In Part l of this post I
recount a terrifying haunting that drove a farm family--the MacDonalds-- from
their home in Nova Scotia.
Multiple fires had started in
their farmhouse and there was strange activity that centered upon the
MacDonald’s livestock.
This case garnered so much
attention in 1922 around the world that many people who only knew the
“sensational story” from newspapers accounts began to put forth theories.
Many stated it was obviously
not a haunting but just “pranks” that had been committed on this farm.
This prank theory doesn’t take
into account the fact that the MacDonald livestock always escaped within
seconds of the farmer securing them. Or that many of the fires started when no
one was in the farmhouse.
An Odd Investigation
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| Dr. Walter Prince |
As mentioned in Part l a
famous scientist, Dr. Walter Prince--on invitation-- traveled to Caledonia
Mills to investigate this case.
Before he arrived he had
already made up his mind--he believed the activity was a poltergeist that was
attached to the MacDonald’s 15-year old foster daughter, Mary Ellen.
A journalist, Harold Whidden
who had initially brought the case to the world’s attention accompanied Prince
during part of his investigation, which lasted 3 weeks from late February to
mid March. He spent six of these days at the farm.
Whidden noted that Prince
went about his investigation in odd ways. He seemed more concerned about the
cold than the haunting.
He spent the first day he
arrived in arranging a comfortable room for himself. He demanded privacy. He
insisted that no one could stay at the farm with him during his investigation
without an invitation including the MacDonald family--which left a sour
impression.
He did invite the MacDonald
family at one point hoping they would trigger the activity. He also included
Whiddon who while in the farmhouse felt the same sensation he had during
his own investigation with Detective Carroll.
At one point Dr. Prince, Dan Gillivray-- a
neighbor of the MacDonalds and the three MacDonald’s all witnessed Whidden walk
across the room appearing to be in a trance.
He demanded a pencil and
scribbled on bits of paper for over 2 hours.
He seemed to be possessed by
the poltergeist that wrote a confession he had set the fires. Right after, Prince agreed with this conclusion.
Surprise Findings
In the cases he investigated
Dr. Prince’s findings were considered the “final word.”
Before the investigation he
had proclaimed the activity was a poltergeist but his findings, which the
public had greatly anticipated, were a complete turn about.
He denied seeing Whidden do
the automatic writing.
He reported that a human hand had set the fires. He stated he had found wads of cotton soaked with an odorless flammable liquid had been positioned about 5 feet high--the same height as Mary Ellen--or thrown higher.
He reported that a human hand had set the fires. He stated he had found wads of cotton soaked with an odorless flammable liquid had been positioned about 5 feet high--the same height as Mary Ellen--or thrown higher.
So he accused Mary Ellen of
being the culprit. He tempered his report by stating that she was probably
possessed or sleepwalking when these fires were set--so she was most likely
unaware of her actions.
As for Whidden’s and
Carroll’s previous experiences in the house he stated they were extremely cold
and probably just hallucinating.
He never directly addressed
the strange phenomenon with the cattle and horses.
A Rebuttal
After Prince’s report came
out Mary Ellen became the villain of the piece in the public’s eyes. They now
saw her as an arsonist.
Whidden had always gotten his
information from the neighbor's the McGillivrays-- but now the MacDonald’s
understandably upset, broke their silence for the first time.
In a statement, Mary Ellen
defended herself passionately. She accused Dr. Prince of “fibbing.” She stated:
“I have never set fires. I have never untied the
cattle in the barns. I never plaited the tails of the horses. I would have been
afraid to. First they claimed I had a boyfriend--a sweetheart--who did it now
they say I did it. I tell you I don’t care who Dr. Prince is. He ought to be
ashamed of himself.”
Shortly after this interview
Dr. Prince labeled it just another fake, stating the Mary Ellen he’d met would
not have been able to make this statement for she had “the mind of a four year
old.”
Dr. Prince had too much
clout. Public sentiment from around the world took his side.
No one thought to check with
the Caledonia Mills residents who knew Mary Ellen. She was a teen of normal
intelligence that was known to have a bright smile and a happy disposition.
Tragic Outcome
Newspapers now dubbed the
teenage girl, Mary Ellen Fire Spook.
The MacDonald family moved
back to the farm just months afterward. All was calm through the summer but by
the following October the fires started as suddenly and incomprehensibly as
before.
Word spread quickly the Fire
Spook was back. There was no sympathy for the family this time. Police officers
that were not local, showed up at the farm. They had come for Mary Ellen.
Alex and Janet desperately
fought to keep their foster daughter. Janet had to be pulled forcibly away from
holding Mary Ellen.
The authorities had
“sectioned” their daughter without a by-your-leave.
She was placed in the Nova Scotia Home for the Insane located
in Dartmouth where the 16-year old was kept in solitary confinement for a long
time.
She was considered too
dangerous to be placed with the other inmates. She might set fire to something.
 |
| Mary Ellen at asylum. |
Within days of her arrival Superintendent Lawler of the asylum was giving statements to the New York
press. He stated she was a “common
variety of the moron family and not particularly interesting…an arsonist with
the mind of a child.”
After this the fires stopped
which gave more credence to Dr. Prince’s version.
Mary Ellen spent the rest of
her life in this asylum.
In Poltergeist: Fire Spook,Part I-- I share more details about this haunting and the Whidden and Carroll
investigation.
