Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death Part 46

"KOI, _July 23rd [August 4th], 1891_.

"To the account I heard from Baron B. F. Driesen in the presence of his wife's brothers, MM. N. N., A. N., and I. N. Ponomareff, as to how M. Nicholas I. Ponomareff appeared to him in the night of November 29-30th, 1860, having died nine days before, and begged of the Baron to be reconciled to him, I may add that to me also did he appear _at the same time_ and with the same request, which fact, before hearing the Baron's narrative, I communicated to all those present at the liturgy for the rest of the soul of the late M. N.

I. Ponomareff.

"(Signed) BASIL BAJENOFF, "Priest of Trinity Church, at Koi, District of Kashin, Government of Tver."

VII. E. The following is quoted from the "Report on the Census of Hallucinations" in _Proceedings_ S.P.R., vol. x. p. 284.

From Countess Eugenie Kapnist:--

_June 24th, 1891._

A Talta, en Fevrier, 1889, nous fimes la connaissance de M. P. et de sa femme, pa.s.sant la soiree chez des amis communs qui avaient tenu a nous reunir. A cette epoque, M. P. souffrait deja d'une phthisie a.s.sez avancee; il venait de perdre, a Petersbourg, son frere, atteint de la meme maladie. On pria ma sur de faire un peu de musique, et elle choisit au hasard le Prelude de Mendelssohn. A mon etonnement je vis M. P. que nous ne connaissions que de ce soir, aller, tres emotionne, prendre place aupres du piano, et suivre avec une espece d'anxiete le jeu de ma sur.

Lorsqu'elle eut fini, il dit que pour quelques instants elle venait de faire ressusciter son frere, executant absolument de la meme maniere ce morceau, qu'il jouait frequemment. Depuis, en voyant ma sur, il aimait particulierement a causer avec elle. Je puis certifier ainsi qu'elle une conversation que nous eumes a une soiree, au mois de Mars. Nous parlions de la mort, chose frequente a Talta, toujours peuplee de malades:--"Savez-vous," disait-il a ma sur, "il me semble toujours que mon esprit est tres proche du votre; j'ai la cert.i.tude de vous avoir deja connue; nous avons dans la realite une preuve que ce n'est pas en ce monde--ce sera que je vous aurais vue durant quelqu'autre vie precedente" (il etait un peu spirite). "Ainsi donc, si je meurs avant vous, ce qui est bien probable, vu ma maladie, je reviendrai vers vous, si cela m'est possible, et je vous apparaitrai de facon a ne pas vous effrayer desagreablement." Ma sur lui repondit, prenant la chose tres au serieux, qu'elle lui rendrait la pareille si elle mourait la premiere, et j'etais temoin de cette promesse mutuelle.

Neanmoins nous fimes a peine connaissance de maison; nous nous rencontrions parfois chez des amis communs, et nous le voyions souvent se promener sur le quai dans un paletot couleur noisette qui excitait notre hilarite et qui nous resta dans la memoire je ne sais plus pourquoi. Au mois de Mai, nous partions de Talta, et depuis nous eumes tant d'impressions diverses, nous vimes tant de monde, que jusqu'a l'hiver suivant nous...o...b..iames completement M.

P. et sa femme, qui representaient pour nous des connaissances comme on en a par centaines dans la vie.

Nous etions a Petersbourg. Le 11 Mars, c'etait un lundi de Careme en 1890, nous allames au theatre voir une representation de la troupe des Meiningner. Je crois qu'on donnait _Le Marchand de Venise_. Mlle. B. etait avec nous, venue de Tsarskoe a cette occasion. La piece terminee, nous n'eumes que le temps de rentrer a la maison changer de toilette, apres quoi nous accompagnames Mlle.

B. a la gare. Elle partait avec le dernier train, qui quitte pour Tsarskoe Selo a 1 heure de la nuit. Nous l'installames en wagon, et ne l'y laissames qu'apres la seconde cloche de depart.

Notre domestique allait bien en avant de nous, afin de retrouver notre voiture, de maniere que, gagnant le perron, nous la trouvames avancee qui nous attendait. Ma sur s'a.s.sit la premiere; moi je la fis attendre, descendant plus doucement les marches de l'escalier; le domestique tenait la portiere du landau ouverte. Je montai a demi, sur le marchepied, et soudain je m'arretai dans cette pose, tellement surprise que je ne compris plus ce qui m'arrivait. Il faisait sombre dans la voiture, et pourtant en face de ma sur, la regardant, je vis dans un pet.i.t jour gris qu'on eut dit factice, s'eclaircissant vers le point qui attachait le plus mes yeux, une figure a la silhouette emoussee, diaphane, plutot qu'indecise. Cette vision dura un instant, pendant lequel, pourtant, mes yeux prirent connaissance des moindres details de ce visage, qui me sembla connu: des traits a.s.sez pointus, une raie un peu de cote, un nez p.r.o.nonce, un menton tres maigre a barbe rare et d'un blond fonce. Ce qui me frappe, lorsque j'y pense a present, c'est d'avoir vu les differentes couleurs, malgre que la lueur grisatre, qui eclairait a peine l'inconnu, eut ete insuffisante pour les distinguer dans un cas normal. Il etait sans chapeau, et en meme temps dans un paletot comme on en porte au sud--de couleur plutot claire--noisette. Toute sa personne avait un cachet de grande fatigue et de maigreur.

Le domestique, tres etonne de ne pas me voir monter, arretee ainsi sur le marchepied, crut que j'avais marche dans ma robe et m'aida a m'a.s.seoir, pendant que je demandais a ma sur, en prenant place a cote d'elle, si c'etait bien notre voiture? A tel point j'avais perdu la tete, ayant senti un vrai engourdiss.e.m.e.nt de cerveau en voyant cet etranger installe en face d'elle, je ne m'etais pas rendu compte que, dans le cas d'une presence reelle d'un semblable vis-a-vis, ni ma sur, ni le valet de pied ne resteraient si calmement a l'envisager. Lorsque je fus a.s.sise, je ne vis plus rien, et je demandais a ma sur:--"N'as-tu rien vu en face de toi?" "Rien du tout, et quelle idee as-tu eue de demander, en entrant dans la voiture, si c'etait bien la notre?" repondit-elle en riant. Alors, je lui racontais tout ce qui precede, decrivant minutieus.e.m.e.nt ma vision. "Quelle figure connue," disait-elle, "et a paletot noisette, cette raie de cote, ou donc l'avons nous vue?

Pourtant nul ne ressemble ici a ta description"; et nous nous creusions la tete sans rien trouver. Rentrees a la maison, nous racontames ce fait a notre mere; ma description la fit aussi souvenir vaguement d'un visage a.n.a.logue. Le lendemain soir (12 Mars) un jeune homme de notre connaissance, M. M. S., vint nous voir. Je lui repetais aussi l'incident qui nous etait arrive. Nous en parlames beaucoup, mais inutilement; je ne pouvais toujours pas appliquer le nom voulu a la personnalite de ma vision, tout en me souvenant fort bien avoir vu un visage tout pareil parmi mes nombreuses connaissances; mais ou et a quelle epoque? Je ne me souvenais de rien, avec ma mauvaise memoire qui me fait souvent defaut, a ce sujet. Quelques jours plus tard, nous etions chez la grandmere de M. M. S.:--"Savez-vous," nous dit-elle, "quelle triste nouvelle je viens de recevoir de Talta? M. P. vient de mourir, mais on ne me donne pas de details." Ma sur et moi, nous nous regardames. A ce nom, la figure pointue et le paletot noisette retrouverent leur possesseur. Ma sur reconnut en meme temps que moi, grace a ma description precise. Lorsque M. M. S. entra, je le priai de chercher dans les vieux journaux la date exacte de cette mort. Le deces etait marque au 14 du mois de Mars, donc, deux jours _apres_ la vision que j'avais eue. J'ecrivis a Talta pour avoir des renseignements. On me repondit qu'il gardait le lit depuis le 24 Novembre et qu'il avait ete depuis dans un etat de faiblesse extreme, mais le sommeil ne l'avait point quitte; il dormait si longtemps et si profondement, meme durant les dernieres nuits de son existence, que cela faisait esperer une amelioration. Nous nous etonnions de ce que j'aie vu M. P., malgre sa promesse de se montrer a ma sur. Mais je dois ajouter ici qu'avant le fait decrit ci-dessus, j'avais ete voyante un certain nombre de fois, mais cette vision est bien celle que j'ai distinguee le plus nettement, avec des details minutieux, et avec les teintes diverses du visage humain, et meme du vetement.

COMTESSE EUGeNIE KAPNIST.

COMTESSE INA KAPNIST.

The second signature is that of the sister who was present at the time.

Mr. Michael Petrovo-Solovovo, who sent us the case, writes:--

I have much pleasure in certifying that the fact of Countess Kapnist's vision was mentioned, among others, to myself before the news of Mr. P.'s death came to Petersburg. I well remember seeing an announcement of his demise in the papers.

VII. F. From _Phantasms of the Living_, vol. i. p. 522, footnote. The account was written down, a few months after the occurrence, from the dictation of the percipient--Sister Bertha, Superior of the House of Mercy at Bovey Tracy, Newton Abbot--who read it through on December 29th, 1885, p.r.o.nounced it correct, and signed it.

On the night of the 10th of November, 1861 (I do not know the exact hour), I was up in my bed watching, because there was a person not quite well in the next room. I heard a voice, which I recognised at once as familiar to me, and at first thought of my sister. It said, in the brightest and most cheerful tone, "I am here with you." I answered, looking and seeing nothing, "Who are you?" The voice said, "You mustn't know yet." I heard nothing more, and saw nothing, and am certain that the door was not opened or shut. I was not in the least frightened, and felt convinced that it was Lucy's [Miss Lucy Gambier Parry's] voice. I have never doubted it from that moment. I had not heard of her being worse; the last account had been good, and I was expecting to hear that she was at Torquay.

In the course of the next day (the 11th), mother told me that she had died on the morning of the 10th, rather more than twelve hours before I heard her voice.

The narrator informs us that she has never in her life experienced any other hallucination of the senses. Mrs. Gambier Parry, of Highnam Court, Gloucester, step-mother and cousin of the "Lucy" of the narrative, writes:--

Sister Bertha (her name is Bertha Foertsch) had been living for many years as German governess to Lucy Anna Gambier Parry, and was her dearest friend. She came to us at once on hearing of Lucy's death, and told me of the mysterious occurrence of the night before.

VII. G. The following case is in some respects one of the most remarkable and best authenticated instances of "haunting" on record, although, as will be seen, the evidence for the ident.i.ty of the apparition is inconclusive. The case was fully described in a paper ent.i.tled "Record of a Haunted House," by Miss R. C. Morton, in _Proceedings_ S.P.R., vol. viii. pp. 311-332. Besides the account of the princ.i.p.al percipient, Miss R. C. Morton, the paper contains independent first-hand statements from six other witnesses,--a friend, Miss Campbell, a sister and brother of Miss Morton's who lived in the house, a married sister who visited there, and two former servants; also plans of the whole house. For the full details I must refer the reader to the original paper; I have s.p.a.ce here only for abbreviated extracts from Miss Morton's account.

An account of the case first came into my hands in December, 1884, and this with Miss Morton's letters to her friend, Miss Campbell, are the earliest written records. On May 1st, 1886, I called upon Captain Morton at the "haunted house," and afterwards visited him at intervals, and took notes of what he told me. I also saw Miss Morton and Miss E.

Morton, and the two former servants whose accounts are given in Miss Morton's paper. The phenomena as seen or heard by all the witnesses were very uniform in character, even in the numerous instances where there had been no previous communication between the percipients. Miss Morton is a lady of scientific training, and was at the time her account was written (in April, 1892) preparing to be a physician. The name "Morton"

is subst.i.tuted for the real family name. With that exception the names and initials are the true ones.

After describing the house and garden, Miss Morton proceeds:--

It was built about the year 1860; the first occupant was Mr. S., an Anglo-Indian, who lived in it for about sixteen years. During this time, in the month of August, year uncertain, he lost his wife, to whom he was pa.s.sionately attached, and to drown his grief took to drinking. About two years later, Mr. S. married again. His second wife, a Miss I. H., was in hopes of curing him of his intemperate habits, but instead she also took to drinking, and their married life was embittered by constant quarrels, frequently resulting in violent scenes. The chief subjects of dispute were the management of the children (two girls, and either one or two boys, all quite young) of the first Mrs. S., and the possession of her jewellery, to preserve which for her children, Mr. S. had some of the boards in the small front sitting-room taken up by a local carpenter and the jewels inserted in the receptacle so formed. Finally, a few months before Mr. S.'s death, on July 14th, 1876, his wife separated from him and went to live in Clifton. She was not present at the time of his death, nor, as far as is known, was she ever at the house afterwards. She died on September 23rd, 1878.

After Mr. S.'s death the house was bought by Mr. L., an elderly gentleman, who died rather suddenly within six months of going into it. The house then remained empty for some years--probably four.

During this time there is no direct evidence of haunting, but when inquiry was made later on much hearsay evidence was brought forward. In April 1882, the house was let by the representatives of the late Mr. L. to Captain Morton, and it is during his tenancy (not yet terminated) that the appearances recorded have taken place.

The family consists of Captain M. himself; his wife, who is a great invalid; neither of whom saw anything; a married daughter, Mrs. K., then about twenty-six, who was only a visitor from time to time, sometimes with, but more often without, her husband; four unmarried daughters, myself, then aged nineteen, who was the chief percipient and now give the chief account of the apparition; E. Morton, then aged eighteen; L. and M. Morton, then fifteen and thirteen; two sons, one of sixteen, who was absent during the greater part of the time when the apparition was seen; the other, then six years old.

My father took the house in March 1882, none of us having then heard of anything unusual about the house. We moved in towards the end of April, and it was not until the following June that I first saw the apparition.

I had gone up to my room, but was not yet in bed, when I heard some one at the door, and went to it, thinking it might be my mother. On opening the door, I saw no one; but on going a few steps along the pa.s.sage, I saw the figure of a tall lady, dressed in black, standing at the head of the stairs. After a few moments she descended the stairs, and I followed for a short distance, feeling curious what it could be. I had only a small piece of candle, and it suddenly burnt itself out; and being unable to see more, I went back to my room.

The figure was that of a tall lady, dressed in black of a soft woollen material, judging from the slight sound in moving. The face was hidden in a handkerchief held in the right hand. This is all I noticed then; but on further occasions, when I was able to observe her more closely, I saw the upper part of the left side of the forehead, and a little of the hair above. Her left hand was nearly hidden by her sleeve and a fold of her dress. As she held it down a portion of a widow's cuff was visible on both wrists, so that the whole impression was that of a lady in widow's weeds. There was no cap on the head but a general effect of blackness suggests a bonnet, with a long veil or a hood.

During the next two years--from 1882 to 1884--I saw the figure about half-a-dozen times; at first at long intervals, and afterwards at shorter, but I only mentioned these appearances to one friend, who did not speak of them to any one. During this period, as far as we know, there were only three appearances to any one else.

1. In the summer of 1882 to my sister, Mrs. K., when the figure was thought to be that of a Sister of Mercy who had called at the house, and no further curiosity was aroused. She was coming down the stairs rather late for dinner at 6.30, it being then quite light, when she saw the figure cross the hall in front of her, and pa.s.s into the drawing-room. She then asked the rest of us, already seated at dinner, "Who was that Sister of Mercy whom I have just seen going into the drawing-room?" She was told there was no such person, and a servant was sent to look; but the drawing-room was empty, and she was sure no one had come in. Mrs. K. persisted that she had seen a tall figure in black, with some white about it; but nothing further was thought of the matter.

2. In the autumn of 1883 it was seen by the housemaid about 10 P.M., she declaring that some one had got into the house, her description agreeing fairly with what I had seen; but as on searching no one was found, her story received no credit.

3. On or about December 18th, 1883, it was seen in the drawing-room by my brother and another little boy. They were playing outside on the terrace when they saw the figure in the drawing-room close to the window, and ran in to see who it could be that was crying so bitterly. They found no one in the drawing-room, and the parlour-maid told them that no one had come into the house.

After the first time, I followed the figure several times downstairs into the drawing-room, where she remained a variable time, generally standing to the right hand side of the bow window.

From the drawing-room she went along the pa.s.sage towards the garden door, where she always disappeared.

The first time I spoke to her was on January 29th, 1884. "I opened the drawing-room door softly and went in, standing just by it. She came in past me and walked to the sofa and stood still there, so I went up to her and asked her if I could help her. She moved, and I thought she was going to speak, but she only gave a slight gasp and moved towards the door. Just by the door I spoke to her again, but she seemed as if she were quite unable to speak. She walked into the hall, then by the side door she seemed to disappear as before."

(Quoted from a letter written on January 31st.) In May and June, 1884, I tried some experiments, fastening strings with marine glue across the stairs at different heights from the ground--of which I give a more detailed account later on.

I also attempted to touch her, but she always eluded me. It was not that there was nothing there to touch, but that she always seemed to be _beyond_ me, and if followed into a corner, simply disappeared.

During these two years the only _noises_ I heard were those of slight pushes against my bedroom door, accompanied by footsteps; and if I looked out on hearing these sounds, I invariably saw the figure. "Her footstep is very light, you can hardly hear it, except on the linoleum, and then only like a person walking softly with thin boots on." (Letter on January 31st, 1884.) The appearances during the next two months--July and August, 1884--became much more frequent; indeed they were then at their maximum, from which time they seem gradually to have decreased, until now they seem to have ceased.

Of these two months I have a short record in a set of journal letters written at the time to a friend. On July 21st I find the following account. "I went into the drawing-room, where my father and sisters were sitting about nine in the evening, and sat down on a couch close to the bow window. A few minutes after, as I sat reading, I saw the figure come in at the open door, cross the room and take up a position close behind the couch where I was. I was astonished that no one else in the room saw her, as she was so very distinct to me. My youngest brother, who had before seen her, was not in the room. She stood behind the couch for about half-an-hour, and then as usual walked to the door. I went after her, on the excuse of getting a book, and saw her pa.s.s along the hall, until she came to the garden door, where she disappeared. I spoke to her as she pa.s.sed the foot of the stairs, but she did not answer, although as before she stopped and seemed as though _about_ to speak." On July 31st, some time after I had gone up to bed, my second sister E., who had remained downstairs talking in another sister's room, came to me saying that some one had pa.s.sed her on the stairs. I tried then to persuade her that it was one of the servants, but next morning found it could not have been so, as none of them had been out of their rooms at that hour, and E.'s more detailed description tallied with what I had already seen.

On the night of August 1st, I again saw the figure. I heard the footsteps outside on the landing about 2 A.M. I got up at once, and went outside. She was then at the end of the landing at the top of the stairs, with her side view towards me. She stood there some minutes, then went downstairs, stopping again when she reached the hall below. I opened the drawing-room door and she went in, walked across the room to the couch in the bow window, stayed there a little, then came out of the room, went along the pa.s.sage, and disappeared by the garden door. I spoke to her again, but she did not answer.

On the night of August 2nd the footsteps were heard by my three sisters and by the cook, all of whom slept on the top landing--also by my married sister, Mrs. K., who was sleeping on the floor below.

They all said the next morning that they had heard them very plainly pa.s.s and repa.s.s their doors. The cook was a middle-aged and very sensible person; on my asking her the following morning if any of the servants had been out of their rooms the night before, after coming up to bed, she told me that she had heard these footsteps before, and that she had seen the figure on the stairs one night when going down to the kitchen to fetch hot water after the servants had come up to bed. She described it as a lady in widow's dress, tall and slight, with her face hidden in a handkerchief held in her right hand. Unfortunately we have since lost sight of this servant; she left us about a year afterwards on her mother's death, and we cannot now trace her. She also saw the figure outside the kitchen windows on the terrace-walk, she herself being in the kitchen; it was then about eleven in the morning, but having no note of the occurrence, I cannot now remember whether this appearance was subsequent to the one above mentioned.

These footsteps are very characteristic, and are not at all like those of any of the people in the house; they are soft and rather slow, though decided and even. My sisters would not go out on the landing after hearing them pa.s.s, nor would the servants, but each time when I have gone out after hearing them, I have seen the figure there.

On August 5th I told my father about her and what we had seen and heard. He was much astonished, not having seen or heard anything himself at that time--neither then had my mother, but she is slightly deaf, and is an invalid. He made inquiries of the landlord (who then lived close by) as to whether he knew of anything unusual about the house, as he had himself lived in it for a short time, but he replied that he had only been there for three months, and had never seen anything unusual....