Skeptics, believers, everybody and anybody?

Question

Can you explain the following two accounts below. Can you give your thoughts and comments on it. It has been termed "Vanishing into thin air":

1.The Vanishing Prisoner-This first account is an excellent case in point because it defies any rational explanation for one simple reason: it occurred in full view of witnesses. The year was 1815 and the location a Prussian prison at Weichselmunde. The prisoner's name was Diderici, a valet who was serving a sentence for assuming his employer's identity after he died from a stroke. It was an ordinary afternoon and Diderici was just one in a line of prisoners, all chained together, walking in the prison yard for the day's exercise. As Diderici walked with his prison inmates to the clanking of their shackles, he slowly began to fade - literally. His body became more and more transparent until Diderici disappeared altogether, and his manacles and leg irons fell empty to the ground. He disappeared into thin air and was never seen again. (From Among the Missing: An Anecdotal History of Missing Persons from 1800 to the Present, by Jay Robert Nash)

2.Stumble into Nothingness - It's difficult to dismiss such incredible stories when they take place in front of eyewitnesses. Here's another. This case began as a harmless bet among friends, but ended in tragic mystery. In 1873, James Worson of Leamington Spa, England, was a simple shoemaker who also fancied himself somewhat of an athlete. One fine day, James made a bet with a few of his friends that he could run non-stop from Leamington Spa to Coventry. Knowing that this was a good 16 miles, his friends readily took the bet. As James began to jog at a moderate pace toward Coventry, his friends climbed into a horse-drawn cart to follow him and protect their bet. James did well for the first few miles. Then his friends saw him trip on something and fall forward... but never hit the ground. Instead, James completely vanished. Astonished and doubting their own eyes, his friends looked for him without success, then raced back to Leamington Spa to inform the police. An investigation turned up nothing. James Worson had run into oblivion. (From Into Thin Air, by Paul Begg)

Answer 1

You will notice, first, that both alleged incidents occurred so long ago that all witnesses, and all those who could have questioned them, are long dead and can't be re-interviewed.  Mighty convenient, eh? Secondly, there is no mention of the presence of mind-altering drugs, which were quite common and easily obtained even by prisoners, or of alcohol, which was consumed in prodigious quantities by people at all stations of life, from beggars to priests to judges to kings.  These substances could easily provide enough distraction to cause witnesses to misconstrue actual events.  Thirdly, these are anecdotal accounts - in other words, someone knows someone who heard the tale from the grandson of a guy who heard it from an uncle who was the brother of a guy who was there...

No, people simply don't fade from existence before witnesses or fall down and disappear into some weird black hole.

Answer 2

I wish that science had answers for these outstanding stories, but unfortunately, this is not the sort of things that science addresses.

Science deals with things that can be studied or time, duplicated, observed, and controlled. Perhaps someday, our rigorous pursuit of science will give us an understanding of an effect that can make a person seem to vanish. Then, we could go back and speculate that these occurrences had something to do with these stories, but this will still only be speculation, and not science.

Answer 3

The answer is quite simple.  These things did not happen.  Saying that there were eyewitnesses over 100 years ago and there actually having been eyewitnesses are two very different things.  We also know, from experimentation, that eyewitnesses can be very poor sources of truthful information, even when they are completely honest people.

Answer 4

It seems at least somewhat significant that both accounts take place in the 19th century. I say this because the criteria for accepting and publishing a story as fact has changed dramatically in the 135  years (or so) since the latest of these two accounts. Please understand, I'm not discounting, out of hand, the possibility of either of these two events being true or possible. I simply question the reliability and veracity of these "eye" witnesses. I would also remind you that of all the types of evidence you can name, eyewitness accounts are among the MOST unreliable. It's not unusual at all for ten people seeing the same thing to have ten different versions of what they saw. As a further example, I would point out that when cameras used film, there were a plethora of pictures purporting to show strange things/spirits/dead people/ etc. However since the advent of the digital camera these strange photos have become almost non-existent. The reason for this seems to be that, with film, you can double expose it...you can process it incorrectly and leave shadows and other imperfections in the negative which we (as imaginative human beings) invariably see as something sinister, strange or other-worldly. Bottom line is, while there may be many strange and wonderful things in the universe which we don't have an explanation for, I don't think these two anecdotal are much evidence to make a case with.

Answer 5

In the second one, I would guess one of two things happened.  First, James wanted to run away from something happening in his life, so he told his friends to report this ridiculous story while he ran away.  Or alternately, his friends either purposefully killed him or accidentally killed him, and the hid the body and came up with a fake story to explain why James wasn't around anymore.  That is actually very common.

In the first one, I would say it simply didn't happen and someone came up with a fancy story about nothing.

Answer 6

It depends upon how accountable the eyewitnesses are.  Did they really tell the truth or were they protecting the people who "disappeared".  I think in order for something like this to happen, it would have to be somewhat like the Bermuda Triangle.  Unexplained things do happen, but you also have to consider for every action there is a reaction.  So with the action of disappearing, where do you go?

Answer 7

IN my opinion, the second account, which happened in britain is kinda sketchy, since its mainly foggy, the runner could've tripped and the friends saw him trip in the fog, but not hitting the ground would be another fact. he probably did, they just didn't see it.

Or he probably fell in a ditch which they couldn't find!

I MEAN COME ON! this is the 1800s we're talkin bout! those 'unexplained' mysteries are totally biased!

could you find a similar type of 'mystery' in THIS century?

Answer 8

In your first account, I think it may be possible for someone with enough motivation, to will themselves into a different situation. It takes a lot, but if conditions are dire enough,and the persons strength of will powerfull enough, perhaps this might be possible. Pehaps he was a student of occultic or shamanic practices.

In account #2, I belive there are certain "windows" here on our planet, that lead into other dimensions, or might be a portal of some sort. If james was paid by his freinds before he started his run, it is possible that he had already learned of this portal, before he made his bet, and using this information, was able to get away with the money. The British Isles are full of strange places, with many supposed powers. These places date back to times and peoples before us, and to date have not really been figured out.

The thing about sceptics is, they have no more proof of their opinions than anyone else, but are much more likely to attack others for their  "alternative" point of view. I find an open mind to be refreshing, and more likely to lead to new discoveries, than a musty and stale closed one. I say there is a lot more to this world and its inhabitants than any of us know.