Year: 1877

Recerered from n Dishonest Serrdnt


through a Dream.


San Francisco Chronicle: A singular
incident happened in connection with a
theft in a mansion onVann Ness avenue,
a few days ago, which spiritualists will
Immediately seize upon as an evidence
that departed spirits are really wont to
return to this mundane sphere and exer-
else their power for good or evil on the
inhabitants thereof. In the elegant
mansion referred to lives a lady who has
recently been visited by sister, one of
those fortunate mortals who is the pos
SCISSOR of diamond jewelry and gold coin
in abundance. Shortly after her arrival
the lady OF the house, for some good
reason, discharged female servant and
employed another in her place. A day
or two after this event the visitor, desir-
Gus to so on a shopping expedition, took
her purse, containing valuable diamond
pin and a respectable amount of coin,
from its place of security in drawer and
laid it upon the bureau. She went from
the room several times III making
her preparations, and when ready for de
parture the purse with its contents was
missing. The alarm was at once given,
and the two ladies, assisted by the new
servant, made a thorough search. The
house WAS swept, the furniture moved,
and every possible crevice into which it
could have fallen examined, but all to no
avail the purse had disappeared as com
pletely as though the earth had opened
and swallowed it. 1t was late at night
before tie search ended, and completely
tired out. the household retired. in the
middle of the night, the lady Of the
house was wakened by the entrance Of
her sister, who was acting in the most sin
gular manner, and asking constantly for
writing materials. Her nervous system
seemed TO be highly excited. and she did
not appear in her right mind, though it
was not q case uf sOnambulism. Paper
and pencil we're given to her and she
Immediately covered the former with
scrawls, which were decipherablo. She
soon quieted down and lapsed into her
normal condition, when the two ladies
set themselves to work To decipher the
writing, in which they were
finally succc ssful, finding, however,
it all to be repetition of
the sentence, She has hid it under a
stool" They decided that she" meant
the new servant, and proceeding to the
latter's door they knocked for admit
tance. The girl soon unlocked the door
when the latter informed her that she
could not sleep, the loss of the purse
made It impossible, and that she must
dress and assist them in a further search.
She grumblingly obeyed, and as she came
out of the door the ladies entered. At the
foot of the bed stood a covered stool, the
cover reaching to the floor. Highly eX-
cited the ladies rushed TO it, tipped it
over, and there lay the lost purse, with
its conteuts intact. The servant from
the outside had closely watched the
ladies' movements, and as they placed
their hands upon the stool she turned,
and ran down stairs, unlocked a door.
and rushed into the street and away
before she could be apprehended, and
she has not been seen or heard
of since. SO far from being a spiritualist,
the lady is very positive in her disbelief
of any such agency, and moreover, is an
old-school Presbyterian, and in accord
ance with her religious doctrines Is op-
posed TO any such theory as spiritualistic
influences. She ascribes the incident TO
the fact that her nervous system was
very much overwrought; that she had
been thinking and dreaming about her
loss, and as there was no one upon whom
the blame could be charged, she accused
the servant of the crime, though an ap
parently unexplained circumstances the
fact that she had never been in the ser
wants room, and knew nothing of how it
was furnished. The facts occurred,
however, precisely as above stated, and
spiritualists and anti-spiritualists will
each undoubtedly be able to furnish
satisfactory explanation.