854. Now let us consider a similar message, which might have produced a similar belief in another informant's mind. But here it so happened that he tested the alleged fact of death; and found that the supposed spirit was still alive at the time of the message. The correspondent, Mr. G. E. Long, is known to Dr. Hodgson. (From Proceedings S.P.R., vol. ix. p. 65).

Jersey City, N. J., October 22nd, 1888.

... I think I wrote you once that about two years ago I had received what was said to be a most convincing test of spirit-return, convincing to all except myself. A young lady, a Spiritualist and medium, though not a professional, nor one that ever received one cent in pay, by means of a lettered board and toy chair, she holding one leg of the chair and I another, while a third leg of the chair served as a pointer, gave the following by means of the chair:-

First the chair spelt out my name and showed a disposition to get in my lap; then it spelled out "CARY," and when I asked for the name of the "spirit" it spelt out "George (my name), you ought to know me as I am Jim." But I didn't, and said so. Then, without my looking at the board, it spelt out "Long Island, Jim Rowe," and "Don't you remember I used to carry you when you were a little fellow," or words to that effect. I had to acknowledge the truth of it and also to say that as he was an ignorant man he possibly intended "CARY" for carry. I must own I was puzzled for the moment. To make sure of his power I asked that he count the pickets in the fence outside of the house and I would go out and confirm his statement. Somehow he couldn't agree to this, and even the medium objected. As a last resort I asked how long he had been in the spirit land and the answer came, between thirteen and fourteen years.

Now to the sequel. First it occurred to me a day or two after, that while all the incidents given were correct, the name should have been given as ROE instead of ROWE. Second, I was upon Long Island this summer, and the matter coming to my mind I inquired how long Jim Roe had been dead, and was informed he died last winter; so when I received this test so convincing to the believers the man was not dead. - Yours truly,

Geo. E. Long.

On October 26th, 1888, Mr. Long adds:-

I do not think that the medium was fraudulent. Her family consists of Mr. S. and three daughters, she being the youngest. I have found all to be hypnotic subjects, with the exception of the eldest daughter. They are all believers in Spiritualism, the youngest having been the medium. They do not sit now, as it is claimed that the sittings, while rich in spiritualistic satisfaction, were productive of a state of poor health in the medium.

As I myself have obtained information supposed to have been impossible for me to have reached, I cannot say for certainty that she had not obtained information about Jim, but I don't believe she had. As the name Rowe was being spelled I sat with my eyes turned from the board and had in mind the name Scudder, and mentally followed the taps of the chair to S C U D - when the medium said, "The name Rowe is given," etc. This would seem to leave out any involuntary muscular action. Why Rowe should have been given instead of Roe is still another phase. I wonder whether, if any question of the Roe family had arisen, I would have had in mind the name of Rowe? If so, then she produced that which I had long while before been conscious of, but was at the time unconscious of, and had it coupled with an error in spelling that I might have been guilty of had I myself been called upon at that moment to spell it. Had she been fraudulent the probability is she would have spelt it correctly.

It seems to me that the basis of Spiritualism rests mainly upon this phenomenon which men and women in a supernormal condition produce, without understanding it, and credit it to spiritual agencies.

[A general corroboration of Mr. Long's memory of the incident is added from a lady present at the time, who does not now recall the details].

855. The next case was sent to Professor Barrett by a convinced Spiritualist, as a proof of the reality of intercourse with the departed. The names were stated, but as I am citing the narrative in a sense differing from that which its writer meant it to bear, I will not now give them, and will only say that all three persons concerned are of very good position.

(From Proceedings S.P.R., vol. ii. p. 236).

One evening, a few years ago, I had with me two young friends,

Mademoiselle de P., now Lady S., and Mademoiselle de P--n, her cousin, who is Grande Gouvernante to the daughters of the Crown Prince of Germany, both complete unbelievers in Spiritualism. To amuse them, however, as I sometimes write under occult influence, I asked Mademoiselle de P. to fix her thoughts on some one I did not know, to see whether my hand would write something true concerning him or her. She did as I requested, and soon my hand wrote, "His life has been overshadowed by the act of another." She looked astonished and said that the person she was thinking of had had a brother to whom he was much attached, who had committed suicide.

She then asked if she could be told where she had met him for the first time. My hand wrote, "It was at the foot of a marble staircase splendidly illuminated by a July sun; as you went up he gazed after you as one gazes on the track of a dazzling meteor." This was also correct; she had met him, she said, for the first time at the foot of the staircase of the Ministere de la Guerre, in Paris, and her cousin added that he had been much struck with her. The only inaccuracies were that the staircase was not a marble but a stone one, and that it was a September sun that shone.

When I write in this way the ideas do not come {consciously at least) from my mind, and my hand seems to be gently moved by some external influence.

Now I confess that this description of the staircase, and the meteor, and so forth, suggests to me as its source, not so much a male spirit disembodied as a female spirit still in the flesh, and the romantic tone of the communication seems to reflect the mood of the persons present.