CAN WE COMMUNICATE, WITH THE DEAD?

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 238, 29 December 1916, Page 6 (Supplement)

CAN WE COMMUNICATE, WITH THE DEAD?

SOME STARTLING FACTS ON THIS MOMENTOUS SUBJECT.

The whole lives of many distinguished philosophers and scientists have been spent in trying to solve this question. Have they attained any definite results as to the actual re-appearance of he dead on earth again? The thousands of cases where persons wholly disinterested in spiritualism have received Visits from the dead show that the great mystery of psychical phenomena is well worthy of careful consideration. Since the war public interest in spiritualism has increased a hundredfold, and many remarkable incidents have been recorded where relations and friends of our brave fighting men have received premonitions of the coming death of the heroes at the Front. A Tit-Bits man recently visited in London the editor of the oldest journal of psychical and mystical research. It is called 'Light,' and has been published'for the last forty years. In the course of conversation, Mr. Gowe, the editor, said: — "From the beginning of the war a great number of people have naturally taken a deeper interest in the serious side of life, especially in the branch of psychical phenomena. Many incidents have come to my notice where spirits of dead soldiers have come and spoken to their relations, telling them that they have been killed, often giving particu-lars-of the place where they fell. All these, reports I myself have verified, so that they are able to stand the strictest criticism."

Hre is he story given by Mr. W. H. Robinson, of Newcastle, in the 'Northern Daily Echo,' which occurred at a seaojce' given at a friend's house. It is in Mr. Robinson's own words:—

The voice gave the name and number of a house in a certain street in Sunderland, and continued: "I am a British officer who was recently in a very heavy engagement. My mother and sister reside at the address given, and I want you to acquaint them of the fact that I am no longer on earth. They cannot possibly obtain the news for a very long time yet, if I were to await the usual official method, for I am not yet posted in the British Army as even missing." Next morning the two ladies went down to the address given. They discovered that the information that the mother and sister of a British officer lived here was quite correct, and then, with some hesitation, they related the whole story to the relatives. Later the officer was reported killed.

One of the most remarkabb books dealing with messages from the dead is " Man's- Survival After Death," written by the Rev. Charles Tweedale, the vicar of Weston, near Otley. It contains many strange experiences and brings to light some wonderful stories which hitherto have been unknown to the British public. The following narrative relates to 'the death" of Mrs. Birkbeck, whose name is famous in connection with the Birkbeck Bank: — In 1789 Mrs. Birkbeck, wife of William Birkbeck, banker, Seattle, and a member of the Societ of Friends, was token ill and died at Cockermouth while returning from a journey to Scotland, which she had undertaken alone.

One morning, between seven and tight o'clock, the relative to whom the care of her children had been entrusted during their mothers' absfence went into their bedroom as usual and found them sitting up in bed in great excitement and delight. "Mamma has been here," they cried, and the little one said she called, "Come, Esther." Nothing could make them doubt the fact, and it ( was carefully noted down to entertain the mother when she came home. That same morning, as their mother lay on her dying bed at Cockermouth, she said, "I should be ready to go if I could but see my children." She then closed her eyes, to re-open them, as they thought, no more. But after ten minutes of perfect stillness she looked up brightly and said, "I have been-with my children," and then at once peacefully passed! away. When the notes' taken at the two places were copared, the day, hour, and minutes were the same.

The following incident, which happened during the Transvaal War, is recorded by an Army officer, who says: I had formed a friendship with t»ro officers, J.P. and J.S., and when the .Transvaal War broke out, J.P. was ordered out on the staff. Both had now attained major's rank. On the morning that J.P. was leaving London to embark for the Cape, he invited tho narrator to breakfast with Tiim at the club, and' they finally parted at the club door. "Good-bye, old fellow," I said; "we shall meet again, I hope."

"Yes," he said, again." I can sec him now as lie stood, smart and erect, -with his bright black eyes looking intently into mine. A wave of the hand as the hansom whirled him off, and he was gone. The Transvaal War was at its height One night I had gone to my rooms late. It must have been nearly one o'clock before I turned into bed. I had slept perhaps several hours, when I nwoke with a start. The grey dawn was stealing in through the windows, and the light fell sharply and distinctly on the military chest of drawers which stood at the farther end of the room, audi which I carried about with mo everywhere during my servic,*. Standing by my lH?d, between mo and th • chest of drawers, I saw a figure whicls in spite of the unwonted dress—un. wonk'd at least to me—and of a full black beard, I at once recognised a»> that of my old brother officer. He had on the usual khaki suit worn by officers on active service in Eastern cljmates. On his bond he wore the ordinary whit? pith helmet of the service I noted these particulars in the mo. ment that I started from sleep and sat up in bed looking at him. His face was pale, but his brigiil black eyw shone as keenly as when, a vear and n half before, he had bidden me adieu. Fully inipresse<T for the moment that we were stationed together again .it C— —, in Ireland, and thinkintr 1 was in the bi.iTack-o.om, T said, ''Halloa P., am I iate for paradep" P. look.d at me steadily and replied "T am shot."

"we shall meet

"Shot!" 1 exclaimed. "Good Cod! how and where?"

"Through the lungs," replied P.. and as he spoke his right hand moved slowly no the breast untrt the fingers rested over the right lung. "What wv.w you doing?" I asked. "The General sent me forward." he answered, and the right hand left the breast to move slowlv to the front, pointing over my head to the window' and at the same moment the fifnire melted awav.

Later Major TVs death was renounced in the nowspin-rs, havin" been killed on January 2St,h, the same day as the apparition.

A case which was not only visual but

audible was furnished by Colonel , a well-known Irish gentleman:—

Some sixteen years ago Mrs. —- said to me, "We haivo some people staying here next week. Do you know any person 1 could get to sing with the girls?" I suggested that my gun-niakter, Mr. X., had a daughter with a fine voice who was training as a public singer, and that if she, Mrs. , liked, 1 would write to X., and ask if he would allow her to come down and spent a week with us. On my wife's approval I wrote, and Miss X. cams down for a week and then left. As far as I know, Mrs. never saw her again. Shortly after that I called on X, thanked him for allowing his daughter to come to us, and said we were all much pleased with her. Miss X. did not came out as a singer, but shortly after married Mr. Z., and none of use ever saw her again. Six or seven years passed away, and Mrs. . who had been ill, was dying—in fact, she did die the following day. I was sitting at the foot of her bed talking over some business matters. She changed the subjects, and said : "Do you hear those voices singing?" I replied that I did not, and she said, "I hava heard them several times today, and I am sure they are the angels welcoming me to Heaven, but," she added, " it is strange there is one voice among them I am sure I know and cannot remember whose voice it is."

Suddenly she stopped, and said, pointing straight over my head: — "Why, there she is in the corner of the room. It is Julia X.; she is coming on, she is leaning over you, she has her hands up, she is praying. Do look; she is going." I turned, but could see nothing. Mrs. then said, "She is gone." All thesa things I imagined to hj? the fantasies of a dying person. Two days afterwards, taking tip the 'Times' newspaper, 1 saw recorded the death of Julia X., wife of Mr. Z.

The 'Birmingham Daily Mail' published a remarkable account of a vision seen by the parents of a soldier whj was killed at the Front:—

A remarkable dream which his father had is recorded in connection with the death of Private Barnard Cochin, the only son of Mr. and Mrs. G. Cochin, of Melbourne Road, Halesowen, and who belonged to the Australian Light Infantry. Cochin took pant in many hot engagements in Gallipoli, and was reported missing on August Bth last. On this night the father had a dream in which he saw his son shot down on the battlefield, and on awakening he cried: out, "Oh, Bernard, my poor boy!" * (fr nrr ■ w

An officer, writing in 'Light,' says:—

Thare are a good number of cases known to me where apparitions of the dead have been seen. One was so vivad that the Tommy who saw it exclaimed, "Halloa, I thought you were in another part of the line!" A day or two later he heard that his pal had been killed down south.