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

19in my power, she holding both of my hands in hers. Presently she rose slowly and withdrew intothe cabinet with a natural, easy gait. After saying “God bless you,” she disappeared.At the end of the séance I looked at the writing, and found it was a somewhat commonplaceexpression of pleasure at our meeting, signed with the proper Christian name, but not in thehandwriting of Iola. The height and figure were quite correct; the arms (which were bare) those ofa woman; the hands a little larger than was right, and rather brown; the feet very small, in keepingwith the figure.Hough is about five feet seven inches in height, broad-shouldered and somewhat stout. Itwould be impossible for him to simulate a form five feet on inches in height, and slight in build.Any attempt to diminish his height, and walk about on bended knees, would be detected at once.I sat with Hough for materialisation several times; once alone. Iola came three times. Itwas noticeable that if some common name was called out, such as “Mary,” and the wrong personapproached the cabinet to claim the phantom, it would disappear; none of those spirits would takethe hand of a stranger. The controls were alleged to be a Colonel Baker, who was killed in the Warof Secession, Dr. Baker and a little spirit called Star-Eyes. Colonel Baker did not often materialise,but I have seen him in uniform. Star-Eyes kept up a running conversation throughout everyséance, and generally materialised once or twice. If I went up to her, she would touch my handsoftly; she had the appearance of a small cripple. There were many materialisation’s anddematerializations outside the cabinet.Perhaps the most interesting feature in all the séances was the visit of a woman we used tocall the “Roman lace-worker.” She came sometimes from the cabinet, and at others from the flooroutside it. She would borrow a handkerchief from me or some other sitter, and, shaking it out,evolve yards of drapery, which she would throw in turn over each individual member of the circle.I have held it in my hands; it was of firm texture, and apparently as mundane as anything boughtfrom a shop. She would then retire, laying it along the floor towards the cabinet; it woulddematerialise from the latter outwards. When the sitter from whom the handkerchief had beenborrowed naturally asked for his property to be returned, she would come out into the circle andpull it out from my back, or shirt-front, or the top of my head, and throw it to its owner. I haveseen this spirit materialise a handkerchief from the carpet. She would bend down and scratchaway until a small white substance appeared; this would get larger and larger, until it assumed thedimensions of a handkerchief.Vibrations in the room were maintained by an ordinary musical box. Occasionally we sang.None of the forms that appeared were of a build resembling that of Hough except Dr. Baker andColonel Baker; but in the case of these two habitués the faces were visible, and could not bemistaken for that of the medium. I was told that Hough was occasionally the victim of that mostperplexing of phenomena, transfiguration –when a medium is brought out of the cabinet, and so tospeak, built upon and made to resemble some departed friend of a sitter; but I must say that Inever saw any form which reminded me of the medium.Since those sittings seven years ago I have heard that Hough has been detected in fraudduring a materialisation séance. The allegations related to me are so circumstantial that I cannotdisbelieve them. He adds another name to the long list of psychics who try to help out a waningpower by cheating. I have taken this into consideration when drawing up the above account, andhave omitted some details which might have possibly been due to trickery, and only related thosewhich I believe fully were genuine manifestations.(3) The morning after my first séance with Hough I had a sitting with Mrs. Conklin, theclairvoyante. Iola appeared to her soon after we had sat down. The description was good, and sheanswered correctly the following questions: “By what name did I call you?” “Where did you die?”(country only given) “What is the name of your sister?” “By what name did she call you?”“What is your relationship to me?” Then my father manifested to the clairvoyante, and gave hisChristian names. Some details were added by Iola which effectually settled her identity as far as Iwas concerned.(4) The next morning, December 27 th , I sat with Hough and Mrs. Conklin. A card wasbefore us, marked with the letters of the alphabet inconsecutively. Hough took my right hand inhis and used his own forefinger to stamp the letters of the words which formed the replies to my