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
Professor Sidgwick called on Mr. Frost in June 1892, and learned from
him that he had last seen his grandmother in 1878, on which occasion
she had promised, if possible, to appear to him at her death. On first
seeing the figure Mr. Frost thought that his grandmother had actually
come in the flesh to surprise him. It was full daylight, and had there
been a real knock and a real presence Mrs. Frost must have both heard
and seen. Mr. Frost had no cause for anxiety about his grandmother, and
has had no other experience of this kind. News of the death came by
letter, and Mrs. Frost remembers the letter, and that she noticed the
coincidence at the time.
In the next case the order of perception is reversed; the visual
preceded the auditory image. The narrative was procured for us by M.
Aksakof, of 6 Nevsky Prospect, St. Petersburg, who also translated the
original Russian into French, from which we have translated it into
English.
No. 77.--From M. A----.
"It was at Milan, on the 10th (22nd) of October 1888. I was staying
at the Hotel Ancora. After dinner, at about seven o'clock, I was
seated on the sofa, reading a newspaper. My wife was resting in the
same room on a couch, behind a curtain. The room was lighted by a
lamp upon the table near which I was sitting reading. Suddenly I
saw against the background of the door, which was opposite me, my
father's face. He wore as usual a black surtout, and was deadly
pale. At that moment I heard quite close to my ear a voice which
said to me, 'A telegram is coming to say your father is dead.'
All this only took a few seconds. I started up and rushed towards
my wife, but not to startle her I said nothing to her about it.
To explain my sudden movement I exclaimed 'Look, do you not see
that the kettle is boiling over!'... On the evening of the same
day, about eleven o'clock, we were taking tea in the company of
several other people, among whom were Madame Y., her daughter E.
Y., formerly an actress at the Court Theatre, and Mademoiselle M.,
who is now living in Florence. All at once there was a knock at the
door, and the _concierge_ presented a telegram. Pale with emotion I
immediately exclaimed, 'I know my father is dead; I have seen....'
The telegram contained these words, 'Papa dead suddenly.--Olga.' It
was a telegram from my sister living at St. Petersburg. I learned
later that my father had committed suicide on the morning of the
same day.
"(Signed) E. A."
Madame A. writes:--
"I was present at the time, and I testify to the accuracy of the
account."
M. Aksakof wrote to us that he had seen the original telegram, which
ran--
"Ricevuto il 22,[1] 1888. Milano, Petersbourg, data 22,[119] ore e
minute, 8.40. 'Papa mort subitement.--Olga.'"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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