The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-01-18
TRUE GHOST STORIES ALL.
BOSTON's PsYCHICAL SOCIETY
HEARS MANY WEIRD TALES.

AUIeOl6 ABOVE aST AeHQ-OLQeF
Strange Tales.
From the Yeu York Press
Boston, Jan. l0.-The committee on
phantasms and premonitions has completed
its report TO the American Society for
Psychical Research. The 800 members of
the society were gathered in the smphithaa-
terlke room of the Boston Society of
Natural History on Jan. 5. Prof. William
Watson Of Harvard College called the meet
ing to order. Prof. Royce of Harvard read
the second and final installment of the re-
port of the committee on phantasms and
presentiments. He was very chary of
opinions regarding the nature of the phe-
nomena he uDfolded. He simply reeled off
the weird stories, threw out vague hint or
two, and let his hearers draw their own
conclusions. These stories, it must be
remembered, are sent 20 the learned secre-
tsry of the society, Dr. Richard HodgSon
of BOylston place, and are then submitted
to rigid investigation. Nothing is reported
by the committee until its members are sat
ished of its entire accuracy. Dr. Hodgson
is ever ready to receive Information in re-
gard to any matter that may come within
the scope of the S1ciety's Investigations, and
is as keen on the track of a good, reliable
ghost story as a hound on the trail OF fox.
Here are some of the cases presented by
Prof. Royce:
Mrs. c. l.. c. of Washington, sends the
following: Some years ago, when my
children were young, ] was sleeping in the
room with them, they III one bed and in
another. | went to sleep as usual. |
dreamed q fearful dream. | thought that,
with mp Oldest child. had taken passage
on steamer and was crossing a wide ex-
panse of water. My boy had LETT me to play
about the boat, when | suddenly heard the
most piercing shrieks ami recognized his
voice. Filled with agonlzing appre-
tensions | made my way to the
engine room, from which the sounds
proceeded, and was met by an cid
servant, who told ne that the fuel having
given out, they had cut up my boy and fed
his body to the flames. / awoke, shivering
as in an ague, stone cold perspiration be-
dewing my whole body. | Immediately be-
came conscious of stifled means proceeding
from the opposite bed. | sprang from
mine, and, running across the room, found
that my oldest boy was struggling with
nightmare, making inartIculate sounds in q
vain effort to speak. | shook and called
him two or three times before l succeeded
in breaking the spell, when he cried out, in
tones Of the utmost anguish:
Mamma! Mamma l dreamed they
were cutting me up for kinding woodm
| have told this experience of mine sew
eral times, sometimes to sympathetic,
oftener to soothing listeners, who declared
that the boy must have uttered the words
in his SLEEP, thereby giving rise to my
dream. But that is impossible, because l
found him struggling in vain to speak
Under the date Of May l. 1888, z, G.
Trankel Of 6}3 Royden street, Camden, n.
j., writes to the society regarding peculiar
case of clairvoyance on the part of a dying
relative:
Il shall endeavOr to narrate the incidents
of the last illness of Mrs. Anne J. Field On
Feb. 10, 1883, Mrs. Field contracted a cold,
which eliminated in pneumonia with
typhoid fever Five days later the susni-
cions of her physlcions We're aroused by a
marked symptom Ctha patient also steadily
growing weaker of Brights disease
Upon the evening Of the murder and
suicide near the City Hall tan account of
which is appended Mrs Field lay probably
in a semi-comatose condition, though aD-
parently awake, as her eyes were open,
with nothing unusual to attract attention in
her occasional remarks when suddenly she
raised herself in her bed ,exc!aiming: 'Hel9l
he's killing her Won't some one g to her
assistanceN She then cited to her dauglte-,
IN close attendance upon her thr0ugl her
illness, long story, detailing q walk That
evening upon the avenue upon which the
City Hall IS situated, stating that while
there a sorTel horse drawing a light car
rage or buggy, IN whlch quarreli9g pair
Of human belngs were seen, passed her. and
shortly after stopped. 1t was then the
quarrel became fatally warm as Mrs. Field
at this juncture startled her daughter with
her Outcry.
Mrs Fields bed was at least fourteen feet
from the window which was tightly closed
The house is between $500 and $500 feet
from the City Hall.
1.-THE details of the murder and suicide at
Camden, published i'll the Philadelphia
new paper referred to, conceded exactly
with the vision seen by Mrs. Field.
DR.. ). of Albany, n. Y, writes to the
| society under date Of Sept. 10, lSSS:
l am physician; have been in practice
| about eleven years. Am in excellent
health. Do not use intoxicants, tobacco,
drugs or strong tea or coffee. Am not
subject in the least to dreams. and
have never been believer in apparitions.
e;c.
On Monday last, Sept 3, 1883, l went to
bed about IL p. m, after my days work.
Had supper-a light One-aDOut Z D. IN.
Made calls after supper. -
My bedroom is ON the sec md floor of the
house, and | keep all my doors locked ex-
cept the one leading TO my wif-'s room,
next to mine, opening into mine bv n wide
night. Her room has but one aiad5w and
door opening only into my r.om My
room has three doors, all bolted at mig +
and one window. Both the window in her
room and that in mine have heavy green
shades, which are drawn below the bottom
Of the window at night, shutting out early
daylight. No artificial lights command
tho windows, and the moonlight very sell
dom.
l undressed and went to bed about II
O'Clock, and soon was asleep. In the neigh
borhood Of a. m. / was awakened by q
strong light in my face, avoke aid saw
standing near the b d what / thought was
my wife, as she wa to rise at $50 o'clock
TO take an early train. The lig-t was so
bright and pervadIng that / spoke, bus got
no an, ver. As | spoke the figure res-e2ted
and gradually faded 10 Il spot. The noise
less shifting Of the light made me think IL
was servant in the hall and the igat was
ta' own through the keyho!e as
she moved. That could not be
as some clothing covered the keyh5la.
! then thought "a burglar must be in the
room, as the Light settled near a large safe
~ my room. Ihereupon | called loudly to
my wife aud sprau. to lgn, a light. As
called her name she suddenly aNoke and
called out: Nv nat Is that bright light in
your roomr | lit the gas and searched:
there had been no light burning in either
room. Everything was uudis.urbed.
Ny wife left on the early train. | at
tended to my work as usual At noon.
when ! reached home, the servant who an
swerS the door Informed me that man had