A Case of Second Sight

Back in May of 1897, little five year old Lutie Frankenberry was taken to the newspaper office of the Martinsburg Independent, where she was able to demonstrate a remarkable gift of second sight by correctly identifying the number of dots on a set of face-down dominoes. Of course, the newspaper had to write up a brief story about the feats of little Lutie, the daughter of George Frankenberry, but failed to mention WHAT brought about this display of her alleged abilities.

And, being the curious sort, I had to do a little more digging! Unfortunately, I was disappointed, lol. Surprisingly, I DID find some additional newspaper articles mentioning Lutie through the years, but nothing about her psychic abilities. She and her family lived on Moler Avenue, and she was a pretty good student, being mentioned in the newspaper for receiving good marks at school. Like many other young ladies of the time, she was mentioned in the social columns for attending various parties and other social gatherings. There was even a Lost and Found ad where Lutie was asking for information on the return of a coat that she had lost (which, I guess if she really still had her psychic abilities, she’d know where it was??). Finally, a newspaper article appeared in 1923 announcing that Miss Lutie Frankenberry of Martinsburg, WV had married Harry C. Beard of Harrisburg, PA and that the couple would be residing in Pennsylvania. 

It’s often said that children do tend to have a stronger, more open pineal gland, and therefore, will display a greater aptitude for psychic abilities, which tends to wane as they get older. Was that the case with Lutie? Was she really blessed with the gift of second sight, and if so, did she lose it, or was it something she carried with her throughout her life, but only shared with a select few?