The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1859

Allan Kardec

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Dirkse Lammers

SPIRITIST SOCIETY, NOVEMBER 11th, 1859

Mr. Van B…, from The Hague, who was present at the meeting, reported the following personal fact:

“In a spiritist session which he attended in The Hague, a spirit manifested spontaneously, using the name Dirkse Lammers. He was asked about his personal details and the reason for his visit with people who did not know him and who did not call him; here is what he said about his own story:”

“I lived in 1592 when I hanged myself at the place where you gather now, in stables which used to be exactly where this house is located now. These were the circumstances: I had a dog and my lady neighbor had chickens. My dog strangled the chickens and to revenge the neighbor poisoned the dog. In my wrath, I spanked and hurt that woman. She took me to the court and I was condemned to spend three months in prison and to pay a fine of twenty-five florins. Although the sentence was light I still felt a lot of hatred towards the lawyer, Mr. X…, who had provoked it, feeding my desire for vengeance. Hence, I stalked him in an isolated path that he customarily used to go to Loosduinen, near The Hague. I then strangled him and hanged him on a tree. To give the impression of a suicide, I stuck a previously prepared piece of paper with a message in his pocket, as if written by him, saying that nobody should be accused for his death, since he had committed suicide. Since then I was persecuted by remorse for three months, finally killing myself, as I already said, at this very place where you are now. Pushed by some sort of irresistible force, I come to confess my crime in the hopes that it may bring some relief to the punishment that I suffer since then.”

“The so much detailed description caused admiration on the assembly. Notes were taken and research was carried out in the local Forum, confirming in fact that in 1592 a lawyer by the name X… had hanged himself in the path to Loosduinen.” The spirit of Dirkse Lammers was evoked and manifested in the session of the Society on November 11th, 1859 in a violent way, breaking the pencils. His writing was large, nervous, almost illegible, and the medium experienced great difficulty in tracing the characters.

1. Evocation - I am here. What for?

2. Do you recognize here a person with whom you have communicated lately? - I gave sufficient demonstration of my lucidity and good will. This should be enough.

3. What was the objective of your spontaneous communication in Mr. Van B… house? - I don’t know. I was sent there. I myself was not willing to say what I was forced to say.

4. Who forced you? - The force that leads us. I know nothing else about it. I was dragged, despite my will, forced to obey the spirits who had the right to be obeyed.

5. Are you upset for having attended our call? - Very much. This is not my place.

6. Are you happy as a spirit? - Nice question!

7. What can we do to please you? - Do you really think that you can do something that is pleasant to me?

8. Certainly. Charity requests that we be useful whenever we can, to the spirits as well as to men. Once you are unhappy we will ask for God’s mercy. We will pray for you. - Finally, after centuries, these are the first words of such a nature that are addressed to me. Thank you! Thank you! For God’s sake, may this not be a vain promise, I beg you.


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