Page 41 - Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Vol. 3

Ghosts and Phantoms 21

The new will had been made by James
Chaffin on January 16, 1919, 14 years after
the first will. In this testament, the farmer
stated that he desired his property to be divid-
ed equally among his four sons with the admo-
nition that they provide for their mother as
long as she lived.
Although the second will had not been
attested, it would, under North Carolina law,
be considered valid because it had been writ-
ten throughout in James Chaffin’s own hand-
writing. All that remained was to present suf-
ficient evidence that the hand that had writ-
ten the second will was, without doubt, that of
the deceased.
Marshall Chaffin, the sole beneficiary
under the conditions of the old will, had
passed away within a year of his father, nearly
four years before the spirit of James Chaffin
had appeared to his second son, James
Pinkney Chaffin. Marshall’s widow and son
prepared to contest the validity of the second
will, and the residents of the county began to
look forward to a long and bitter court battle
between members of the Chaffin family. The
scandal mongers were immensely disappoint-
ed when 10 witnesses arrived in the court-
room prepared to give evidence that the sec-
ond will was in James Chaffin’s handwriting.
After seeing the will, Marshall Chaffin’s wife
and son immediately withdrew their opposi-
tion. It seemed evident that they, too,
believed the will had been written in the hand
of the testator. widow and three disinherited sons. Perhaps the Joel Grey and Patrick
farmer had intended some sort of deathbed Stewart in the television
James Pinkney Chaffin later told an inves- production of “The
tigator for the Journal of the Society for Psychi- revelation and had these plans go unrealized Christmas Carol.” (THE
cal Research that his father had appeared to when his life was cut short by accident.
KOBAL COLLECTION)
him before the trial and told him that the law- Society for Psychical Research investiga-
suit would be terminated in such a manner. tors were unable to establish any kind of case
“Many of my friends do not believe it is possi- for a subconscious knowledge of the will in
ble for the living to hold communication with the old Bible or of the message in the coat
the dead,” James Pinkney Chaffin said, “but I pocket. Fraud must be ruled out because of the
am convinced that my father actually ease in which 10 reliable witnesses, well-
appeared to me on these several occasions and acquainted with James Chaffin’s handwriting,
I shall believe it to the day of my death.”
could be summoned to testify to the authen-
It seems strange that James Chaffin should ticity of the handwriting in the will. Charges
have kept the second will secret, especially in of a fake will would seem to be further negated
view of the subsequent claim that his disturbed by the immediate withdrawal from the contest
spirit came back from beyond the grave to of Marshall Chaffin’s widow and son once
right the wrong that had been done to his they were allowed to examine the document.

The Gale Enc y clopedia of the Unusu al and Unexplained