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
These considerations apply with full force to the first of the
dubious types here to be considered. In publishing seven first-hand
"reciprocal" cases in 1886 (_Phantasms_, vol. ii. p. 167) Mr. Gurney
pointed out that the evidence then available was "so small that the
genuineness of the type might fairly be called in question." Still,
regarding it as probably genuine, he anticipated that we should
ultimately obtain more well-attested specimens of it. In the eight
years which have elapsed since Mr. Gurney wrote this anticipation has
met with only partial fulfilment. We have met with but two recent
well-attested cases which clearly fall under the same category as those
already given. One of these cases has already been quoted (No. 63),
and was indeed included in the supplementary chapter of _Phantasms of
the Living_; the other is as follows:--
No. 88.--From the REV. C. L. EVANS.
"FORTON, GARSTANG.
(_Received on the_ 18_th of September_ 1889.)
"Two years ago I had occasion to undergo a course of magnetism,
under the treatment of Miss ----. I was under her treatment for six
weeks, and derived considerable benefit from her treatment. A warm
friendship sprang up between us, as she had wonderfully improved my
sight. I went up to St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, at the commencement of
the October term, as my eyes were so much stronger. One afternoon,
as I had just come in from the river, being rather tired, I sat
down for a minute before I changed, when, to my great surprise, the
door opened, and Miss ---- appeared to walk in.
"She was looking rather pale at the time, and looked intently
at me for about a minute, then left the room as slowly as she
had walked in. I was much alarmed, as I fancied that something
must have happened to her, and I immediately sat down and wrote
off two letters, one to Miss ----, asking if she was well, and
another to my mother, telling her of the strange occurrence. The
next day I had back the two replies. My mother said that on that
very afternoon she had called on Miss ----, and naturally they
had been discussing my case. She said that my description of Miss
----'s dress, etc., was perfectly accurate. I then read Miss ----'s
note. She stated that my mother had called, and had left at about
half-past four, she then had lain down for a few minutes, and was
thinking and wishing to see me. She had a distinct impression that
she saw me during this sleep, or trance, but when she awoke the
impression was not very vivid. The time exactly coincided, and she
said that my description of her was very accurate. At the time that
she appeared to me I was not thinking in the least of her.
"CHARLES LLOYD EVANS."
I called on Mr. Evans on the 20th April 1892, and had a long
conversation with him. The following notes of my interview were made at
the time and written out a few days later:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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