Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1903-10-23
OMENS OF DEATH.
Instances that Prove Their Absurdity.


1t seems to me that when so many
premontions of death which were
followed by fulhlments are reported,
says a writer IN the London Spectator,
it is only fair that some which proved
absolutely mistaken should also be pub
lished. ON one occasion | was aware
that my husband was crossing that night
from Hoiyhead to kingstown. l had 50
vivid dream that 1 beloved l was
awake and saw him standing in the
early morning light dripping from head
to loot. The steady drop OF the water /
shall never forget | was so alarmed
that | ran out of the room, and spent
the rest OF the night in the room OF an
intimate lady friend! Next morning the
sound was explained l found on re-
turning to my room that the rain had
come through the ceiling and was drop
ping into "A bath which had cold water
already in it, The sound had probably
suggested the dream. BY a curious coin
CidenCC, my husband was next day al
lowed to leave Dublin by early train;
but when | arrived at the same station
later, | was stopped and told that. owing
to a bridge having been swept away in
the night at Omagh. no passenger had
been allowed to leave Amiens station
that morning whose destination was be-
yond Omagh. Naturally, l understood
that my husband would have been also
prevented had he come there. Indeed,
the authorities assured me that this was
the case. 1t required several kilograms
to elucldate his whereabouts and for
many hours | was under the impression
that | had received "A " premonition,'
which happily turned out to be quite
mistake.
On another occasion my husband left
home to catch an early morning train.
| remained in bed and slept after his de-
parture. | was awakened las l believedD
by hearing him return. | heard his voice
in the hall and his steps running up the
stairs. and al the door opened | sat up in
bed (and this part is true) and said: So
you missed the train!' l found myself
speaking to an empty room. | frankly
confess-the impression was so clear
| that | should have been uneasy had it
not been for the recollection of my pre-
vious experience. 1t must be admitted
| that If instances of unfulhlled Fremont
lions were collected and published as
! diligently as those which have conceded
! with deaths less Importance would be
! attached to the latter.
Twice have large pictures fallen in this
! house when members of the family have
| been actually III, and the servants have
gloomily asserted that death must ensue.
| Each time the sick person recovered.
one of them. the writer is still alive.
twelve years after the event. To offer
one more Illustration OF the unreliability
| of premonitions may ] intrude a little
| longer on your space? There is "A tradi-
tion in this family that in times of death
| or misfortune a single ana SICK looking
crow comes to the house This has un-
doubtedly conceded on three different or-
| casions with two deaths and a great mis-
| fortune. on the first of these occasions
| the crow perched on the library window
| step ian unusual proceeding for a crow
and the owner OF the house said TO his
son. That Is an omen" That night ht
Undoubtedly accidentally drank his lin.
iment instead of his sleeping draught
and died ON the second occasion the
crow perched on bed room window sill
about twenty hours before the owner OF
the house died. The third time the whole
family was Interested in what might b,
called ." a family misfortune" and foi
three days crow stalked solidarity
about quite alone in front OF the house
and that in spite OF good deal o
traffic in and around the house.
Now you might naturally think m!
record of these last incidents is an argu
ment against myself but | have ais,
seen solitary crow solemnly superin
tending photographers efforts to i'm
mortalize the family, and as I have
moreover, seen similar sick crow in
spectng the tennis ground and terrace
on more than one occasion when non,
of Us was in the least unhappy or spe
,Acially interested. / may be forgiven 70
thinking the first three visits recorded a
merely condolences even though rein
forced by a long visit from a crow tw,
years ago, when the present owner Wa
extremely ill., and the subsequent dali,
attendance ON him during his long con
Nalescence in England. in two dfferen
places. 10y two English crows-or coul,
II have been only one and everlasting
crow all the time. spectator.