Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1865

A letter from one of our corresponding members tells this story:

“I begin by a memory of my childhood that I never forgot, although it goes back a long time. Around 1819-20 in Saumur, there was a lot of talk about an apparition to an officer of the guard of that city. The officer was in the house of a distinct family and lied down in the morning to rest, after a whole night on duty. A few hours later he opened the eyes and noticed a shadow in the room, dressing white. He thought it was a prank from one of his comrades and stood up, moving towards the funny guy. The shadow stepped back, slid in the room and disappeared. The door that he had closed not to be disturbed remained locked and a young lady of the household that had been sick for some time had just died at that very moment.

The kind of fantastic event reminded one of his comrades, lieutenant Mr. R…, an extraordinary dream that he had had and that he told the story then. He was in the barrack of Versailles and dreamed that there was a man cutting his throat and collecting the blood in a jar. He woke up at five in the morning and still worried about the dream he went to the cavalry, since he was on duty. Walking on a deserted street he noticed a group of people observing something with great attention. He approached and learned that a man had just killed himself and, behold, he was told that the man had cut his own throat and let the blood leak into a bucket. Mr. R… recognized by the appearance of the man that he was the same that he had seen last night. I only heard about these events and never met any of the officers.

Here some others that are almost personal to me:

My mother was a truly enlightened and devout lady that frequently expressed sincere charity, as required by Spiritism, but without any superstitious or weak mind. On several occasions she told me about a memory of her early days. When she was a young woman she had a sick friend that she used to help by staying by her side part of the evenings. One day she was really tired, and the father of her sick friend insisted that she should go and rest, promising her that if her friend needed he would call her. My mother accepted and went to bed after locking the room. Around two in the morning she was awakened by the contact of two cold fingers on her shoulder. She got really impressed and could no longer sleep. She then got dressed to go and check her dear friend. She was about to open the door when someone knocked from the street. It was a servant that came to tell her that her friend had just died.

One day in 1851 I was browsing the gallery of family pictures in the magnificent castle of C…, led by Dr. B…, a family doctor. I stopped for some time in front of the image of a man, apparently forty something years old, dressed, if I am not wrong, with a blue costume, with red and black stripes and grey pants. Mr. B… approached and said: - That is how I saw Count C…, fifteen days after his death.

I asked for explanation and here is what he said: Fifteen days approximately after the death of Count C…, night was falling when I left the bedroom of the Countess. In order to leave I had to walk through a long corridor that also gave access to the office of the Count C… When I passed that door it opened and Count C… left, came in my direction and walked me out.

Mr. B… attributed that fact to a mere hallucination, but in any case, it should not have lasted long because I believe there was another room to pass at the end of the corridor before the external door.

Finally, this is an event that touches me personally:

Around 1829, I believe, in Hagueneau, Alsace, I was in charge of a patient ward from the large barrack of Strasbourg, then much affected by intermittent fevers. Among the patients there was a young drum player that every evening, after midnight, felt someone sliding on his bed, embracing him and biting his chest near the left nipple. His inmates told me that they were wakened by his screams for eight days now; that approaching him they would find him agitated, scared and were only able to calm him down by passing the sword under his bed to demonstrate to him that there was nobody there or nearby. I found the young soldier with a somewhat swollen and tender chest on the left side and then I attributed his condition to his imagination; but the effect would only take place a few instants every twenty-four hours and always at the same time. I happened a few more times but after that I never heard about that case anymore.”

Observation: It is well-known that events of such a nature are numerous. Spiritism keeps their record because it provides the only possible rational explanation. There are certainly among them some that could be attributed to what is conventionally called hallucination, or a preoccupation of the mind, but they could no longer be considered so when followed by some sort of material effect. The more their authenticity is acknowledged the more important they are and could not be taken by charlatanism, as we said in a preceding article.