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The Chilling Tale of Emilie Sagée

In some cultures seeing your doppelgänger means death could be lurking around the corner. But what if you were the only one who couldn’t see your doppelgänger?

This was the case of Emilie Sagée. This wildly disputed story centers around a 32-year-old French school teacher. The last of many schools Emilie worked in was Pensionat von Neuwelcke, an all-girls school, in Latvia in 1845. It was there that she became recognized as a well-liked and talented educator. Despite how much the students liked her, her reputation quickly turned grim when it was reported by students that she would randomly produce a twin that eerily mimicked her every action. This twin would materialize suddenly, causing Emilie to become sluggish in whatever she was doing. It was as if the appearance of her double drained her energy. This twin would mirror the real Emilie by engaging in whatever her counterpart was doing at the time. At one point she appeared next to Emilie while she was writing on the chalkboard. The apparition “wrote” on the chalkboard as well, but without any chalk. The entire classroom saw this event take place. When asked, Emilie did not indicate that she knew when her twin would appear. In fact, she had never even seen her before.

One somewhat terrifying story came later in her life while she taught at the same school. She was out in the garden picking flowers. She was aware that a classroom full of students was left on its own while the teacher was talking to someone else. She thought that she should go in and check on them. Emilie walked into the classroom and took a seat in front of the students. The students didn’t pay any attention to her at first. That was until one of them pointed out Ms. Sagée in the garden picking flowers. The figure in front of them was not Emilie. It looked like a real person sitting before them. One of the brave students walked up to her with the intent of touching her. Her hand fell right through Emilie’s double. It frightened her but she later said it felt like putting her hand through a bunch of cobwebs.

Sadly for the real Emilie, she was fired from her job as there were far too many instances of ghostly appearances from another Emilie such as this.

The story of Emilie Sagée comes from a book titled “Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World” written by Robert Dale Owen, an American social reformer and spiritualist. His source was a former student of Emilie’s.

As I have been researching this paranormal case it has become increasingly clear that Ms. Sagée may have never existed. There is no record of anyone with her name from the area of the world that she was from. While this means she may have changed her name at some point I do not think that eliminates the possibility of her nonexistence. There are no other accounts of any of the stories told about her. With stories from history like this, I think it is up to the reader to decide if they want to believe in it or not. Life is too short not to believe mysteries.

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Like and reblog if you want more historical stories like this!

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An 1864 painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti depicting a couple coming across their doppelgängers. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

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Hint hint at a future post once I’m done with college finals. ;) - Lau

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Cryptidcore

Colors: Muted, glow-in-dark

Motifs: Cryptids, urban legends, abandoned buildings, dark forests

Values: Adventure, mystery, curiosity

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1. Hawthorne Hall (aka the Epperson House), 1926. Image courtesy of the Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library

2. Detail of Living Room showing Paneled Oak Walls and Organ Loft, 1926. Image courtesy of the LaBudde Special Collections, UMKC University Libraries.

3. Uriah Spray Epperson. Image courtesy of the Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library.

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The Legend of the Epperson House

The Epperson house was built between the years 1919 and 1923 by Uriah Spray Epperson and designed by a French architect named Horace LaPierre. This four-story, Tudor-Gothic style house is situated in Kansas City, Missouri. It is made up of fifty-six rooms. It has a lot of unique features such as elevators, a tunnel that runs from the east wing to the west wing, and a barbershop.

Sadly, Uriah Epperson only got to enjoy his extravagant house for four years. He died in 1927. His home was donated to the University of Missouri. In 1956 it was used as a men’s dormitory. At the moment it currently lies vacant.

It is widely debated if the building is haunted or not. Ghosts or not, the skeleton of a house is quite spooky with its secret passageways and such.

You may be asking “What makes it haunted?” People are not sure. It is assumed that the main ghost that resides in the house is that of Harriet Evelyn Barse. She was the informally adopted daughter of Uriah Epperson and his wife. She died in the house from a perforated gallbladder at the age of 47. This death occurred during the construction of her custom organ.

Through all the stages the house has been through post Uriah Epperson, people have reported many ghostly sightings and experiences. A lot of people believe that Uriah roams the halls of the house along with his adopted daughter.

In 1978, a campus police officer was called after witnesses heard footsteps in the empty building. The officer arrived. While still in his car he felt a collision occur and heard the sound of shattering glass. It felt as if a car had hit him from behind. He got out of his car to check out the damage. There was none. His car had moved 8 inches based on skid marks under his tires but it seemed as if nothing else happened.

The ghost of Uriah is believed to have been seen by other campus police officers at one point as well. They were in the house turning all the lights off. One light stayed on despite their efforts to turn it off. One of the officers saw an arm clad in a blue suit jacket reach around the corner of the wall and turn the light off.

Whoever rests in this house has caused it to be featured in a list of the top five haunted houses on Unsolved Mysteries. I hope to visit it personally someday.

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The Lawrence Community Theatre ghost photo taken in 1987 during a dress rehearsal for the spy drama “Pack of Lies.”

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A Phantom Train on the Kansas Pacific

In the early morning hours of July 31st, 1878, a group of railroad section men were getting their handcar onto the tracks. The men could see an oncoming storm looming in the distance. It was only a matter of time until it was on top of them.

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed across the sky. The section men moved hastily in their effort to reach the neighboring town of Edwardsville. They hoped to beat the storm. Not long into their journey the men were startled by the sudden appearance of a locomotive advancing toward them at a high speed.

They frantically moved their car off the tracks to get out of the way of the approaching iron horse. The men quickly came to the realization that the locomotive was not real. The apparition produced ghastly smoke. It swerved off the track and rounded a pile of cordwood. The phantom then disappeared into the thick wood nearby, the ghoulish glow of its headlight went with it.

About a dozen men witnessed this terrifying event. Their story was told in the Atchison Globe on August 7th, 1878. To this day what the phantom train was or what caused its appearance is unknown.

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Lau’s Local Hauntings

Allegedly Haunted Places in Kansas

You won’t find Kansas on any “most haunted states” list. In my opinion, it should be. Here are 3 haunted places in Kansas.

1. The Sallie House - Atchison, KS

If you’ve ever seen a list of the most haunted houses in the US, you’ll know this house. As much as I love the paranormal, you won’t find me anywhere near this horrid place.

This home was built in the 1800s. It is said to house the spirit of a little girl named Sallie. There are multiple theories on who Sallie is and why she occupies the residence. There’s a lot to read about this formidable place.

I recommend “The Sallie House Haunting: A True Story” by Debra Lyn Pickman, a former resident of the house.

2. The Eldridge Hotel - Lawrence, KS

I grew up hearing tell of this mysterious Eldridge Hotel. In fact, in second grade, my class took a field trip there. I was instantly fascinated with the idea of the ghosts that resided within the walls of the old inn. In 1856 the former Free State Hotel was burned to the ground by a pro-slavery group. Once again, in 1863, the hotel was attacked and burned by the infamous Quantrill and his raiders. Very little of the original structure was left. Colonel Eldridge rebuilt the hotel and used what was left of it to create what is now known as the Eldridge Hotel. Room 506 is thought to contain a “spirit portal” because it is the only room to have been made from the original structure. The motto of the hotel is “from ashes to immortality.” Take that as you will...

3. The Former Lawrence Community Theatre - Lawrence, KS

“In 1987, during a dress rehearsal for the spy drama “Pack of Lies,” a photo was snapped that would cement the theater as one of Lawrence’s premier spectral hot spots. The photo clearly shows the translucent figure of a woman standing between two actors, a woman not fitting the description of anyone in the venue at the time. The photographer, Jack Riegle, insists that the image has not been intentionally altered, pointing out it was taken well before the era of Photoshop.” - The Lawrence Journal World.

It is said that this experience triggered 23 years' worth of haunting happenings at the LCT. I have yet to find more information on this.

— Lau

I wrote this because I’m hoping to connect with more people like me. People who like the spooky, unexplainable things in this world. If you want more of these local haunting guides or even something more in-depth make sure to like and reblog.

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• Unsolved Academia •

Late nights at libraries studying cryptids, watching The X-Files in your spare time, reading up on the history of old houses wondering if maybe some inhabitants never left, keeping an eye out for any news involving extraterrestrials, always asking the question: Are ghosts real?