The Washington critic., 1888-03-10
WHO OR WHAT WAS IT.?
A Mysterious Midnight Visitor in
My Rocking Chair,
INVISIBLE YET TANGIBLE,
An Experience Calculated TO BE.
wilder the Psychologist.

was bitter. Sleet and wind ragged,
tearing their way unrestrained through
the wide, deserted streets, rattling
window panes, slamming shutters
and doors, shrieking, whistling and
moaning in the chimneys and through
the bare trees. But the mad anger of
the storm King made the little library,
with its piano and organ, with its
books and pictures, its bright lamp
and glowing fire, only cosier and
warmer, and tempted me, after my
wife had retired, to spend another
hour over book. | lighted O cigar,
took one of Clark Russell's s sea stories
from the shelves and settled myself
comfortably upon the lounge.
had read for about fifteen minutes,
when, without any explainable cause,
u curious consciousness stole over me
that | was no longer alone. Whence
comes this premonition of bodily pres
ence before sight or hearing has an
nounced such presence ? Is II not that
the spirit sees before the mind formu
lates Or does thought speak to
thought before the sluggish nerves of
flesh can be reused into action?
i laid my book upon q little round
table that stood close to the lounge.
and went into the adjoining room, in
which the gas was still burning, but
found no one. Smiling at my nervous
ness, | retraced my steps. Opposite
the lounge upon which had been re-
clining, on the other side of the table,
stood a rocking chair, little wicker
affair, ornamented with blue ribbons,
a favorite with my wife. That chair
was rocking For moment the
thought of an earthquake sent the
blood rushing to my brain. The re.
cent shocks at Charleston and in Italy
may have made my mind susceptivc to
this thought, but as | glanced at the
| chandelier at the pictures and cur
tains, noting that they remained quiet,
] realized that il was no seismic dis
| turbance which had set that chair in
motion.
Puzzled, / advanced and laid my
| hand upon one of the arms to steady
it. The chair was occupied Close
your eyes, reader, touch an empty
rocking-chair, repeat the experiment
with the same chair, after some one has
seated himself in it, and you will
understand qohy knew that the chair
was occupied.
stood motionless. could see abso-
| lutely nothing, and yet | felt that il
was occupied and saw that 1t was
rocking.
am very matter-of-fact man.
Superstition has never gained the
slightest foothold in my mental frame.
have always laughed at Spiritualism
and have often declared that, if q
miracle happened before my very eyes,
/ still would deny the miracle, believ-
ing that that which seems miraculous,
has always q perfectly reasonable and
natural origin, could we but trace it.
Yet confess that, Notwithstanding
my former skepticism, l did not feel
quite at ease with that swaying chair
before me, knowing that ii was occu-
pied and yet seeing nothing.
had laid my open book pagc-down-
ward. Suddenly the book lifted itself
from the little table, lowered mo-
up by the hand and held before the
face of reader, | heard the short,
sharp sound as of leaf being torn
quickly, and then the book closed IT.
self, or was closed, and resumed its
| lOTIneT pldCe.
This is all nonscns,," said to my
self, 81 am lying upon the lounge, have
fallen to sleep, and am dreaming all
this, / must wake up and go TO bed. !"
But it would not do. | still held
my cigar; now placed it between my
lips and not only saw and tasted, but
smelled ITS smoke. Does one ever ex-
ercise the sense of smell in a dream
without an actual existent cause?
Resolutcly, or perhaps, desperately,
now reached forth to grasp whatever
might be in that chair. A cool hand,
nay, skeptical reader, ii was not a
very cold one Ia cool, soft, living
hand seized my right one, another my
left, and there ] stood, little to one
side, yet almost in front of the chair,
held by two small, apparently daintily
formed but wholly invisible hands. j
felt myself growing pale, lips and
throat became parched, my heart beat
furiously, and yet l knew ii was not
fear that thus took possession of me
1t was rather the expectation Of knew
not what; of something strange, un-
known, mysterious, which | thought
must presently happen, blended will
feeling like curiosity as to the llti
mate solution of the enigma before
me, and which kept me motionles'
and spell-bound.
My right hand was now gently
lifted and laid upon head
woman's head-for | could plainly
feel mass of soft hair, which seemed
TO be gathered on the top in kind o
wreath, the head itself resting agains
the back of the chair.
How many minutes this lasted / d
not know. Again the clock strucl
half past eleven. AT the same in
stant my one hand was released; tn
! other, supported by the invisible hea,
of my strange visitor, fell to my side
the chair rocked violently for mo
ment as If some one had risen and lef
it, and then | kaeO | was alone.
, touched the chair, felt it. all over
turned il upside down-it was empty
: ] hastened TO the door, the windows
Y all were closed and locked securely
T nor do | now know whether eS
: pected either of them to be open, Oul
9 side the storm still ragged fiercely.
. turned to the table, took up my boo
9 and sought the page which had bee
. reading. Page 4G of "An Ocean Ere
a Lance" Seaside Edition, was tor
! from the top TO the middle of tn
! third column, which begins with tn
J. words Your confession certainl
surprises me, sir. | do not believe i
app0rilions, but | really do not llno
why they shouldn't t be believed in"
This is all | have to tell. 1t was m