The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-05-04
Our Special ContributOrS=--ISO
*** By WILLIAM ABBOTT. *,.*


DOluSs ude'ildllJ occho W huOW Wud1
lies beyond the reach of vision, to
penetrate the mysteries of the world.
Anything supernatural has an abid-
ing interest for the most intellectual
natures. The London Psychical So
ciety, numbering Gladstone and Rus
kin among it's honorary members,
! and among its active, Alfred Russell
Wallace, one of the worlds foremost
naturalists, presents good example
of this fact. Its success in exposing
the humbug of Madame Blavatsky
does not prevent it from endorsing
what it considers genuine instances
of the supernatural. In it's reports
it is claimed that ghosts have been
photographed. and several authentic
cases of coincidental apparitions are
noted. In his latest Monday Lecture,
Mr. Joseph Cook says, "When cases
of this kind (the supernatural mani
festation which Miss L. M. Alcott,
narrates in her Diary as appearing
to her mother and herself at the time
of Madame Niediker's death) occur
age after age, from the time of Her
odotus downward, it is safe to assume
that there may be something true in
these phenomena"
He might have gone much further
back into history, and cited Saul's
visit to the Witch of Endor to sum-
mon up the spirit of Samuel, and the
fearful vision of Eliphaz in the Book
of Job. The literature of the super
natural is extensive and interesting,
but our limits forbid anything more
than a brief summary of the more in
teresting of it's incidents. Roughly
speaking, they are divisible into four
classes-apparitions and haunted To-
calities, dreams giving warning of
danger or death, disturbances among
the dead themselves, and remarkable
dreams and supernatural occur
rences. OF the first class it is doubt
full if a more remarkable instance
could be found than the we'll anthem
ticated one which furnished Bulwer-
Lytton with the materials for his
story, "The Haunters and the Haunt
ed" The details were vouched for
at the time by two well-known Eng
lish clergymen. The house stands
Cor stood in Berkely Square, London.
In bedroom, the night before a
wedding was to take place, house
maid was continuing late prepare
tions for the brides reception next
day. Just as midnight struck the
sleeping household was reused by
piercing shrieks, and the woman was
found lying at the foot of the bed in
strong commissions. Her eyes were
fixed on one corner of the room, and
she was in an agony of terror. The
others could see absolutely nothing
unusual. She was taken to st.
Georges Hospital, where she died
next day. The expected bridegroom,
who arrived that day, declared his
total disbelief in GHOSTS" and in
sisted on sleeping alone in that room
to see what would come of it. De-
spite all circumstances he did SO, and
with exactly the same result. The
most awesome part of the story is
that, incredible as it would be but for
the testimony of witnesses, both vic
Tins refused to say word in descrip-
ton of what they had seen. Each
declared the sight was too horrible
to even mention. The house was
never again occupied.
Haunted House.
A more recent example, combining
both the haunted house and the APP
partition, is that of the premises known
as Hotwells, near Bristol, England.
The premises were eventually de-
stroyed to make room for other build
ings, as the original and all succeed
ing tenants left in dismay The
supernatural noises were heard by all
concerned on each occasion, and were
like the outcries of several persons
being murdered. The supernatural
appearance was that of huge black
dog, which ran furiously out of the
house, ridden by a monster of I'M
known kind, but resembling an ape.
So late as 1869, a generation after
the building had been destroyed, the
apparition was seen. OF the second
class of appearances, the historic
case of Lord Tyrone and Miss Ham
Dton may be cited. Intimate friends
in childhood, they were educated as
Deists, and exchanged promises that
the one who should first die would
appear to the other, and declare what
religion was approved by Col. Miss
Hamilton became Lady Beresford,
and one night while in bed was star
tied by the appearance of Lord Ty-