The Lock and Key Library: The Most Interesting Stories of All Nations: Real Life
Science
The Lock and Key Library: The Most Interesting Stories of All Nations: Real Life
Detective and mystery stories; Fiction; Parapsychology
I was informed that his performances were of the most wonderful
nature; that there was no possibility of trickery of any kind; that
he told you whatever you desired to know, without your even asking
him; that, in addition to this, he had powers over the elements of
nature; and, in fact, I was led to believe that he was a true
sorcerer of the olden days.
I determined at once to call on this renowned personage, and try to
secure a little information from the unseen world. Accordingly,
one Sunday afternoon I took the car that crossed the river, and in
due time arrived at the apartments of this wonderful doctor.
I was met at the door by an attendant, who accepted the fee and
directed me to enter the rooms of this mysterious person quietly;
and if I found him employed, by no means to disturb him, but merely
to await his pleasure; that he was frequently conversing with
unseen beings, or deep in some astrological computation, and at
such times it was not safe to disturb him.
With a beating heart I entered the room where he was to be found.
This room was a large one. I did not see him at first. What
attracted my attention was a large map or painting on a piece of
canvas which hung on a wall space in the room. This painting had a
representation of the sun in its center. This could be discovered
by the rays which radiated from it in all directions. Around this
sun were many stars, and an occasional planet, among which Saturn
and its rings were very prominently depicted. There were numerous
pictures of animals and men, and of queer monsters, scattered among
the stars.
Beneath this picture stood a large golden oak table at which sat
this delver into the occult, deeply engrossed in a study of this
painting; while with a little brush he figured and calculated, in a
queer sort of Chinese characters, which he drew on a sheet of
paper. He also seemed to be making a strange drawing on the same
paper. He was far too deeply engaged to notice my entrance, and
continued at his labors for some time, while I stood quietly and
watched him. Sitting on one end of this rather large table was a
glass globe or vessel, supported by three nickeled rods, something
like a tripod. Coming from the wall was a rather large nickeled
tube or pipe which curved over above the glass vessel, and
continually allowed drops of water to fall into the globe. From
the side of this glass vessel there led a small nickeled pipe which
evidently carried away the waste water.
Occasionally a little blue flame would appear on the surface of
this water, play about, and disappear. When this happened the body
of the medium was always convulsed slightly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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