He Paints with a Phantom Hand

In the October 1929 issue of Ghost Stories, which contains both “Monster in the Cellar” and “An UNEARTHLY Stowaway,” I spotted the following ad: How an Artist Came Back to Finish His Work Robert Swain Gifford, a well-known painter of landscapes, died before he could carry out his plans for certain canvases. From the Beyond he chose his successor—a man who had never mixed oil paints in his life! You will find this TRUE story, a most fascinating one as told by Stuart Palmer, the author of “The Specter in the New Hotel,” which so many of our readers were enthusiastic about. It is in the November issue of Ghost Stories, on sale at all news stands October 23rd. The November 1929 issue of Ghost Stories does indeed include a Stuart Palmer article, “He Paints with a Phantom Hand.” I couldn’t find this particular issue online, but the ad above was enough to let me trace down the story, and Palmer’s likely sources. Near the Coast by Robert Swain Gifford (c. 1885). Source: Wikimedia In 1907, a…