The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-02
PROF. HYaOP'S E,!'ss''uM.
MRS. PIER. or D0sTuy. HEN
FRANCES AND HER MESSAGES.
The woman With whose Ala spirit
ualtsn 10 Being Iavessigatea--
Unaer DR.. Hodxsen's Management

IA the name OF Mrs. I<ennora Piper.
the medium. Prof. Hysiee is
only one of u long list of noted people
who i'm the last few years have had sit
i.ngs WITH Mrs ii2er and many Of waom
rave thereby become deepiy fn,ereste..
In the study of psychology, or AT least
in its phase Of spiritual phenomena.
Among them have been such men as the
late Bishop Phillips Brooks. who had
several sittings with Mrs. Piper I'm the
hast years Of his life. Prof. James. Of
Harvard: Prof Newboid. of the rnivers-
lily of Pennsylvania. the Rev. Minot !.
Savage. w. u. Howells. Dr.. s. Weir
Mitchell. of Philadelphia Prof. Langley.
of the Smithsonian Institution. Profs.
Trowbrfdge. Norton and Nichols of Har-
ward. and William f. Gladstone.
Foremost among those who began TO
investigate the subject of spirittmlism
with the idea Of discovering fraud. IL
there was any. was Richard Hodsson.
LID, of Cambridge university. now at
the head of the American branch OF IN.
Society for Psychical Research. with
headquarters In Boston. DIR. Hodgson
made all sorts OF tests. and Is now what
might be termed Mrs. Piper manager In
certain sense. for IL Is through him
that appointments for sittings have to
be made. Most Of the persons named
above saw Mrs. Piper before the new
=
began In October, 1887: but Prof Hysiup
has known Mrs. Piper only since last
December. Since that time he has had
twelve sitttngs. and has been represented
by DIR. Hodgson at Ave more makins
seventeen In all. Under the new regime
1t Is very difficult to obtain sitting with
Mrs. Piper. as the limited time she can
give Is completely taken up with sittings
given either In the interest of investfga-
ton by the society or to people who. for
one reason or another. are approved by
DIR. Hodgscn.
DIR. Hodgson's explanation OF the differ
ence between Mrs. Piper's former method
and the new one which came into use two
years ago Is that now the sittings are al
most entirely controlled by the trans
personalities" who themselves. In the In
terest Of extending the knowledge Of the
relations between tho two worlds. asked
THAI the management of the nedium!stic
effcrts be left to them because OF their
greater knowledge Of the conditions under
which they must do their work DIR. Hodg-
son says the new plan has been a great
success. communications being made much
more clearly. and evidently with much less
wear of the machine" itself. AZ they term
Mrs. Piper's body.
Mrs. Piper Ives at Arlington Heights.
about six miles from Boston, In coxy
comfortable home. with her husband and
two daughters of Is and Is years. She
has pleasing personality. but one that is
not especially remarkable in any way. A
one OF her friends puts Il. ''she was born
lady, and would grace any position
She Is OF New Hampshire birth and Of En-
gl.sh descent. Her parents were fairly
weli-to-do people. who gave their daughter
a good common school education. She Is
a woman OF quiet. unobtrusive ways. She
Is perhaps IS years old. feet inches In
height. slender, with chestnut hair and
gray eyes. She fmpresses one generally
as alert and businesslike
Her mornings ara usually devoted to cit
tings. which she gives In a room In her
home. and her afternoons are given to her
household and social duties AS rule
either DIR. Hodgson or his assistant, Miss
Ednunds. Is present at the sittings. for
there must be some one present TO give
Mrs. Piper attention when she IL n a
trance. The upper part Of the body In al
most lifeless at such times and II usually
supported by cushions. Then the hand that
writes often requires some attention.
When she began 90 write. the hand was
held above the head. but after repeated
efforts DIR. Hodgson got the hand down to
the table. where II usually writes without
much difficulty.
This writing. by the way. Is one Of the
most pronounced features Of the new re-
gime for although IT was often uses! be-
fore Il Is now employed almost to the en-
tire exclusion Of the voice. This signifies
believers say. change In her spirit con-
troll For many years DR.. Phinuit was her
chief control and he used the voice. Often
the hand was used at the same time by
another control. George Pelham being a
favorite direct communication hut after
Mrs. Pfper's illness two years ago a new
control. ''Imperatcr,' said that tho In
discriminate experimenting with MIRA Pr
per should stop. that she was a battered
and worn machine" and needed much re-
pairing: that he with his assistant. ''Dr. =
Rector" ETC.. would repair II as far az
possible and that In the meantime other
persons must he kept away. Or. Phinnis's
last appearance a. Mrs. Piper's control
WAS on January d. iss7, and other controls
since have stated that he has been sent
away on other work. Rector and I'M
perator' are usually the direct communi-
Gators now. and they speak for the sndi-
rect communications. who do not. appar-
entity. from the spirituaiistic standpoint.
know how 10 communicate directly.
of course there Are occasionally other
direct controls. and among the most noted
OF recent years mas been the late Kate
Fyeids from whom Miss Lillian Whiting
the author. has often had. so abe believes.
smporfan, communications. Miss Whiting
has occasional sittinss. hut very often also
DR. Hodgson sends 20 her messages which
psirTport 10 come 10 him from Miss Field
through Mrs. Piper. Miss Field always
uses the hand and wnen Miss Whiting
is not present her messages are generally
very brief and refer 80 SONS matters
known only TO Miss Waiting and Miss
Field In their intimate relations during the
iatter's Isse. curious Instance occurred
I'm connection with bringing Aiss Field >
ashes 70 she East. IS may -. remembered.
they we're brought from San Francisco 10
Chicago in car. of Gen TsYior. Of the
Boston 6iosec. several months after her
death Miss Whiting wrote To II. H.
koasxsat of Chicago. who was one az the
executors OF Miss Fields ssII, asking that
she ashes saoglid be delivered tn her when
they reached Chicago. A day ar two after
this letter was mailed Miss Whiting re-
celved a message from Or. Hosxson stat
ing tina. at sitting with Mrs Piper that
day Miss Fled had cent this message.
TEL them 10 let Lillian fAiss Nhftinxp
have the ashes ur HcSg~en had this
repeated two or three times ~ the n~di-
UNI. a. h~ not knowing az Miss Whiting' .
letter. thought there wss no sense In the
message.
MEs whsttrg was abroad zaf1 Mas
y~sStd zts1 ARA AZ of.e ssf TIE fsss sstsfnRs