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THE HISTORY OF SPIRITUALISM
parts of the whole prophecy stand or fall together, because the predictions of war have been fulfi lled; but the fulfi lment or the failure
of the Utopian predictions must eventually infl uence opinion as to
the source of the war predictions. Should the Utopia foreshadowed
in the scripts be translated into fact, it would be very diffi cult to
attribute the prediction of it as an outcome of the War to ordinary
human prescience, and a strong case would arise for admitting the
claim made in the scripts, and for giving the credit of the prediction
to discarnate beings. And if the Utopian predictions were held to
be the work of discarnate minds, in all probability the predictions
of the War, which are so closely bound up with them, would be assigned to the same source.
There are very many other prophecies which have been more or
less successful. A perusal of them, however, cannot fail to impress
the student with the conviction that the sense of time is the least
accurate of spiritual details. Very often where the facts are right the
dates are hopelessly at fault.
The most exact of all the prophecies concerning the War seems
to have been that of Sophie, a Greek young woman who, having
been hypnotized by Dr. Antoniou of Athens, delivered her oracles
vocally in a state of trance. The date was June 6, 1914. She not only
predicted the Great War and who the parties would be, but gave
a great deal of detail such as the neutrality of Italy at the beginning,
her subsequent alliance with the Entente, the action of Greece, the
place of the fi nal battle on the Vardar, and so forth. It is interesting,
however, to note that she made certain errors which tend to show
that the position of the Fatalist is not secure, and that there is at least
a broad margin which can be affected by human will and energy.
There is much testimony regarding the occurrence of what may
be called spirit intervention during the war. Captain W. E. Newcome
has related the followingw
[148]
:
[147]
481
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
It was in September, 1916, that the 2nd Suffolks left Loos to
go up into the northern sector of Albert. I accompanied them, and
whilst in the front line trenches of that sector I, with others, witnessed one of the most remarkable occurrences of the war.
About the end of October, up to November 5th, we were actually
holding that part of the line with very few troops. On November 1st
the Germans made a very determined attack, doing their utmost to
break through. I had occasion to go down to the reserve line, and
during my absence the German attack began.
I hurried back to my company with all speed, and arrived in time
to give a helping hand in throwing the enemy back to his own line.
He never gained a footing in our trenches. The assault was sharp
and short, and we had settled down to watch and wait again for his
next attack.
We had not long to wait, for we soon saw Germans again coming
over No Man’s Land in massed waves; but before they reached our
wire a white, spiritual fi gure of a soldier rose from a shell-hole, or
out of the ground about one hundred yards on our left, just in front
of our wire and between the fi rst line of Germans and ourselves. The
spectral fi gure then slowly walked along our front for a distance of
about one thousand yards. Its outline suggested to my mind that
of an old pre-war offi cer, for it appeared to be in a shell coat, with
fi eld-service cap on its head. It looked, fi rst, across at the oncoming
Germans, then turned its head away and commenced to walk slowly
outside our wire along the sector that we were holding.
Our SOS signal had been answered by our artillery. Shells and
bullets were whistling across No Man’s Land,but none in anyway
impeded the spectre’s progress. It steadily marched from the left of
us till it got to the extreme right of the sector, then it turned its face
right full on to us. It seemed to look up and down our trench, and as
each Verey light rose it stood out more prominently.
482
THE HISTORY OF SPIRITUALISM
After a brief survey of us it turned sharply to the right and made
a bee-line for the German trenches. The Germans scattered backand
no more was seen of them that night.
The Angels of Mons seemed to be the fi rst thought of the men;
then some said it looked like Lord Kitchener, and others said its face,
when turned full on to us, was not unlike Lord Roberts. I know that
it gave me personally a great shock, and for some time it was the talk
of the company.
Its appearance can be vouched for by sergeants and men of my
section.
In the same article in Pearson’s Magazine the story is told of
Mr. William M. Speight, who had lost a brother offi cer, and his best
friend, in the Ypres salient in December, 1915, seeing this offi cer
come to his dug-out the same night. The next evening Mr. Speight
invited another offi cer to come to the dugout in order to confi rm
him should the vision reappear. The dead offi cer came once more
and, after pointing to a spot on the fl oor of the dug-out, vanished.
A hole was dug at the indicated spot, and at a depth of three feet
there was discovered a narrow tunnel excavated by the Germans,
with fuses and mines timed to explode thirteen hours later. By the
discovery of this mine the lives of a number of men were saved.
Mrs. E. A. Cannock, a well-known London clairvoyant, de-
[149]
scribed
diers adopted a novel and convincing method of making known
their identity. The soldiers (as seen in her clairvoyant vision) advanced in single fi le up the aisle, led by a young lieutenant. Each
man bore on his chest what appeared to be a large placard on
which was written his name and the place where he had lived on
earth. Mrs. Cannock was able to read these names and descriptions,
and they were all identifi ed by various members of the audience.
at a Spiritualist meeting how a number of deceased sol-
483
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
A curious feature was that as each name was recognized the spirit
form faded away, thus making way for the one who was following.
As a type of other reports of a similar nature we may quote a case
of what is described as “Telepathy from the Battle-front.” On November 4, 1914, Mrs. Fussey, of Wimbledon, whose son “Tab” was
serving in France with the 9th Lancers, was sitting at home when
she felt in her arm the sharp sting of a wound. She jumped up and
cried out, “How it smarts!” and rubbed the place. Her husband also
attended to her arm, but could fi nd no trace of anything wrong
with it. Mrs. Fussey continued to suffer pain and exclaimed: “Tab is
wounded in the arm. I know it.” The following Monday a letter arrived from Private Fussey, saying that he had been shot in the arm
[150]
and was in hospital,
riences of many psychics who by some unknown law of sympathy
have suffered shocks simultaneously with accidents occurring to
friends, and sometimes strangers, at a distance.
In a number of cases dead soldiers have manifested themselves
through psychic photography. One of the most remarkable instances occurred in London on Armistice Day, November 11, 1922, when
the medium, Mrs. Deane, in the presence of Miss Estelle Stead, took
a photograph of the crowd in Whitehall, in the neighbourhood of
the Cenotaph. It was during the Two Minutes Silence, and on the
photograph there is to be seen a broad circle of light, in the midst of
which are two or three dozen heads, many of them those of soldiers,
who were subsequently recognized. These photographs have been
repeated on each succeeding year, and though the usual reckless
and malicious attacks have been made upon the medium and her
work, those who had the best opportunity of checking it have no
doubt of the supernormal character of these pictures.
The case coincides with the recorded expe-
484
THE HISTORY OF SPIRITUALISM
We must content ourselves with one more case as typical of
many hundreds of results. Mr. R. S. Hipwood, 174, Cleveland Road,
[151]
Sunderland, writes
We lost our only son in France, August 27, 1918. Being a good
amateur photographer I was curious about the photos that had been
taken by the Crewe Circle. We took our own plate with us, and I put
the plate in the dark slide myself and put my name on it. We exposed two plates in the camera and got a well-recognized photo.
Even my nine-year-old grandson could tell who the extra was, without anyone saying anything to him. Having a thorough knowledge
of photography, I can vouch for the veracity of the photograph in
every particular. I claim the print which I send you to be an ordinary
photograph of myself and Mrs. Hipwood, with the extra of my son,
R. S. Hipwood, 13th Welsh Regiment, killed in France in the great
advance in August, 1918. I tender to our friends at Crewe our unbounded confi dence in their work.
Of the many cases recorded of the return of dead soldiers, the
following stands out because the particulars were received from
two independent sources. It is related by Mr. W. T. Waters, of Tunbridge Wells, who says that he is only a novice in the study of Spiri-
[152]
tualism
:
In July last I had a sitting with Mr. J. J. Vango, in the course of
which the control suddenly told me that there was standing by me
a young soldier who was most anxious that I should take a message
to his mother and sister who live in this town. I replied that I did
not know any soldier near to me who had passed over. However,
the lad would not be put off, and as my own friends seemed to stand
aside to enable him to speak, I promised to endeavour to carry out
his wishes.
At once came an exact description which enabled me instantly
to recognize in this soldier lad the son of an acquaintance of my
:
485
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
family. He told me certain things by which I was made doubly certain that it was he and no other, and he then gave me his message of
comfort and assurance to his mother and sister (his father had died
when he was a baby), who, for over two years, had been uncertain as
to his fate, as he had been posted as “missing.” He described how he
had been badly wounded and captured by the Germans in a retreat,
and that he had died about a week afterwards, and he implored me
to tell his dear ones that he was often with them, and that the only
bar to his complete happiness was the witnessing of his mother’s
great grief and his inability to make himself known.
I fully intended to keep my promise, but knowing that the lad’s
people favoured the High Church party and would most likely be
absolutely sceptical, I was puzzled how to convey the message, as
I felt they would only think that my own loss had affected my brain.
I ventured to approach his aunt, but what I told her only called
forth the remark: “It cannot be,” and I therefore decided to await an
opportunity of speaking to his mother direct.
Before this looked-for opportunity came, a young lady of this
town, having lost her mother about two years ago, and hearing from
my daughter that I was investigating these matters, called to see me,
and I lent her my books. One of these books is “Rupert Lives,” with
which she was particularly struck, and she eventually arranged a sitting with Miss McCreadie, through whom she received such convincing testimony that she is now a fi rm believer. During this sitting, the soldier boy who came to me came to her also. He repeated
the same description that I had received, mentioned in addition his
name-Charlie-and begged her to give a message to his mother and
sister-the selfsame message which I had failed to give. So anxious
was he in the matter, that at the close of the sitting he came again
and implored her not to fail him.
486
THE HISTORY OF SPIRITUALISM
Now, these events happened at different dates-July and September-the same message exactly being given through different mediums to different persons, and yet people tell us it is all a myth and
that mediums simply read our thoughts.
When my friend told me of her experience I at once asked her
to go with me to the lad’s mother, and I am pleased to state that this
double message convinced both his mother and his sister, and that
his aunt is almost brought to the truth if not quite.
[153]
Sir William Barrett
which was obtained in Dublin through the ouija board, with Mrs.
Travers Smith, the daughter of the late Professor Edward Dowden.
Her friend, Miss C, who is mentioned, was the daughter of a medical
man. Sir William calls it “The Pearl Tie-pin Case.”
Miss C., the sitter, had a cousin an offi cer with our Army in
France, who was killed in battle a month previously to the sitting:
this she knew. One day after the name of her cousin had unexpectedly been spelt out on the ouija board, and her name given in answer to her query: “Do you know who I am?” the following message
came:
“Tell mother to give my pearl tie-pin to the girl I was going to
marry. I think she ought to have it.” When asked what was the name
and address of the lady both were given; the name spelt out included
the full Christian and surname, the latter being a very unusual one
and quite unknown to both the sitters. The address given in London
was either fi ctitious or taken down incorrectly, as a letter sent there
was returned and the whole message was thought to be fi ctitious.
Six months later, however, it was discovered that the offi cer had
been engaged, shortly before he left for the Front, to the very lady
whose name was given; he had, however, told no one. Neither his
cousin nor any of his own family in Ireland were aware of the fact,
and had never seen the lady nor heard her name until the War Of-
records this evidential communication
487
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
fi ce sent over the deceased offi cer’s effects. Then they found that he
had put this lady’s name in his will as his next-of-kin, both Christian and surname being precisely the same as given through the automatist; and what is equally remarkable, a pearl tie pin was found
in his effects.
Both the ladies have signed a document they sent me, affi rming
the accuracy of the above statement. The message was recorded at
the time, and not written from memory after verifi cation had been
obtained. Here there could be no explanation of the facts by subliminal memory, or telepathy or collusion, and the evidence points
unmistakably to a telepathic message from the deceased offi cer.
[154]
The Rev. G. Vale Owen describes
one of his Bible Class lads in Orford, Warrington, who joined the
R.F.A. and was killed in the Great War.
Some weeks later his mother was tidying up the hearth in the
sitting-room. She was on her knees before the grate when she felt
an impulse to turn round and look at the door which opened into
the entrance hall. She did so, and saw her son clad in his working
clothes, just as he used to come home every evening when he was
alive. He took off his coat and hung it upon the door, an old familiar habit of his. Then he turned to her, nodded and smiled, and
walked through to the back kitchen where he had been in the habit
of washing before sitting down to his evening meal. It was all quite
natural and lifelike. She knew that it was her dead boy who had
come to show her that he was alive in the spirit land and living
a natural life, well, happy and content. Also that smile of love told
her that his heart was still with the old folks at home. She is a sensible woman and I did not doubt her story for a moment. As a matter
of fact, since his death he had been seen in Orford Church, which he
used to attend, and has been seen in various places since.
the return of George Leaf,
488
THE HISTORY OF SPIRITUALISM
There are many instances of visions of soldiers coinciding with
death. In Rosa Stuart’s “Dreams and Visions of the War” this case is
given:
A very touching story was told me by a Bournemouth wife. Her
husband, a sergeant in the Devons, went to France on July 25th,
1915. She had received letters regularly from him, all of which were
very happy and cheerful, and so she began to be quite reassured in
her mind about him, feeling certain that whatsoever danger he had
to face he would come safely through.
On the evening of September 25th, 1915, at about ten o’clock,
she was sitting on her bed in her room talking to another girl, who
was sharing it with her. The light was full on, and neither of them
had as yet thought of getting into bed, so deep were they in their
chat about the events of the day and the war.
And then suddenly there came a silence. The wife had broken
off sharply in the middle of a sentence and sat there staring into
space.
For, standing there before her in uniform, was her husband
l For two or three minutes she remained there looking at him, and
she was struck by the expression of sadness in his eyes. Getting up
quickly she advanced to the spot where he was standing, but by the
time she had reached it the vision had disappeared.
Though only that morning the wife had had a letter saying her
husband was safe and well, she felt sure that the vision foreboded
evil. She was right. Soon afterwards she received a letter from the
War Offi ce, saying that he had been killed in the Battle of Loos on
September 25th, 1915, the very date she had seemed to see him
stand beside her bed.
A deeper mystical side of the visions of the Great War centres
round the “Angels of Mons.” Mr. Arthur Machen, the well-known
London journalist, wrote a story telling how English bowmen from
489
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
the fi eld of Agincourt intervened during the terrible retreat from
Mons. But he stated afterwards that he had invented the incident.
But here, as so often before, truth proved fi ction to be a fact, or at
least facts of a like character were reported by a number of credible
witnesses. Mr. Harold Begbie published a little book,” On the Side of
the Angels,” giving much evidence, and Mr. Ralph Shirley, editor of
the OCCULT REVIEW (London), followed with “The Angel Warriors at Mons,” in which he added to Mr. Begbie’s testimony.
A British offi cer, replying to Mr. Machen in the London EVENING NEWS (September 14, 1915), mentions that he was fi ghting
at Le Cateau on August 26, 1914, and that his division retired and
marched throughout the night of the 26th and during the 27th.
He says:
On the night of the 27th I was riding along in the column with
two other offi cers. We had been talking and doing our best to keep
from falling asleep on our horses.
As we rode along I became conscious of the fact that, in the fi elds
on both sides of the road along which we were marching, I could
see a very large body of horsemen. These horsemen had the appearance of squadrons of cavalry, and they seemed to be riding across the
fi elds and going in the same direction as we were going, and keeping
level with us.
The night was not very dark, and I fancied that I could see the
squadron of these cavalrymen quite distinctly.
I did not say a word about it at fi rst, but I watched them for
about twenty minutes. The other two offi cers had stopped talking.
At last one of them asked me if I saw anything in the fi elds.
I then told him what I had seen. The third offi cer then confessed
that he, too, had been watching these horsemen for the past twenty
minutes.
490
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