The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-16
BELIEVES N SPIRITS
DR.. Richard Hodgson Is a
Notable Convert.
SCIENCE SETS ITS SEAL
Through Him, Upon Spirit
uaIistic Communications.

/ forth a ScienOHc claim 1Or Ene actua-
existence of spirits, what a sensation 81
would make; but in these days Of ctasS-
| fed nlarvels people stand ready Co hear
| the most startling things with little
more than ripple of surprise. II is as
| If science had set out to prove chat all
the fairy lore of old was but guess work
at things which it is its present business
TO explore and verify.
DR.. Richard Hodgson, the literaturer, Is
the latest convert to the spiritstic theory.
He is a man of thorough scientific train
ing and for some years past mas been
at the head of the American branch
Of the Society of Psychical Research, in
Boston, and 1t Is through the American
human instrument, Mrs. Piper. of Airing
ton-a Boston suburb-that Dr.. Hodgson
has made his experiments.
Everybody interested in psychic matters
and who is not in these days has
heard something about how Mrs. Piper
came under the notice of Professor Will
liam James, instructor of psychology at
Harvard, and how later, the Society Of
Psychical Research in England had her go
over there and stay from the fall of 1889
till the spring of the following year. dur
ing which time he gave eighty-three
sittings, under the supervision of such men
as Professor lodge, Dr. Walter Leap, F.
w. H. Myers. etc. Even the famous Sir
William Crooks, the discoverer of the
X-ray and present president of the Society
of Psychical Research, studied the pheno-
mena.
All these great men gave forth opinion,
tentative rather than assertive the only
point Of entire agreement being that the
woman mad "supernormal powers" DR..
Leaf Thought this supernormal element
consisted in the ability to accept thought
transference from the sitters. Professor
Lodge believed that more was involved
than this could explain, and found him
self forced TO believe in telepathy. But
telepathy from many distant persons at
one and the same moment he could not
make feasible, and telepathy from de-
ceased persons ne would not accept as a
last resort. Information extracted from
persons present he could not admit as
possible under the supervision exercised
where the woman was in absolute ig-
norance of her sitters, even to their names
On Mrs. Piper's return to America the
Society sent DR.. Hodgson hither in order
to devote himself to experiments begun by
Professor James, and which time would
not permit that gentleman to continue
DR.. Hodgson's supervision covers from
1891 up to the present year The sittings
number 500. One hundred and thirty of
these were people introduced to DR.. Hodg-
whom the medium was entirely ignorant
Furthermore, interested parties had set a
watch upon the movements of those who
might bring information from unlocked
for sources.
AS a result of his untiring studies the
records kept and recently given by DR..
to the Society of Psychical Re-
search Proceedings form some of the
most curious reading ever penned
1t is also. as Professor James admits.
and some of whose opinions are given of
it below. 'intolerably tedious" as a whole.
omits nothing. He gives as
much space to the failures as to the sue
cesses, and discourses on how the fail
ures prove even more than the successes
the presenc of spirits trying under diff
Z v
But perhaps the most curious point to
the general reader is that DR.. Hodgson
finds himself constrained to believe that
those who die of mental disorder, or who
suicide, cannot communicate until. pos
sibly, after they are a long time in the
other life, From eight cases of suicide,
more or less known 10 him, nothing
could be obtained. No one was found 10
communicate Immediately after passing
out. All, however, seem DESTROYS of doing
so after they come TO a sense of their
remind one of telephoDing with the med
um for an instrument, and a scramble
to get a hearing before the earthly oper-
ator leaves the end of the machine.
When DR.. Hodgson began experiments
the spirit boss-.so to speak-called him
self Phinuit, and claimed TO have been a
French physician. Much research has
failed to find a record of his earthly
career. In 1892 Phinuit found himself
obliged to take a side sea& while a new
and dominant personality came 10 the
front This personality is designated !
throughout as George Pelham. or G. P.
though that was not his real name. which |
IS well known to many in New York and !
Boston. He was a young literary man Of |
40 little fame. who met his death acct |
ientally and instantaneously in New York |
IN that same year. DR.. Hodgson knew G. !
?. well, in an intellectual way. and had !
ong talks with him on philosophy and the /
chances of q future life IN which G. p. /
lid not believe. He could not ACCEPT its /
,redibality," says Dr. Hodgson. and /
vowed that he should die before I did /
md found himself sail existing he would 1
make things lively in the effort to reveal |
he fact
He does not appear 10 have succeeded |
,or abou, five weeks. and then It would 4
'eem 70 have been an Old emotional 1
friendship rather than mis- vow wdsch 4
allied hin hitheT. A certain John Hart /
not the real uame) came 10 Mr.. Hodz- |
son for q sitting 10 Mrs. PiDer-au knowI-
sdge 81 him being kept from the medium. |
Ph.ruit frs announced himself as in |
ermediary for G. p. and gave some in
'orrect accounts concerning the recent /
ieath % a relative OF the sitter
soon the C. ?. personality got the better
y what had been known as ne Phinuit
'o.oe, called name Ike Howard and
also gave his OWE IN full
iheh Followed correct account OF Z
ocket presented by the sitter. and all
about is different owners. followed by
IA fun name OF George Peitan. The
sitter produced par OF studs he had
zen wearing. c. p. promptly informs
i'm that the studs hsd been as Own:
nat they had been taken from his dead
sody. Mother gave them 20 father ana
ather sent them % you" said the vosce.
Mr.. Hart subsequently admitted that
hey had been sem to aim By Mr Pc
IAN n response 20 his Own request so-
rrar,,ar-n % c.