PREDICTIONS OF SERVIAN TRAGEDIES
Prediction of the Assassination of Prince Michael—Natalie’s Visit to
the Parisian Fortune-teller—The Prediction in London of the Murder of
Draga and Alexander.
Strange and mysterious as it may seem, the occult, the supernatural,
has played no small part in the destiny of Servian affairs. Personally,
I am not of clairvoyant proclivities, I know nothing whatever of the
goings-on at spiritualistic _seances_, neither am I even slightly
versed in anything that pertains to psychical research, but in this
chapter I am compelled to give credence to the cabalistic power
displayed by three persons, two women and one man, in their wonderful
predictions of three separate and distinct turning points in the life
of the Servian nation.
The first of these was the prognostication of the fate of Prince
Michael, the second was that of the social ascendency of Draga, and the
third, that of the horrible death of Queen Draga and her husband—this
latter foretold in a foreign city, almost three months before the
tragedy really occurred, by one who had neither seen nor had had any
connection whatever with the King and Queen of Servia.
On the morning of the very day of the assassination of Prince Michael
Obrenovitch in Topchidere Park, a poor peasant of Cremna, of local
distinction because of his occult powers of divination but unknown
outside of his immediate community, tore through the mountains like a
madman, beating his breasts with his fists and crying, “Our Prince is
dead! They have murdered our Prince!”
The cry was taken up by all with whom he came in contact, repeated
broadcast and, in an incredibly short space of time, it was upon the
lips of every one in Belgrade.
The peasant of Cremna was seized and thrown into prison, charged with
being a fanatical disturber, but hardly before the verification of the
tragedy had reached the capital.
The facts of this case are now preserved in the minutes of the national
assembly.
The second instance of occultism occurred in 1897 while Draga was
in the service of Queen Natalie, the year before she met her future
husband.
Natalie had laughingly suggested to Draga and Mademoiselle Tzanka,
another member of the Queen’s coterie, that they accompany her on
a visit to a certain mind-reader and spiritualistic medium of wide
reputation in Paris. The trio called upon this supernaturally-endowed
person, Madame de Thebes by name, and Natalie requested that the future
be read for her son, the young Alexander, and for her friends. To her
the Parisian fortune-teller replied, “Madame, you nourish in your bosom
a viper which will turn and sting you”; evidently meaning Draga. She
continued that the marriage of the young King would determine the whole
future of Servia.
Some inept futurity was predicted for Mademoiselle Tzanka, but to Draga
the woman said: “You, Madame, will rise to a higher position than you
even imagined. One day you will even reign a queen; but when that day
dawns your life will be in danger, and you will drag your lover and
your husband to his ruin and his death.”
This story was published eventually in the newspapers and, three
years after Draga’s ascent to the throne was prophesied, she denied
vehemently that such had ever been predicted, but in the same breath
she denounced Mademoiselle Tzanka scurrilously for having dared to
repeat what had taken place in Paris.
In describing the _seance_ at which the prediction was made of
the murder of Alexander and Draga I can do no better than to take,
verbatim, in part or as a whole, the statements of Mr. William Stead,
editor of the _Review of Reviews_, who was the host on that occasion,
and of his Excellency, M. Mijatovich, at that time Servian Minister
at the Court of St. James and a distinguished diplomat. These signed
statements were made to the press by Mr. Stead and others who were
present, and relate what actually took place at the _seance_.
_Mr. Stead’s Statement_
“I had invited a numerous company, including M. Mijatovich, Earl Grey,
Mr. L——, Mr. Gilbert Elliot, etc., to come on Friday, March 20th,
1903, to witness an experiment in psychometry by Mrs. Burchell at our
weekly ‘at home’ in Mowbray House.
“The ‘at home’ at Mowbray House began at four in the afternoon. The
psychometric experiment began an hour later, in the presence of
seventy or eighty persons. In about half an hour it was seen that
the conditions were adverse, and Mrs. Burchell went upstairs to give
private sittings, where she succeeded much better, while the company
remained below and discussed psychometry. This went on till after
seven.... About eight we went to the restaurant of Gatti and Rodesano,
Strand ... I sat at the head of the table, with Mrs. Burchell on my
right and Mrs. Manks on my left. Mr. L—— sat at the opposite end of
the table, next to my private secretary, on the other side of Mrs.
Burchell....
“During the dinner the conversation was general. We talked at my end
of the table about many things, and as Mr. L—— was present, I talked
about him and about Servia. But as far as I can remember the name of
the King was never mentioned, nor was anything said that directly
or indirectly could suggest the idea of his assassination. No such
thought was present to my mind. As for Mrs. Burchell, she is a plain
North Country woman, who dispenses medicine of her own making, who has
had a family of ten children and who did not seem to me a person who
had either interest in, or knowledge of, the Balkan Peninsula. She
has since, in the _St. James Gazette_, written: ‘As to my knowledge
of Servian affairs, I was then completely ignorant, and did not know
either the King’s name or the Queen’s antecedents or name, or anything
in connection with them in any way.’ She was tired and silent at
dinner, depressed by the consciousness of the afternoon failure at
psychometry, and I addressed most of my remarks to Mrs. Manks.
“After the dinner there were several descriptions given by Mrs.
Burchell of the impressions which she had received in connection with
various members of the company. It was in her descriptions of the
impressions she had received from Mr. L—— that he nodded from time to
time; an indiscretion which led to a protest from my private secretary.
This, however, had nothing to do with the vision of the assassination.
When the prediction was made Mrs. Burchell had her eyes closed. I had
no idea, while she was speaking, whether she was describing a tragedy
that had taken place long ago or was predicting what would happen. I
did not know what was in the envelope which she placed to her brow
until after all was over. When the paper was taken out of the envelope,
not being able to decipher the Cyrillic characters, I asked Mr.
L—— whose name it was. He replied, ‘The King.’ He then entered into
conversation with Mrs. Burchell, but I did not hear what she said.
“The other two clairvoyants present, Mrs. Brenchley and Mrs. Manks,
declared that they saw the same scene when it was in progress, and Mrs.
Brenchley was only one degree less excited than Mrs. Burchell. It was
she who added the detail about the Russian uniforms.”
_The Statement of M. Mijatovich_
“I, Chedomille Mijatovich, now residing at 51, Palace Gardens Terrace,
Kensington, make this statement, as being, to the best of my knowledge
and belief, a full and exact narrative of what I know of this
remarkable affair.
“I have long taken a deep interest in psychical research, and this
brought me, five or six years ago, to make the acquaintance of Mr.
Stead, the editor of _Borderland_ and _The Review of Reviews_. Knowing
my interest in these subjects, Mr. Stead invited me to be present at
a meeting in his office in Mowbray House, Norfolk Street, London, on
Friday afternoon, March 20, 1903, when a psychometrist of some repute
was to give a demonstration of her capacity to receive impressions from
articles held in her hand, of the origin and nature of which she had no
information. The following is an extract from Mr. Stead’s letter:
“‘On Friday next at our “at home” we shall have a very good clairvoyant
at Mowbray House. She has undertaken to do from twelve to twenty tests.
That is to say, ten or twenty articles will be submitted to her at
random, of all of which she will know nothing, and she will state what
she sees in connection with each. I hope that you will be able to come
and to bring with you one or two articles, the clairvoyant reading of
which might be of interest or value....’
“I accepted the invitation. The rooms at Mowbray House were crowded.
The lady, whose name I was told was Mrs. Burchell, complained that the
conditions were bad, and the experiment was a failure.
“Among the articles brought to Mowbray House for submission to the
psychometrist was the signature of King Alexander. The name was signed
in Cyrillic characters on a sheet of paper which was enclosed in an
envelope. It was prepared in order to see whether the psychometrist,
from handling the envelope, could ‘sense’ and describe the person of
the King. That was the sole object of the experiment. Nothing more was
claimed or expected.
“Owing to the number of articles offered for experiment, and owing also
to the abrupt termination of the trials, the envelope with the King’s
signature was not produced.... While I was present nothing was said as
to its existence.
“When I quitted Mowbray House the King’s signature was left with one
of the company, Mr. L——, who remained behind to dine with Mr. Stead,
Mrs. Burchell and some others. I was unable to stay to dinner as I had
to go to the Court at Buckingham Palace that evening. I returned home
feeling that the experiment had been a failure.
“On the following morning ... I was surprised to receive a visit at
my house ... from Mr. L——. He said that after the dinner in the
restaurant a _seance_ had been held, at which he had submitted the
envelope, containing the King’s signature, to Mrs. Burchell. He told
me that on receiving the envelope she had been thrown into a state of
violent agitation. She had then described the assassination of the
King and the attempted assassination of the Queen in the interior of
the palace. He gave me many details which had convinced him that Mrs.
Burchell had actually seen in clairvoyant vision the assassination of
my Sovereign in the interior of his palace.
“On the following Tuesday, March 24th, I made it my business to call at
Mowbray House in order to ascertain from Mr. Stead his version of what
had happened.... On returning home I made an entry in my journal, of
which the following is an exact copy:
“‘LONDON (51, PALACE GARDENS TERRACE),
“‘March 24, 1903.
“‘This afternoon I went to Mowbray House, Norfolk Street, Victoria
Embankment, to see Mr. William Stead (the editor of _Review of
Reviews_), and to ask him what it was that his clairvoyant of last
Friday (March 20th) said of King Alexander. Mr. Stead told me.
“‘Mr. L—— gave her into her hand a small paper. She held it for
a moment and then said: “This is the signature of a young man in a
very high position! Yes, it is the signature of a King!” (She then
proceeded to describe King Alexander’s appearance). “He has his Queen
at his side; she is a brunette, older than he. But, O God! What do
I see? Oh, it is too terrible....” And then, Mr. Stead said, she
suddenly fell on her knees, clasping excitedly her hands, and with
closed eyes and uplifted head she prayed to the Great Spirit to—save
them, if possible! “I see them both, the King and Queen; and there
is a dark man with the dagger in hand. He tries to kill them; it
is a terrible struggle; the Queen escapes unhurt, but the King is
assassinated!” Stead said Mrs. Bourcher (sic), the clairvoyant, was
terribly agitated. She described what she saw in the presence of
several ladies and gentlemen, who were deeply impressed with it.’
“Four days later, on March 28th, I wrote a letter to King Alexander,
in the course of which I felt it my duty to warn him as to impending
danger. I did not keep a copy of my letter, but I perfectly well
remember the passage in question.... I wrote as follows:
“‘I know your Majesty will laugh, as you usually laughed when I
spoke to you about clairvoyance, so I am not going to give you all
particulars about the latest experience which I have had, but I implore
your Majesty to take all possible measures for your personal safety,
not only when you drive about or when you go to the church or the
theatre or to the park, but when in your palace especially, because I
have reason to believe that an attempt will be made to assassinate you
in your own palace.’
“My wife read my letter before it was sent off and she confirms the
accuracy of this account of its contents. I may say that I had often
talked to King Alexander about psychic experiences, but he always
mocked me and would not take them seriously. I never before sent him
any warning as to an attempt on his person.
“I was myself so deeply impressed by the importance of the
clairvoyant’s vision that I half expected that the King, despite his
skepticism, would summon me to Belgrade in order to hear more details.
This expectation was not realized. He neither sent for me nor took any
notice of my warning.
“When the news arrived of his tragic end, my thoughts instantly
recurred to the warning which I had sent him, and I stated to several
representatives of the press the fact, which was duly published in the
London evening newspapers of June 11th.”
_What Actually Took Place at the Seance_
“It was after ten o’clock at the restaurant when Mr. L—— thrust an
envelope into Mr. Stead’s hand, saying, ‘Try her with that!’ Mr. Stead
took the envelope, not knowing what it contained, and waited till the
good lady had finished a description to the last of the sitters. She
was getting tired and wished to go home. Mr. Stead put the envelope
in her hands and asked her to try once more and see if she could get
anything with it.
“Mrs. Burchell took the envelope in her two hands and sat for a moment,
still. She turned the envelope round and round once or twice and then
said, in a loud, clear voice, ‘Royalty! An important person—a King!’
“The announcement riveted attention and we listened eagerly for what
was to follow. Mrs. Burchell spoke with extreme rapidity and in
breathless excitement. There was nothing to indicate that the medium
was in a trance. She had been talking quite normally just before Mr.
Stead gave her the envelope. Her eyes were closed, but this might have
been done to aid in abstracting her from her surroundings. She spoke
exactly as if she were looking through a window into an interior and
describing what she saw to us who were beside her. Near to her were two
other clairvoyants, Mrs. Brenchley and Mrs. Manks.
“Mrs. Burchell began by saying, ‘Royalty! An important person—a King!
He is standing in a room in his palace. He is dark; stout body and long
neck. With him is a lady, the Queen—brunette. And there,’ pointing to
a corner of the room, ‘I see a child.’ Then, becoming very excited, the
medium exclaimed, ‘Terrible! Terrible! It is all bloody. I cannot bear
to look. Oh, it is terrible! I cannot bear it. I see a very dark man
rushing into the chamber. He tries to kill the King. The lady implores
them to spare him. Oh—’and with a cry of horror Mrs. Burchell
suddenly flung herself upon her knees in such a way that Mr. Stead
thought she would fall and stretched out his hand to save her. She did
not fall, however, but with clasped hands the medium continued in a
voice of agonized entreaty:
“‘They are killing him. Oh, save him, save him! The Queen falls on her
knees and implores them to save her life—they will not listen. Oh,
what tumult! what bloodshed! How terrible—they kill him; she pleads
in vain. Now they fling her on one side and stab her with a dagger,
and—Oh, oh!’—and then Mrs. Burchell, exhausted with emotion, was
falling over on her side on the floor when Mr. Stead got her up and put
her on her seat.
“When Mrs. Burchell fell on her knees, Mrs. Brenchley sprang up,
saying, ‘Yes, yes, I get it in the air. They are killing him; I see it.’
“‘And I also,’ said Mrs. Manks clasping hands with Mrs. Brenchley, and
both following her (probably Mrs. Burchell’s) distracted cries and
utterances with cries of, ‘Yes, yes! We see it; she is quite right.’
“Mrs. Burchell, in her agitation, dropped the envelope on the floor.
Mrs. Brenchley picked it up and, holding it, continued to describe
the scene in an agitation only a little less than Mrs. Burchell’s,
exclaiming, ‘Oh, the blood—how horrible! Look, how dark it becomes;
see—the soldiers are coming upon us—shooting down all they meet—’
“‘What are they like?’ asked someone.
“‘They seem to me like Russian uniforms; but it is dark and I cannot
see clearly....’
“‘Now the King is dead!’ she (Mrs. Brenchley) cried. ‘But, oh, what
confusion! What bloodshed!’
“All these ejaculatory comments were rapidly uttered as Mrs. Burchell
was being helped to her seat and not much notice was taken of them
at the time. Mrs. Brenchley, however, declares that she has a lively
recollection of what she saw and what she said.
“Mr. Stead turned an inquiring gaze to Mr. L——, who had given him the
envelope....
“‘What was in the envelope?’ Mr. Stead asked.
“‘Look!’said Mr. L——. Opening the envelope he took out a sheet of
note-paper on which was the signature, ‘Alexander.’
“‘It is the King,’ he exclaimed.
“‘But,’ said Mr. Stead, ‘her description—was it correct?’
“‘It was exact,’ replied Mr. L——. ‘The palace, the King, the Queen.
Her description is exact.’
“And then the medium, who had been silent as if recovering from the
emotion through which she had just passed, said:
“‘Depend upon it, it will all happen as I have seen it, if nothing is
done to prevent it, and that ere long!’
“Mrs. Burchell’s own version is that she added, ‘Even then,
although they may postpone it, it will certainly come to pass.’”