Glimpses Of The Next State.Pdf - Spiritualists' National Union

CHAPTER IX.128THIRD VISIT TO AMERICAReturn to United States—Objects of my visit—Mrs. Georgia ill— Mrs. French still haspower, though in her eightieth year—Mrs. Rossegue—Her psychometry—Miss Ada Besinnet—Singing and whistling by spirits—Spirit lights—A heavy table lifted off the floor—The singing ofOma Yoant and Iola—Mrs. Wriedt accompanies a party to a séance with Ada Besinnet—Herclairvoyance— Very good test to Mr. Xander—Black Cloud’s method of announcing his departurefrom the psychic—Talking through the trumpet— Automatic writings by the psychic—ProfessorHyslop—he does not admit the possibility of materialisation—More seances with the Jonsons—Grayfeather again—The antics of Viola—Her disappearance from one spot, and instantreappearance in another—The striking materialisation of Catherine—Discovery of the partialsolidity of spirit forms—Edna, the nun—Privilege accorded me by Viola — Mrs. Wriedt attends aJonson séance, and her control, Dr. Sharp, comes to her—I hold the coat of a partially materialisedspirit—Warned by my guide not to repeat a certain experiment—The Newtons’ children appear,and give a pretty test—Dr. Sharp again manifests to Mrs. Wriedt—Grayfeather: “I want myshadow here “—Sitting alone with Mrs. Jonson in the cabinet—Materialisation, only of scientificinterest—Tests with the Bangs Sisters—Picture test successful in two days—Letter test takes threedays—Depletion of the mediums and of myself-—Slate-writing through the mediumship of Mr. P.0. Reeler—No evidence of identity, but proof of the presence of invisible intelligences— Return toEngland.ON December 10, 1910, I left Southampton to pay a third visit to the United States to studypsychical phenomena. During the previous twenty months I had, of course, discussed my Americanexperiences with many people, but chiefly with a conjurer whom I believe to be the most modernand clever of his trade, who furnished me with over a hundred explanations on different points.There was not one of the many suggestions offered to me that met the cases of spirit action I hadseen; each explanation was more wonderful than the spirit hypothesis. No doubt those who arguedwith me were at a great disadvantage; they were totally unacquainted with the electrical conditionsin the States, with the country, and with the psychics whom I had seen. However that may be, theeffect on my mind was to strengthen my belief in the genuineness of the phenomena; and I leftEngland without a single doubt of what I had seen in 1909, but, at the same time, resolved to put allsuggestions to the test whenever an opportunity occurred.The main objects of my third visit were: (1) To interview my guide through the mediumshipof Mrs. Georgia and Mrs. Wriedt; especially to try and discover what her occupation was, andwhat were the duties of other members of my family and friends in spirit life; (2) to see whatdevelopment had been made in the mediumship of Miss Ada Besinnet, the famous young psychic atToledo; and (3) to have some experiments with Mr. and Mrs. Jonson, not, indeed, to test theirhonesty, of which I was already fully assured, but to study more closely the tangibility of the forms,and particularly their methods of dematerialising, which had so much astonished me in 1909. As Ithought an opportunity might occur to spend a few days at Chicago, I wrote letters ready forexperiments with the Bangs Sisters, and put paper inside for reply, sealing the envelopes in such away as to render it impossible for them to be opened in a normal manner, and in a short time,without detection. I also purchased a chemical and some ink, which was secured in a travellingbottlewith spring; the application of the chemical to the ink would prove instantly if the ink of thereplies, to the letters was the same ink as I put on, or near, the slates.On arrival at New York, I proceeded to Rochester, which I reached on December 20, 1910. Icalled upon Mrs. Georgia the following morning, and found her dangerously ill. The next day shewas removed from her residence to a hospital. So critical was her condition that it was foundnecessary to perform a very serious operation upon her in one hour; and it was found that, bad thisoperation been delayed, she must have died in a few hours.