Newspaper Clipping of the Day

Via Newspapers.com

There are a whole lot of “death omens” out there, but this is one of the odder examples.  The “Harrisburg Telegraph,” August 11, 1909:

The fulfillment of a premonition expressed one week ago while on a visit to friends in Bendersville, Adams county, that death was not far distant, occurred this morning when the body of Mrs. Howard McGrail, of 1337 North Second street, was taken back to that place for burial.

Mrs. McGrail returned home Friday from the visit to her old home and died early Sunday morning. Interment took place in the Bendersville cemetery at 10:30 this morning. 

Mrs. McGrail returned home strongly impressed with the belief that she would not live long. Mr. McGrail, who is sexton of the Bethlehem Lutheran church, has a large phonograph and on Saturday evening took it into the rear yard of his home and began running off several new records which neighbors had given him. 

During the playing his wife came out to listen while the instrument played her favorite hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy." At its conclusion she requested her husband to repeat it. As he was about to accede to her request the record suddenly broke in two in his hands. He was startled, as the record was perfectly new. but in order not to alarm her he said: "O, no, I'll try something else. I never did like that myself," and going over to the cabinet he selected a little catchy song that had always been one of her favorites. He carried this one over to the machine and was about to put it on when that record also crumbled In his hands. 

Mr. McGrail was visibly startled, and. having a feeling that something was wrong, turned around to put the machine away when his wife gave a little scream and he saw that she was ill. Simultaneously with the breaking of the second record she had suffered a paralytic stroke. 

She was helped into the house and while her little 6-year-old daughter Beryl looked after her while medical aid was summoned, but the breaking of the records had been death's token. She died several hours afterward. 

Neither of the records had ever been used and no reason could be given for the breaking, as they were not cracked. Mr. McGrail said he felt the moment the second of his wife's favorite records had broke that something was to befall her.