Frank Podmore

“ Later it appeared that the vision occurred within half an hour of the death of a patient; and the percipient only then realised the likeness of the phantasmal figure to that of the deceased person. Of course a case of this kind has little evidential importance, even though the hallucination was unique in the percipient's experience. But we have other cases of this type." [15]
Hitherto it has been assumed that the "agent" in these spontaneous cases is the dying man, or, generally speaking, the principal actor in the crisis which gives rise to the percipient's experience. ”

“ It has a greyish tone at a distance, but the colour coincidence is not sufficiently striking to carry much weight. The difference of time between Tasmania and Dublin is about ten hours, so that the vision preceded the death by about thirty-two hours.
The great bulk of the cases in our collection are of the same type as the five narratives last quoted: the figure seen is more or less realistic; it is recognised by the person to whom it appears; and the percipient is a relative or intimate friend. ”

“ In some cases the impression made upon the percipient, though fairly distinct, is not referred to any particular person, until its coincidence with a death gives it retrospective significance. Thus a doctor tells us that about 7.30 on a December morning "when just on the point of rising, I became conscious that a dark form, distinctly that of a female of medium height, was passing round the foot of the bed, and glided up to my side. ”

“ Tweedale and his father, we may suppose that the impulse actually originated with the dying woman, but that it remained latent in the subconsciousness of the percipients for some two hours before a favourable opportunity occurred for its emergence into the upper consciousness. We have evidence in the case of dreams, crystal visions, and in various hypnotic cases, that an impression may thus lie latent for some hours before it attains full realisation. ”

“ I perfectly well remember the matter, my son telling us of what he had seen and my husband telling me of the apparition to him, also the telegram informing us of the death during the night.
I distinctly remember my husband also being informed by his sister of the appearance to her.
(Signed) Mary Tweedale. It should be added that Mr. Tweedale sees in the fact that the vision appeared to three persons independently after the death had occurred, a proof that the personality survives death.
It need scarcely be said that the facts are susceptible of other explanations. ”

“ As I knew that Meinander was alive and well, and was commander of the "Malorosstisky" 40th regiment of dragoons, I did not say anything then; but when I was going to bed, I related to my mother what I had seen, and the next morning could not refrain from mentioning it to my husband.
Our astonishment was extreme when on the 18th of February (2nd of March) we learned that Nicholas Ottovitch Av-Meinander had actually died after a short illness on the 16th (28th) of February at 9 o'clock in the evening, in the town of Stashovo, [7] where his regiment is stationed. ”

“ The case where percipients not in the same room have simultaneous impressions is much rarer. The following instance of this type may be quoted. The case, it will be seen, exceeds the limit of ten years for the interval between event and record which we had set before ourselves as a standard, but the narrative bears on the face of it the impress of accuracy.
No. 41. From the Rev. Charles L. Tweedale, F. R. A. S. [21] ”

“ Easter Eve (Mentone) . —"Drove with A. and picked anemones. Lovely bright day. But my head ached too much to enjoy it. Went to bed after tea and read Hettner's Renaissance. Mamma saw Judy's ghost at table d' hôte!" ”

“ Judy dead, poor old dear."
It will be seen that no exact correspondence is made out between the vision and the death; but it is clear that the apparition was seen before the news of the death was received. In this case it is not difficult to suppose that the agent may have been the person in whose charge the dog had been left. But to return for a moment to Case 39. ”

“ The following case presents a grotesque feature which is almost without parallel in our records.In this case also the percipient, it will be observed,was in the company of others. The case was forwarded to us on May 5, 1892, by Mr. Raper of Trinity College, Oxford, who writes that he heard an account of the incident very soon after its occurrence.
No. 38 From M. J. Dovz [12]
New College, Oxford. Just before last Christmas I went over to Liverpool with one of my brothers and my sister. It was a very fine, clear day, and there was a great crowd of people shopping in the streets. ”

“ The account was written in answer to the census questions. ↑ Journal. S. P. R.. January, 1895. ↑ In some of these experimental eases the subject is found completely to forget his own vision or action immediately afterwards. It would seem therefore that the state of dissociation in the case of spontaneous hallucinations is not as a rule very far-reaching. ↑ See Parish, Hallucinations and Illusions, pp. 291, et seqq. Parish is a critic who has every intention of being impartial. ”

“ Mr. Tweedale's experience and that of his father occurred at about 2 a.m.; the death took place at 12.15 a.m. The appearance to Mr. Tweedale's aunt, Mrs. Hodgson, took place eighteen hours after the death, news of which had been intentionally kept from the percipient on account of her serious illness. Mr. Hodgson has given us an account of this vision.
Mrs. Tweedale writes:
Victor Place, Crawsbooth, nr. ”