The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-05-03
i. as rertus and I got tore,

assured me that there was no sort of
doubt that some terrifying thing had gone
across my room only visible to the ami
mails. You can understand that such an
easy assumption would bring on an argu-
ment. and Pettus amazed me still more
by saying that any other proof that the
evidence of the animals actions was not
needed. 1 think, said he, that it is a
kind of protective clairvoyance they have
If you have ever been in caravan on
the Great desert ut night. you will re-
member some of the strange experiences
when the thin line of cames huddle clos
er and every cameleer takes warning
from these beasts that there are lurking
close in the dense darkness strange dams
and ahritcs. saw in southern Morocco
the astonishing spectacle Of Il caravan
stopped at night and cut in two by
great gap, while the latter half of ir
waited for an invisible procession to pass
through
"All this. dare say" observed Cramp-
ton, sounds very fanciful and medieval
just as it did to me. and the smile on
your face is a reflection of the same SUI
perior incredulity that l wore myself.
Well, PettuS went back to Louisiana.
rs the year rolled by. But at the begin.
ming of the summer The Journal of Psy-
chologic knowledge asked me to prepare
paper on 4 woman of the name of Tib-
bits who was attracting a good deal of
attention at that time as a clairvoyant.
| called on her. She was living in shah
10y Senteel quarter on Narick street and
had already been overrun 10y reporters
and doctors. | found her an uneducated
woman of about 80, Emphatic unvoli-
tional and very imprcssionable. but rath-
er shrinking from public attention and
little afraid of her own powers. which in
purely scientific sense presented most
remarkable case of clear sight. | salts
fed myself that the woman had no fraud
ulent intent, had, indeed, Il most excel
lent moral character. She was singular
ly candid in avowing her own ignorance
and equally dsnclincd to be made a sub
Ject of public discussion. She did not
prescribe, had no nostrums to sell and
never, | believe, overcame her repug-
nance to the trance condition She had
lost her husband some years before and
lived upon a small annuity which was
sufficient to support her comfortably,
with economy Here was rare oppor-
tunlty to study physical and perhaps
psychical phenomenon that was already
eliciting the wonder of the psychologists
in France and Germany and was not
at all confused with any spiritualistic
claims. In June Mrs. Tibbits came to
Chambersburg and became my guest.
She proved very acceptable inmate of
the house was fond of children. lent Il
willing hand in the domestic arrange
ments and proved modest. retiring,
methodical woman, who gave herself to
the scientific experiments with something
like mild protest. DIR. J. and | sue
ceeded in eliminating everything of Il
supernatural character from the inveSti-
CATION, and hers proved to be Il remark
able case of unsuspected visual function.
She undoubtedly did in certain condi-
tions read book which was pressed
against the back of her head when her
eyes were blindfolded and at other times
recognized different faces in total dark
ness, but she made no claim of communi-
cation with departed spirits and secuted
the whole spiritualstic business.
One night DIR. j., my wife, Mrs Tib-
bits and | were sitting in the dining
room. 1t must have been quite early in
the evening. We were listening to the
doctor narrate some of his army expe.
riences. We sat in careless semicirce
between the dining table and the big
fireplace, which was now closed with Il
screen Mrs. Tibbits was in the middle
of the circle with her back to the table
lIubc, the dog, | should have told you.
had died month or two before. no
ticed that Mrs. Tibbits. who was very
,,,+. 4.
telling us, kept looking behind her at
intervals. as one will when somebody
annoylngly interrupts conversation.
Suddenly she stood up, turned around
and, in an attitude of intense eagcrness
and terror, stared into the southeast cor
ner of the room. My wife jumped up,
crying out What is the matter?" and
both the doctor and | rose quickly. There
she stood, her elbows drawn up, her eyes
seeming to project and the lines of her
mouth rigidly CONSTRUCTED, so that She
showed her teeth. Then her head turned
slowly as if following something that
was crossing the room diagonally. The
doctor caught hold of her quickly, and
she swooned away in his arms. We got
her up stairs as quickly as possible, and
the doctor and my wife, worked over her
well into the night. She appeared to be
overcome with mortal terror, nor could
any of us elicit the slightest information
as to the nature of the appariton that
had frightened her. My own appeals to
her the next morning were of little avail
| asked her to be rational and for my
sake describe what she saw But she only
shuddercd and said, Something terrible
crossed your room" ''What was it like"
asked. Il don't know" she replied.
II never saw anything like it before. |
must get away from here today" This
was unbcarably aggravating. but nothing
could induce her to stay in the house,
and the day after the occurrence | took |
her to the station. she acting during the !
whole journey very much like woman 7,
pursued by some unmentionable horror
IL am not man." said Champion, "to |
he scared by the visions of an unedu- |
Gated woman, but when she corroborated |
some Kind of clear vision in two animals |
began to feel creepy whenever | was |
left alone in that dining room, and |
quietly made up my mind that there |
might be more things in our atmosphere |
than are dreamed of in our philosophy" |
Did anybody else ever get shock |
thercY" asked Farwell.
No" said Champion. THAT end of |
the house was burned down while was
in England. New York Post
Guided by Spider.
A spider was the direct cause of most
serious loss and injury to the Dutch ma
4 FL, 3 T,l.