The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-10-08
EVENING TELEGRApH-pHA ADELpHA SATURDAY OCTOBER

4 baby, not wife, who died, my authority goes on
TO say and out Of the ends OF the boards was
made It's little coffin n ...
II must not be imagined, N spite Of the state
ments In this epistle 10 John Aubrey, that second
sight apparitiUns have only been yOuChsafed TO
enhghttu people on matters 50 serious as those Of
life and death on The contrary, such trivia'itics
as bIol en- pate, ducdng in a puddle forehead
blood SOilCd, but not damaged have according
TO another authority now before me-onc who
wrote under the psCudouym OF Insulanus" co.
been deemed worthy his mode Of revelation; I'm
proof Of which the following
"a gentleman, who is q native Of Skye, did
when a boy disublge Seer in the Isle of Rauv,
Hnd uubTaid him for his ugliness, as being black
by name and black by nature. Al las; the Seer
tod him y,ry angriy. My child, 1t am black,
you'll be red ere long Tie master Of the family
Chid him for this, aud bade hun give over bis
foolish predictions, since nobody believed them ::
houses, fell on a stone aud wounded himself In
the forehead so deep that 10 this day there's a
hollow scar in that part OF it,"
James Benton, surgeon in the Isle Of North
Uist, told me, G. e., InsulauusD, that being In
the'lsle OF Null a Seer told him confidently that
he was shortly TO have a bloody forehead; but ne
disregarded t, aud called the Seer a fool. How
ever, this James being called to some Of the Mac
Leans, to go along with them to attack a vessel
belonging to the Earl of Argyle, who was then
coming to possess Null by force they attacked
the vessel, and one Of the MaCLeans being
wounded, the said James while dressing the
wound, happened to rub bis forehead, and then
some Of the patients blood sticking to his face
accomplished the presage."
But all the sorry violations Of the Horatian
maxim, "NcC interHt Deus Hiyi =" take the fol-
lowing, on the authority of our scribe "Iusu.
lanus' -
MARY Campbell woman OF acknowledged
probity and candOr, states that when she Was
young girl, living in her fathers house upon the
Isle OF SCalpa tlCre was a notable Seer, one
Evauder MaCMhaoldousch, a domestic in the
family, who by the second sight loretOld several
events which punctually came to pass, and in
particular that Kenneth Campbell her brother
being on Il jaunt in the Lewes, and as he was
returning home, accompanied by his servant,
whom he had sent upon an errand to a village at
some distance, as the said Kenneth was solitIrily
coming on his way, he found himself seized with
q fantishGess, which so gained upon him that he
was obliged to crawl upon all fours through
mires ana puddles, to a desOlate cottage where
he remained that night and after q sound sleep
recovered of his ailment.
"The old Seer that night seemed irettish and
being asked the reason OF his being 50 much out
OF humor, told that the said Kenneth Campbell
was not at his ease, and that he observed him by
the second sight in r very distressed condition,
his clothes being suddled and all bespattcred with
filth and mud; which, upon his return ~ the
family next day, he himself declared to have
been literally true, according to the above pre-
diction."
Il may be that my readers will agree with me
In the opinion that sufficient number of exam
pies have been quoted, by way of illustrating
what is meant by second sight The records of
this faculty, illusion, hallucination, or whatever
we may choose to call it, present general SINH
larity, and that renders multiplicity of illustra
tive cases needless; and without cogent need one
is glad to put aside the musty records of phau-
tom corpses borne biers, when it happens, as TO
the writer now, that the small hours Of morning
are entered upon, and the mystery of silence and
solitude prevails. "EXplain to US this mystery
of second sight," do some phantom voices com
mand me- whispering from yonder corner2 No
/ UrOmispl that Ii IL uO aunuuh IN al -
authorities
Are they not circumstsntial and precise
Whether to believe or disbcligve is question
that each individual before whom this abstract
may come must decide tor himself To believe
nothing beyond reason is failing of very con-
tracted minds-one TO which the very conscious
ness Of four individual existence should be a stand
ing reproof. The belief in things contrary to
reason, always assuming reason TO have been
restricted 10 the sphere of its own competence is
another matter quite. Whether second sight be
a thing beyond reason or contrary to reason, is o
question the corresponding answer TO which
would need the opening Of much new ground of
debate, and moreover would lead the writer to
an arena of strife which he would rather avoid.
j. SCoPPERN, NJ. b.