The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-03-12
DO GHOSTS EXIST?
Dr.. Savage Certain That They Do.
An Incident in Proof.

An Incident in Proof.
The history Of the world is full OF
reported apparitions Or ghosts. Do
such things as ghosts exist? am
perfectly certain that they dc. This
does not mean that l feel that | am
ready to explain their origin or nature.
l simply recognize the fact. Whether
they are purely subjective or whether
they represent some objective reality
that is question to be settled in
each particular case. 1 have many
instances In my notes, but they must
be omitted for the present.
There is one case, however, which
is OF a very extraordinary kind. 1t
occurred about couple OF years ago
here in the immediate vicinity OF New
York. There was a certain young
man who had been studying abroad.
He had been at been at Heidelberg
University. He was OF anything but
an imaginative temperament. Tall
and stalWart in build, he had a repu-
tation as an athlete. His favorite
studies were mathematical, physical
and electrical. Hehad returned home
from abroad and, so far as anybody
knew, was in perfect health. He was
at the summer home OF his mother
1t was his habit after dinner to go out
on the piazza and walk up and down
while smoking his pipe. One evening
he came quietly in and: without talk
ing with anybody, went up to bed.
The next morning he went into his
mothers room before she was up. and
laid his hand on her cheek in order to
awaken her quietly. Then he said,
Mother, have something very sad to
tell you. You must brace yourself
and be strong to bear it, Of course,
she was startled and asked him what
he was talking about. He said,
Mother, mean just what I am say
ing. l am going to die, and very
Soon.'
When his mother, startled and
troubled, pressed him for an eqplana-
tion, he said: Last night, when I
was walking up and down the piazza
smoking, spirit appeared and walked
up and down my side. lhaye received
my call and am going to die The
mother, OF course, was seriously
troubled, and wondered whether any
thing might, be the matter with him.
She therefore sent for the doctor and
told him the. story. The doctor made
a careful examination, said there was
nothing the matter, treated the whole
thing as bad dream or an hallucina-
tion, told them to pay no attention to
it, and said that within few days
they would be laughing at themselves
for letting such thing worry them.
The next morning the young man did
not seem quite as well as usual and
the doctor was sent for a second time.
Again he said there was nothing the
matter and tried to laugh them out OF
their fears. The third morning the
young man appeared in still poorer
condition and the third time the ply
sician was summoned He now dis
covered a case Of appendicitis. The
young man was operated on and died
in a couple of days. From the time
Of the vision until his death not more
than five days had gone by. Some
time after this experience the mother
visited a psychic here in New York.
She made no previous appointment,
but went as a perfect stranger and
waited her turn The son claimed at
once to be present and told bis mother
a whole series Of very remarkable
things, which by no possibility could
the psychic ever have known. Then 5
in answer to the question. Who was
it that you saw that night" (the Ques-
tion being purposely so framed as not
to seem to refer to anybody out of the
body he at once replied: 1t was my
father The father had been dead
for some years and the mother had
been married again"