mode,  you can conveniently read the whole book by finger swiping. Scholars who are interested in following the links may prefer to download the book as a PDF file, which will allow opening links by right-clicking on a link. 
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Friday, September 19, 2025

When Apparitions Get Multiple Witnesses

Let us look at some cases of apparitions seen by more than one witness. 

Below is a report of several workers seeing an apparition of a worker (Herman Neitzell) who recently died at their work site:

ghost seen by more than one

You can read the account here:


Here is a newspaper account of an apparition seen by two different witnesses, both of which claimed to have seen the apparition of Fred F. Lange. There is a strange additional detail of 3 photos taken of Lange's corpse, which all come up blank. 


You can read the account here:


Here is another newspaper account of an apparition seen by two different witnesses:

ghost seen by two

You can read the account here:


Below we read of an apparition of a Colonel Brice. In the account a professor says he saw the apparition once, and that an associate saw the apparition three times. The professor says the apparition was transparent, and walked through the professor's bed.


ghost seen by more than one

You can read the account here:


Below is a rather chilling story of multiple witnesses seeing an apparition, not just once but multiple times, apparently:

haunted house

Below is an account of an apparition seen by six witnesses, including an ex-Congressman:

six men see ghost

You can read the account here:


Below is another case of an apparition reportedly seen by multiple witnesses:

ghost seen by many

You can read the account here:

Below we have a very dramatic account of an apparition witnessed by a very sick child's father and the child's stepmother. The apparition reportedly had an appearance matching that of the child's deceased mother. 

ghost of mother

You can read the account here:


Below is a quote from a scholarly article, in which the author quotes an account he heard on TV. The witness claims that he and five other people saw an apparition corresponding to a person who was at the time close to death. It's one of the rare cases of an apparition of the living, which tend to occur when the person matching the apparition is having a close brush with death. 

"In recently watching the Jonathan Ross show again on the 29th October, quite unexpectedly, another guest and poet, Benjamin Zephaniah, presented another experience for all to hear. Following asking about attitudes towards Halloween, Ross, already primed with information on his guests, asks Zephaniah, 'am I right in thinking that you had a sort of supernatural experience once?' Drifting into thought and recollection, he replied, 'Yes, I had a very, very weird experience, and interestingly y’know, a lot of these experiences happen in the night when there’s shadows y’know and stuff like that, but this happened in broad daylight. Me, and five other people, were in a house in Birmingham. We were waiting for cousin to come home. She walked in [through] the front door, through the front room, and out the backdoor. And we went to see her, and she wasn’t there.'  The other guests on Ross’s show clearly shocked with stunned reactions at this point. He continues, 'And we all saw her. Later on that day, we found out that she’d been hit by a car, died for about five minutes or whatever it is, and came back to life [Ross lets out a ‘wow’ with his eye fixated on Zephaniah], and it wasn’t just me, like I said there were five others who witnessed it… And I’m not really one of those people that believes in that stuff, I’m into science y’know, but I also understand that there is stuff that we can’t prove.' Ross remarks that normally he would dismiss that sort of thing, and yet, it was hard to with Zephaniah’s account as it sounds so convincing, especially as sober and level headed gentleman." 

In the 1914 news account below, we have quite a few prisoners in the same jail claiming to see the same apparition, an apparition of John F. Jones, who hanged himself in the same jail in 1896. We read of nine prisoners pleading guilty, and the article suggests that more than a dozen confessed because of the apparition, saying, "Investigations of the reasons brought out the story of the 'ghost' and also the remarkable fact that in the past ten years twenty murderers had made confessions of guilt urged on by the same cause." 

ghost seen by more than one

You can read the account here:


The account here is quite the "haunted house" account. There are many details of people seeing spooky things in the house. We hear that a Mr. and Mrs. Siegal several times saw a ghost walk through their living room. But the second-hand nature of the account means it is not first-class evidence of an apparition. 

On page 136 of the document here, we read that some paranormal investigators said they saw an apparition of a man holding a baby. 

In a previous post I briefly mentioned the case of Mary Goffe, writing only this:

"The case of Mary Goffe was one of the earliest reports of an apparition of a living person.  On her death bed in 1691, Mary Goffe claimed that she had seen her children who had been entrusted to the care of a nurse far away. She claimed 'I was with them last night, when I was asleep.'  The nurse swore that she saw Mary Goffe appear at two o'clock, and that she visited the children. The nurse said, 'If I ever saw her in all my life, I saw her on this night.' "

My discussion was rather lacking, in that it did not refer to the original source material, which should always be cited whenever possible.  I have since found the original version of this account. It is on page 147 of the book The Certainty of the World of Spirits, published in 1691. On page 147, and the next few pages, we have the original account, which occurs in the form of a letter written by Reverend Thomas Tilson, dated July 6, 1691. I would quote the whole account exactly as it appears in its original form, except that it would be hard to read in the original because of all the antiquated typography in which the letter "s" is printed as "f." 

But luckily the 1691 letter from Thomas Tilson  is quoted exactly in a 1929 facsimile in the January 12, 1929 edition of the journal Light. Here is the account as quoted in that edition, which matches the original text:

"Mary, the wife of John Goffe, of Rochester, being afflicted with a long illness, removed to her father’s house, at West Mulling, which is about nine miles distant from her own; there she died, June 4th, 1691. The day before her departure, she grew impatiently desirous to see her two children, whom she had left at home, to the care of a nurse. She prayed her husband to hire a horse, for she must go home, and die with her children. When they persuaded her to the contrary, telling her she was not fit to be taken out of her bed, nor able to sit on horseback, she entreated them however to try....The next day this dying woman told her mother, that she had been at home with her children. 'That is impossible'  said the mother, ' for you have been here in bed all the while.'  'Yes'  replied the other, 'but I was with them last night when I was asleep.' 

The nurse at Rochester, Widow Alexander by name, affirms and says, she will take her oath of it before a magistrate, and receive the sacrament upon it, that a little before two o’clock that morning, she saw the likeness of the said Mary Goffe come out of the next chamber (where the elder child lay in a bed by itself, the door being left open) and stood by her bed-side for about a quarter of an hour : the younger child was there lying by her; her eyes moved and her mouth went, but she said nothing. The nurse, moreover, says that she was perfectly awake; it was then day-light, being one of the longest days in the year. She sat up in her bed, and looked steadfastly upon the apparition; at that time she heard the bridge clock strike two, and awhile after said,  'In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, what art thou?'  Thereupon the appearance removed, and went away; she slipped on her clothes and followed, but what became of it she cannot tell. Then, and not before, she began to be grievously affrighted, and went out of doors and walked upon the wharf (the house is just by the riverside) for some hours, only going in now and then to look at the children. At five o’clock she went to a neighbour’s house, and knocked at the door, but they would not rise; at six she went again, then they arose and let her in. She related to them all that had passed; they would persuade her she was mistaken, or dreamt: but she confidently affirmed, ' If ever I saw her in all my life, I saw her this night.' One of those to whom she made the relation (Mary, the wife of J. Sweet) had a messenger who came from Mulling that forenoon, to let her know her neighbour Groffe was dying,-and desired to speak with her; she went over the same day, and found her just departing. The mother, amongst other discourse, related to her how much her daughter had longed to see her children and said she had seen them. This brought to Mrs. Sweet’s mind, what the nurse had told her that morning, for till then, she had not thought fit to mention it, but disguised it, rather as the woman’s disturbed imagination. 

The substance of this, I had related to me by John Carpenter, the father of the deceased, next day after the burial. July 2nd, I fully discoursed the matter with the nurse, and two neighbours, to whose house she went that morning. Two days after, 1 had it from the mother, the minister that was with her in the even, and the woman who sat up with her last that night: they all agree in the same story, and every one helps to strengthen the other’s testimony. They all appear to be sober intelligent persons, far enough off from designing to impose a cheat upon the world, or to manage a lie, and what temptation they should lie under for so doing, I cannot conceive." --
 Thomas Tilson. Minister of Aylesworth, near Maidstone in Kent, Aylesford, July 6, 1691

We have here high-quality evidence for the reality of this astonishing appearance of an apparition of a dying person. A very important fact is that the testimony has been written down within about a month after the claimed events, with the writer being someone who interviewed most of the relevant witnesses, including the nurse who claimed to see the apparition. According to the account, both the nurse and one of Mary Goffe's children saw the apparition, so we may classify this case as one of the cases of an apparition seen by more than one. 

A Google search for "Soyuz 7 angels" produces quite a few web pages claiming that astronauts on the Soyuz 7 mission of the Soviet Union in 1969 saw apparitions of angels or mysterious beings outside of their space station.  I have been unable to yet track down the original source of this account, or any firsthand testimony from any of these astronauts. So I don't know whether this claim is reliable. 

For other cases of apparitions seen by multiple witnesses, see my posts below:

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Friday, August 1, 2025

Many Said They Saw Nelly Butler's Apparition

 My "Spookiest Years" series of 18 posts (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here,  here, here, here, here, here and here and here)  is a series documenting spooky events between 1848 and the early 20th century. I started with the year 1848 because that was the year of the famous rap noises reported by members of the Fox family in Hydesville, New York (USA), a phenomenon later reported in many other places such as Rochester, New York. When I started the series, I had not heard of events in Sullivan, Maine (USA) in the year 1800. But the spooky events reported in that town in that year were so dramatic that I should perhaps have started my "Spookiest Years" series in the year 1800. 

One of the witnesses was Paul Blaisdel, who reported (as discussed later in this post) seeing something like what is depicted below:

ghost seen by many

This case occurring in Sullivan, Maine was only very briefly mentioned in one of my previous posts on this topic. I have found a much more detailed reference, on page 4 of the October 1, 1857 edition of the British Spiritual Telegraph, which you can read here:

"One of the most interesting eases of modem spiritual manifestations  was by the spirit of Mrs. Nelly Butler in the town of Sullivan in this State [Maine]. What made it exceedingly interesting was the extensive manner in which she made herself manifest by the exhibition of her own form and voice. She first became manifest by raps and by conversation with her own natural voice in the year 1799 ; and by the exhibition of her own form in the year 1800. Originally the principal medium was Lydia Blaisdell, who afterwards became Mrs. Lydia Butler.  On the 18th of August, 1800, this spirit went in company with Mrs. Butler and forty-seven other persons about a half a mile. Rev. Abraham Cummings, who was uncle to the late Dr. Asa Cummings, wrote a history of the appearances of this spirit, and published it in 1826. He took and printed the testimony of thirty-one witnesses, who had seen or conversed with the spirit in the year 1800. Mr. Cummings in his narrative says: 'With all these witnesses 1 am intimately acquainted. I took these testimonies from their lips, for the most part, separately.'  After giving the testimony, Mr. Cummings says: 'The above witnesses are exhibited not for the want of more, (for more than a hundred have seen the spectre, or have heard her words,) but because repetition is tedious.' The testimony, part or all of it, was taken in the year 1800. One witness, Dorcas Johnson, speaking of the manifestation on the 18th of August, says . 'There I heard and saw the spectre. Her voice was distinct from any other, and her music the most delightful that I ever heard. When she walked with us, she moved without stepping. And when we arrived at the house, by direction of the spectre, given to my brother, James Springer, and by him to the company in our hearing, we opened to the right and left, so that the spectre and Mrs. Butler passed together between our ranks. Then she vanished from my new, and I saw her no more.'  The testimony of others is equally explicit, 

The principal medium soon died, I think in 1801. But the spirit continued to be seen afterwards. Mr. Cummings himself had the pleasure of seeing her form in July 1800. It appears that the character of each witness was good ; that the spirit was manifested on one occasion in the presence of twenty persons ; and on another occasion in the presence of forty-eight persons. Not all of these, however, saw her at those times. But most of those, who did not see her on one occasion, were permitted to have their vision opened and see her on other occasions. After waiting twenty-six years, Mr. Cummings felt it his duty to publish the history."

 In any case like this it is always best to try and track down the publication that first reported such things; and I was able to find that document. The original report of the events seems to have first published in 1826 by Abraham Cummings in his book "Immortality Proved by the Testimony of Sense: In Which Is Contemplated the Doctrine of Spectres, and the Existence of a Particular Spectre," which you can read here. In that document Cummings says he is publishing 26 years after the described events, which mainly occurred in 1800.  The document is dated 1859, but it says on its third page that it is a verbatim reprint of an earlier publication, apparently the document Cummings published in 1826. 

The first half of the document is rather confusing, as it quotes a series of letters from an anonymous writer describing the apparition sightings, who mostly does not do a very clear job of narrating what happened. But the writer of these anonymous letters does speak rather clearly when he says this about the sighting of the female apparition:

"The times, places and modes of her appearing were various. Sometimes she appeared to be alone, as the events which followed bore witness: for the testimony of events is sometime more valid than that of persons. Sometimes she appeared to two or three ; then to five or six; then to ten or twelve; again to twenty, and once to more than forty witnesses. She appeared in several apartments of Mr. Blaisdel’s house, and several times in the cellar. She also appeared at other houses, and several times in the open field, as already observed. There, white as the light, she moved like a cloud above the ground in personal form and magnitude, in the presence of more than forty people. She tarried with them till after day-light, and vanished: not because she was afraid of the sun: for she had then several times appeared when the sun was shining. Once in particular, when she appeared in the room where the family were, about eleven o’clock in the day, they all left the house; but convinced of the impropriety of their conduct they returned."

Cummings on page 41 begins quoting testimony he took from particular witnesses, mostly named witnesses. I will skip over several testimonies that describe something that might easily have been faked, and also testimonies by anonymous witnesses, and try to quote only the testimonies of named witnesses that describe something hard to explain by fakery. You can click on the links to go the corresponding part of the book containing that testimony.

In the account below Captain George Butler mentions his first wife, who then according to witnesses appears as an apparition seen by many. On page 73 this first wife is named as being Nelly Butler. In the text of the book we also have mentions of "Mrs. Butler" or Lydia, who seems to be Captain Butler's second wife. 

Below is some of the testimony recorded in the book.

Deposition of Capt. George Butler

"When I was called to talk with this voice, I asked, 'who are you!' It answered, ‘I was once your wife.’ The voice asked me, ‘Do you not remember what I told you when I was alive.' I answered, 'I do not really know what you mean.' The voice said, ' Do you not remember I told you 1 did not think I should live long with you. I told you that if you was to leave me I should never wish to change my condition; but that if I was to leave you, I could not blame you, if you did.' 

This passed between me and my first wife, while she was alive, and there was no living person within hearing, but she and myself, and I am sure that this was never revealed to any person, and no living person could have told it to me before the voice did. As Lydia (Mrs. Butler) and I stood side and side alone, she had her left arm round me and her right hand hold of the forward part of my waistcoat, her head leaning against my breast. There was something appeared to my view right before me, like a person in a winding sheet and her arms folded under the winding sheet, and on her arm there appeared to be a very small child. By this appearance I did not know possibly but I might. be deceived. I reached out my left hand to take hold of it. I saw my hand in the middle of it, but could feel nothing. The same evening it appeared and disappeared to me three times."

 -- GEORGE BUTLER

Testimony of Mr. Paul Simson

"August 9, 1800. I was at Mr. A. Blaisdel’s, with many more, and heard the sound of knocking. It was addressed, and a voice answered, but I could not understand it. Several persons spoke, but received no satisfactory answer. The people generally concluded that the whole affair was some deception. Therefore they went off and I among them. But my reflections on that singular knocking, induced me to say to two young men, 'If you will go back, I will, and find out something more, if possible ; for I am no more satisfied now, than I was before I went to that house.' We went back. Mr. Blaisdel asked us why we returned. I told him that we had all gone off with the opinion that the whole affair was a scheme contrived by his daughters, and nothing more, and I meant if possible, to find them out. ‘ You must think as you please,' said he, 'I am clear, and I believe my family is.’ I told him I wished to see all his family sitting in oné part of the room. They complied. Then I took a candle and stood in the midst of the room. After several minutes, something rapped near where two of us stood, and from thence removed to several parts of the house. 'What do you think of it,' said Mr. Blaisdel? 'It appears, said I, to be strange.' ‘We will go into the cellar,' said  Mr. Blaisdel, 'and, if you think any body is there, search the cellar through with a candle ;’ we did so. I came out last and was careful and watched, so that I was sure that no person went down. Also the outer door was fast. Then again we heard the sound of knocking. It was addressed, and conversation followed, in the midst of which Mr. Blaisdel said to me, 'If you think any living person talks, go forward and grasp that person.' I went forward a few steps, but was so convinced that no body was there, that I ’considered all further attempts as useless.

After much discourse, which I cannot remember, the Spirit told us that-we must go up and come down again in order, two and two, and she would appear to us. We did so, and I saw the apparition at first about two feet in height; but, as it drew nearer to me, it appeared as tall as a person. I saw this appearance passing close by me and from me five or six times. At last it diminished to about a foot in height and then vanished." -- PAUL SIMSON, Jun.

Testimony of Miss Sally Martin

"August 13, 1800, I was at Mr. Blaisdel’s house, with more than forty people, besides their own family, and heard knockings. We all wondered, when we heard a sound on one side or corner of the house; the next sound on the opposite side or corner, and a third sound equally distant from the second, and so on for a number of sounds, while the succession was as rapid as one sound could be clearly distinguished from another. We were sure that no person, nor even several persons, could make sounds so distant from each other in such quick succession, even were it possible for them to be in or near the places of these sounds, without discovery. By the desire of the Spirit and Mr. Blaisdel, we went into the cellar. Mr. Blaisdel told the people to stand back and give the Spirit room, and not crowd so near her, ' dont crowd her,'  said he, 'she cannot talk if you crowd her.'

When we were placed, Mr. Blaisdel ordered the candle to be blown out, and stood before the company next to the Spirit. When these things were done, the affair was become as dark to me, as the cellar was. I heard much conversation with several people by a voice which I never heard before. This voice at last told us to go up and go to a certain house and she would go with us. We did as the voice told us: and, as we went, I saw a personal form, as white as any thing could possibly appear, walking by Mrs. Butler’s side, with locked arms. When we came to the only outer door of the house, I saw this form at a distance from me, abroad, though near the house, I went in and heard a knocking immediately under the floor. In two or three minutes I heard the same voice that I had heard before, talking with Capt. Millar. 

By the desire of the voice, we stood before the house that she might appear to us. There I saw the personal form as plainly as ever I saw a living person: and I saw the same form vanish before me in a moment.  -- SALLY MARTIN. 

On the same page in a footnote the author (Alexander Cummings) tells us this about the apparition:

"Four nights before this, she appeared to fourteen persons in this very place, and six persons saw the hand pass through the apparition. Two nights before this, she appeared to about twenty people, forming an elipsis, within which she slowly passed round so near the circumference several times, that every one of them might have handled her with deliberation, and she had also expressed her desire to give satisfaction by this experiment."


"By the desire of certain persons, I went into the cellar with Capt. P B——. After some discourse of the voice with him, which I understood not, I heard sounds of knocking near me. I asked, what do you want of me. It answered, “I have come to let you know that I can speak in this cellar as well as in the other. Are you convinced?' I answered, 'I am.' 'Now,' said the voice, ‘the company must be solemn and stand in order before your door, I am going to appear. Now do you remember that I was once N. H.'  We went up and complied with her direction, and I saw a personal shape coming toward us, white as the light. By the Spectre’s order, as I was informed, Mrs. Butler went toward her. ‘Lydia,’ said the Spectre, ' you are scared. You must sing.' Then she sung an hymn. The Spirit came almost to us; then turned, and Mrs. Butler with her, and went several rods towards Capt. Simson’s and appeared to take her by the hand to urge her on further; and disappeared in our sight." -- JAMES MILLAR


On pages 51 to 53 we have testimony from Sally Wentworth, who reports hearing a voice from the cellar which she thought was from her deceased sister. But she later wonders whether the voice may have been some "evil spirit" imitating her sister.  On page 52 she mentions something that seems supportive of the hypothesis that the voice is from her deceased sister (although she mentions a far-fetched alternate explanation):

"Sometime after this, Mr. Butler brought to me from the Spectre, the private conversation which I know I had with my sister in her lifetime, at a certain hour, when we were alone together, and which he declares he never knew before; as a token that I was her sister. It is true I had never revealed it to any person, and I do not believe that my sister ever did; but could not some evil spirit hear that conversation, and afterwards personate my sister, and reveal it to Capt. Butler?"


"On August 9, 1800, I went to Mr. Blaisdel’s, where there were about twelve people.

After hearing the discourse of the Spectre, she appeared before us and disappeared several times. She come close by me and three or four others several times, so that each of us could have handled her. The personal shape, when it disappeared, first changed to a substance, without form, and then vanished in a moment where it was: and after a short space, the full personal form appeared again in a moment. These changes I observed several times. 1 thought then and ever since that the whole was a deception. For I cannot see how there could be such a clear personal shape, where no living person was. She was in the shape of a person as much as any person could be." -- JEREMIAH BUNKER

The remark by Bunker he thought it was a deception does nothing to discredit his testimony, because the reason he gives is not a good one, and his testimony of what he saw seems to suggest something very paranormal was going. 


"May 29, 1800. The Spectre conversed with three of my family....August 6. I had for some time heard that my father was sick, but had since received no news from him. I ventured to ask how my father did; ‘He is in heaven,” said she, 'praising God with the angels.'  I afterwards found by other means, that my father died seven days before this. He lived two hundred miles from me....August 8. About thirty people came to my house. That night the Spectre had much solemn conversation with them on religious subjects. Mr. N. H  expressed his desire to handle her, and she gave him liberty. Some times the inimitable voice would sound ten or twelve feet from us, then close to our face, then again at a distance: and these changes were instantaneous....August 9, 1800. We placed ourselves in order, according to the direction of the Spectre; and a white appearance, at first very small, rose before me and grew to a personal stature and form. It stood directly before Capt. Butler, while he and his wife stood beside each other. I saw him put his hand on the apparition, and I saw his hand pass through it. Then it vanished. There were now about twelve persons here. On August 11, she discoursed with about twenty persons, of whom I was one....She appeared and disappeared before us several times, and talked while she appeared.....Then she directed him to go up and tell the people to stand in order before the door and she would appear before them in the field. They did so, and she appeared to them and disappeared, as some of them informed me. By her direction we walked back to my house in the same order, and then I saw her plainly about thirty feet from me, in the form and stature of a person; white as the light and moving after us like a cloud, without ambulatory motion." -- ABNER BLAISDEL

Testimony of James Springer

"August 13, 1800. After much conversation with the Spectre, she told us that she must talk and appear at the house of Capt. M. because he had reported that she could not be any where but at Mr. Blaisdel’s house. And L. must walk with me, said she, that you may all see that she is one person and I another.

We walked in order to that house, and I saw the Spirit as plainly as ever I saw any person. I saw the Spirit appear and disappear several time that night."  -- JAMES SPRINGER

Testimony of John Simson

"August 8, 1800. I heard the discourse of the Spectre in company with about thirty other persons. The sound of her voice was sometimes hoarse and faint, but for the most part it was clear and free from any impediment, and then it was inimitable, and the most delightful that ever I heard in my life....The voice and this experiment were about four feet from me, so that I am sure that no living person could be concealed from me." -- JOHN SIMSON

Testimony of Richard Downing

"After this, the voice talked with me. To know what answer would be made, I asked, to whom are you speaking? It answered, ' Richard Downing.' I asked again, was you  ever at my house? It answered,  'Yes, I was there once with my mother, Mrs. M. and others, when your wife was sick.'  I had not then told any person what the Spectre now told me, and which I and my family know to be true....Capt. M. with others, went down and talked with a voice, which I heard and understood not; but was informed by them that she told them she had come there to give evidence that she could be and talk at other houses, as well as that of Mr. Blaisdel; and that if the company would properly stand in the open field, she would pass before them, so that they might see her, The company did so. The Spirit then appeared and walked back and forth, two or three times, in view of the company and by the side of Mrs. Butler. This my eyes saw. The apparition, with Mrs. Butler, having advanced a few rods, disappeared. Mrs. Butler then came and told us that if we would return to Mr. Blaisdel’s house, she would walk behind us. The company complied. Having a desire so be as near the apparition as possible, I walked with Capt. P. S. behind the whole company. Mrs. Butler walked behind When we had walked about twenty rods Baier said, 'there it is now.'  Where, said I. There, said she, pointing to the left side of the company forward. I looked there and saw the dark appearance of a person, and kept my eye upon it till we passed by it, and till I saw it come in next after me, and by the side of Mrs. Butler. Thus it followed us. But now this object was become as white as the light. As we walked, I kept my eye upon this object almost without intermission, that I might see it disappear. It followed us by one direct motion, like a cloud. The motion was not ambulatory in the least degree. In this manner the apparition followed us about twenty rods, and then disappeared in my view. It opened into two parts and vanished."  -- RICHARD DOWNING.

Testimony of Samuel Simson

"August 5, 1800. In the evening after I had prayed, I looked toward the opposite side of the room, and saw a white personal form, having on a woman’s cap, and the same countenance and features which Mrs. N. Butler had when she was alive and in health, so that I knew her immediately. In the name of the Lord, said I, for what purpose are you here ?—But there was no answer. I spoke again—‘“‘ In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who are you, and what do you want here?’ My wife greatly surprised, and seeing nothing, asked what was the matter. I told her I saw an apparition. No, she replied, you are deranged. It is the moon you see. At that moment the apparition disappeared." -- SAMUEL SIMSON

Testimony of Mrs. Abigail Abbot 

"August 0, 1800.  I was at Mr. Blaisdel’s house, with many more....The spectre knocked several times very loud, and we went into the cellar. After saying many things to us, she appeared in the shape of a person and moved before us, without stepping, passing and repassing several times. She gave so much light that we could see other persons and other things in the cellar, which we could not see before her appearance, nor afterwards. I saw her appear and disappear several times. At last the apparition came to Capt. G. Butler, and then he appeared to be immersed in her radiance so that he appeared white and shining like the apparition. And I did particularly see his hand in the midst of the apparent body of the apparition. He cried in surprise, “* Lord Jesus Christ.”....

August 13-14, I was there again, and heard much conversation of the ghost, with several other persons in the cellar, concerning several events known only to her and them in her life time. To all their questions she gave satisfactory answers.

Once while she was speaking, I saw a bright shining appearance in that part of the space from whence the voice proceeded,

Her conversation and exhortation continued four hours.... " --ABIGAIL ABBOT.

Testimony of Captain Paul Blaisdel

"I have seen and discoursed with the apparition several times. In the latter part of January, 1800, I saw her in the field; first at a considerable distance from me: then she came to me, and I particularly observed that she never touched the ground. Her raiment appeared as white as possible. The next evening she reproved me in the hearing of several persons, because I had not spoken to her, and because I had spoken against her. She told me she had come on God’s errand, and that if I opposed her, I opposed him who sent her. The Spirit asked me if I lived in such a manner as I would wish to die.

I have from time to time heard the voice speak in open space, where I am sure no living person existed, as others can testify who were with me. And upon August 9-10, I was present and saw the Spectre when she appeared, and I plainly saw Capt. Butler’s hand pass through the apparition.

August 11, 1 saw her again, and heard her pious discourse, with nearly twenty other persons. To those who were present, I said, ‘She has her child now in her arms.' ' Yes, I have,' she answered, ' yes I have.'  She came so near to me and others, that either of us could have handled her without changing our places.

August 13. Being informed that the ghost had promised to come this night, I left my father’s house, and went to Capt. M’s that I might not see nor hear her. Just before daylight, she came to this house with more than forty people, and reproved me again for speaking against her in the presence of six or seven persons. This is the second time, said the voice, that you have been warned.—Beware of the third time. She asked me several times to handle her, to see whether she had material substance or not. I confessed to her that I believed her to be the spirit of N. H. Then I went back with the company to my father’s house. Before she vanished she came and stood within three feet from me. The personal shape was all light, the particles of which had constant motion. But I was afraid to put my hand upon her."

Testimony of David Hooper

"January 2, 1800. By the request of the spectre, sent by two messengers, I went to Mr. Blaisdel’s house, and by conversing with her, obtained such clear and irresistable tokens of her being the spirit of my own daughter, as gave me no less satisfaction than admiration and delight.

She gave a reason satisfactory to me why she put me to the trouble of coming there instead of her coming to my house. By her request I went in a few days after to Mr. Butler’s family and expressed my conviction to them.

August 8, I was there again, with my wife and many others. I again asked the ghost who she was. The voice answered, “I was once N. B., your dear child.' ... -- DAVID HOOPER

Testimony of Mrs. Joanna Hooper

"Her next words were spoken to me in particular. ‘Do you not remember what I said on my death bed?' I answered, yes, I do remember that you then said you desired peace while you lived. Yes, I did, said she, yes I did.— Sometime before this the spectre had sent this token to me, which, though not certain, had yet been attended with such circumstances, as rendered the use of it for deception utterly improbable.

August 13, we went again. The spirit then asked if we wanted to see her, and we both said no. Did I ask you in your last sickness, said I, whether you was willing your child should live? The voice answered, ' yes, yes, and I told you I should be a vile creature to desire the life of the child.' .... I asked this question for further satisfaction, knowing that this very question and answer had passed between us....Then we two looked round and saw a white shining appearance by the side of Mrs. Butler, and about as tall as she." -- JOANNA HOOPER

Testimony of Eunice Scammons

"August 11, 1800. I was at the house which the ghost had so often visited, and was one of seventeen people or more, who were present when she appeared and conversed with us....Being asked who she was, she said, 'I was once N. H. and when I died I was N. B.' and mentioned several circumstances which attended her death to confirm her declaration.

After much other conversation, she appeared in the midst of us and talked while she appeared. She came so near me that I could have laid my hand upon her. She had before solemnly entreated us to stand round separate and in such order that all might see her while she moved in the midst of us. Within our two ranks she slowly passed and repassed from end to end three times, and passed by me six times. There were several persons in the company dressed in white; but I could not see them at all, while the Spectre was as white as any thing could possibly be. She moved in such nearness to every one of us, that every one might have handled her. I saw her vanish instantly in the midst of us." -- EUNICE SCAMMONS

Testimony of Mrs. Mary Bragdon

"Sometime in January, 1800, I was at the house of Mr. Blaisdel, and heard such a voice as I never heard before among the living; and they told me it was that of the Spirit, talking with Mr. and Mrs. Butler.

August 7. At the same house we heard a knocking on the partition next to the chimney, where no person could be. Then several persons with me went into the cellar, and the Spirit told us she was once Nelly Butler. She told me that I must not be scared.

August 13. I was again at the house with forty-eight others, besides children. The Spirit, after her conversation with several persons, exhorted the youth: 'I was once young and vain as you, said the voice, and, if the Lord had taken me away in that condition, how miserable I should have been! Now is the time, while you are young, to seek the Lord. Delay not till it is too late.'  Then it was that I saw a white personal form shining in the space from whence the voice proceeded ; and I afterwards saw the same appearance in the field." -- MARY BRAGDON.

Testimony of Dorcas Johnson

"I was present at the house, and at the time dated, August 13, by other testimonies. There I heard and saw the Spectre. Her voice was distinct from any other, and her music the most delightful that I ever heard. When she walked with us, she moved without stepping. And when we arrived at the house, by direction of the Spectre given to my brother, James Springer, and by him to the company in our hearing, we opened to the right and left, so that the Spectre aud Mrs. Butler passed together between our two ranks. Then she vanished from my view and I saw her no more." -- DORCAS JOHNSON

Now let us consider the consistency of these narratives:

  • None of the witnesses gave testimony conflicting with the claim that the apparition matched Nelly Butler, the deceased first wife of George Butler, that wife being the daughter of David Hooper. George Butler says the apparition was preceded by a voice identifying  itself as his first wife. James Millar says the apparition was preceded by a voice saying "I was once N. H." -- possibly a reference to a maiden name of Nelly Hooper. Samuel Simson said he saw " a white personal form, having on a woman’s cap, and the same countenance and features which Mrs. N. Butler had when she was alive and in health, so that I knew her immediately." Captain Paul Blaisdal said, " I confessed to her that I believed her to be the spirit of N. H," a possible reference to Nelly Hooper. David Hooper says he asked the ghost who it was, and got the answer, "I was once N. B., your dear child." Eunice Scammons asked the apparition who it was, and said the answer was, "I was once N. H. and when I died I was N. B," presumably standing for Nelly Hooper and Nelly Butler. Mary Bragdon says, "The Spirit told us she was once Nelly Butler." I can find no conflict here between these accounts. All of the statements relevant to the apparition's identity are consistent with the claim that the apparition was that of a woman born as Nelly Hooper (the daughter of David Hooper), who became Nelly Butler after marrying George Butler. 
  • About six of the witnesses reported a mysterious knocking. The report of the mysterious knocking is consistent with innumerable reports of mysterious knockings occurring after 1848, typically occurring during seances. 
  • Several of the witnesses reported that the apparition was seen at the house of a Mr. Blaisdel. This is reported by Paul Simson, Sally Martin, Jeremiah Bunker, Richard Downing, Abigail Abbot, David Hooper and Mary Bragdon. 
  • The claim that the apparition suddenly disappeared is made by eight witnesses, including George Butler (who says it appeared and disappeared three times), James Millar, Jeremiah Bunker ("she appeared before us and disappeared several times"), James Springar (" I saw the Spirit appear and disappear several time that night"), Richard Downing ("The apparition, with Mrs. Butler, having advanced a few rods, disappeared"), Samuel Simson ("At that moment the apparition disappeared"), Eunice Scammons ("I saw her vanish instantly in the middle of us"), and Dorcas Johnson ("she vanished from my view").
  • The apparition is consistently described as being white and shining. Sally Martin says she saw "a personal form, as white as any thing could possibly appear." James Millar says it was "as white as the light." Abner Blaisdel describes as a "white appearance." Mary Bragdon says she saw a "white personal form shining in the space from whence the voice proceeded." Richard Downing says it was "as white as the light." Abigail Abbot says that when Captain Butler saw it "he appeared to be immersed in her radiance so that he appeared white and shining like the apparition."
  • Captain George Butler said, "I reached out my left hand to take hold of it. I saw my hand in the middle of it, but could feel nothing." On the page here Cummings says that "six people saw the hand pass through the apparition." Abigail Abbot said, "And I did particularly see his hand in the midst of the apparent body of the apparition." Abner Blaisdel says, " I saw him put his hand on the apparition, and I saw his hand pass through it. Then it vanished." On page 68 we have testimony by three other different witnesses swearing to the truth of the testimony given above. Dorcas Abbot says, "I plainly saw Capt. Butler’s hand go through the apparition."  Frederic Housoff says, "I was an eye and ear witness of all the facts declared in the last testimony, and can attest particularly that I plainly saw Capt. Butler put his hand on the apparition, and saw his hand pass through it, glowing with the light of it." Joseph Blaisdel says, "I was present when the important transaction took place on the night of August 9, 1800, and saw Mr. Butler’s hand pass through the body of the apparition, while he uttered the words, ‘ Lord Jesus.' ”
In the later account here, from 1893, a case having no relation to the one above, Julie Tyler describes something similar to what is described above. She describes seeing an apparition, and she says, "I pushed right through the figure, and fell against the wall." The account says two daughters (19 and 20) "agree closely in their several descriptions" of an apparition.

If the topic of this post interested you, check out my free 435-page book "Spookiest Years," now available on www.archive.org using the link here. The book discusses phenomena such as spiritual manifestations, seance phenomena, near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, apparition sightings, deathbed visions and precognitive visions.  Using the native www.archive.org file viewer in single-page mode,  you can conveniently read the whole book by finger swiping. Scholars who are interested in following the links may prefer to download the book as a PDF file, which will allow opening links by right-clicking on a link. 

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Friday, July 18, 2025

Yet More Apparitions Seen by Multiple Witnesses

Below is a news account of multiple witnesses claiming to have seen an apparition of the composer Massenet:

ghost seen by more than one

 Below is an account of an apparition seen by three witnesses:

ghost of author

You can read the full account here:

 https://digitalcollections.lib.umanitoba.ca/islandora/object/uofm%3A2962745?solr%5Bquery%

Below is another account of an apparition seen by multiple witnesses:

haunted by ghost

You can read the full account here: 

https://digitalcollections.lib.umanitoba.ca/islandora/object/uofm%3A2961481?solr%5Bquery%

Below is an account of the apparition of a wife's first husband, an apparition reportedly seen by both the wife and her new husband. 

husband's ghost

You can read the account here:


Below is an account of a scientist and his wife seeing an apparition.

"A distinguished scientist saw upon the stair a little man who couldn’t possibly have been there because he was a ghost. And the distinguished scientist didn’t believe in ghosts. Absolutely. Positively. Definitely. But no matter how he tried to rationalize it, there was the little man upon the stair. He was about five-feet-three, heavy set and he was odd, even for a ghost. His body seemed to be composed of luminous ribbons with a mass of them wrapped around his head like a shawl. Yet although he was incandescent, he did not light up even the darkest part of the staircase. 

The distinguished scientist noticed this much before he decided that since there were absolutely, positively and definitely no ghosts he had probably seen nothing at all. But the next night, there was the little luminous man again, plodding heavily up the stairs ahead of him. This happened several more times but the scientist still said nothing at all to his wife. Until one night going upstairs to bed first she saw the luminous man just ahead of her. She uttered an exclamation and the figure looked around. She noticed deep-set eyes and that, although the feet were not touching the steps, his knees were bending as though it required an effort for him to ascend. The next morning she mentioned the apparition to her husband and he confessed for the first time that he had been seeing it as well. They told only their closest friends but one of them informed an investigator of the Society for Psychical Research. It took about a year of persuasion before the scientist, worried about possible 'vulgar publicity,” agreed with his wife to sign an affidavit of their experience and then only the pseudonym of 'Dr. Johnson.'  The wife of the distinguished scientist (who also had a distinguished war record) said her husband had made every effort to find a normal explanation for the figure but finally had to admit he could find none."

You can read the account here:


The headline in the article below talks of a "Goshen Ghost" seen by a hundred. In the text the claim is made that hundreds saw the ghost. 

ghost seen by hundreds

You can read the account below:


We read below of a Conley family that had a spooky encounter: "Family members said a boy ghost crawled across their legs and sat on a bed with them." 


ghost seen by more than one

You can read the account using this link. 

In the account which you can read here,  we have two named witnesses (Tom Cliffe and Barry Buckley) who claim to have seen over five days what the article calls an apparition. The account below from 1959 describes thousands in Warsaw, Poland flocking to a church where it was reported that a luminous apparition was seen atop the church.  The observation report stretches over a few days, with some claiming to have seen something compelling, but others unimpressed. 

apparition seen by more than one

We read here that six females reported seeing a golden-haired female figure floating above a meadow in communist Yugoslavia.  The report enraged communist officials, who began persecuting those associated with the report. We read that "at least five people had been jailed in connection with the apparition." Somewhat similar responses often occur these days in the US and Europe, where those reporting the paranormal may be subjected to various types of abuse such as gaslighting and psychiatric mudslinging.  

The news story here is entitled "Four Cadets See 'Ghost.' " We read, "Four cadets at the U.S. Military Academy, in reports independent of each other, say that they have an apparition in a room in one of the
cadet barracks." The account below tells of "50 to 100" seeing an apparition of the famous historical figure Joan of Arc. 

apparition seen by many


The accounts given above are only a few of many cases in which more than one witness reported seeing the same apparition. For many other cases different from the ones above, see my posts below:

Below is a diagram serving to remind you of the philosophical relevance of apparition sightings.  Apparition sightings are part of a body of interrelated evidence indicating that we are souls rather than mere outputs of brains.  The items in this diagram are discussed here. 

near-death experiences related topics

If the topic of this post interested you, check out my free 292-page book "Eeriest Events," now available on www.archive.org using the link here. The book discusses phenomena such as near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, apparition sightings, deathbed visions and precognitive visions.  Using the native www.archive.org file viewer in single-page mode,  you can conveniently read the whole book by finger swiping. Scholars who are interested in following the links may prefer to download the book as a PDF file, which will allow opening links by right-clicking on a link. 

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