The Great Amherst Mystery in twentieth-century transmission

Record summary

The Great Amherst Mystery concerns disturbances reported around Esther Cox in Nova Scotia in 1878–1879, including alleged raps, object movement, fires and attacks. Although the events predate this batch, the case remained influential through twentieth-century books, newspapers and psychical-research discussions, making it a useful transmission-history lead for the 1900–1946 period. It allows comparison of witness testimony, sensational publication and retrospective diagnosis. The underlying reports are disputed, and later summaries often add details not clearly present in the earliest accounts.