Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-08-06
t007E had been talking of spirit.
N ualism, tclepathy and black
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,007E had been talking of spirit.
WW ualism, tclepathy and black
magic; the conversation
turned to apparitions and mediums.
Among us all, men and women, assem-
ibled in the drawing-room after long
and formal dinner, there We're several
who were skeptical, two or three vague
" credulous, without certainty one way
or the other, and my friend Francois,
who was an ardent believer in what we
not Of the faith agreed to call spirit
ualism. In his mind there were vast
differences in the meanings of terms,
but for me spiritualism covered them
all. One of the young women, making
allusion to the recent experiences of an
English medium, asked:
"Is it true that NJ. Crooks has seen
and touched the spirits, or, rather, the
material forms of the dead?" NJ.
Crooks is very learned man, they say.
II he has not been the victim of an il
fusion or an imposture, must confess
that his testimony would have great
influence on my own faith"
at is certainly II mystery said
Francois, thougbtfully, and mystery
which those who have never had any
experience are willing to deny exist
ence to. But il this man has not been
mistaken or deceived; il lie can us he
says, prove scientifically that souls sur
yive bodies, preserve their identity,
their personality, their memory, and
have the power to become material
and visible to living people, what a rev.
olution 1t will make philosopher
ooh, how 1 wish l might have some
experience of the kind" sighed young
girl.
"Well, don't" responded one of the
men. II would fear for my reason If L
should see the phantom Of my mother
come at the call of Il medium. And, on
the other hand, | resent the idea that
my own soul, when it is freed from
my body, must be obliged to clothe it
self in visibility at the command of n
living person."
"One of my friends" said Francois,
''tried the experiment, and it cost him
dear"
.srell us about it." cried the women,
drawn by the instructive delight in the
supernatural.
Francois responded: ut is not very
happy story, but it may be interesting.
1t shows that it is not always safe to
interfere With those powers which gov
Il -
and he related the following:
Pierre Franckel was one Of the best
friends of my childhood. l saw him
again when he was 20 years old, pale
young man with blonde hair, eyes as
blue as the sea, singular eyes, large and
fixed, lit as by an interior light, the
eyes of girl, somewhat unusual in the
face of man. With delicacy of col
oring, slightness of build and soft
sweetness of voice the beautiful eyes
gave to my poor friend a charm almost
effeminate. But he was manly fell
low and had great many friends.
He was % years old when he met
Madeline Meurlce ut ball given In the
chateau of Changs. This young girl
was poor but brilliant and well born,
beautiful, yivacious and gracious. Her
great black eyes spoke eloquently to
the blue eyes Of Pierre, and he was
fired with an enthusiastic and sincere
love for her. He had been skeptic
on the subject of love. SO that it came
to him with all the force of new ex-
perience, and she had nothing to lose
by being compared to former objects of
alteration. She was the first to enter
his heart, and she took entire posses
sion. She returned his love and accept.
ed his proposal Of marriage.
1t took Pierre some time to talk his
family into conscnting to the match,
but after they had seen and talked with
Madeline they succumbed to the charm
of her personality. They We're married
and lie took her away Immediately to
house he owned In the country, where
they lived alone and reyeled in the pure