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TRUE GHOST STORIES
by
HEREWARD CARRINGTON
Author of "The Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism," "The Coming
Science," "Death: its Causes and Phenomena,"
"Death Deferred," etc.
[Illustration]
New York
The J. S. Ogilvie Publishing Company
57 Rose Street
Copyright, 1915, by
J. S. Ogilvie Publishing Company
_To_
MY DEAR FRIENDS
THE MARSHALLS
CONTENTS
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 7
PREFACE 9
CHAPTER I
What is a Ghost? 13
The Terror of the Dark 14
What is a Ghost? 18
Historic Investigations 20
Death Coincidences 21
Are They Due to Chance? 24
The Explanation 26
Experimental Apparitions 27
Telepathic Hallucinations 32
Ghosts Which Move Material Objects 37
Photographs of Ghosts 38
The "Double" and the Spiritual Body 40
What Happens at the Moment of Death 43
How the Soul May Leave the Body 47
Theories of Haunted Houses 51
The Ghosts of Animals 53
The Clothes of Ghosts 55
Telepathy from the Dead 57
The Psychic Atmosphere 59
Forms Created by Will 60
Physical Manifestations 62
Can Haunted Houses be "Cured"? 63
CHAPTER II
Phantasms of the Dead--I 65
A Russian Ghost 65
Grasped by a Spirit Hand 71
"I Am Shot!" 74
"Heave the Lead!" 75
The Rescue at Sea 78
How Ghosts Influence Us 86
How a Ghost Warned the King 90
The Stains of Blood 93
Face to Face 96
"Julia, Darling!" 98
The Cut Across the Cheek 99
The Invisible Hand 100
The Apparition of the Radiant Boy 104
Fisher's Ghost 106
Harriet Hosmer's Vision 109
The Apparition of the Murdered Boy 112
The Ghost in Yellow Calico 116
CHAPTER III
More Phantasms of the Dead--II 120
Compacts to Appear after Death 120
Lord Brougham's Vision 122
The Tyrone Ghost 125
Dead or Alive! 128
The Scratch on the Cheek 135
A Ghost in Hampton Court 139
Half-Past One O'clock 147
My Own True Ghost Story 155
CHAPTER IV
Haunted Houses 163
The Record of a Haunted House 165
Proofs of Immateriality 168
Conduct of Animals in the House 169
B---- House 170
Willington Mill 174
The Great Amherst Mystery 176
Brook House 186
CHAPTER V
Ghost Stories of a More Dramatic Nature 194
Disease-Phantoms 194
The Tale of a Mummy 198
Face Slapped by a Ghost 204
Alone with a Ghost in Church 207
A Haunted House in France 210
A Haunted House in Georgia 213
Shaken by a Ghost 220
The House and the Brain 221
APPENDIX A
Historical Ghosts 230
APPENDIX B
The Phantom Armies Seen in France 236
APPENDIX C
Bibliography 245
PUBLISHER'S NOTE.
HEREWARD CARRINGTON, author of "True Ghost Stories," is well known
in this country, and in Europe, as a prominent scientific writer on
psychical and occult subjects. He has been a member of both the English
and American Societies of Psychical Research for more than 15 years;
has written over a dozen books on the subject--a number of which has
been translated into foreign languages (such as Japanese and Arabic),
and he has lectured in London, Paris, Rome, Venice, Milan, Genoa,
Turin, etc.--before scientific organizations. His writings are well
known, and have earned him a high place in psychical circles. He's a
late member of the Council of the American Scientific Society, of the
American Geographical Society, and of the American Health League. He
collaborated in the "American Encyclopædia," "The Standard Dictionary,"
etc. His experience in the investigation of psychical mysteries is
unrivalled. He has travelled all over the country investigating
"cases," spending nights in "haunted houses," and accounts of his
investigations have appeared in the Reports of the various Psychical
Societies, and also in his own publications.
In "True Ghost Stories," Mr. Carrington presents a number of startling
cases of this character; but they are not the ordinary "ghost
stories"--based on pure fiction, and having no foundation in reality.
Here we have a well-arranged collection of incidents, all thoroughly
investigated and vouched for, and the testimony obtained first-hand and
corroborated by others. The chapter on "Haunted Houses" is particularly
striking. The first chapter deals with the interesting question, "What
is a Ghost?" and attempts to answer this question in the light of the
latest scientific theories which have been advanced to explain these
supernatural happenings and visitants. It is a book of absorbing
interest, and cannot fail to grip and hold the attention of every
reader--no matter whether he be a student of these questions, or one
merely in search of hair-raising anecdotes and stories. He will find
them here a-plenty!
PREFACE
The following little book endeavors to bring together a number of
"ghost stories" of the more startling and dramatic type,--but stories,
nevertheless, which seem to be well authenticated; and which have
been obtained, in most instances, at first hand, from the original
witnesses; and often contain corroborative testimony from others who
also experienced the ghostly phenomena. Some of these incidents,
indeed, rise to the dignity of scientific evidence; others are less
well authenticated cases,--but interesting for all that. These have
been grouped in various Chapters, according to their evidential value.
Chapters II. and III. contain well-evidenced cases, some of which have
been taken from the _Proceedings_ and _Journals_ of the Society for
Psychical Research (S. P. R.), or from _Phantasms of the Living_, or
from other scientific books, in which narratives of this character
receive serious consideration. Chapter V., on the contrary, contains a
number of incidents which,--striking and dramatic as they are,--cannot
be included in the two earlier Chapters, as presenting real evidence
of Ghosts; but are published rather as startling and interesting ghost
_stories_. Chapter IV., devoted to "Haunted Houses," contains brief
accounts of the most famous Haunted Houses, and of the phenomena which
have been witnessed within them. Appendix A gives a list of a few of
the important "Historical Ghosts," Appendix B describes the "Phantom
Armies" lately seen by the Allied troops in France--while Appendix C
lists a number of books of Ghost Stories which the interested reader
may care to peruse. A short Glossary, at the beginning of the book,
explains the meaning of certain terms used,--which are not, perhaps,
ordinarily met with in books of this character.
In the Introductory Chapter, I have endeavored to explain, very
briefly, the nature and character of Ghosts; what they _are_; and the
various scientific theories which have been brought forward, of late
years, to explain Ghosts. I hope that this may prove of interest to the
reader; in case it does not do so, he is invited to "skip" directly to
Chapter II., which begins our account of "True Ghost Stories."
I wish to express my thanks in this place to the Council of the English
S. P. R. for special permission to quote and to summarize several
striking cases here reproduced; also to Miss Estelle Stead, for
permission to utilize several cases previously printed at length in Mr.
Wm. T. Stead's collections of Ghost Stories.
H. C.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED
AGENT--The person who, in thought-transference experiments, endeavors
to impress his thoughts upon the "percipient" or "receiver."
DEATH-COINCIDENCE--A case in which an apparition or other ghostly
phenomenon has taken place, at the moment of the death of the person
represented by the phantom.
GHOST--An apparition, a phantom. Some contend that all ghosts are
"subjective" or purely mental (hallucinations); others that some
ghosts are "objective"--that is, space-occupying entities, which exist
apart from the seer, who sees them. These points will be found fully
discussed in this book.
HALLUCINATION--A mental experience, in which a phantom is seen, a voice
heard, etc., when there is no real external cause for this seeing or
hearing. Hallucinations are more complete than mere "illusions."
PACT--An agreement, entered into before death, between two persons,
that, whichever one dies first, shall appear to the other one. These
are here called "Pact Cases." [A Pact may also mean an agreement
between a necromancer of some spirit-intelligence, as in Magic; but
the word is not used in that sense in this book.]
PERCIPIENT--The receiver of the telepathic or other message. The one
who experiences the phenomenon.
PHANTASM--A phantom; an apparition; a "ghost." The word is more
inclusive than any of the words suggested; and is used by preference,
by most psychic students.
TELEPATHY--Mind-reading; thought-transference.
TRUE GHOST STORIES
CHAPTER I
WHAT IS A GHOST?
Ghosts have been believed in by every nation, at every time and at
every stage of the world's evolution. No matter where we may go, we
find them stalking through the pages of history;[1] and even in our own
cynical and materialistic age, we not only find "ghosts" still; but
the evidence for their existence is stronger than ever! It is nonsense
to say that "no sensible person believes in ghosts," because many
thousands of them _do_. Why do they believe? Would they believe if they
had no cause to do so?
[1] See Appendix A.
The "terror of the dark," which we all have more or less, from which
every child suffers (how intensely!) during its early years--a terror
which is, to a certain extent, shared by animals and even insects--does
all this signify nothing? Those who have looked into this question
thoroughly, believe that there is, in every truth, a terrible reality
justifying this instinctive fear; that evil and horrible things lurk
about us in the still, weird hours of the night; that there are truly
"powers and principalities" with which we often toy, without knowing or
realizing the frightful dangers which result from this tampering with
the unseen world. Yes; there is a true "tyranny of the dark." Phenomena
and ghostly manifestations take place in darkness which would never
occur in light; and which cease when a light is struck. All ghostly
phenomena are associated with darkness, and the "wee small hours of the
night."
All this is exemplified in the following interesting narrative, which I
may entitle:
THE TERROR OF THE DARK
"All my life I have been afraid of the dark," said an acquaintance to
me the other day, when we were discussing psychical matters. "I know
that it is childish," he continued, "and I ought to have outgrown it
years ago; but, as a matter of fact, I haven't. After all, isn't there
some reason for the fears that we all feel, more or less, at that time?
Doesn't the Bible speak of 'the terrors of the Dark;' and are not all
animals, and even insects, afraid of the dark--so much so that you
cannot induce them to enter a dark place if they can help it? Light not
only enables you to see what is around you; but it acts in a certain
positive manner over 'the powers of darkness,' whatever they are,
and prevents their operation. All spirit mediums will tell you that
materialization and manifestations of that character cannot take place
in the light; it prevents their occurrence. So, after all, as I said,
isn't there some reasonable ground for one's fear at such times?"
I said nothing; but gazed into the fire. After all, were not his
arguments somewhat impressive?
"But," continued my friend, "it is not altogether because of these
speculative reasons that I fear the dark; it is because of a terrible
experience I once had, and which has left me terror-struck, ever since,
whenever I am left without light even for an instant. I will tell you
the story, and let you judge for yourself.
"It was several years ago; in an old house we rented at that time, and
from which we removed soon after the event I am about to relate. I was
afraid of the dark, even then, and always left a night-light burning by
the side of my bed when I went to sleep. One night I woke up, feeling
the springs of the bed on which I was lying vibrate in a peculiar
manner, impossible to describe.
"Looking up, I saw, standing by the side of my bed, a young man,
dressed in rags, having a face ghastly white, and showing every
indication of dissipation. He was regarding me intently.
"I shall never forget the shock I received on beholding that figure;
not only because of the unexpected appearance; but because of the fact
that I could perceive the opposite wall and furniture _through_ the
body. I knew at once that I beheld a spirit; and my blood ran cold at
the thought. What I had dreaded all my life was at last fulfilled!
"My next thought was 'I am so glad the night-light is burning. What
should I do if I were in darkness?' As though the form read my
thoughts, and was intent on torturing me to the limit of endurance, it
leaned over, and the next instant had snuffed the candle! The phantom
and I were alone in the black darkness!
"Words cannot describe my feelings at that instant. The blood froze
in my veins, and the tongue clave to the roof of my mouth. I tried to
speak, but could not. I only held out one hand as if to ward off the
awful presence by pressing it away.
"The next instant I felt the bed-clothes gently turned down on the
further side of the bed, and partly pulled off me. The springs of the
bed were depressed, and I knew that the fearsome visitor was crawling
into bed! It would lie down by my side; perhaps touch me; perhaps--who
could tell? The agony of mind I experienced in those few moments I
shall never forget! My only wonder is that my reason did not give way!
"Then a curious thing happened. Even in the state of mind, as I was
then, I could perceive that the bed was gradually rising up again into
its normal position. The weight upon it was growing less and less.
Finally, it was again level, and I felt the bed clothes carefully
replaced over me. The phantom had withdrawn!
"For hours I lay awake, not daring to move. After what seemed a
century, the first faint shafts of light fell across the room,
betokening the welcome morn. Finally glorious day broke. Glorious
light! Hateful darkness! Cannot you see why I hate it so?"
But, fortunately, this evil and horrible side of ghost-land is not
universal.
Ghosts do not always present themselves as so formidable and gruesome!
Some of them prove helpful; others seem to wish to right a wrong; some
even seem to have a sense of humor! So there are all sorts of ghosts,
just as there are all sorts of people; and the variety is just as great
in the one case as in the other.
WHAT IS A GHOST?
But, after all, what _is_ a ghost? What do we mean by this? Where do
ghosts live, and how? What do they do with themselves? How do they
manifest? Why do they return? These are some of the questions which the
average man asks himself--unless he totally disbelieves in them.
Most men, it is true, disbelieve in ghosts--unless they have had some
experience to convince them to the contrary. Yet, after all, why should
they? As Mr. W. T. Stead once remarked:
"Real Ghost Stories! How can there be real ghost stories when there are
no real ghosts?
"But are there no real ghosts? You may not have seen one, but it does
not follow that therefore they do not exist. How many of us have seen
the microbe that kills? There are at least as many persons who testify
that they have seen apparitions as there are men of science who have
examined the microbe. You and I, who have seen neither, must perforce
take the testimony of others. The evidence for the microbe may be
conclusive, the evidence as to apparitions may be worthless; but in
both cases it is a case of testimony, not of personal experience."
The average conception of a Ghost is probably somewhat as follows:
That it is a thin, tall figure, wrapped in a sheet, walking about the
house, clanking chains behind it, and scaring out of his wits anyone
who sees it. According to this view, a ghost would be as material
and substantial a thing as a buzz-saw or a lap-dog, and exists just
as fully "in space." Such, however, is not the conception of the
ghost which modern science entertains. Many investigators who have
examined this question closely have come to the conclusion that
ghosts _do_ actually exist; but when we come to the more troublesome
question: _What are they?_ we are met at once with difficulties and
disagreements. The recent scientific theories and explanations of the
subject are complex and subtle; and necessitate a certain preliminary
knowledge on the part of the student in order for him to understand
them. I shall explain as briefly and clearly as possible exactly what
these theories are. For the moment, I wish to speak, first of all, of
the history of psychic investigation; and particularly that portion of
it which deals with apparitions or "ghost hunting."
HISTORIC INVESTIGATIONS
Here and there, serious investigators have always existed. In the
sixteenth century Dr. Glanvil pursued this study with great genius
and patience; Dr. Johnson also was a firm believer in the reality of
"ghosts"; Sir Walter Scott and others of his time were investigators,
the famous Dr. Perrier wrote a treatise on apparitions, and similar
investigations have been continued up to the present day. The first
organized and systematic attempt to solve the problem, and to find
out exactly _what ghosts are_, however, was made by the Society
for Psychical Research (S. P. R.) in 1882. Practically all the
investigations which have been carried on since then have led to
important results.
Soon after the above mentioned Society was founded, and material began
to be collected, it was found that many cases had to do with haunted
houses, many with apparitions, but the greater number of them hinged
around the one point--the coincidence of apparitions with the death
of the persons represented. An apparition of a certain person would
be seen in London, let us say; and some hours later a telegram would
arrive, conveying the news that this person had just been killed. When
the time was compared, it was found to agree exactly; the hour of the
death and that of the apparition tallying to the minute.
Chance, you say? Perhaps so. _One_ case of this character might be
explained in such manner; but could _fifty_? Could a _hundred_? It
became a question of statistics--of figures; these alone can answer our
question.
Before considering these, however, let us give a few examples of cases
of "death-coincidences," so that the reader may see the character of
the evidence presented. He may then appreciate the value of a great
mass of such evidence, when published _in extenso_.
DEATH-COINCIDENCES
The first case we take is from M. Flammarion's book, _The Unknown_ (p.
108), and is as follows:
"My mother ... who lived in Burgundy, heard one Tuesday, between nine
and ten o'clock, the door of the bedroom open and close violently. At
the same time, she heard herself called twice--'Lucie, Lucie!' The
following Tuesday, she heard that her uncle Clementin, who had always
had a great affection for her, had died that Tuesday morning, precisely
between nine and ten o'clock...."
In the following instance, the notification is in visual, instead of
auditory form, and is taken from the _Proceedings_, S. P. R., Vol. X.,
pp. 213-14:
"About the 14th of September, 1882, my sister and I felt worried
and distressed by hearing the 'death watch'; it lasted a whole day
and night. We got up earlier than usual the next morning, about six
o'clock, to finish some birthday presents for our mother. As my sister
and I were working and talking together, I looked up, and saw our young
acquaintance standing in front of me and looking at us. I turned to
my sister; she saw nothing. I looked again to where he stood; he had
vanished. We agreed not to tell any one....
"Some time afterwards we heard that our young acquaintance had either
committed suicide or had been killed; he was found dead in the woods,
twenty-four hours after landing. On looking back to my diary, I found
that the marks I made in it corresponded to the date of his death."
The following case is reported in Podmore's _Apparitions and Thought
Transference_, p. 265:
"The first Thursday of April, 1881, while sitting at tea with my back
to the window, and talking with my wife in the usual way, I plainly
heard a rap at the window, and, looking round, I said to my wife,
'Why, there's my grandmother,' and went to the door, but could not see
anyone; and still feeling sure it was my grandmother, and, knowing
that, though eighty-three years of age, she was very active and fond of
a joke, I went round the house, but could not see anyone. My wife did
not hear it. On the following Saturday, I had news that my grandmother
died in Yorkshire about half an hour before the time I heard the
rapping. The last time I saw her alive I promised, if well, I would
attend her funeral; that was some two years before. I was in good
health and had no trouble; age, twenty-six years. I did not know that
my grandmother was ill.
"REV. MATTHEW FROST."
Mrs. Frost writes:
"I beg to certify that I perfectly remember all the circumstances my
husband has named, but I heard and saw nothing myself."
The following case is from _Phantasms of the Living_, Vol. II., p. 50:
"On February 26th, 1850, I was awake, for I was to go to my
sister-in-law, and visiting was then an event for me. About two o'clock
in the morning my brother walked into our room (my sister's) and
stood beside my bed. I called to her, 'Here is ----.' He was at the
time quartered at Paisley, and a mail-car from Belfast passed about
that hour not more than a mile from our village.... He looked down on
us most lovingly, and kindly, and waved his hand, and he was gone! I
recollect it all as if it were only last night it occurred, and my
feeling of astonishment, not at his coming into the room at all, but
where he could have gone. At that very hour he died."
Mr. Gurney writes:
"We have confirmed the date of death in the Army List, and find from a
newspaper notice that the death took place in the early morning, and
was extremely sudden."
Cases such as the above could be multiplied into the hundreds; but it
is not necessary. For our present purposes, the above samples will at
least serve to show the character of these "death-coincidences," and
how accurate and how numerous they often are.
ARE THEY DUE TO CHANCE?
The cases of "death-coincidences" came in so thick and so fast that,
some time after its foundation, the Society for Psychical Research
published an enormous book in two volumes, called "Phantasms of
the Living," which contained some 702 cases of this character. The
possibility of "chance coincidence" was very carefully worked out; and
it was ascertained that the number of collected cases was many thousand
times more numerous than chance alone could be supposed to account for.
A "connection" of some sort was thought to be proved.
But objections at once began to be heard! "In order to prove your point
you must collect a greater number of cases than this; you must get more
facts before we can consider your point proved!"
So the investigators again set to work, and carried on a far more
extensive investigation, in several countries, covering a period of
several years. The results were the same. After collecting some 30,000
cases, and calculating the number of death-coincidences contained in
this number, it was again proved, and most conclusively, that the
number of coincidences was far more numerous than could be accounted
for by any theory of chance. Professor Sidgwick's Committee, therefore,
signed the following joint statement, at the conclusion of their
lengthy Report:
"_Between deaths and apparitions of the dying person a connection
exists which is not due to chance alone. This we hold as a proved
fact...._"
These are weighty words. They represent an important forward step in
our investigation of these involved and complex questions. _Something_
takes place at death, which serves to unite, in some sort of spiritual
bond, the dying and the still living relatives or friends. _What is_
this connection? In what may it be supposed to consist?
THE EXPLANATION
For an explanation, we must begin by going back to experimental
thought-transference. We know that it is possible, under certain
conditions, for one person to affect another, otherwise than through
the regular avenues of the five senses. This "telepathic" action
between mind and mind is now pretty well known, and operates more or
less throughout life. By means of this, it is occasionally possible for
one person to impress a scene or a picture upon the mind of another,
so that the other shall see before him, as it were, in space, a vivid
mental picture of the scene in the other's mind.
This being so, it seems plausible to suppose that it might be possible
to convey the impression or picture of _one's self_ to another--since
this may be supposed to be the most precise and best-known picture we
have. Would it not be possible to think of one's own appearance so
intensely as to cause a mental representation of it to appear before
another person, distant some miles away?
Apparently this _has_ been done, many times. "Experimental apparitions"
of this character have frequently been _induced_; accounts of a few of
which will be found in this volume. The picture is mental, in such a
case; it is an imaginative creation; it is a hallucination,--although
it was caused or created by another, distant mind. It was, it is true,
a hallucination; but as it was induced by telepathy, we have for such
apparitions the name of "telepathic hallucinations." It is this theory
of "telepathic hallucinations" which is invoked to explain many of
these cases of death-coincidences, or apparitions of the dying.
EXPERIMENTAL APPARITIONS
The following types of "experimental apparitions" are good examples of
the ability to induce a phantasmal form at a distance by "willing" to
do so. As to the nature of this figure: there is as yet no unanimity
of opinion--some authorities preferring to believe that such cases
represent merely an extension of the power of thought-transference,
known to us; others, on the contrary, contending that such cases prove
the existence and travelling powers of the "astral" or "spiritual
body." Of this, however, more later.
Here is a case of this nature, experienced by the English investigator,
the Rev. William Stainton Moses, who corroborates the following
account, which is furnished by the agent:--
"One evening I resolved to appear to Z., at some miles' distance. I did
not inform him beforehand of the intended experiment, but retired to
rest shortly before midnight, my thoughts intently fixed on Z., with
whose rooms and surroundings I was quite unacquainted. I soon fell
asleep, and woke next morning unconscious of anything having taken
place. On seeing Z. a few days afterwards, I inquired: 'Did anything
happen at your rooms on Saturday night?' 'Yes,' he replied, 'a great
deal happened. I had been sitting over the fire with M., smoking and
chatting. About 12:30 he rose to leave, and I let him out myself. I
returned to the fire to finish my pipe, when I saw you sitting in the
chair just vacated by him. I looked intently at you, and then took up
a newspaper to assure myself that I was not dreaming; but on laying it
down I saw you still there. While I gazed, without speaking, you faded
away.'"
In the case which follows, the initials only are used; but the writer
of the account was known to the officers of the S. P. R., who vouched
for the general trustworthiness of the writer:
"On a certain Sunday evening in November, 1881, having been reading
of the great power which the human will is capable of exercising, I
determined, with the whole force of my being, that I would be present
in spirit in the front bedroom of the second floor of a house situated
at 22 Hogarth Road, Kensington, in which room slept two young ladies
of my acquaintance,--namely, Miss L. S. V. and Miss E. C. V., aged
respectively twenty-five and eleven years. I was living at the time at
23 Kildare Gardens, at a distance of about three miles from Hogarth
Road, and I had not mentioned in any way my intention of trying this
experiment to either of the above ladies, for the simple reason that
it was only on retiring to rest upon this Sunday night that I made
up my mind to do so. The time at which I determined to be there was
one o'clock in the morning; and I had a strong intention of making
my presence perceptible. On the following Thursday I went to see the
ladies in question, and, in the course of my conversation (without any
allusion to the subject on my part), the elder one told me that on
the previous Saturday night she had been much terrified by perceiving
me standing by her bedside, and that she screamed when the apparition
advanced towards her, and awoke her little sister, who also saw me.
"I asked her if she was awake at the time, and she replied most
decidedly in the affirmative; and, upon my inquiring the time of the
occurrence, she replied, 'About one o'clock in the morning.'
"This lady at my request wrote down a statement of the event, and
signed it...."
Mr. Gurney (one of the authors of _Phantasms of the Living_) became
deeply interested in these experiments, and requested Mr. B. to notify
him in advance on the next occasion when he proposed to make his
presence known in this strange manner. Accordingly, March 22d, 1884, he
received the following letter:
"Dear Mr. Gurney:--I am going to try the experiment to-night of
making my presence perceptible at 44 Morland Square, at 12 P. M.
I will let you know the result in a few days.
Yours very sincerely, "S. H. B."
The next letter, which was written on April 3, contained the following
statement, prepared by the recipient, Miss L. S. Verity:
"On Saturday night, March 22, 1884, at about midnight, I had a distinct
impression that Mr. S. H. B. was present in my room, and I distinctly
saw him, being quite awake. He came toward me and stroked my hair.
I voluntarily gave him this information when he called to see me on
Wednesday, April 2, telling him the time and the circumstances of the
apparition without any suggestion on his part. The appearance in my
room was most vivid and quite unmistakable."
Miss A. S. Verity also furnishes this corroborative statement:
"I remember my sister telling me that she had seen S. H. B. and that he
touched her hair, before he came to see us on April 2."
The agent's statement of the affair is as follows:
"On Saturday, March 22, I determined to make my presence perceptible
to Miss V. at 44 Morland Square, Notting Hill, at twelve midnight; and
as I had previously arranged with Mr. Gurney that I should post him a
letter of the evening on which I tried my next experiment (stating the
time and other particulars) I sent him a note to acquaint him with the
above facts. About ten days afterwards I called upon Miss V., and she
voluntarily told me that on March 22, at twelve o'clock, midnight, she
had seen me so vividly in her room (whilst wide awake) that her nerves
had been much shaken, and she had been obliged to send for a doctor in
the morning."
These cases will at least prove the possibility of such a thing as
"experimental apparitions," and, explain them as we may, they are, at
all events, most interesting and significant. They prove the reality of
"telepathic phantasms"--of apparitions produced in another by the power
of mind. This is, at least, the modern conception of the facts.
TELEPATHIC HALLUCINATIONS
How may the theory be said to work? How can a telepathic impulse from a
distant mind cause a picture to appear in space, as it were, before the
recipient? Here is the last word of modern science in this direction;
here is the theory which has been advanced to explain puzzling cases of
this character.
When we look at and see an object, the sight-centers of the brain are
roused into activity; unless they are so aroused, we see nothing, and
whenever they are so aroused, _no matter from what cause_, we have the
sensation of sight. We _see_.
But we get no further than this; we do not reason about the thing seen,
or analyze; or think to ourselves, "this is a red apple; I like red
apples," etc. No, we only see or perceive the object. All the reasoning
_about_ the object takes place in the higher thought-centres of the
brain. A diagram will, perhaps, help to make all this clear.
[Illustration]
When light-waves coming from the eye, A, travel along the optic nerves,
and excite into activity the sight-centers--at B--we have the sensation
of sight, as before said. Nerve currents then travel _up_ the nerves,
going from B to C, and in these higher centers, they are associated and
analyzed, and we then "reflect" upon the thing seen, etc. This is the
normal process of sight.
Now, if the eye, or the optic nerves, or the sight-centers themselves
become diseased, we still have the sensation of seeing, though there
is no material object there; we have ordinary hallucinations of all
kinds--delirium tremens, etc. If the sight-centers are stimulated _as
much_ as they would be by the incoming nerve stimuli from the eye, we
have "full-blown hallucinations."
Now, it is obvious that one method of stimulating the sight-centers
into activity is for a nervous current to come _downwards_, along the
nerves running from C to B. It is probable that something of this sort
takes place when we experience "memory pictures." If you shut your eyes
and picture the face of some dear friend, you will be able to see it
before you more or less clearly. The higher psychical centers of the
brain have excited the sight-centers into a certain activity; and these
have given us the sensation of dim, inward sight. If the stimulus were
stronger, we should have cases of intense "visualization"; such as the
figures which occur in the crystal ball, etc.--they being doubtless
produced in this manner.
Although the "sluice-gates," so to speak, running from C to B are,
therefore, always open _slightly_; they are never open wide; it
is not natural for them to be so. But if, under any great stress,
thought or emotion, the downward nervous current were as strong as
that ordinarily running from A to B; then we should appear to see as
clearly; the object would appear just as solid and real and outstanding
to us as any other entity. We should experience a "full-blown
hallucination."
All this being so, it is almost natural to suppose that _one_ method
by which these psychical sluice-gates could be more widely opened
would be under the impact of _a telepathic impulse_. If we assume that
this in some manner arouses into instantaneous and great activity the
higher psychical centers (C), these would very probably communicate
this impulse to B--downwards, along the nerve-tracts connecting the
two (or to the hearing centers, when we should experience an auditory
hallucination, and hear our name spoken, etc.). In this way we could
account for a telepathic hallucination, originating in this manner; and
it is surely to be supposed that, at the moment of death, some peculiar
quickening of the mental and spiritual life takes place--the peculiar
flashes of memory by those drowning, etc., seeming to show this.
So, then, we arrive at a sort of explanation of many of these cases
of apparitions, occurring at the moment of death; for we have shown
them to be "telepathic hallucinations." This is also the correct
explanation, doubtless, for many cases in which apparitions of the
living have been seen--in which a phantasm of a living person has
appeared to another, during sleep, or in hypnotic trance, etc.
But how about those ghosts which appear some time after death? They, at
least, cannot be explained by any such theory. What has been said by
way of explanation of these cases?
It will be remembered that telepathy is the basis of the explanation
thus far. Let us extend this. We have only to suppose that the spirit
of man survives the shock of death, and that it can continue to exert
its powers and capacities also. For, if a living mind can influence the
living by telepathy; why not a "dead" one? Why should not the surviving
spirit of man continue to influence us, by telepathy? If they could,
we should still have cases of telepathic hallucinations--induced from
the mind of a discarnate, not an incarnate, spirit. The "ghost" might
still be a telepathic hallucination. And if several persons saw the
figure at once, we should, on this theory, have a case of collective
hallucination--in which one mind affected all the rest equally and
simultaneously.
GHOSTS WHICH MOVE MATERIAL OBJECTS
Such is the theory--rather far-fetched, it is true; but certainly the
most rational and common-sense so far advanced to explain many of the
facts. It is probable, however, that this explanation will not serve
to explain _all_ of them. Thus, in those cases where the apparition
moved a material object, opened a door, etc., such a theory would
have to be abandoned, for the simple reason that a mental concept,
an hallucination, cannot open doors and move objects! There must be
an outstanding, material entity to effect this. There must be a real
ghost. And in those cases where the apparition has been seen by several
persons at once, or even photographed, it seems more reasonable to
suppose that a material, space-occupying body was present rather than
to assume that the various witnesses or the camera were hallucinated.
In the following cases, for example, the apparition performs a definite
physical action--snuffs a candle with its fingers, an action which a
pure hallucination could hardly be supposed to perform. The account
is by the Rev. D. W. G. Gwynne, M.I., and is printed in _Phantasms
of the Living_, Vol. II., pp. 202-3. After telling of certain minor
phenomena, he proceeds:
"I now come to the mutual experience of something that is as fresh in
its impression as if it were the occurrence of yesterday. During the
night I became aware of a draped figure passing across the foot of
the bed towards the fireplace. I had the impression that the arm was
raised, pointing with the hand towards the mantlepiece, on which a
night-light was burning. Mrs. Gwynne at this moment seized my arm, and
the light _was extinguished_. Notwithstanding, I distinctly saw the
figure returning towards the door, and being under the impression that
one of our servants had found her way into the room, I leaped out of
bed to intercept the intruder, but found, and saw, nothing...."
[Mrs. Gwynne confirms the story, adding, "I distinctly saw the
hand of the phantom placed over the night-light, which was at once
extinguished."]
PHOTOGRAPHS OF GHOSTS
Again, it is claimed that ghosts have sometimes been photographed,
though very rarely. In a number of cases, attempts have been made to
photograph ghosts seen in haunted-houses; but, though the figures
have been seen by all present, the photographic plate has failed to
record any impression of the phantom. In other cases, on the contrary,
definite impressions _have_ been obtained; and, though there is
doubtless much fraud among professional mediums, who claim to produce
"spirit photographs," there are many cases on record in which no
professional medium was employed, and in which faces were certainly
seen upon the developed plate. Experiments have also been made in
photographing the body at the moment of death; to see if any impression
could be made upon the plate--by the soul, in its passage from the
body; and, though many of these have proved negative, Dr. Baraduc,
of Paris, has obtained a number of photographs which have never been
explained. Again, numerous researches in the region of so-called
"thought photography" have given some basis for the belief that thought
may be, under certain conditions, photographed--as for example, in the
experiments of Dr. Ochorowicz and others. It may be said, therefore,
that some progress is being made in this direction by psychic
investigators (particularly by the French observers, who are far ahead
of the rest of the world in these branches of psychic investigation),
and that, with increased sensitiveness of film and plate, and greater
perfection of lens and camera, it is to be hoped that the time is not
far distant when it will be possible to photograph the unseen just as
we photograph living persons.
There are "ghosts," therefore, which are hallucinations; and there are
ghosts which are genuine phantasms--the "real article." It becomes a
question, in each instance, of sifting the evidence; finding out _which
they are_. Yet, if there are real, objective, outstanding ghosts, how
can we explain them? In what do they consist? In short, we are back to
our original question: What are ghosts?
THE "DOUBLE," AND THE SPIRITUAL BODY
Before we can answer this question satisfactorily, we must consider
one or two preliminary questions. First of all, we must speak of the
"double"--the astral or spiritual or ethic body, which resides in man,
as well as his physical body.[2]
[2] Theosophists distinguish between all these various bodies;
psychic students strive, for the most part, only to prove the
objective existence of any one of them.
St. Paul constantly emphasized the fact that man has a material body
and a "spiritual body." This inner body is the exact shape of the
physical body--its counterpart, its double. In life, under ordinary
conditions, the two are inseparable; but at death, the severance takes
place and man continues to live on in this etheric envelope. This
inner body has been studied very carefully by students of the occult;
and a good deal is now known about it--its comings and goings, its
composition, and the method of its departure at death. For our present
purposes, however, it is enough to say that such a body exists, and
that it is the vehicle man continues to use and manipulate, after his
death and his departure from this plane.
It so happens that, under certain peculiar conditions, the inner body
of man is capable of being detached or separated from the physical
body. This usually occurs in trance, sleep, hypnotic and mesmeric
states, etc.; or may be performed "experimentally," by some who have
cultivated this power in themselves. When this body goes on such
"excursions"--leaving the physical body practically dead, to all
appearances--it may be seen by those in its immediate vicinity, just
as a material body would be--if they are sufficiently sensitive or
receptive.
The following interesting case, (recorded in _Phantasms of the Living_,
Vol. I, pp. 225-26) is a good example of the apparent traveling of the
body to another place, and the perception of that body by a second
person, who happens to be there. Two individuals, at all events, shared
in the experience, which is otherwise hard to account for. The case is
recorded by the Rev. P. H. Newnham, and is as follows:
"In March, 1854, I was up at Oxford, keeping my last term, in lodgings.
I was subject to violent neuralgic headaches, which always culminated
in sleep. One evening, about 8 p.m., I had an unusually violent one;
when it became unendurable, about 9 p.m., I went into my bedroom, and
flung myself, without undressing, on the bed, and soon fell asleep.
"I then had a singularly clear and vivid dream, all the incidents of
which are as clear in my memory as ever. I dreamed that I was stopping
with the family of a lady who subsequently became my wife. All the
younger ones had gone to bed, and I stopped chatting to the father and
mother, standing up by the fireplace. Presently I bade them good-night,
took my candle, and went off to bed. On arriving in the hall, I
perceived that my fiancee had been detained downstairs, and was only
then near the top of the staircase. I rushed upstairs, overtook her on
the top step, and passed my two arms around her waist, under her arms,
from behind. Although I was carrying my candle in the left hand, when
I ran upstairs, this did not, in my dream, interfere with this gesture.
"On this I woke, and the clock in the house struck ten almost
immediately afterwards.
"So strong was the impression of the dream that I wrote a detailed
account of it the next morning to my fiancee.
"_Crossing_ my letter, _not_ in answer to it, I received a letter from
the lady in question: 'Were you thinking about me very specially last
night, just about ten o'clock? For, as I was going upstairs to bed, I
distinctly heard your footsteps on the stairs, and felt you put your
arms round my waist.'"
[Mrs. Newnham wrote a confirmation of this account, which was also
published.]
WHAT HAPPENS AT THE MOMENT OF DEATH
In all these cases, of course, the psychic body of the subject returns
and re-animates the physical body; for if it did not do so, death would
take place. When death does actually take place, this is what occurs;
and psychics and clairvoyants assert that they are able to see and
follow this process perfectly; and many of them have described exactly
what takes place at the moment of death. The following description,
for example, given by Andrew Jackson Davis, is taken from his _Death,
and the After Life_, pp. 15-16, and is as follows:
"Suppose the person is now dying. It is to be a rapid death. The feet
first grow cold. The clairvoyant sees over the head what may be called
a magnetic halo--an etherial emanation, in appearance golden, and
throbbing as though conscious. The body is now cold up to the knees
and elbows, and the emanation has ascended higher in the air. The legs
are cold to the hips and the arms to the shoulders; and the emanation,
though it has not risen higher in the room, is more expanded. The
death-coldness steals over the breast and round on either side, and
the emanation has attained a higher position nearer the ceiling. The
person has ceased to breathe, the pulse is still, and the emanation
is elongated and fashioned in the outline of a human form. Beneath,
it is connected with the brain. The head of the person is internally
throbbing--a slow, deep throb--not painful but like the beat of the
sea. Hence the thinking faculties are rational, while nearly every part
of the person is dead. Owing to the brain's momentum, I have seen a
dying person, even at the last feeble pulsebeat, rouse impulsively and
rise up in bed to converse with a friend, but the next instant he was
gone--his brain being the last to yield up the life principle.
"The golden emanation, which extends up midway to the ceiling, is
connected to the brain by a very fine life-thread. Now the body of the
emanation ascends. Then appears something white and shining, like a
human head; next, in a very few moments, a faint outline of the face
divine, then the fair neck and beautiful shoulders; then, in rapid
succession, come all parts of the new body down to the feet--a bright,
shining image, a little smaller than its physical body, but a perfect
prototype or reproduction in all except its disfigurements. The fine
life-thread continues attached to the old brain. The next thing is
the withdrawal of the electric principle. When this thread snaps the
spiritual body is free, and prepared to accompany its guardians to the
Summer-Land. Yes, there is a spiritual body; it is sown in dishonor and
raised in brightness."
It is doubtless this spiritual body which is the true cause of many
apparitions--of many ghost stories. It is this body which is seen by
the seer or percipient in many a ghost story; it is this body which
moves objects and touches the individual who sees the ghost. This body
is detached at death, as we have seen, and afterwards is free to rove
at its own free will. Apparitions of the dead might thus be accounted
for; while all those cases of apparitions of the dying which are with
difficulty explained as due to pure telepathy might also thus find
their explanation. The spiritual body, freed at that moment, would
manifest its presence to the distant percipient as it did after death.
So far so good, but how about apparitions of the living? How explain
those cases in which the apparition of a living person has been seen,
when the spiritual body is supposedly safely attached to the physical
body?
Many of them are doubtless cases of telepathy; but in those cases
which seem to demand the presence of a body of some sort, we may
suppose that the spiritual body may become detached, at times, under
certain peculiar conditions, from the material body which it inhabits
and animates, and can then manifest independently at a distance. The
following cases are illustrative, apparently, of this fact; showing us
that the "etheric body" can manifest on occasion at will at a distance
from the physical body.
HOW THE SOUL MAY LEAVE THE BODY
"... I put out the light and returned, but no sooner had I done this
than ... I could feel a creeping sensation moving up my legs. I got up
and lit the gas and went back to bed; with pillows arranged in such
a way as to make me comfortable. In a comparatively short time, all
circulation ceased in my legs, and they were as cold as those of the
dead. The creeping sensation began in the lower part of the body, and
that also became cold.... There was no sensation of pain or even of
physical discomfort. I would pinch my legs with my thumb and finger,
and there was no feeling or no indication of blood whatever. I might as
well have pinched a piece of rubber so far as the sensation produced
was concerned. As the movement continued upward, all at once there
came a flashing of lights in my eyes and a ringing in my ears, and
it seemed for an instant as though I had become unconscious. When I
came out of this state, I seemed to be walking in the air. No words
can describe the exhilaration and freedom that I experienced. At no
time in my life had my mind been so clear and so free. Just then I
thought of a friend who was more than a thousand miles distant. Then
I seemed to be traveling with great rapidity through the atmosphere
about me. Everything was light and yet it was not the light of the
day or the sun, but, I might say, a peculiar light of its own, such
as I have never known. It could not have been a minute after that I
thought of my friends, before I was conscious of standing in a room
where the gas-jets were turned up, and my friend was standing with his
back toward me, but, suddenly turning and seeing me, said: 'What in
the world are you doing here? I thought you were in Florida'--and he
started to come toward me. While I heard the words distinctly, I was
unable to answer. An instant later I was gone; and the consciousness
of the memorable things that transpired that memorable night has never
been forgotten. I seemed to leave the earth, and everything pertaining
to it, and enter a condition of life of which it is absolutely
impossible to give here any thought I had concerning it, because there
was no correspondence to anything I had ever seen or heard or known of
in any way. The wonder and the joy of it was unspeakable; and I can
readily understand now what Paul meant when he said 'I knew a man,
whether in the body or out of it I know not, who was caught up to the
third heaven, and saw things which it is not possible (lawful) to
utter.'
"In this latter experience there was neither consciousness of time
nor of space; in fact, it can be described more as a consciousness of
elastic feeling than anything else. It came to me after a time that I
could _stay_ there if I so desired, but with that thought came also the
consciousness of the friends on earth and the duties there required of
me. The desire to stay was intense, but in my mind I clearly reasoned
over it--whether I should gratify my desire or return to my work on
earth. Four times my thought and reason told me that my duties required
me to return, but I was so dissatisfied with each conclusion that
I finally said: 'Now I will think and reason this matter out once
more, and whatever conclusion I reach I will abide by.' I reached the
same conclusion, and had not much more than reached it when I became
conscious of being in a room and looking down on a body propped up in
bed, which I recognized as my own! I cannot tell what strange feelings
came over me. This body, to all intents and purposes, looked to be
dead. There was no indication of life about it, and yet here I was
apart from the body, with my mind perfectly clear and alert, and the
consciousness of another body to which matter of any kind offered no
resistance.
"After what might have been a minute or two, looking at the body, I
began to try and control it, and in a very short time all sense of
separation from the physical body ceased, and I was only conscious of
a directed effort toward its use. After what seemed to be quite a long
time, I was able to move, got up from the bed, dressed myself, and went
down to breakfast....
"I may add that the friend referred to as having been seen by me
that night was also distinctly conscious of my presence and made
the exclamation mentioned. We both wrote the next day, relating the
experience of the night, and the letters corroborating the incident
crossed in the post."
Such strange doings certainly tend to prove that the human spirit can
leave its body and rove abroad, at times; and if this is the case, it
shows us that our body is far more detachable than we usually suppose;
and hence that it can probably continue to exist after the death of the
physical body, when it is detached altogether. Once this is proved, all
objection to the reality and existence of "objective" ghosts will have
been done away with.
THEORIES OF HAUNTED HOUSES
If we grant that certain houses may be "haunted," in the sense that
they may be the centers of influences and forces as yet unseen and
unknown, the question is: How explain such cases? What hypotheses can
we advance to explain cases of haunted houses, which will recognize the
reality of the phantom witnessed therein, and attempt to explain them
as rationally as possible? Four main theories have been advanced by way
of explanation, which I shall briefly outline.
(1). There is the theory that the figures seen in houses of this nature
are genuine, outstanding entities--real beings, which are just as real,
though less solid and tangible, as any of the living inhabitants of the
house. This is, of course, the popular conception of the ghosts seen in
haunted houses, and it must be admitted that such a theory covers and
explains the facts more completely and fully than any other. There are
also many facts telling in its favor. For instance, when two persons
see a figure from different angles or viewpoints; and one describes
it in profile, while the other describes it as presenting a full face
likeness; and if this is the angle in each case from which a real
figure would naturally be seen, this surely seems to indicate that a
solid form of some sort was present.
Again, when three or four or more people see a figure at the same time,
it is surely a strain upon our credulity to believe that a number of
persons were similarly "hallucinated" at precisely the same time and in
the same manner; and easier to believe that they all saw a figure at
the same time, though in differing degrees of vividness and detail.
Thirdly, we have the evidence from photography. In some instances,
these figures have been photographed; and though there is doubtless
much fraud in this connection, there is evidence that, in certain
cases, genuine photographs of this nature have been taken. This is
discussed elsewhere in this volume, however.
Fourthly, we have the behavior of animals, in haunted houses. They
often appear to see figures visible or invisible to others present at
the time--bark at them, rub against them, stare at them, act as though
terrified at what they see, etc. This will be noticed in many of the
stories; and can be explained only with difficulty if we are to believe
that the figures seen are merely hallucinations.
THE GHOSTS OF ANIMALS, ETC.
I have elsewhere spoken of the apparent ability of animals to see
phantasmal forms and figures. The reverse of this is also true. Ghosts
of animals have been seen--spectral dogs, cats, horses as well as human
beings. These apparitions are very perplexing, and raise the question
of the immortality of animals--a very vexed question, which has given
rise to much discussion. Mr. H. Rider Haggard records the case of his
own dog, whose apparition he saw at the very moment that the dog was
killed by an express train some miles away. Did the animal succeed
in affecting his master by telepathy? If not, why the coincidence? I
myself have recorded a case in which a (real) cat spat at a phantom
dog, seen independently by a clairvoyant, who had described it a
few moments before to a group of spectators. Such cases are very
interesting. They tend to prove that dogs, cats, horses and other
animals also survive death--a conclusion which is certainly the most
humane and logical to many minds.
In addition to these animal apparitions, there are also grotesque,
horrible, monstrous and undefinable ghosts. One or two cases of this
character are described in this book. Sometimes the "seer" sees
something awful, but cannot describe in words what it is. Many of the
phantoms of the imaginative type are of this character. Again, there
are grave-yard ghosts; banshees, gnomes, elementals, pixies, fairies,
brownies, nature-spirits, hobgoblins, sylphs, salamanders, dragons,
vampires, wraiths, corpse-candles, and many other awful beings which
have been described from time to time in the past. We need not consider
these in a book of this character, however. But, to return to our
argument for the objective reality of "ghosts."
Fifthly, we have those cases in which the apparition has produced
a physical effect in the material world--snuffed a light, opened a
door, pulled back the bed-curtains, etc. A hallucinatory figure could
not do this. It has been suggested that all this is only a part of
the hallucination, but when the thing is found to have been moved in
reality, we must explain this somehow; for otherwise how did it change
its place?
Sixthly, we have cases in which the same apparition has been seen by
several separate and independent persons in the same room or house,
and afterwards they have recognized the features of this person in
a photograph shown them--the photograph of the person supposed to
haunt that particular house. If we were to believe that a simple
hallucination caused the figure, how account for this identification?
Surely the theory is far-fetched!
For all these reasons, therefore, and others it would be possible
to mention, there is much to be said in favor of this theory of
haunted houses; the theory which says that the figures seen are real,
semi-material entities.
THE CLOTHES OF GHOSTS
(2). The second view, opposed to that mentioned above, is this: Someone
living in a house has experienced a hallucination, and then seen the
same thing over and over again, by reason of auto-suggestion; or, if he
moves away, and another tenant takes the house in turn, the thoughts
of this second tenant are influenced, through thought-transference,
by the first tenant, who broods and thinks over his experiences in
the "haunted house," wonders whether the people now living in it
are experiencing phenomena, etc. In this way, the minds of those
living in the house are constantly influenced by thought-transference
by living minds; and hallucinatory figures are produced in them,
just as the picture of a playing card is induced in experimental
thought-transference.
There are two things to be said in favor of such a theory. In the first
place, we have the analogy which telepathic experiments give us, in
which certain visual images are undoubtedly transmitted from one mind
to another; and it is natural to assume that an extension of this same
process might account for many of the phantasmal forms seen in haunted
houses, as explained elsewhere.
In the second place, we immediately surmount the difficulty presented
by the ghost's _clothes_. This is a stumbling-block to many
investigators. However much we might believe that an etheric or astral
or spiritual body might continue to persist after death, it is hard to
believe that the clothes of the person who died also had "spiritual
counterparts," and returned with him, to visit the earth and the scenes
of former joys and miseries! We seldom read of a ghost without clothes;
nude ghosts are not the fashion! Yet if we cannot believe this, how are
we to explain this difficulty--and the fact that ghosts wear ghostly
garments?
If the ghost were a hallucination, we could understand all this easily
enough. The clothes were imaginary, just as the figure was; they formed
part of the mental image, just like the figures seen in dreams, etc.
This, therefore, is one very strong point in favor of this hypothesis;
but if the ghost is a real, outstanding entity, how account for his
clothes?
Several tentative explanations have been forthcoming. In the first
place, it has been suggested that all ghosts are in reality partial
"materializations" and that it is possible for a spirit to materialize
and form drapery as well as solid flesh and bone. Both are a sort of
condensation of matter, in varying degrees.
Again, it has been suggested that a spirit has the power to create
objects by the power of will; by merely thinking and willing to do so.
In this way, man would be a real creator, in a miniature scale, and
certain analogies could be found for this in the material world. The
returning spirit would desire to return clothed; and this very desire
would create the fitting garb. Other theories have been advanced, but
the above are the simplest and most intelligible, and are all we need
consider at present.
All these difficulties, however, tell against the substantiality of
ghosts; and in favor of this second theory of haunted houses.
TELEPATHY FROM THE DEAD
(3). The third theory which has been advanced, is an extension of the
second. Thought-transference is still the agency invoked to explain
the facts--but from the minds of dead, and not living persons. That
is, assuming telepathy to be true, and possible between living minds;
and assuming that individual consciousness survives the change called
death; we can readily imagine that those who have "passed over" might
affect and influence the living by thought-transference also, just as
they did in life. On this theory, therefore, the ghost would still
represent a hallucination; a mental or imaginary figure, and it would
still be induced by telepathy from a distant mind; but that mind would
be that of a so-called dead person. After death, we might suppose, this
person would be thinking or dreaming over the past events; the scenes
of his joys and sorrows; and these dreams would tend to influence the
minds of those still living, and cause them to see the figures seen.
The figures, on this theory, would be hallucinatory, but they would
have a real, objective basis and starting-point for all that; and, as
such, would represent the continued existence and activity on the part
of the dead.
Against this ingenious theory may be urged all those arguments which
have been cited in favor of the materiality of apparitions.
THE PSYCHIC ATMOSPHERE
(4). A fourth theory is that which says that some _subtle psychic
atmosphere_ is present in certain houses; and that this "atmosphere"
affects and influences all who live within them, just as their physical
atmosphere would, only in a different manner and degree. Everyone has
doubtless experienced this atmosphere in certain houses, if they are
at all sensitive. They either "like" a house or "dislike" it--for no
apparent reason. Some houses rest and refresh you; others irritate you,
etc. This theory contends that every living human being is constantly
giving off a peculiar vital emanation or aura or effluence; and that
this charges-up or impregnates the material objects in his immediate
neighborhood, which soak it up like a sponge, and retain it after being
removed from its presence. It is because of this fact that articles
presented to trance mediums often recall the person to whom they
belonged; it is because of this that "psychometry" is possible--that
is, the ability of some persons to give the past history of an object
by merely handling it; and it is because of this that certain houses
become so charged with this magnetic aura, or whatever it may be, that
they remain "charged" for some time; and, in discharging, create
psychic disturbances and impressions which are seen or experienced as
phantasmal appearances.
The chief objection to this theory is that it is difficult to see how
this general and impersonal "charging" process can create definite and
clear-cut forms, possessing all the appearances of reality. Doubtless
each theory contains much truth; and haunted houses represent, in
many cases, a combination of _all_ these causes, working together and
combining into one complex and unfortunately ill-understood whole. It
is the duty of the future to disentangle this maze, as best it can; and
explain the various factors which go to make up a haunted house of this
character.
FORMS CREATED BY WILL
(5). Besides these theories, another might be suggested, which
has never so far been advanced, so far as I am aware. It is that
the phantasmal forms seen in haunted houses are real substantial
_creations_, manufactured by the thoughts or will of the discarnate
spirit, who fashions it out of "such stuff as dreams are made of." It
has been said that "thoughts are things," and many believe that this
is literally true. Certain it is that a limited number of peculiarly
constructed persons can produce phenomena which seem to be solid
creations of the will. So, if thought could ever be proved to be
really creative; if it could not only _formulate_ but _objectify_ and
_project into space_ images and forms, we should have here a rational
explanation of many ghosts, as well as of their behavior. And just here
a few words as to this latter may not be out of place.
It has often been objected that ghosts cannot be realities; they cannot
be real spirits, for the reason that they act in such a senseless
manner. They seldom speak or reply, when spoken to. They seldom have
any definite purpose. In short, they betray no intelligence. This being
so, they must be hallucinations and not the realities they claim to be!
The answer to this objection is found in the following consideration.
Even granting all this to be true, many believing in ghosts do not for
an instant contend that such ghosts represent the actual person the
figure symbolises. It is a mere projection; a shell; a form created
by the discarnate spirit, a resemblance, a phantasm. The central
consciousness which animated and still animates that person is not _in_
the ghostly form, but elsewhere. The phantasm represents, merely, a
sort of impersonal wraith, and, as such, cannot be expected to possess
intelligence or human characteristics. None are present within it.
It is a very different thing from the real person it represents. The
insipid and unintelligent behavior of ghosts, therefore, is only what
we should expect. This fact is no argument against their reality, when
rightly understood and interpreted.
PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONS
In addition to haunted houses of this type, there are others, which
must be referred to very briefly. Thus, in some cases, no figures have
been seen, but remarkable sounds have been heard--sounds which have
never been accounted for. Bangs, knocks, monotonous reading aloud,
whispering, footsteps, etc., are some of the noises and sounds which
have been heard in this way, and their origin often remains a mystery.
It would take too long to discuss the various explanatory theories
which have been advanced by psychic students to account for these
sounds.
In other types of haunted houses, physical manifestations take place,
though nothing unusual is either seen or heard. Thus, in one case
recorded by Lombroso (_After Death: What?_) numbers of bottles
were broken one after the other, for no apparent cause, when he was
actually looking at them. In still other cases, furniture has been
upset, crockery broken, doorbells rung, etc., by no visible agency.
John Wesley was persecuted in this manner for several years; and the
reason was never discovered. Such cases are technically known as
"poltergeists," and may be found in abundance in the "history of the
supernatural."
CAN HAUNTED HOUSES BE "CURED"?
One question of considerable interest remains. It is this: Can
so-called Haunted Houses be _cured_? Many of those who live in houses
of this character would like to have these influences removed; but are
unable to rid themselves of them. Can this be done?
In some cases, this has doubtless been accomplished; while in others it
has failed. We know too little as yet to lay down any arbitrary laws
or rules which may be followed with safety in cases of this character.
Sometimes one method succeeds, while another fails. I have known of
cases where "exorcism" worked a complete cure; of others in which it
failed miserably. I have known of cases in which suggestion, rightly
applied, rid the house of its ghost; in other instances, no result was
produced by similar methods! In a few instances mediums and psychics
have been able to assist; in others their presence only seemed to
make matters worse. We can but experiment and learn. Those who may be
more interested in this aspect of the question will find it treated
in Chapter XV. of my book "_The Coming Science_," which is devoted to
"Haunted Houses and their Cure."