Do the Dead Return? A True Story of Startling Seances in San FranciscoAnonymous
Religion
Do the Dead Return? A True Story of Startling Seances in San Francisco
Anonymous
Future life; Seances -- California -- San Francisco
It was with much difficulty that those who participated in these seances
and whose accounts of what they saw are subjoined, were induced to give
the medium a hearing. Chief Crowley was particularly opposed to giving
serious attention to what he denounced as "trickery and sleight of hand,"
and afterwards called "marvelous and beyond power of explanation." Finally
he wrote down a number of names on separate slips, as explained in the
foregoing, and among those names appeared that of his mother--her maiden
name. The medium at once told the Chief which pellet contained his
mother's name, then read it, and in a few moments told where she died and
where she was buried.
A few minutes later the aged Doctor said: "The spirit of Detective Hutton,
who died a violent death, hovers near you."
The medium then spoke of matters that were known to nobody but Chief
Crowley and the dead detective. This greatly puzzled the Chief, who was
later deeply affected over purported messages from a son and others who
had been dear to him in life.
Speaking of the purported message from his dead mother the Chief said: "I
cannot explain this, which is marvelous, for I do not believe a human
being in San Francisco knew that my mother's maiden name was Elizabeth
McCarthy, that she died in New Jersey and was buried in New York."
Chief Crowley then wrote down a list of years, among them the year of his
mother's death. Dr. Schlesinger pointed to the year 1833 as that of her
death.
"Correct!" replied Chief Crowley; whereupon the medium said, "and the name
of your father, Patrick J. Crowley, is also here, and he comes with your
son Lewis, who has not been dead long."
The Chief thought it the most wonderful performance he had ever seen. "He
does marvelous and inexplicable things," said the Chief, "and I'll admit
I cannot tell how it is done. While I cannot believe he converses with
spirits, I am puzzled. I want to see him again and look into the matter
further."
[Illustration: EX-CHIEF OF POLICE P. CROWLEY.]
The experiments with Mayor L. R. Ellert, who sprang from his chair and
positively declined to be thrown into a trance condition when the doctor
requested him thus to visit the spirit world, were fully as startling as
those with Chief Crowley.
Mayor Ellert took a chair in front of his official table, which had thus
been dedicated to spiritual uses, and asked if any spirits desired to
communicate with him, whereupon the medium grasped his Honor's hands and
the line of communication with the spirits was declared fully established.
Quite distinct raps were then heard on the table, and Dr. Schlesinger
looked at the Mayor and said: "You are a medium yourself, sir! My, what a
power!"
The Mayor was urged "to sit alone often and be patient," and was told that
he could develop much power by such a course.
[Illustration: HON. L. R. ELLERT.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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