Horror in Nova Scotia: The Great Amherst Mystery and the Possession of Esther Cox

In 1879, Walter Hubbell, an actor with an intense interest in the paranormal, published a book entitled The Haunted House: A True Ghost Story.

The book was “an account of the Mysterious Manifestations that have taken place in the presence of Esther Cox, the young girl who is possessed of Devils, and has become known throughout the entire Dominion as The Great Amherst Mystery.” In the introduction, Hubbell wrote, “The manifestations described in this story commenced one year ago. No person has yet been able to ascertain their cause.”

So who, exactly, was Esther Cox, and what was the Great Amherst Mystery?