The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-11-19
MRS. P|PER'S POWERS
Nothing More Nor Less Than
a PSychicaI Telephone,
SPIRITS OF THE DEPARTED
Speak to DenSe-SouIed Earth
IingS by Her,
SPIRITS OF THE DEPARTE

Mrs. Piper has come to the front again
She is the Boston medium who. numer-
Gus men and women OF the highest in
tellectual attachments believe. is a sort
0; spirituaHstic telephone between the
world Of the living and the world
Of the dead. Readers the Her
aid cannot have forgotten the sto-
~ Of her marvellous powers which was
printed last June, nor the corroborative
evidence presented by such men as Pro
lessor Richard Hodgson, Of Cambridge
University, England, now head Of the
Society for Psychical Research n this
country; Professor James Hyslop, OF
Columbia College; Professor William
James, of Harvard: the Rev Minot J.
Savage, D. D, and other authorities Of
equal note
Mss Lillian Whiting. Of Boston. is the
latest person 10 come forward with a sto-
~ showing that Mrs. Piper has at least
supernormal, if not supernatural powers.
Her story follows in her own words It
is hardly necessary 10 remind the readers
Of the Herald that Miss Whiting is a well
y
published works include an excellent BIZ
ography Of Mrs. Elizabeth Barrett Brown
ing, and who is now putting through the
press what promises 10 be an equally ex-
cellent biography Of her intimate friend.
the late Kate Field. She is a woman of
sane and wholesome mind, whose intel
Ggence and whose veracity are unques-
toned. The facts Of the story are vouched
for by herself and by others under whose
notice they came.
Mrs. Piper lives in Arlington Heights.
Boston with her husband and two daugh-
tiers, the latter aged fifteen and thirteen
She is a woman who In her daily walk
would command no special attention.
About thirty-eight years OF age Meth
er short nor tall. neither blonde nor bru-
nette. neither handsome nor homely, she
IS just an average woman, a good moth
er and a good wife. like thousands of 9th
er American matr0ns. She possesses com
mon sense and a common school educa-
ton but she is neither scholarly nor
what you would cali highly intellectual.
She impresses every one who meets her
with her good faith and honesty of pur-
pose. You may hold what opinion you
-
cannot doubt her possession of them.
In her normal state she herself has no
consciousness Of the possession OF these
gifts. She has no remembrance Of what
haTpens in her rare abnormal moods. It
is the bystanders. not she, who tell the
weird stories which have made her fam
Gus
All agree that she has the faculty of
passing into frances, during which her
body apparently passes under control OF
unseen personalities, who use her organs
Of speech, or write with her hand, and
show an intimate knowledge Of the facts
in the lives of sitters whom Mrs. Piper
never met besore-whose very. names are
unknown 10 her. often she has startled
these sitters by revealing 70 them facts
OF which they themselves had never had
any cognizance. but which subsequent in
vestigstion has proved TO be true.
Professor Hyslop and Professor Hodg-
son both began their Investigations as
skeptics. Both had made a special study
OF what IS known as spiritualism. Both
had become CONVINCED that the average
mediums are comslonolace frauds, and
that even the rare exceptions who are
not conscious humbugs possess merely
teleDathic powers which are easily &C
counted for on natural basis Both had
exposed the trickery of hundreds of me-
diums and explained away the pretended
supernatural powers Of others. Yet It
w'asthese men. 80 gifted by nature and
by special study in the lire Of psychical
research. who were conquered by Mrs. Pi-
per. They came. II not 70 scoT. at least
WINGED against their wills.
L was Professor Fyslop who subjected
Mrs Piper 70 the most searching ordeal.
He called up the spirit Of his father. He
babe that father relate 70 him facts that
had happened before the Professor him
self was born. The father poured out
food Of anecdotes. He mentioned names
and localities. Some, but not all. Of the
names were recognized by Professor FTys-
lop. The locality covered an area Of one
hundred and fifty miles square in two
Western states. Professor HysloD de-
voted his entire vacation 70 visiting the
entire locality In order 70 verify the an
ecdo-es by living witnesses. He has re-
Gently returned. I saw him Ct his home
IN l4Sth street the other day. Beyond the
general assurance that he had met with
some startling corroborauons. he would
say nothing in advance IF the puhlica ton
OF a report 20 the Society for the Psy-
chicaI Research. upon which he and Pro-
fessor HOdgson are now engaged.
Professor Hodgson. for several years.
has been what may he call Mrs Piper's
manager. Il IS through him that appoint
ments for a sitting must BE- made. But
10 eF4
held only at rare intervals and for very
Wv people. Among the favored is Miss
Whiting. Professor Hodgson informed me
last summer that all this was done in
accordance with positive instructions
from the spirits who had control ef Mrs.
Piper. They said The irdiScrininat ton
should cease. as she was "a battered and
worn machine" and needed a vacation
for repairs, which they would duly make
Il is for this reason thai Mrs PiDer
has for the last five months faded out Of
the public view.
Here follows Miss Writings narrative:
T. The Editor of the Herald:
Recently Professor Hyslop. NJ Columbia
aroused wide interest by some narration
q his experiences in communication with
FRIENDS IN the Unseen through the organ I
Ism Of Ms Piper. the trance medium
under the auspices ~ the Society fer Psy-
ehlcal Research. The leading members
u this society include numbers 81 the
most learned and distinguished scientists /
o. the day in Germany. France. Italy, /
England and America
Sir William Cr0okes succeeds Professor !
William James. Of Harvard. as its pres !
dent Richardson HojEs7n IL n. Is i
Is sacratarv- ard faE--as Lis .-.a-a inn !