Part 1 of 2 - The Watseka Wonder

In 1865, at the age of nineteen, a girl named Mary Roff who was mentally ill died in Watseka, Illinios. Thirteen years later, another Watseka girl, Lurancy Vennum, almost a stranger to the Roff family, started showing the same type of behavior as Mary Roff. Reportedly, on February 1, 1878, Mary Roff possessed Lurancy's body and remained in possession for 15 weeks. She took over Vennum's body and she behaved like Mary Roff. She did not know Vennum's parents any longer, and wanted to go "home" to the Roff's. When she did, she recognized every old object in the home while describing past events from Mary's childhood. Was this just some elaborate hoax; or is there something more to it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices