Medium Gives Clue
Brother Mourned Eleven Years as Dead Found to be Alive
Eau Claire Leader | July 18, 1906

Eau Claire- Through a trance medium and the government authorities, acting upon the clue of the former, Charles J. Chalsma of this city has located William Kniggie a brother-in-law, who has been mourned as dead for eleven years. William Kniggie is a resident of Brownsville, Minn., and disappeared in 1895, leaving his wife and children. He corresponded for some time, then all trace of him was lost.

Charles Chalsma, brother of his wife, a short time ago visited a trance medium and was informed that the missing man was “straight west of here, and that he is marching now with a regiment of soldiers, for I can hear his legs rubbing.” On this almost groundless hope, Mr. Chalsma wrote to the war department and in reply was informed that William Kniggie, this missing man, was a member to Company C. Nineteenth U.S. infantry, on duty at Camp Tayabes, Philippine Islands. The official information declares further that he was in good standing and in good health on June 30.

Chad’s Take- Missing or Hiding? 

Today many people enjoy (or hate) the ability of having instant access to friends and family members. Due to cell phones, email, instant messaging, texting, tweeting, etc… it is difficult to imagine the communication difficulties that existed prior to the technological revolution of recent times. It was common for people during the 1800s and early 1900s to simply lose track of friends and/or family members. Since Facebook did not exist to provide minute to minute personal update one had to rely on the tedious act of sending real handwritten letters. Yet this process was often slow and unpredictable.
Although thousands of people still simply disappear each year in the U.S, it was a much more common occurrence during our past.

If you really needed to contact a loved one, and you had exhausted every other means of communication you could have always turned to a medium. That is exactly what Charles J. Chalsma did when he could not locate his brother-in-law William Kniggie. Kniggie had been missing from his wife and children for over 11 years, a fact that prompted many to believe he was dead. The medium saw a vision of the man marching with soldiers that prompted Chalsma to contact the war department and lo and behold Kniggie was located and the mystery was solved, or was it? Barring some type of amnesia, death, or kidnapping, people do not just disappear for 11 years.

Although the article never alludes to this,  I speculate that Mr. Kniggie was not missing, he was simply hiding, or perhaps starting living a new life without his former family. I was unable to find any follow up articles pertaining to this odd case and I never did find out if Kniggie made it home, or if he decided to remain estranged from his family and friends. The newspaper seemed content on leaving this case unsolved. This case is now over 106-years-old, and perhaps the best way to solve it would be the same way it started, visiting a medium.

Keep an eye out!