§ 1. In the chapter on "borderland" cases, and again in Chapter XII (The Development Of Telepathic Hallucinations), when illustrating the development of hallucinations by the percipient's own imagination under the stimulus of a telepathic impulse, I quoted several instances in which two of his senses played a part - as where an impression of sound preceded and led up to the visible phantasm. And I have mentioned (pp. 386-7) that the proportion of the telepathic cases in which the experience assumes such a complex or multiple form seems decidedly larger than obtains among the purely subjective hallucinations of the sane. The present chapter will contain those remaining telepathic instances which belong to seasons of complete waking consciousness. In some of these, as it happens, the sense of touch is involved; and I may take the opportunity of saying a necessary word or two on affections of that sense.

Among purely subjective hallucinations of the sane, those of touch seem to be rarer even than those of sight, and much rarer than those of hearing. My large collection includes only 68 examples (a few being cases of repeated experiences), of which 43 were of touch only, 8 were associated with a visual hallucination, 13 with an auditory hallucination, while 4 concerned all three senses. The canvassed group of 5705 persons (pp. 376-8) yielded only 23 distinct experiences of the sort; and of these 23, one occurred to a person who was out of health, one in association with a visual, and two in association with an auditory hallucination. Moreover, in many of the cases where touch alone has been concerned, it is easy to suppose that the sensation was caused by an involuntary muscular twitch - an instance is even on record where a hallucination of sight and sound took its origin in an objective sensation, caused by the momentary cramp of a muscle1 - so that the number of genuine tactile hallucinations would be even smaller than appears. It will not surprise us, then, to find that telepathic affections of this sense - or what might reasonably be adduced as such - are also rare.

A case has been already quoted in which the touch did not suggest any human contact, while it included a peculiarity beyond the mere touch - the sense of pain (No. 17, p. 132). We have, however, a few cases where the mere touch is alleged to have been more or less distinctive,2 of which [Gurney quotes one specimen, No. 292, here omitted. - Ed].

1 Paterson's paper in the Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal for Jan., 1843.

2 In 11 out of the 43 eases just mentioned, the touch is alleged to have been recognised, and in 7 of these the person whoso presence was suggested was dead. There is no difficulty in regarding such cases as "after-images"; but see p. 331, note.

But the more conclusive cases of recognition are naturally those where a second sense has been concerned; the element of touch being then a natural enough feature in a highly developed phantasmal impression. In the following case the second sense involved is that of hearing. The account is in the words of Mrs. Stone, of Shute Haye, Walditch, Bridport; it is attested, as will be seen, by the percipient.

(293) "A well-known inhabitant of Walditch, a little village near Bridport, Dorset, died suddenly last May, 1881. We were all very sorry, and felt much for those she had left. She was an honest, industrious woman, a good, affectionate wife and mother. She had been somewhat ailing for some time past, but there was no special cause for alarm, and my daughter saw her engaged (she was a washerwoman) in her usual occupation the day before her death. From her husband I heard the following narrative of facts, which he received from his son, when the latter came down to his mother's funeral: -

" ' My wife latterly was uneasy about one of her sons, Joseph Gundry, who is a pointsman on the Midland Railway, and had risen to an office of much responsibility. Not hearing from him for some time, she feared that he had fallen ill, and did not like to write till there should be no longer any cause for alarm. There was, in fact, such a press of business that he could not find time to write. On the night, or rather morning, of his mother's death, he had the night-duties, and, there being no train about, he sat down for a short time, leaning his arms on a table. He was not asleep and had hardly settled himself, when a hand was placed on his shoulder, and a voice said distinctly: 'Joe, your mother wants you.' As far as we can ascertain this was about the time that his mother passed away. He did not recognise the voice, and saw no one. As there is no post from Bridport that could reach him under two days, his father telegraphed. When the telegram was brought to him, he said, "I know what it is, my mother is dead." ' "

The percipient writes: -

"Hay Street, Sawley, Derby.

"February 16th, 1883,

"I have perused the attached [i.e., the above account] and find it to be substantially correct. I attest the accuracy of the report as printed, and I am prepared to bear it out. "Joseph Gundry".

Mr. Gundry further informs us that he has never on any other occasion experienced any sort of hallucination of the senses.

In the next case [omitting 294], the second sense involved is that of sight. The narrator is Mrs. Randolph Lichfield, of Cross Deeps, Twickenham. Her husband was precluded from attesting the account in writing, by a painful affection of the hand.

"1883.