Materialized Apparitions.

by Edward Augustus Brackett.

PREFACE.

Written at intervals from the pressure of business, and at times that should have been devoted to recreation, these pages make no claim to artistic arrangement or literary merit. If they enable any one to arrive at a clearer and better appreciation of the wonderful phenomena of which they treat, they will have accomplished all that was intended.

WINCHESTER, Ma.s.s.

INTRODUCTION.

In 1840 I became acquainted with Dr. Colyer, then lecturing on Mesmerism, at Peel's Museum, New York, and fully believed, at that time, that he was a humbug, and Mesmerism a fraud. Soon after this, while visiting some friends, with Mr. Pendleton, formerly from Boston, this subject was pretty thoroughly discussed,--Mr. Pendleton insisting that there was truth in it, and that I was not treating it fairly; and he proposed, as a matter of amus.e.m.e.nt, that I should try the experiment on some one of the party present. Willing to turn the discussion into a less serious form, I consented to take the part a.s.signed me; and soon found, to my astonishment, that I had before me a most excellent clairvoyant subject. What had been started as amus.e.m.e.nt became a very interesting entertainment, resulting in the meeting of the parties once a week for the purpose of studying Mesmerism.

In the following spring I removed to Boston, where in my leisure hours I continued my investigations, part of the time with Dr. William F.

Channing, the inventor of the Fire Alarm, and at the time a student with Dr. Jackson. I was indebted to him for many interesting suggestions, and especially for the use of a very delicate galvanometer, for the purpose of detecting, if possible, any magnetic or electric currents pa.s.sing between the magnetizer and his subject. No such currents were discovered, and when we found that our subject could be controlled and thrown into a trance when more than a mile away, by the action of the will alone, the idea of testing currents was abandoned. All that has since been made public under the names of Mind-Reading and Telepathy, and much more, was familiar to us.

When trance-mediumship became known, believing that it was only a form of Mesmerism, I gave considerable attention to it. There were few mediums of note that I did not have more or less sittings with, but the most satisfactory communications I received came through a member of my own family. While the evidence was such as would have convinced most persons that these messages came from the other side of life, I was by no means sure of it.

In this state of mind, in consequence of some statements made to me by Mr. Thomas Appleton, of what he had seen in Europe, I decided to investigate what is known as "Materialization," that is, the alleged production of visible and tangible apparitions out of seeming nothingness. I felt, whether right or wrong, that my experience in Mesmerism, and the long training of my perceptive faculties as a sculptor, which enabled me to detect the slightest differences between objects, was as good a preparation as one could have for studying this cla.s.s of phenomena. I had no sectarian prejudices to overcome, and no lack of courage in stating my convictions, no matter which way the evidence might lead. That I prejudged the case in the beginning, I freely admit, and, like thousands of others, formed an opinion without giving to it that attention which is necessary in dealing fairly with any subject.

I have a thorough abhorrence of fraud, whether in the seance-room or in the pulpit, regarding any one who would trifle with the most sacred feelings of our nature as deserving the severest punishment.

In briefly detailing some of the facts that have come under my own observation, it is a matter of no consequence to me what may be said about them, since it is impossible for any one to give the subject the same careful study without arriving at similar results.

PART I.

MATERIALIZATION AND DEMATERIALIZATION OF FORMS AND OBJECTS.

Man is what he feels. He may dazzle the world for a while with the splendor of his acquirements, but, like an iceberg that glistens in the frosty air and disappears in a more genial clime, the pride of his intellect is lost in the warmth of his affections.

What Swedenborg aptly terms his "loves," alone indicate man's true character. They determine his relation to superior as well as to inferior beings. There is no other way through which he can advance to a higher life, or commune with those exalted spirits who are ever ready to welcome him, than by the elevation of his affections. Through every phase of his spiritual progress, whether in this or the other life, forever arches over him in letters of gold the divine commandment, "That ye love one another."

MATERIALIZED APPARITIONS.

CHAPTER I.

MY FIRST SeANCE, AND WHAT CAME OF IT.

Not being acquainted with any "materializing medium," so termed, I obtained from Mr. Luther Colby, of Boston, a letter of introduction to Mrs. H. B. Fay, of that city, stating that I was desirous of visiting her seances. I called upon the lady and presented the letter, but found that she was out of health, and, for the present, had discontinued her sittings. I, however, left my address, with the request that she would inform me when she resumed her seances.

More than a year pa.s.sed without hearing from her, and, finding that she was giving sittings, I made free to call at the house and ask admittance, which was granted. As she did not recognize me, I felt confident that she had forgotten the circ.u.mstance of the letter, and, as I preferred to remain as far as possible _incog._, I made no allusion to it.

Curiosity led me to scan the audience. There were about thirty persons present, and, as far as I could judge, they were of more than ordinary intelligence. At the beginning of the seance, the light was lowered, but not so low that we could not discern clearly the features of those around us.

I do not propose now to deal with the experience of others, although I have from the beginning made that a part of my study, but shall confine myself to what came to me.

Near the close of the seance, the lady who sat next the cabinet said there was a form present who gave the name of "Maggie Brackett." She would not be certain about the first name, as the form was very weak and spoke in a whisper. Here was a chance to come in contact with one of these beings, supposed to belong to another life. Although I knew of no one, in or out of my family, by that name, I a.s.sumed that it was for me, and stepped up to the cabinet. As I did so, the curtain parted, and a very beautiful female, apparently about sixteen years old, stood before me. I looked at her very closely, but could trace no resemblance to the medium, nor to any one I had known. I said, "I do not remember you; did I ever see you before?" She shook her head, and tried to speak, but I could not make out what she intended to say.

Finding that I did not understand, she held out her hand, about three feet from the floor; but I did not know what that meant, and, seeing that she was greatly disappointed, shook hands with her, saying, "Never mind; we will find out about this some other time;" then bade her Good-bye, and she stepped behind the curtain.

As I turned to my seat, a hoa.r.s.e voice inside the cabinet somewhat startled me by saying, "Your wife is here!" I answered, "Very well, I shall be glad to see her."

If I was disappointed in the first form, I was doubly so in this. It was a much smaller person than my deceased wife, and had a tired, careworn expression, while the features strongly resembled the medium. She greeted me warmly. Holding her at arms' length, in order to better study her form, I said, "You are not tall or stout enough for my wife."

"Wait," she said; and, stepping behind the curtain, returned in a few moments, fuller, and near a head taller. The height and general build of the form were now very good, but the face was a medley. I saw, or fancied, some resemblance to my wife, but still more to the medium.

She appeared overjoyed at meeting me; so much so that I felt it would be heartless on my part to repel it. Laying her head upon my shoulder, she talked freely with me, saying things that it seemed impossible that any one but my wife could know. I knew what Mesmerism and clairvoyance meant. Was this another phase of them? Was it mind-reading? If so, it was a very clever performance. I could not realize that I had my wife before me, and yet here was a being who had penetrated the inmost secrets of my domestic life; had dragged from the past the well-worn pages of memory and read them anew.

She remained out much longer than most of the forms had done, when I noticed that she appeared to be growing weaker, and, in spite of her efforts to sustain herself, was sinking downward. Bidding her Good-night, I let go her hand. As I did so, she went down directly in front of me, within a foot of where I stood, her head and shoulders being the last part visible. On the carpet, where she disappeared, there was a glow of phosph.o.r.escent light, which gradually faded away.

For the first and only time during my investigations, I was unduly excited. It came so suddenly and unexpectedly upon me that I was confused. I brushed my hand across my forehead and eyes to make sure of my bearings, and slowly returned to my seat, fully conscious of the importance of what had pa.s.sed before me. If real,--if the form had thus dematerialized,--then the reality of materialization followed as a matter of course.

While turning these thoughts over in my mind, the seance closed; and as I stepped out into the full light of the autumnal moon, everything seemed changed. The sound of feet on the brick pavement grated harshly on my ears; before me rose the tall spire of the stone church, throwing its ghostly shadow across the way; behind me was the seance-room, and a dreamy consciousness of the strange phenomena I had witnessed surged through my brain. Was it possible that I had stood face to face and been in communication with one from another life?

As I pondered over this, a reaction came, and before I reached my home the probability, or the possibility even, that I had been deceived, vexed and annoyed me, and aroused a determination to know whether or not there was truth in materialization. I was not over-pleased with what I had seen, and, but for this last incident, my investigations might have ended here. Materialization was either a great truth or a stupendous humbug. Thousands of intelligent persons believed in it, on what appeared to me uncertain evidence. Was it not a disgrace to science that this had been allowed to go on so long without any honest attempt to investigate it? If I could only get the inside track, how easy it would be to expose it! The whole thing lay in a nutsh.e.l.l: either the forms appearing were confederates, or personations by the medium; perhaps both. I would if possible adopt a system of investigation so thorough that nothing should escape me.

To go to seances as an ordinary visitor was, to me, to throw time away.

If the manifestations were genuine, and my personal relations with the medium not objectionable, I saw no reason why I should not obtain privileges without which, to my skeptical mind, it would be useless to pursue the subject.

I therefore continued my visits, having this object constantly in view.

Otherwise I remained perfectly pa.s.sive, neither demanding nor asking anything.

Several times I was surprised by finding thoughts to which I had given no outward expression antic.i.p.ated by what claimed to be "the control,"

that is, the spirit alleged to hold possession of the entranced medium.

I had not asked, although greatly desirous, to be taken into the cabinet during the seance. While thinking this, "Auntie," Mrs. Fay's "control,"

said, "You shall come in."

The forms were coming quite freely to me, and one said, "You may go in with me." As I entered, the control greeted me in a friendly way, saying that she liked me; that I was a skeptic, but an honest one.

While talking with her, I had my left arm around the waist of the form that took me into the cabinet. With my right hand I reached out and satisfied myself that the medium was sitting in her chair, entranced.

There could be no mistake; there were four of us in the cabinet,--the two forms that appeared to be materialized, the medium, and myself!

I know how two got in, but where did the other two come from?