taking shape in his mind--what a scientist would have called an
hypothesis; a detective, a theory. It might throw an added light, albeit
a lurid one, upon such doubt of her sanity as her own assertion had not
dispelled.
The country was still new and, outside the villages, sparsely populated.
The professional hunter was still a familiar figure, and among his
trophies were heads and pelts of the larger kinds of game. Tales
variously credible of nocturnal meetings with savage animals in lonely
roads were sometimes current, passed through the customary stages of
growth and decay, and were forgotten. A recent addition to these popular
apocrypha, originating, apparently, by spontaneous generation in several
households, was of a panther which had frightened some of their members
by looking in at windows by night. The yarn had caused its little ripple
of excitement--had even attained to the distinction of a place in the
local newspaper; but Brading had given it no attention. Its likeness to
the story to which he had just listened now impressed him as perhaps
more than accidental. Was it not possible that the one story had
suggested the other--that finding congenial conditions in a morbid mind
and a fertile fancy, it had grown to the tragic tale that he had heard?
Brading recalled certain circumstances of the girl's history and
disposition of which, with love's incuriosity, he had hitherto been
heedless--such as her solitary life with her father, at whose house no
one apparently was an acceptable visitor, and her strange fear of the
night by which those who knew her best accounted for her never being
seen after dark. Surely in such a mind imagination once kindled might
burn with a lawless flame, penetrating and enveloping the entire
structure. That she was mad, though the conviction gave him the acutest
pain, he could no longer doubt; she had only mistaken an effect of her
mental disorder for its cause, bringing into imaginary relation with her
own personality the vagaries of the local myth-makers. With some vague
intention of testing his new "theory," and no very definite notion of
how to set about it he said gravely, but with hesitation:
"Irene, dear, tell me--I beg you will not take offense, but tell me--"
"I have told you," she interrupted, speaking with a passionate
earnestness that he had not known her to show, "I have already told you
that we cannot marry; is anything else worth saying?"
Before he could stop her she had sprung from her seat and without
another word or look was gliding away among the trees toward her
father's house. Brading had risen to detain her; he stood watching her
in silence until she had vanished in the gloom. Suddenly he started as
if he had been shot, his face took on an expression of amazement and
alarm: in one of the black shadows into which she had disappeared he had
caught a quick, brief glimpse of shining eyes! For an instant he was
dazed and irresolute; then he dashed into the wood after her, shouting,
"Irene, Irene, look out! The panther! The panther!"
In a moment he had passed through the fringe of forest into open ground
and saw the girl's gray skirt vanishing into her father's door. No
panther was visible.
IV
AN APPEAL TO THE CONSCIENCE OF GOD
Jenner Brading, attorney-at-law, lived in a cottage at the edge of the
town. Directly behind the dwelling was the forest. Being a bachelor, and
therefore by the Draconian moral code of the time and place denied the
services of the only species of domestic servant known thereabout, the
"hired girl," he boarded at the village hotel where also was his office.
The woodside cottage was merely a lodging maintained--at no great cost,
to be sure--as an evidence of prosperity and respectability. It would
hardly do for one to whom the local newspaper had pointed with pride as
"the foremost jurist of his time" to be "homeless," albeit he may
sometimes have suspected that the words "home" and "house" were not
strictly synonymous. Indeed, his consciousness of the disparity and his
will to harmonize it were matters of logical inference, for it was
generally reported that soon after the cottage was built its owner had
made a futile venture in the direction of marriage--had, in truth, gone
so far as to be rejected by the beautiful but eccentric daughter of Old
Man Marlowe, the recluse. This was publicly believed because he had told
it himself and she had not--a reversal of the usual order of things
which could hardly fail to carry conviction.
Brading's bedroom was at the rear of the house, with a single window
facing the forest. One night he was awakened by a noise at that
window--he could hardly have said what it was like. With a little thrill
of the nerves he sat up in bed and laid hold of the revolver which, with
a forethought most commendable in one addicted to the habit of sleeping
on the ground floor with an open window, he had put under his pillow.
The room was in absolute darkness, but being unterrified he knew where
to direct his eyes, and there he held them, awaiting in silence what
further might occur. He could now dimly discern the aperture--a square
of lighter black. Presently there appeared at its lower edge two
gleaming eyes that burned with a malignant luster inexpressibly
terrible! Brading's heart gave a great jump, then seemed to stand still.
A chill passed along his spine and through his hair; he felt the blood
forsake his cheeks. He could not have cried out--not to save his life;
but being a man of courage he would not, to save his life, have done so
if he had been able. Some trepidation his coward body might feel, but
his spirit was of sterner stuff. Slowly the shining eyes rose with a
steady motion that seemed an approach, and slowly rose Brading's right
hand, holding the pistol. He fired!
Blinded by the flash and stunned by the report, Brading nevertheless
heard, or fancied that he heard, the wild high scream of the panther, so
human in sound, so devilish in suggestion. Leaping from the bed he
hastily clothed himself and pistol in hand, sprang from the door,
meeting two or three men who came running up from the road. A brief
explanation was followed by a cautious search of the house. The grass
was wet with dew; beneath the window it had been trodden and partly
leveled for a wide space, from which a devious trail, visible in the
light of a lantern, led away into the bushes. One of the men stumbled
and fell upon his hands, which as he rose and rubbed them together were
slippery. On examination they were seen to be red with blood.
An encounter, unarmed, with a wounded panther was not agreeable to their
taste; all but Brading turned back. He, with lantern and pistol, pushed
courageously forward into the wood. Passing through a difficult
undergrowth he came into a small opening, and there his courage had its
reward, for there he found the body of his victim. But it was no
panther. What it was is told, even to this day, upon a weather-worn
headstone in the village churchyard, and for many years was attested
daily at the graveside by the bent figure and sorrow-seamed face of Old
Man Marlowe, to whose soul, and to the soul of his strange, unhappy
child, peace--peace and reparation.
PHOTOGRAPHING INVISIBLE BEINGS
BY WM. T. STEAD
"Millions of Spiritual creatures walk the earth
Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep."
--MILTON
It was during the South African War that my father obtained one of his
best authenticated spirit photographs, so I think that it is well to
give here his own account of his experiments in that direction. He
writes:
"While recording the results at which I have arrived, I wish to
repudiate any desire to dogmatize as to their significance or their
origin. I merely record the facts, and although I may indicate
conclusions and inferences which I have drawn from them, I attach no
importance to anything but the facts themselves.
"There is living in London at the present moment an old man of
seventy-one years of age, a man of no education; he can write, but he
cannot spell, and he has for many years earned his living as a
photographer. He was always in a small way of business, a quiet,
inoffensive man who brought up his family respectably, and lived in
peace with his neighbors, attracting no particular remark....
"When he started in business as a photographer it was in the days when
the wet process was almost universal, and he was much annoyed by finding
that when he exposed plates other forms than that of the sitter would
appear in the background. So many plates were spoiled by these unwelcome
intruders that his partner became very angry, and insisted that the
plates had not been washed before they were used. He protested this was
not so, and asked his partner to bring a packet of completely new plates
with which he would take a photograph and see what was the result. His
partner accepted the challenge, and produced a plate which had never
previously been used; but when the portrait of the next sitter was
taken, there appeared a shadow form in the background. Angry and
frightened at this unwelcome appearance he flung the plate to the ground
with an oath, and from that time for very many years he was never again
troubled by an occurrence of similar phenomena.
"About ten years ago he became interested in spiritualism, and to his
surprise, and also to his regret, the shadow figures began to re-appear
on the background of the photographs. He repeatedly had to destroy
negatives and ask his customer to give him another sitting. It did his
business harm, and in order to avoid this annoyance he left most of the
photographing to his son.
"I happened to hear of these curious experiences of his and sought him
out. I found him very reluctant to speak about the matter. He said
frankly he did not know how the figures came; it had been a great
annoyance to him, and it gave his shop a bad name. He did not wish
anything to be said about the matter. In deference, however, to repeated
pressing on my part, he consented to make experiments with me, and I
had at various times a considerable number of sittings.
"At first I brought my own plates (half plate size). He allowed me to
place them in his slide in the dark room, to put them in the camera,
which I was allowed to turn inside-out, and after they were exposed I
was permitted to go into the dark room and develop them in his presence.
Under these conditions I repeatedly obtained pictures of persons who
were certainly not visible to me in the studio. I was allowed to do
almost anything that I pleased, to alter the background, to change the
position of the camera, to sit at any angle that I chose--in short to
act as if the studio and all belonging to it was my own. And I
repeatedly obtained what the old photographer called 'shadow pictures,'
but none of them bore any resemblance to any person whom I had known.
"In all these earlier experiments the photographer, whom I will call Mr.
B----, made no charge, and the only request that he made was that I
should not publish his name, or do anything to let his neighbors know of
the curious shadow pictures which were obtainable in his studio.
"After a time I was so thoroughly satisfied that the shadow photographs,
or spirit forms, were not produced by any fraud on the part of the
photographer, that I did not trouble to bring my own marked plates--I
allowed him to use his own, and to do all the work of loading the slide
and of developing the plate without my assistance or supervision. What I
wanted was to see whether it would be possible for me to obtain a
photograph of any person known to me in life who has passed over to the
other side. The production of one such picture, if the person was
unknown to the photographer, and he had no means of obtaining the
photograph of the original while on earth, seemed to me so much better a
test of the genuineness of the phenomena than could be secured by any
amount of personal supervision of the process of photography, that I
left him to operate without interference. The results he obtained when
left to himself were precisely the same as those when the slides passed
only through my own hands. But, although I obtained a great variety of
portraits of unknown persons, I got none whom I could recognize.
"In a conversation with Mr. B-- as to how these shadow pictures, as he
called them, came on the plate, I found him almost as much at sea as
myself. He said that he did not know how they came, but that he had
noticed that they came more frequently and with greater distinctness at
some times than at others. He could never say beforehand whether they
would come or not. He frequently informed me when my sitting began that
he could guarantee nothing. And often the set of plates would bear no
trace of any portrait save mine.
"He was very reluctant to continue the experiments, and used to complain
that after exposing four plates with a view to obtaining such pictures
he felt quite exhausted. And sometimes he complained that his 'innards
seemed to be turned upside-down,' to use his own phrase. I usually sat
with him between two and three in the afternoon, and on the days which I
came he always abstained from the usual glass of beer which he took with
his midday meal. If I came unexpectedly, and he had had a single glass
of beer, which formed his usual beverage, he would always assure me
that I need not expect any good results. I, however, never found any
particular difference in the results.
"We often discussed the matter together. And he was evidently working
out a theory of his own, as any one might under such circumstances. He
knew that when he was excited or irritated he got bad results. Hence he
often used to keep a music-box going, for the music, in his opinion,
tended to set up good and tranquil conditions. He said he thought
something must come out of him--what, he did not know, but something was
taken out of him, and with this something he thought the entities,
whoever they were, built themselves up and acquired sufficient substance
to reflect the rays of light so as to impress the sensitive plate in his
camera. He also thought that his old camera had become what he called
magnetized, and although it was an old-fashioned piece of furniture,
which I not only examined myself, but have had examined by expert
photographers, nothing could be discovered within or without it which
would account for the results obtained. He also was of the opinion that
even although he did not touch the photographic plate, it was necessary
for him to touch or to hold his hand over the photographic slide, and
also to hold his hand over the plate when it was in the developing bath.
His theory was that in some way or other this process magnetized the
plate and brought out a shadow portrait.
"One peculiarity of almost all the shadow pictures obtained in all these
series of experiments is that they have around them the same kind of
white drapery which is so familiar to those who have taken part in a
materializing seance. Sometimes this drapery is more voluminous than at
others; often, when the conditions are good, the form which at first
appears with its head encompassed with drapery will appear on the second
plate without any drapery. On asking Mr. B-- what explanation he could
give for this, he said he did not know, but he believed that the bodily
appearance assumed by the spirit was very sensitive and needed to be
shielded from currents, which might harm it. But when harmony prevailed
they could venture to remove the drapery, and be photographed without
it. Whatever may be the value of Mr. B--'s theory, there is little doubt
that something is given off from his body which can be photographed. The
white mist that appears to emanate from him forms into cloudy folds out
of which there protrudes a more or less clearly defined face with human
features. Sometimes this white and misty cloud obscures the sitter, at
other times it seems to be condensed as if it were in the process of
being worked up into a definite form for the completion of which either
time or some other conditions were lacking. It was also noticeable that
the entity--whoever it may be--which builds up the form, who is giving
off sufficient solidity to impress its image upon the plate in the
camera, having once created a form, will use it repeatedly without any
change of position or expression. This will no doubt seem a great
stumbling-block to many. But the fact is as I have stated it, and our
first business is to ascertain facts, whether they tell for or against
any particular hypothesis. It may be that the disembodied spirit, in
order to establish its identity, constructs, out of the 'aura' given off
by the photographer or other medium, a mask or cast bearing the
unmistakable resemblance to the body which it wore in its sojourn on
earth. Having once built it up for use in the studio, it may be easier
to employ the same cast again and again instead of building up a new one
at each fresh sitting. Upon this point, however, I shall have something
to say further on.
"I was very much interested in the results I obtained, although as none
of the photographs were identified I did not deem the experiment
completely successful. I was very anxious to induce Mr. B-- to devote
some months to an uninterrupted series of experiments, and asked him on
what terms I could secure his services. But he absolutely refused; he
said he did not like it, it made him unwell, made people speak ill of
him, and it did not matter what terms were offered, he would not
consent. He was an old man, he said, and he could not find out how these
things came; and, in short, neither scientific curiosity nor financial
consideration would induce him to consent to more than an occasional
sitting. I therefore dropped the matter, and for some years I
discontinued my experiments.
"I had a friend who often accompanied me to Mr. B--'s studio, where she
had been photographed both with and without shadow pictures appearing on
the background. We often promised each other that if either of us passed
over we would come back and be photographed by Mr. B-- if possible, in
order to prove the reality of spirit return. Shortly after this my
friend died. But it was not until nearly four years after her death, at
the request of a friend who was very anxious to know whether she could
communicate with those on the other side, that I went back to Mr. B--'s
studio.
"He had always been slightly clairvoyant and clairaudient. He told me
that a few days before I had written asking for the appointment, my
deceased friend had appeared in the studio and told him that I was
coming. This reminded me of her promise, and I said at once that I hoped
he would be able to photograph her. He said he didn't know; he was
rather frightened of her, for reasons into which I need not enter, but
if she came he would see what he could do. My friend and I sat together.
The first plate was exposed, nothing appeared in the background. When
the second plate was placed in the camera Mr. B-- nodded with a quick
look of recognition. We saw nothing. After he had exposed the second
plate and before he developed it he asked us to change seats. We did
this, and as he was exposing the third plate he said, 'I am told to ask
you to do this,' and then when he closed the shutter he said, 'it is
Mrs. M--.' On the fourth plate there appeared a picture of a woman whom
I had never seen before, and whom my friend had never seen, neither had
Mr. B--. When the plates came to be developed I found the second and
third plates contained unmistakable likenesses of my friend Mrs. M--.
These portraits were immediately recognized by my friend as unmistakable
likenesses of the deceased Mrs. M--. It will be objected that she had
frequently been photographed by the same photographer, and that he had
simply faked a photograph from one of his old negatives. I don't believe
that this is possible, for these portraits, although recognized
immediately by every one who knew her, including her nearest relative,
are quite different from any photograph she ever had taken in life. She
certainly never was photographed enveloped in white drapery, nor do I
believe that Mr. B-- had any negative of any of her portraits in his
possession. But I fully admit that from the point of view of one who
wishes to exclude every possibility of error, the fact that Mrs. M-- had
been frequently photographed in her lifetime by the same photographer
renders it impossible to regard these photographs as conclusive
testimony as to their authenticity as a photograph of a form assumed by
a disembodied spirit. I have mentioned that on the fourth plate there
appeared a portrait of an unknown female. On my return I was showing the
print of this shadow picture to a friend when she startled me by
declaring that the shrouded form which appeared behind me in the
photograph was a portrait of her mother who had died some months before
in Dublin. I had never seen her mother, my friend did not know of her
existence, neither did the photographer, nor does he to this day. It was
only many months afterwards that I was able to obtain a photograph of my
friend's mother, but it was taken when she was a comparatively young
woman and bore no manner of resemblance to the portrait of the lady who
appeared behind me. Her daughter, however, had not the slightest
hesitation in asserting that it was her mother, that she had recognized
her instantly, and that it was a very good portrait of her as she
appeared in the later years of her life. This startled me not a little,
and convinced me that I had a good prospect of attaining some definite
results as an outcome of my experiments.
"Mr. B--, encouraged by this success, was willing to continue his
experiments, and this time I insisted upon paying him for his work.
"From this time onward the occurrence of photographs that were
recognizable on the background of the photographs taken by Mr. B--
became frequent. Sometimes the plates were marked; but not invariably.
For my part I attach comparatively no importance to the marking of
plates and the close supervision of the operator. The test of the
genuineness of a photograph that is obtained when the unknown relative
of an unknown sitter appears in the background of the photograph, is
immeasurably superior to precautions any expert conjurer or trick
photographer might evade. Again and again I sent friends to Mr. B--,
giving him no information as to who they were, nor telling him anything
as to the identity of the persons' deceased friend or relative whose
portrait they wished to secure; and time and again when the negative was
developed the portrait would appear in the background, or sometimes in
front of the sitter. This occurred so frequently that I am quite
convinced of the impossibility of any fraud. One time it was a French
editor, who finding the portrait of his deceased wife appear on the
negative when developed, was so transported with delight that he
insisted on kissing the photographer, Mr. B--, much to the old man's
embarrassment. On another occasion it was a Lancashire engineer, himself
a photographer, who took marked plates and all possible precautions. He
obtained portraits of two of his relatives and another of an eminent
personage with whom he had been in close relations. Or again, it was a
near neighbor, who, going as a total stranger to the studio, obtained
the portrait of her deceased daughter.
"I attach no importance whatever to the appearance of portraits of
well-known personages, which might easily be copied from existing
pictures, but I attach immense importance to the production of the
spirit photographs of unknown relatives of sitters who are unknown to
the photographer, who receives them solely as a lady or gentleman who is
one of my friends.