Apparitions and thought-transference: an examination of the evidence for telepathyPodmore, Frank
Philosophy
Apparitions and thought-transference: an examination of the evidence for telepathy
Podmore, Frank
Apparitions; Telepathy
"It seemed in my dream that I stood at the open door of a bedroom
in a house in Brighton, and that before me, by candle-light, I saw
my father-in-law lying pale upon his bed, while my mother-in-law
passed silently across the room in attendance on him. The vision
soon passed away, and I slept on for some time. On waking, however,
the nature of the impression left upon me unmistakably was that
my father-in-law was dead. I at once noted down the dream, after
which I broke the news of what I felt to be a revelation to my
wife, when we thought over again and again all that could bear
upon the matter, without being able to assign any reason for my
being so strongly and thoroughly impressed. The telegraph from
England to Simla had been open for some time, but now there was an
interruption, which lasted for about a fortnight longer, and on
the 17th (fifteen days after my dream) I was neither unprepared
nor surprised to receive a telegram from England, saying that my
father-in-law had died in Brighton on November 1st. Subsequent
letters showed that the death occurred on the _night_ of the 1st.
"Dreams, as a rule, leave little impression on me, and the one
above referred to is the only one I ever thought of making a note
of, or of looking expectantly for its fulfilment.
"R. VICARY BOYLE."
Mrs. Boyle writes as follows:--
"6_th August_ 1887.
"I well remember my husband telling me one morning, early in
November 1868, when at Simla, in India, that he had had a striking
dream (repeated) in which my father, then at Brighton, seemed to be
dying. We were both deeply impressed, and then anxiously awaited
news from home. A telegram first reached us, in about a fortnight,
which was afterwards confirmed by letters telling of my father's
death having occurred on the same night when my husband had the
dream.
"ELÉONORE A. BOYLE.
Mr. Gurney adds the following notes on the case:--
"The following entries were copied by me from Mr. Boyle's diary:--
"'Nov. 2. Dreamed of E.'s F[ather] early this morning.
"'Written before dressing.
"'Nov. 17. Got telegram from L[ouis] H[ack] this morning of his
father's death on 1st Nov. inst.'
"The following notice of the decease of Mr. Boyle's father-in-law
occurred in the _Times_ for 4th November 1868:--
"'On 1st Nov., at Brighton, William Hack, late of Dieppe, aged 72.'
"Mr. Boyle informed me that he is a 'particularly sound sleeper,
and very rarely dreams.' This dream was a very unique and
impressive experience, apart from the coincidence.
"There was a regular correspondence between Mrs. Boyle and her
mother, but for several mails the letters had contained no mention
of her father, on whose account absolutely no anxiety was felt.
"E. G."
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