I cannot but think that all will agree in estimating this communication,
with its adroit generalization, and in its general tone as superior to
any thus far received. On another sheet of paper was written:
'There is a Spirit Friend present, who gives the name of Marie St.
Clair. Earth-life had not much pleasure for her, and a course of
dissapation [_sic_] and sin resulted in an untimely death. Born of
French parentage, and inheriting some of the peculiar characteristics of
that people might perhaps furnish some excuse. This Spirit says
furthermore, you have something which once belonged to her in your
possession.
"Behold this ruin, 'tis a skull
Once of etherial spirit full--"
"Par quel ordre du Ciel, que je ne puis compendre
Vous dis-je plus que je ne dois?"
Here is evidently 'a spirit of no common rate,' of whom we might well
desire further acquaintance, albeit at the cost of losing golden-haired,
black-eyed Sister Belle. But why should we talk of 'loss?' If, as Banquo
says, 'there's husbandry in Heaven,' why should we not in the
'Summer-land' find one and the same skull, with frugal economy, given to
two owners?
Desirous of submitting the mother-wit of this Medium to the test of
stitched envelopes, I wrote the following:--'Is Marie St. Clair pleased
in having her skull carefully treasured here in my Library? Does it
gratify her, as a Spirit, that it is mounted on black marble? Does she
ever hover over it?'
This was placed in an envelope, gummed, and sealed with five seals in
the ordinary, easy-going way, and marked No. 1.
The very same questions were repeated on another piece of paper and put
in an envelope, which was stitched securely with silk, the stitches
passing through both the envelope and the paper, and carefully concealed
under the sealing wax. This was marked No. 2, and in the note
accompanying these two envelopes, the Medium was requested to sit with
No. 1 first. The Test was the same as that to which Dr. Mansfield had
been subjected, and to which he had succumbed.
The mail soon returned both envelopes, with this note:--'The reply comes
to us in the affirmative to both envelopes. There is quite a
communication for you from same Spirit Friend.'
A close examination of the edges of the envelopes soon revealed the edge
at which they had been opened and closed again. That edge has been
preserved intact for future verification, if required, and the envelopes
were opened by cutting the other edges. The seals had not been removed;
as, in fact, there was no need of removing them. The paper containing
the questions had not been extracted from No. 2; it still remained
firmly stitched to the front of the envelope. Yet the Medium had
evidently read it. Her words are 'the reply comes in the affirmative to
both envelopes,' which is a good, fair answer. I was puzzled, it must be
confessed. Suddenly it occurred to me to try how far one could look into
the contents of the paper, supposing the end of the envelope to be open.
I tried it, and lo! enough can be easily read to make out that No. 2 is
a repetition of No. 1. The needle had missed taking up all the folds of
the paper!
The communication from Marie St. Clair, which accompanied these
envelopes, runs thus:--'To H.H. Furness. Your kindly nature has often
drawn the Spirit of Marie to your side. I consider myself indebted to
you for certain acts which you will understand. Not that the poor
inanimate thing which you have so kindly treated, is of itself of much
account, but your kindness has often drawn me to your side in moments
when you little dreamed I were near. Had I met in material existence one
like yourself my past might have been far different. In this beautiful
life, the sources and courses of all earthly misfortunes and sins appear
to us like a figure seen in a dream. The lowest plane of Spiritual life
is as much superior to earthly existence as sunlight is superior to
starlight. From Marie St. Clair. Please inform Mrs. Martin why you so
carefully preserved the skull, and where you obtained it, and all you
know about it, and oblige yours truly, E.A. Martin. There is an acrostic
upon your name waiting for you here from Marie.'
If the fair and frail Marie appears somewhat cautious in direct
allusions to her skull, and to her 'earth-life,' it is certainly to her
credit that she seems to have retained no taint of mercenary greed. She
made no demand or reference to a fee, and a second letter had to be sent
to her Medium to learn the amount of my debt. This is her reply:--'Your
kind favour came duly to me, and as your message to your Spirit Friend
was delivered previously, that is, as soon as it was written, I had no
further effort to make than to convey the following to you:
'Amants, heureux amants, voulez-vous voyager! Que ce soit aux rives
prochaines.
Patience, je n'en ai pas quand je suis si près et si loin de vous.
Ah! tout ce qu'il y a dans le coeur de crainte, de douleur, de
desespoir, j'ai tout deviné; tout souffert, je puis tout exprimer
maintenant surtout la joie. Adieu! Marie St. Clair.'
Here end my investigations into the power of Spirits to answer sealed
questions.
In every instance the envelopes had been opened and reclosed; it is
therefore scarcely necessary to add that every instance has borne the
stamp of Fraud.
There is yet one other dark chapter, perhaps the darkest of all, which
my duty compelled me to read.