Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-04
CLAIRvOYANCE IN INDIANA.
Gen. Lew WaIlace's Experience in a
Tailor Shop.
From, the Ind,anaDolis Sentinel

From tie indianapolis Sentinel.
All who have read Gen. Wallace's "Fair
God'' will remember the scene in the I'M
foreground chamber between the old priest
and the little girl. The child is made the
instrument through which the fair gods
coming is announced, she going into
trance under the priests influence at the
time. Several months ago the General
and number of gentlemen were dis
cussing the supernatural and were re-
lating personal experiences, when some
one asked Gen. Wallace where he got the
idea for the incident mentioned.
IL was practising law in a small
country town in this State number of
wears ago." said the General, land was
at work upon the novel during odd mo-
ments. l had never paid any attention
TO clairvoyance and that sort of thing,
and scOf1ed AZ all who believed that man
may have knowledge OF what pertains TO
the other world. There was a tailor liv-
ing in the town who was exceedingly
superstitious. lie had frequently invited
me to witness some of his manifestations,
but had always refused One night as
| was walking toward homo, after having
been engaged in some work at my Office,
l saw light IN the tailor's chop window,
and something prompted me to stop. My
friend and boy apprentice were at work
when l entered. The tailor gave me O
cnelr, and we began talking over mes
meric influence and kindred matters.
After while he asked me if would care
to hear some rappings. told him TO sug-
gest something else, as anybody could
make rapDings. He then suggested clair
voyance, and l told him TO go ahead.
snow, at this point it is necessary to say
that for the following day had made a
business engagement with farmer who
lived near town IN an Old-fashioned log
house. | had driven past the place a
number of times, and was familiar with
the house and the road to it.
'The tailor proceeded with his arrange
ments by placing the boy on his bench
with his face TO the wall. The man turned
down the lamps in the shop and directed
his attention to the little fellow, making
passes with his hands around and above
MIN. In few minutes the boy, VINO was
pale and sickly in appearance, went into
a sort of trance. and the tailor told me to
take hold OF one OF the little chaps's hands
and fix my mind on some incident in my
life or on some place that 1 had visited.
The farm house L alluded to q moment
ago came into my mind at once, ana
thought of it intently. Almost immedi-
ately the boys lips began moving, and In
the log house, the roads leading to it,
and many little details as they
passed through my mind. But after
following me for time he stopped, and
then began speaking something OF his
own volition, or rather that OF which |
was not thinking. He said that it was
night and that the house was dark. And
then he said that the door opened and
man came out carrying a lamp in his
hand. He walked out to the hen house
and opened the door while he looked into
it; then closed the door, returned to the
house, and all was dark again. At this
point the boy seemed to be growing very
weak, and told the tailor to rouse him,
which he did by waving his hands in the
air. w t-
81 left the shop in short time, noting
the time, which was about 10 O'Clock.
Next day my farmer client called prompt.
ly at the hourswhich had been set. We
went through the business which was TO
be attended to, and as he started to 90
asked him where ne had been at 10 O'Clock
the previous night. He was surprised at
the question, but answered that he SUP.
posed he was asleep. L told him TO think
about 1t for minute.
"'Oh, yes,' he said presently. 81 remem-
Der now. There was an animal of some
kind causing q disturbance In my ben
house and got up just about that time
TO see what the matter was. Everything
had quoted down when 1 got there, and
| returned 20 the house,
II told the story to my client, who was
greatly interested" the General said in
conclusion, land the incident made such
an impression upon my mind that wove
it into the story"