The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-06-08
Second Sight.

mere are enough instances OF the
verification of Second sight" to
prove that the ordinary laws of
knowledge and sympathy do not
cover everything in heaven and
earth, and the experience of Mrs.
Melville, wife of the engineer of the
lost arctic steamer Jeanette, must
probable be added to the list. She
had been very anxious about the
vessel, and on waking from an
uneasy sleep on the morning of the
11th of June, saw her husband by
her bedside. Hewas saying, "Count
the bells!" "Count the bells!'' and as
he spoke she distinctly heard the bell
OF a ship striking Two by two the
strokes of the hour. "Count them"
he continued. She did so, and at the
eighth stroke he said: "Eight bells ;
the Jeanette is lost 7" and vanished
from the room. At that moment
she heard the clock in an adjoining
room strike four. This was the day
and hour on which the Jeanette
went down. A few weeks later, at
the same hour in the morning, she
had gone into the hall of her house.
She saw her husband. and even felt
his breath in her face. She was
dreadtully startled, but called out !:
George, is that you" when the
figure vanished. Mrs. Melville as
sured the reporter of the Philadel-
phia Record that she was no spirit
ualist, and averred that she had fire.
quently mentioned the circum-
stances, among others, to
Mrs. De Long, wife of the
lost commander of the expedition.
She told her months ago that she be-
lieved the vessel went down ON the
11th of June, and so it did. 1t is an
interesting circumstance that Engi-
neer Melville is not dead, so that his
apparition was not a ghost according
to the strict meaning of the word.
1t will be said that Mrs. Melville
dreamed that she saw her husband,
and that for once a dream came
true; so that there was nothing
more than coincidence in the case.
Yet the circumstantial fulfillment Of
the dream or vision seems to require
something more than accident. Mrs.
Melville was shown first that a YES
sci had been lost second, that it was
lost at a given time. 1t is not neces-
sary to affirm that there was anything
miraculous in this, but the incidents
are not explainable by any of the
ordinary laws of sympathy. Scores
of like instances can be adduced,
yet, after all, great many more
husbands have been wrecked who
have not appeared to their wives
than those who have.
A still more remarkable example
OF second sight, unprecedented, we
believe, in being a double dream, oc-
Cured early in the present century
in a family noted in the mercantile
circles of Boston and London.
The son had sailed for the East In
dies and China. One night his
father and mother both dreamed
that they saw his vessel assailed by
dark-skinned savages and terrible
fight going on. On awakening they
compared notes, and were greatly
surprised that both should have
dreamed the same thing. Neither
was inclined to superstition, but
1uO1 moOO I'LL Ohbi VI Ouc udtc anu
leading incidents of the double
dream. News travelled slowly from
the Pacific in those days, and it was
not until months later that they re-
ceived letter from their son, in
which he told how his ship had been
attacked by Ladrone pirates, who
were driven off after a desperate
battle. Lord Brougbam's vision of
a friend with whom he had made
nearly forgotten compact that the
one who died first should ap-
pear, If possible, to the 9TH
er, is also among the most
remarkable examples of its class.
He saw the spectre in Sweden, when
he was not thinking of his friend at
all, and heard in London some weeks
later that his death occurred in India
on the very day he was manifested
in Scandinavia.
On whatever hypothesis these and
other occurrences like them are ac-
counted for, spiritualism can make
no solid claim as an interpreter. No
medium anticipated the telegraph In
bringing news from the Jeanette,
aud the same may be said of many
disasters respecting which the pub
llc gained only slow information.
All that can at present be said is
that they are extra If not super
natural.