The famous Agrippa (_De occulta philos., Lugduni_, III. p. 13) quotes
the former writer, and asserts that he also could, by mere effort of
will, in a perfectly simple and natural manner convey his thoughts not
to the initiated only, but to any one, even when his correspondent's
present place of residence should be unknown. The most remarkable, and,
at the same time, the best authenticated case of this kind, is that of a
high German official mentioned in a scientific paper (_Nasse.
Zeitschrift für psychische Aerzte_, 1820), and frequently copied into
others. A Counsellor Wesermann claimed to be able to cause distant
friends to dream of any subject he might choose. Whenever he awoke at
night and made a determined effort to produce such an effect, he never
failed, provided the nature of the desired dream was calculated to
startle or deeply excite his friends. His power was tested in this
manner. He engaged to cause a young officer, who was stationed at
Aix-la-Chapelle, nearly fifty miles from his own home, to dream of a
young lady who had died not long ago. It was eleven o'clock at night,
but by some accident the lieutenant was not at home in bed, but at a
friend's country-seat, discussing the French campaign. Suddenly the
colonel, his host, and he himself see at the same time the door open, a
lady enter, salute them sadly, and beckon them to follow her. The two
officers rise and leave the room after her, but once out of doors, the
figure disappears, and when they inquire of the sentinels standing guard
outside, they are told that no one has entered. What made the matter
more striking yet, was the fact that although both men had seen the door
open, this could not really have been so, for the wood had sprung and
the door creaked badly whenever it was opened. The same Wesermann could,
in like manner, cause his friends to see his own person and to hear
secrets which he seemed to whisper into their ears whenever he chose;
but he admitted upon it that his will was not at all times equally
strong, and that, hence, his efforts were not always equally successful.
Cases of similar powers are very numerous. A very curious example was
published in 1852, in a work on "Psychologic Studies" (Schlemmer, p.
59). The author, who was a police agent in the Prussian service,
asserted that persons who apprehended being conducted to gaol with
special anxiety, often made themselves known there in advance,
announcing their arrival by knocks at the gates, opening of doors, or
footsteps heard in the room set aside for examining new comers. One day,
not the writer only, but all the prisoners in the same building, and
even the sentinel at the gate heard distinctly a great disturbance and
the rattling of chains in a cell exclusively appropriated to murderers.
The next day a criminal was brought who had expressed such horror of
this gaol, and made such resistance to the officials who were to carry
him there, that it had become necessary, after a great uproar, to chain
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