The Great Amherst Mystery

In the small town of Amherst, Nova Scotia, a poltergeist outbreak in 1878 would become one of the most famous supernatural cases in Canadian history. The activity centered on 19-year-old Esther Cox and included phenomena so dramatic that a professional actor documented them, crowds gathered to witness them, and the case eventually led to Esther’s imprisonment.

Background

Esther Cox lived in a small cottage on Princess Street with her married sister Olive, brother-in-law Daniel Teed, and several other family members. The household was crowded, and Esther shared a bed with her younger sister Jane.

The trouble began in August 1878, shortly after Esther was attacked by a local man named Bob MacNeal, who attempted to assault her in a carriage. She escaped, and MacNeal fled the area, but the psychological trauma appeared to trigger something extraordinary.

The Phenomena Begin

Days after the attack, strange events began. Esther and Jane heard rustling sounds under their bed, thinking it might be mice. When they investigated, they found nothing. The sounds continued and grew more pronounced.

One night, Esther’s body began to swell alarmingly. Her skin turned red, and she appeared to be inflating. The family called a doctor, who watched helplessly as loud bangs shook the room and the bedclothes flew off without any visible cause. The swelling eventually subsided, but the doctor could offer no explanation.

Escalation

Over the following weeks, the phenomena intensified. Objects moved on their own. Loud knocking and banging sounds emanated from walls and ceilings. Esther’s pillows were thrown across the room while she lay in bed. Small fires broke out spontaneously throughout the house.

Most dramatically, writing appeared on the wall above Esther’s bed. The words, which seemed to be scratched into the plaster by an invisible hand, read: “Esther Cox, you are mine to kill.”

The Teed household descended into chaos. Neighbors gathered outside to hear the sounds. Local ministers attempted prayers and blessings. Nothing stopped the activity.

Walter Hubbell

In 1879, actor and writer Walter Hubbell arrived to investigate. He stayed in the Teed household for weeks, documenting everything he witnessed. His subsequent book, “The Great Amherst Mystery,” brought international attention to the case.

Hubbell described objects flying through the air, furniture moving on its own, and an umbrella that repeatedly stabbed at Esther from across the room. He witnessed fires starting in locations away from any source of ignition. He heard voices and saw the mysterious writing appear.

Hubbell attempted to monetize the phenomena by arranging public demonstrations, but the activity was unpredictable. Some shows produced dramatic results; others produced nothing, leading some audience members to accuse Esther of fraud.

Imprisonment

The spontaneous fires eventually became the household’s undoing. When a barn owned by Esther’s employer burned down, she was charged with arson. Despite testimony that the fires appeared supernatural in origin, she was convicted and sentenced to four months in jail.

The imprisonment seemed to end the phenomena. After her release, Esther married and moved away. The poltergeist activity never returned.

Analysis

The Great Amherst Mystery bears hallmarks of a classic poltergeist case. The phenomena centered on an adolescent who had experienced recent trauma. The activity included movement of objects, sounds, fires, and apparent communication. The phenomena ceased when the focus person was removed from the environment.

Skeptics have suggested that Esther faked the phenomena for attention, pointing to the failed public demonstrations. Believers counter that the number of witnesses, including doctors and ministers, and the dangerous nature of some phenomena (like the fires) argue against deliberate fraud.

The case remains a cornerstone of poltergeist research, documenting in unusual detail the progression and character of such an outbreak.