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
8. Right shoulder slapped. The corresponding part was correctly
indicated.
9. Outside of left wrist pricked. Same result.
10. Back of neck pricked. Same result.
11. Left toe trodden on. No indication given.
12. Left ear pricked. The corresponding part was correctly
indicated.
13. Back of left shoulder slapped. Same result.
14. Calf of right leg pinched. Wells touched his arm.
15. Inside of left wrist pricked. The corresponding part was
correctly indicated.
16. Neck below right ear pricked. Same result.
In the next series of these experiments Wells was blindfolded, as
before; but in this case a screen was interposed between Mr. Smith and
Wells; and there was no contact between them. During two or three of
the trials Mr. Smith was in an adjoining room, separated from Wells by
thick curtains.
_Second Series. April 10th, 1883._
17. Upper part of Mr. Smith's left ear pinched. After a lapse of
about two minutes, Wells cried out, "Who's pinching me?" and began
to rub the corresponding part.
18. Upper part of Mr. Smith's left arm pinched. Wells indicated the
corresponding part almost at once.
19. Mr. Smith's right ear pinched. Wells struck his own right ear,
after the lapse of about a minute, as if catching a troublesome
fly, crying out, "Settled him that time."
20. Mr. Smith's chin was pinched. Wells indicated the right part
almost immediately.
21. The hair at the back of Mr. Smith's head was pulled. No
indication.
22. Back of Mr. Smith's neck pinched. Wells pointed, after a short
interval, to the corresponding part.
23. Mr. Smith's left ear pinched. Same result.
After this, Mr. Smith being now in an adjoining room, Wells began,
as he said, "to go to sleep;" and said that he "didn't want to be
bothered." He was partially waked up, and the experiments were resumed.
[Four experiments with tastes are here omitted.]
28. Mr. Smith's right calf pinched. Wells was very sulky, and for a
long time refused to speak. At last he violently drew up his right
leg, and began rubbing the calf.
After this Wells became still more sulky, and refused in the next
experiment to give any indication whatever. With considerable
acuteness he explained the reasons for his contumacy. "I ain't
going to tell you, for if I don't tell you, you won't go on
pinching me. You only do it to make me tell." Then he added, in
reply to a remonstrance from Mr. Smith, "What do _you_ want me
to tell for? they ain't hurting _you_, and _I_ can stand their
pinching." All this time Mr. Smith's left calf was being very
severely pinched.
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