The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1892-02-19
PROOF OF A HEREAFTER.
Lord Brougham's Tos tim ony included
In the Psychical Researches.

Lord Brougham's Tes timony included
in the Psychical Researches.
When one comes to the question of
the apparition pure and simple. one
of the best known leading cases is that
recorded by Lord Brougham. who was
certainly one of the hardest headed
persons that ever lived. Lord Chan
cellor trained from his youth up to-
weigh evidence says the Review Of
Reviews The story is given as fol-
lows in the first volume OF Lord
Brougham's Memoirs:"
A most remarkable thing happened
to me, so remarkable that I must tell
the story from the beginning. After
/ left the high school went with G.. :.
my most intimate friend. to attend the
classes in the university. There was
no divinity class. but we frequently in
our walks discussed many grave sub
jects-among others the Immortality
of the soul and future state. This
question, and the possibility of the
dead appearing to the living. were
subjects of much speculation, and we
actually committed the folly of draw
ing up an agreement, written with our
blood. to the effect that which
ever of us died first should ap-
pear to the other, and thus solve
any doubts we had entertained of the
life after death" After we had fin
ished our classes at the college G.
went to India having gotten an APP
pointment there in the civil service. !
He seldom wrote to me and after the
lapse Of a few years l had nearly for
gotten his existence. One day I had
taken. as I have said warm bath,
and while lying in it and enjoying the
comfort of the heat l turned my head
around. looking toward the chair on
which / had deposited my clothes, IS
l was about to get out of the bath
On the chair sat G., looking calmly at
me. How got out of the bath know
not but on recovering my senses I
found myself sprawling on the floor.
The apparition. or whatever it was
that had taken the likeness of G., had
disappeared. The vision had pro-
duced such shock that l had no in
clination to talk about it. or to speak
about it even to Stewart but the i'm
preston it made on me was too vivid
to be easily forgotten, and so strongly
was l affected by it that have here
written down the whole history. with
the date December "a 19) and
and all the particulars. as they
are now fresh before me. No doubt
l had fallen asleep and that the
appearance presented so distinctly be-
fore my eyes was dream cannot
for a moment doubt yet for years I
had had no Communication with G.,
nor had there been anything to recall
him to my recollection. Nothing had
taken place concerning our Swedish
travels. connected with G. or with In
dia or with anything relating to him
or to any member Of his family I
recollected quickly enough our old
discussion and the bargain we had
made. l could not discharge from
my mind the impression that G. must
have died. and that his appearance to
me was to be received by me as
proof of a future state. This was on
December 49, 1899. In October. 1862;
Lord Brougham added as postscript:,
Il have just been copying out from
my journal the account Of this strange
dream, Certissima mortis image
And now to finish the story begun
about sixty years ago. Soon after
my return to Edinburgh there arrived
letter from India announcing G. g
death, and stating that he died on
December 10.