informed that my brother had died at midnight. But I had seen him at
about half past one and the servant had seen him at about 12.30. I did
not tell anybody anything at that time. But I did so afterwards. I was
not dreaming--because the conversation we had was a pretty long one. The
servant and the police constable could not have been mistaken either.
But the mystery remains."
This was the exact story of the professor. Here is something else to the
point.
* * * * *
Suicidal Telepathy.
A remarkable case of what may be called suicidal telepathy has occurred
near Geneva. Mme. Simon, a Swiss widow aged fifty, had been greatly
distressed on account of the removal of her sister, who was five years
younger, to a hospital. On Monday afternoon a number of persons who had
ascended the Saleve, 4299 feet high, by the funicular railway, were
horrified to see a woman walk out on to a ledge overlooking a sheer
precipice of three hundred feet, and, after carefully wrapping a shawl
round her head and face jump into space. The woman was Mme. Simon, says
the _Times of India_, and she was found on the cliffs below in a mangled
condition.
At the same time Mme. Simon's sister, who had not seen or communicated
with the former for a week, became hysterical saying her sister was dead
and that she did not want to survive her. During the temporary absence
of the nurse the woman got out of her bed--opened the window and jumped
into the road from the first floor. She is seriously injured and her
recovery is doubtful.
The news of the death of Mme. Simon was only known at the hospital nine
hours later.
_The Leader--Allahabad, 12th February 1913._
Much more wonderful than all this is the story of "The Astral Lady"
which appeared in one of the English Magazines a few months ago. In
that case an English medical gentleman saw the _Astral Lady_ in a first
class railway compartment in England. Only accidentally he discovered
the body of a lady nearly murdered and concealed under one of the seats.
His medical help and artificial respiration and stimulants brought her
round, and then the doctor saw the original of the Astral Lady in the
recovered girl. Well--well--wonderful things do happen sometimes.
The phenomenon mentioned in this chapter as _the professor's experience_
is not new. Mr. Justice Norman of the Calcutta High Court saw his mother
while sitting in court one day and others saw her too. A few hours later
his Lordship received a telegram informing him of her death at the
moment when he had seen her in court. This was in broad daylight. Unlike
the professor the judge did not even know that his mother was ill.
The fact that immediately after death the dead person appears to some
one near and dear to him has been vouched for by others whose veracity
and intelligence cannot be questioned.
The appearance of Miss Orme after her death at Mussoorie to Miss
Mounce-Stephen in Lucknow was related in the Allahabad High Court
during the trial of the latter lady for the murder of the former. This
is on the record of the case. This case created a good deal of interest
at the time.
Similar to what has been described above is the experience of Lord
Brougham.
An extract from his memoirs is as follows:--"A most remarkable thing
happened to me. So remarkable that I must tell the story from the
beginning. After I left the High School (_i.e._ Edinburgh) I went with
G---- my most intimate friend, to attend the classes of the University.
"There was no divinity class, but we frequently in our walks discussed
many grave subjects--among others--_the Immortality of the soul and a
future state_. This question and the possibility of the dead appearing
to the living were subjects of much speculation, and we actually
committed the folly of drawing up an agreement, written with our blood,
to the effect that whichever of us died the first should appear to the
other and thus solve the doubts we had entertained of the life after
death.
"After we had finished our classes at the college, G---- went to India
having got an appointment in the Civil Service there. He seldom wrote
to me and after the lapse of a few years, I had nearly forgotten his
existence. One day I had taken a warm bath, and, while lying in it
enjoying the heat, I turned my head round, looking towards the chair on
which I had deposited my clothes, as I was about to get out of the bath.
On the chair sat G--looking calmly at me. How I got out of the bath I
know not, but on recovering my senses I found myself sprawling on the
floor. The apparition or whatever it was that had taken the likeness of
G--had disappeared. The vision had produced such a shock that I had no
inclination to talk about it or to speak about it even to Stewart, but
the impression it made upon me was too vivid to be forgotten easily, and
so strongly was I affected by it that I have here written down the whole
history with the date, 19th December, and all particulars as they are
fresh before me now. No doubt I had fallen asleep and that the
appearance presented so distinctly before my eyes was a dream I cannot
doubt, yet for years I had no communication with G--nor had there been
anything to recall him to my recollection. Nothing had taken place
concerning our Swedish travel connected with G--or with India or with
anything relating to him or to any member of his family. I recollected
quickly enough our old discussion and the bargain we had made. I could
not discharge from my mind the impression that G---- must have died and
his appearance to me was to be received by me as a proof of a future
state."
This was on the 19th December 1799.
In October 1862 Lord Brougham added a postscript.
"I have just been copying out from my journal the account of this
strange dream.
"_Certissima mortis imago_, and now to finish the story begun about 60
years ago. Soon after my return to Edinburgh there arrived a letter from
India announcing G's death, and that he died on the 19th December
1799."--_The Pall Mall Magazine_ (1914) pp. 183-184.
* * * * *
Another very fine story and one to the point comes from Hyderabad.
A certain Mr. J---- who was an Englishman, after reading the memoirs of
Lord Brougham, was so affected that he related the whole story to his
confidential Indian servant. We need not mention here what Mr. J's
profession was, all that we need say is that he was not very rich and
in his profession there was no chance of his getting up one morning to
find himself a millionaire.
The master and servant executed a bond written with their blood that he
who died first would see the other a rich man.
As it happened the native servant died first, and on his death Mr. J----
who was then a young man retired altogether from his business, which
business was not in a very flourishing condition. Within a couple of
years he went to England a millionaire. How he came by his money remains
a secret. People in England were told that he had earned it in India. He
must have done so, but the process of his earning he has kept strictly
to himself. Mr. J---- is still alive and quite hale.
A different event in which another friend of mine was concerned was thus
described the other day. He had received a telegram to the effect that a
very near relation of his was dying in Calcutta and that this dying
person was desirous to see him. He started for Calcutta in all haste by
the mail. The mail used to leave his station at about 3 P.M. in the
afternoon and reach Calcutta early the next morning. It was hot weather
and in his first class compartment there was no other passenger. He lay
down on one of the sleeping berths and the other one was empty. All the
lamps including the night light had been switched off and the
compartment was in total darkness, but for the moonlight. The moon beams
too did not come into the compartment itself as the moon was nearly
overhead.
He had fallen into a disturbed sleep when on waking up he found there
was another occupant of the compartment. As thefts had been a common
incident on the line specially in first class compartments, my friend
switched on the electric light, the button of which was within his
reach. This could be done without getting up.
In the glare of the electric light he saw distinctly his dying relation.
He thought he was dreaming. He rubbed his eyes and then looked again.
The apparition had vanished. He got up and looked out of the window. The
train was passing through a station, without stopping. He could read the
name of the station clearly. He opened his time table to see that he was
still 148 miles from Calcutta.
Then he went to sleep again. In the morning he thought he had been
dreaming. But he observed that the railway time table was still open at
the place where he must have looked to ascertain the distance.
On reaching Calcutta he was told that his relation had died a few hours
ago.
My friend never related this to anybody till he knew that I was writing
on the subject. This story, however, after what the professor saw loses
its interest; and some suggested that it had better not be written at
all. I only write this because this friend of mine--who is also a
relation of mine--is a big Government servant and would not have told
this story unless it was true.
* * * * *
To the point is the following story which was in the papers about March
1914.
'In 1821 the Argyle Rooms were patronised by the best people, the
establishment being then noted for high-class musical
entertainments. One evening in March, 1821, a young Miss M. with a
party of friends, was at a concert in Argyle Rooms. Suddenly she
uttered a cry and hid her face in her hands. She appeared to be
suffering so acutely that her friends at once left the building
with her and took her home. It was at first difficult to get the
young lady to explain the cause of her sudden attack, but at last
she confessed that she had been terrified by a horrible sight.
While the concert was in progress she had happened to look down at
the floor, and there lying at her feet she saw the corpse of a man.
The body was covered with a cloth mantle, but the face was exposed,
and she distinctly recognised the features of a friend, Sir J.T. On
the following morning the family of the young lady received a
message informing them that Sir J.T. had been drowned the previous
day in Southampton Water through the capsizing of a boat, and that
when his body was recovered it was entangled in a boat cloak. The
story of the Argyle Rooms apparition is told by Mr. Thomas Raikes
in his well-known diary, and he personally vouches for the truth of
it.'
* * * * *
In this connection the following cutting from an English paper of March,
1914, will be found very interesting and instructive.
'TALKS' WITH MR. STEAD.
SIR A. TURNER'S PSYCHIC EXPERIENCES.
General Sir Alfred Turner's psychic experiences, which he related
to the London Spiritualist Alliance on May 7, in the salon of the
Royal Society of British Artists, cover a very wide field, and they
date from his early boyhood.
The most interesting and suggestive relate to the re-appearance of
Mr. Stead, says the _Daily Chronicle_. On the Sunday following the
sinking of the Titanic, Sir Alfred was visiting a medium when she
told him that on the glass of the picture behind his back the head
of a man and afterwards 'its' whole form appeared. She described
him minutely, and said he was holding a child by the hand. He had
no doubt that it was Mr. Stead, and he wrote immediately to Miss
Harper, Mr. Stead's private secretary. She replied saying that on
the same day she had seen a similar apparition, in which Mr. Stead
was holding a child by the hand.
A few days afterwards (continued Sir Alfred) at a private seance
the voice of Stead came almost immediately and spoke at length. He
told them what had happened in the last minutes of the wreck. All
those who were on board when the vessel sank soon passed over, but
they had not the slightest notion that they were dead. Stead knew
however, and he set to work to try and tell these poor people that
they had passed over and that there was at any rate no more
physical suffering for them. Shortly afterwards he was joined by
other spirits, who took part in the missionary work.
Mr. Stead was asked to show himself to the circle. He said 'Not
now, but at Cambridge House.' At the meeting which took place
there, not everybody was sympathetic, and the results were poor,
except that Mr. Stead came to them in short sharp flashes dressed
exactly as he was when on earth.
Since then, said Sir Alfred, he had seen and conversed with Mr.
Stead many times. When he had shown himself he had said very
little, when he did not appear he said a great deal. On the
occasion of his last appearance he said: 'I cannot speak to you.
But pursue the truth. It is all truth.'
I am confident, Sir Alfred declared, that Mr. Stead will be of the
greatest help to those of us who, on earth, work with him and to
others who believe.
THE BOY POSSESSED.
I think it was in 1906 that in one of the principle cities in India the
son of a rich man became ill. He had high fever and delirium and in his
insensible state he was constantly talking in a language which was some
kind of English but which the relatives could not understand.
This boy was reading in one of the lower classes of a school and hardly
knew the English language.
When the fever would not abate for 24 hours a doctor was sent for.
The doctor arrived, and went in to see the patient in the sick-room.
The boy was lying on the bed with his eyes closed. It was nearly
evening.
As soon as the doctor entered the sick-room the boy shouted "Doctor--I
am very hungry, order some food for me."
Of course, the doctor thought that the boy was in his senses. He did not
know that the boy had not sufficient knowledge of the English language
to express his ideas in that tongue. So the doctor asked his relations
when he had taken food last. He was informed that the patient had had
nothing to eat for the last 8 or 10 hours.
"What will you like to have?" asked the doctor.
"Roast mutton and plenty of vegetables" said the boy.
By this time the doctor had approached the bed-side, but it was too dark
to see whether the eyes of the patient were open or not.
"But you are ill--roast mutton will do you harm" said the doctor.
"No it won't--I know what is good for me" said the patient. At this
stage the doctor was informed that the patient did not really know much
English and that he was probably in delirium. A suggestion was also made
that probably he was possessed by a ghost.
The doctor who had been educated at the Calcutta Medical College did not
quite believe the ghost theory. He, however, asked the patient who he
was.
In India, I do not know whether this is so in European countries too,
lots of people are possessed by ghosts and the ghost speaks through his
victim. So generally a question like this is asked by the exorcist "Who
are you and why are you troubling the poor patient?" The answer, I am
told, is at once given and the ghost says what he wants. Of course, I
personally, have never heard a ghost talk. I know a case in which a
report was made to me that the wife of a groom of mine had become
possessed by a ghost. On being asked what ghost it was the woman was
reported to have said "the big ghost of the house across the drain." I
ran to the out-houses to find out how much was true but when I reached
the stables the woman I was told was not talking. I found her in
convulsions.
To return to our story; the doctor asked the patient who he was.
"I am General ----" said the boy.
"Why are you here" asked the doctor.
"I shall tell you that after I have had my roast mutton and the
vegetables--" said the boy or rather the ghost.
"But how can we be convinced that you are General ----" asked the doctor.
"Call Captain X---- of the XI Brahmans and he will know," said the
ghost, "in the meantime get me the food or I shall kill the patient."
The father of the patient at once began to shout that he would get the
mutton and the vegetables. The Doctor in the meantime rushed out to
procure some more medical assistance as well as to fetch Captain X of
the XI Brahmans.
The few big European officers of the station were also informed and
within a couple of hours the sick-room was full of sensible educated
gentle men. The mutton was in the meantime ready.
"The mutton is ready" said the doctor.
"Lower it into the well in the compound" said the ghost.
A basket was procured and the mutton and the vegetables were lowered
into the well.
But scarcely had the basket gone down 5 yards (the well was 40 feet
deep) when somebody from inside the well shouted.
"Take it away--take it away--there is no salt in it."
Those that were responsible for the preparation had to admit their
mistake.
The basket was pulled out, some salt was put in, and the basket was
lowered down again.
But as the basket went in about 5 or 6 yards somebody from inside the
well pulled it down with such force that the man who was lowering it
narrowly escaped being dragged in; fortunately he let the rope slip
through his hands with the result that though he did not fall into the
well his hands were bleeding profusely.
Nothing happened after that and everybody returned to the patient.
After a few minutes silence the patient said:--
"Take away the rope and the basket, why did you not tie the end of the
rope to the post."
"Why did you pull it so hard" said one of the persons present.
"I was hungry and in a hurry" said the ghost.
They asked several persons to go down into the well but nobody would. At
last a fishing hook was lowered down. The basket, which had at first
completely disappeared, was now floating on the surface of the water. It
was brought up, quite empty.
Captain X in the meantime had arrived and was taken to the patient. Two
high officials of Government (both Europeans) had also arrived.
As soon as the Captain stepped into the sick room the patient (we shall
now call him the Ghost) said. "Good evening Captain X, these people will
not believe that I am General--and I want to convince them."
The Captain was as surprised as the others had been before.
"You may ask me anything you like Captain X, and I shall try to convince
you" said the Ghost.
The Captain stood staring.
"Speak, Captain X,--are you dumb?" said the Ghost.
"I don't understand anything" stammered the Captain.
He was told everything by those present. After hearing it the Captain
formulated a question from one of the Military books.
A correct reply was immediately given. Then followed a number of
questions by the Captain, the replies to all of which were promptly
given by the Ghost.
After this the Ghost said, "If you are all convinced, you may go now,
and see me again to-morrow morning."
Everybody quietly withdrew.
The next morning there was a large gathering in the sick room. A number
of European officers who had heard the story at the club on the previous
evening dropped in. "Introduce each of these new comers to me" said the
Ghost.
Captain X introduced each person in solemn form.
"If anybody is curious to know anything I shall tell him" said the
Ghost.
A few questions about England--position of buildings,--shops,--streets
in London, were asked and correctly answered.
After all the questions the Indian Doctor who had been in attendance
asked "Now, General, that we are convinced you are so and so why are you
troubling this poor boy?"
"His father is rich" said the Ghost.
"Not very," said the doctor "but what do you want him to do?"
"My tomb at ----pur has been destroyed by a branch of a tree falling
upon it, I want that to be properly repaired" said the Ghost.
"I shall get that done immediately" said the father of the patient.
"If you do that within a week I shall trouble your boy no longer" said
the Ghost.
The monument was repaired and the boy has been never ill since.
This is the whole story; a portion of it appeared in the papers; and
there were several respectable witnesses, though the whole thing is too
wonderful.
Inexplicable as it is--it appears that dead persons are a bit jealous of
the sanctity of their tombs.
I have heard a story of a boy troubled by a Ghost who had inscribed his
name on the tomb of a Mahommedan fakir.
His father had to repair the tomb and had to put an ornamental iron
railing round it.
Somehow or other the thing looks like a fairy tale. The readers may have
heard stories like this themselves and thought them as mere idle gossip.
I, therefore, reproduce here the whole of a letter as it appeared in
"The Leader" of Allahabad, India--on the 15th July, 1913.
The letter is written by a man, who, I think, understands quite well
what he is saying.
A SUPERNATURAL PHENOMENON
Sir, It may probably interest your readers to read the account of a
supernatural phenomenon that occurred, a few days ago, in the house
of B. Rasiklal Mitra, B.A., district surveyor, Hamirpur. He has been
living with his family in a bungalow for about a year. It is a good
small bungalow, with two central and several side rooms. There is a
verandah on the south and an enclosure, which serves the purpose of
a court-yard for the ladies, on the north. On the eastern side of
this enclosure is the kitchen and on the western, the privy. It has
a big compound all round, on the south-west corner of which there is
a tomb of some Shahid, known as the tomb of Phulan Shahid.
At about 5 o'clock in the evening on 26th June, 1913, when Mr.
Mitra was out in office, it was suddenly noticed that the southern
portion of the privy was on fire. People ran for rescue and by
their timely assistance it was possible to completely extinguish
the fire by means of water which they managed to get at the moment,
before the fire could do any real damage. On learning of the fire,
the ladies and children, all bewildered, collected in a room, ready
to quit the building in case the fire was not checked or took a
serious turn. About a square foot of the thatch was burnt. Shortly
after this another corner of the house was seen burning. This was
in the kitchen. It was not a continuation of the former fire as the
latter had been completely extinguished. Not even smoke or a spark
was left to kindle. The two places are completely separated from
each other being divided by an open court-yard of 30 yards in
length and there is no connection between them at all.