The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-03-12
STORIES OF. THE OCCULT
Every One Knows of Mysterious Things
that Touch Upon the "Borderland."
Discussion Of Queer Happenings Never Salts.
factorily Explained, Together with Some
Tales Of q Supernatural Coloring.

spiritual existence is apt to be keenest
when the individual Is in q state of ply ST.
cal ease and content. On q rec emit Sunday
evening, at a certain dinner table. around
which was assembled o com papy of very
much alive men and women. some one
spoke of the increased attention that is be-
ing given by intelligent people to the
occult. This brought on a discussion OF
Mr.. Stead's experiments IN telepathic COM
municatlon and of the work of the various
psy ohical research societies. After ad-
jonrnment to the parlor fireside the
talk drifted on in the same line.
Perhaps it was the dim light. perhaps the
sense of peace with all the world that
fills the souls of those who have dined
well: possibly the assurance OF a sympa-
thetic hearing: but. at all events, some
thing led one. then another, and then oil,
into an expression of belief in the super
natural, or into the relation of strange in
cidents within their knowledge. or OF
curious personal NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
which, under ordinary circumstances, peo-
pie are a little shy of making even to most
intimate friends. Then, most unusual of
ell, il was agreed. when the little COM
pany was reluctantly separating. that
these stories might be retold in print-pro-
vIded, alphabetically. that there should be
no naming of names."
"For ny part" said q woman spoken of
by Ler friends as so sensible, you know"
'for my part / never saw a ghost. but in
one respect / am like Sidney Hmith-or.
what celebrity was itf-whO said ne did
not believe in ghosts. but was dreadfuliy
afraid of them"
"Oh. as to ghosts" said the vivscious Int.
tie blonde lady in the corner of the big
sofa, Pm sure | do not know whether l
belle We in them or not, but | do have q
sneaking faith in dreams. Now had q
E:csb vivid dream the other night about
seein 2 q roman / once knew IN another
town in THIS State. The acquaintance was
slight. / had not met her for five years,
nor do / Der having thought of her
in that time. The day following the dream,
who should make me q call but hat ident-
ical womanf The same sort of thing has
happened to me so many times that | can
hardly regard the su% bsequent fulfill ment
is itf"
TRYING TO FOR IT.
1T may be thought transference."
answered the in the blue gown. Il
suppose there might be such b thing as tel
epsthio communication during sleep. but
somehow ] can put no confidence in the Wis
IONS of the night. Dreams are $3.50 unreal.
and ghosts go elusive. But / do believe in
telepathy in waking hours. Why, we have
examples of it every day of our lives.
What is SO common as for two people sit
ting In the same room to give simultaneous
rtterance to the same thought when there
has been nothing In the previous converse
ton to lead M TO it'll Does il always hap
| pen so, or Is there scientific cause for 1t? JAS
70 letters, L cannot go quite SO for as Mark
in my theories and experience, but
n - hso xha~ III, wDtNh 80
letters cross each other between friends
and business acquaintance when there
| has been no especial reason for expecting
| such correspondence shows that the mind
| of one writer impresses itself upon that of
the other at the time of writing. Only q
l few weeks ago it was suddenly and
un~accountably borne in upon me that
was about to see or hear from an old friend
for several years. Nothing had occurred
to suggest his name, and l knew of no rea :
son why he should write. bnt when. two
days later, q letter arrived was fully ex-
becting 1t. 1t was written two days be-
fore. Just at the time the thought OF him
had come into my mind"
II arm told by o musical friend" began
the gentleman who does not know one
tune from another, that it Is remarkable
how often two or more musicians, when
together informally, Will fall to humming
or singing the same song. when, from their
respective tastes and habits. 1t mieht have
L Ueeu eXpoCCeu tudb o6Cu W0ulQ m6ko d III.
ferent choice. If ! were to take part in q
duet of this sort l shonld at once be con-
vinced either that q miracle. had been en-
acted or that teleDatbic influence was in
deed powerful"
Let me tell you a little story" inter-
rupted the gentleman in the willow chair,
who had until now been silent. "A few
years ago two men-we will call them
Smith and Jones-were partners In the
milling business In an Illinois town. Smith
was q practical miller and attended to the
operations of the Touring mill; Jones man
ufactured the barrels used by the firm. For
some reason Jones withdrew from the part
nership and removed to another town. the
feeling between the two men being. how
ever, q friendly one. He did not prosper in
his new home. Business disasters overlook
him. he fell Ill. and finally. ct the end of
W. years. he and his family were reduced
almost to the starvation point. One day
his wife said to him as she put a loaf of
bread into the oven. This is the last of our
-four Jones had no money to get more.
and perhaps his thoughts turned to his
Ole friend whose mill furnished it so
abundantly; perhaps he prayed for aid.
Either course would have. been natural.
What / know Is, that about this time
Smith, back in the other town, bethOught
himself of his old partner and wondered
how he was getting on. L meant thought
he. to have kept run of him. but am afraid
/ have neglected him. lIl fx it all right
by sending him a couple of barrels of flour
hat will never come amiss In q family
like his Before the loaf baked by Mrs.
Jones was eaten the two barrels of flour
bad arr iyed. You can call that divine in.
terposition. n case of telepathy. or q coin
cidence. as yOu please. l don't care &c
express an opinion"
WHAT A MOTHER HEARD.
There Is Q lady, whom some of you
know very well. now living in this city"
said the gentleman with the gray beard,
whose son, some ten or twelve years ago
sailed from New York for o cruise in south
ern seas. He was well and strong. and
there was no cause why his mother SHOULD
feel anxiety about him. except such rea
about absent children. One night,
some months after his departure. she
started up suddenly from sleep with her
sons voice ringing in her ears with the CRY
Mother. Mother! Motherv 1t was q voice
of distress, and as distinct to her he asinl
as if the speaker were at her side. Sh,
slept no more that night. feeling sure tha'
her boy was dead or In danger. In due time
she received q letter from n companion con
tanning an account of the young man
death from fever on ship-board in the South
Atlantic, and O statement that in his las
moments be had started mp with q loud cry
Mother. Mother. Mother"
There was q silence after this, broken BY
the lady in black. MY story is a little diff
f~erent.D she said. Last summer ! called
upon q friend who had as a visitor a charm
ing old lady from a distant State. She
ohatted for a time IN a most entertaining
way upon all sorts of everyday topics