The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1888-04-13
HUNTING FOR sPooKs.

spirits, sewing apparitions by the
throat, mailing hallucinations. peering
into haunted houses and boarding
spoohs in their dens, experimenting
with thought transference and mes
merism. and in general monkeying
with nil the unfathomable mysteries
Of the human soul, this is the unique
occupation OF IL body OF learned men,
called the American Society for Psy.
rhical Research.
In q back room in Il modest looking
house in Boylston Place, Boston. is
the headquarters OF the societys Sec
retarv. Richard Hodgson, LII. ID.
DIR. Hodgson isan EnSlishman, about
tlmrty.seven years old, IL graduate OF
Cambridge University, profoundly
man OF much common sense.
"Our society was formed" he said.
"for the purpose OF making an organ-
lied and systematic attempt to in
vestisate that dark border OF human
experience and to examine critically
the phenomena which are not now
explained by any satisfactory theory.
Scientific men OF eminence III all coun-
tries admit the possible existence OF
what the meducated call ghosts or
spirits and further, that one mind
may exert upon another positive in
tluence otherwise than through the
recognized scnsory channels.
"ln accordance herewith, the re.
search work oil our society is divided
among five COMMITTEES. all OF which are
presided over by men OF unquestloned
AGILITY. learning and fairness. Pro.
lessor II. p. Bowditch. OF Harvard, is
chairman OF the Committee on
Thought Transierence; Professor Jo-
siau Royce, OF the Committee OH APP
partitions and Haunted Houses; c. Il.
Cory, q .well-known Bostonian. OF
the Committee on Hypnotism;
DIR. w. n. Bullarl, OF Boston,
OF the Committee on Mcdinmi>tic
Phenomena. and Professor e. :.
Minst, OF Harvard, OF the Committee
ON Experimental Psychology.
The Society for l'sycliicai Research
guards its .ut lrre,l materials with
great secrecy. It's rich fund OF facts
is not Published until they have been
passed upon aud thoroughly eNamin-
ed BIZ the various committees; even
thcn the names OF those who contrib.
ute heir experiences are in no case
ilrni>iied to the public. Among the
following are some OF the most aston
ishinG facts on record:
On January l, 1856, st 10 \. NJ,
Mrs. t, a lady living in western
town, writes to q member OF Congress,
the husband OF her daughter,in Wash.
ington. DIR. Hodsson has seen the
original letter. This letter explains !.
telegram which Mrs. had sent
only three hours before, inquirlns
about her daughters health. The
original OF this telegram has also been
seen by DIR. llodsson. The telegram
reads:
To the Hon. II, House Of Rcprcs N.
tativcs, Washington. d. e.: | can. Will
come ii Nell needs me.
The signature is the mothers name
Mrs. It's letter OF explanation first
says that she had been Tor some days
anxious about her daughter y ellle'S
health, although :here had been no
illness OF late. Letters from Washing.
ton had been lacking for some days;
the last one had reported the daush-
ter as having Just returned from max.
ing fifteen calls, every tired and near
ly frozen" 81 walked" said Mrs. IT,,
last night between ~ and o'clock,
deeply impressed with the feeling that
Nell needed me. wanted to get up
and send u telegram. Ii ] had con
suited or followed my own molina.
tons, would have dressed and gone
down to the sittins-room." Later,
however, Mrs. Il. went to sleep again,
but i'll The morning the vivid impress
sion returned. At q. m. Mrs. Il.
sent the telegram and wrote appar.
emily before she received an answer, for
i'll the margin o! the letter she added
the postscript: Telegram here; thank
Washington whose mother had had
30 vivid an experience had been
seriously i'll the same night.
although the morning had found her
much better. Her attack was IL very
sudden one, which she described ;ts
neuralgia OF the lungs, with u hard
chill. at must have been" she says,
"ahout the hour mentioned in my
mothers letter at last exclaimed,
Oh, don't wish ma was here. |
shall send for her tomorrow if | am
not better Z" In the morning came
the telegram from the West, but the
patient was better, and she aud her
husband We're puzzled at her mothers
uneaslness and replied by telegraph,
eve are I'LL well; what is the matter
with you?"
SiiEFfl.T ANoTHER's PAIN.
An old gentleman living ut Albany
had been ill for months. His married
daughter resided at Worcester. One
evening last summer, she suddenly
laid down the book she was reading
and said to her husband: 81 believe
father is dying" She was strangely
overcome by the impression, Us there
had been nothing whatcverin the con-
versation or in her own thoughts to
lead to the subject OF her fathers
health. All that evening and the next
morning the feeling haunted her, un.
I'll a despatch came saying that her
father had died the evening before.
A Lowell physician was called to
see q patient about 10 O'Clock one
night. 1t was extremely dark, and j.
alishting from his conveyance he made
misstep and sprained his ankle
severely. His wife, who was at home,
in bed, asleep, suddenly awoke with
the vivid impression that on accident
had occurred to her husband. She
arose, Weakened the servant and com
municated her fears to her. Nothing
could induce her to return to bed. At
O'Clock the doctor returned, and it
was found that the moment OF his ac
cident and OF his wife's awaking were
simultaneous. He was three miles
away from home at the time.
Here is Al narrative, vouched for by
the highest authority, OF experience.
IN a house some miles from the city o
Worcester. The man who sends it il
Is q well-known manufacturer, and
his word is az good Us his bond
which would be honored anywhere TO,
100000. lie writes:
"In relating what | saw on July
incoming in 1883 at my house, which
had but recently purchased,i will first
describe the room in which | saw it
1t is bedroom, with window at
either end, q door and fireplace at
opposite sides. The room is in the
upper story of a two-story house, said
to have been built before the revolu
ton. The walls are unusually thick
and the roof high, pointed and uneven
The occupants at the time | speak o
were my brother Henry, myself and a
servant woman. The latter slep. in
n room on the basement storv