Ep 216: The Watseka Wonder Part 2
“The angels tell me I am going to heaven, but I don’t know just when. O, how I wish you could live here at home with us as you used to when I was here before.”
Description:
Now that we've covered the story essentials of the strange case of Mary Lurancy Vennum, known as "The Watseka Wonder," it's time to take a look at the possible causes and mechanics of this apparent miracle. Suppose Lurancy's possession was merely the imaginative prank of an attention-seeking impressionable teenager. How then did she know intimate, inscrutable details of her possessor Mary Roff and that of her family, when Mary had died over ten years before she was born and the Roff family were vague acquaintances? It's perhaps possible that this naive fourteen-year-old had mastered the manipulation techniques employed by experienced Mentalists and charlatan psychic mediums to fool desperate parents, but how likely is that? In Part Two of our series, we consider the investigation of a noted psychical researcher at the time, Dr. Richard Hodgson, who interviewed witnesses and studied case notes about thirteen years after the significant events in light of contemporary hypotheses. In a historical line between 1877 and 1908, we then look at the analysis of a psychology journalist, H. Addington Bruce, through the lens of his evolved understanding of that field 30 years later. In the greater context surrounding this case are the history of psychical research and a brief overview of some of the prominent figures involved in the Spiritist movement. We then round out the series with a more modern-day interpretation and our own conclusions. Even saddled with an antiquated title like The Watseka Wonder and recognizing the significant advancements in the field of abnormal psychology, this case remains wonderous indeed.
Location:
The distance from the Vennum house at 5 South Belmont Avenue to the Roff house at 300 East Sheridan Street, in Watseka, Illinois.
Reference Links:
“What is the Difference Between Spiritism and Spiritualism?” on imhu.org
“Catalepsy vs Epilepsy - What's the difference?” on WikiDiff.com
“Difference Between MPD and Schizophrenia” on DifferenceBetween.net
“Vennum House The Watseka Wonder in Watseka IL” on MapSpirits.com
EVPs at the Roff House, Watseka, IL, from AfterDark paranormal investigations
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Credits:
Episode 216: The Watseka Wonder Part 2. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel. Sound Design by Ryan McCullough; Tess Pfeifle, Producer, and Lead Researcher; Graphic Animation by Joshua Slone. Research Support from the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a.k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2021 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.