A MARVELLOUS STORY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3596, 20 January 1883, Page 4

A MARVELLOUS STORY.

A correspondent, who gives his name and address for publication, -writes to a Manchester paper as follows : —A circumstance occurred 33 years ago at Bolton, which, with your permission, I will relate. At that time there was a ' doctor' in the town who kept a small druggist's .shop. He was also si mesmerist and clairvoyant. Seeing some account of his doings in the journals of that day, I determined to consult him about a brother I had in America, and from Avhoin I had not heard for some time, and about whom I was uncertain whether lie was alive or dead. I therefore waited upon the doctor and acquainted him with my wishes. Hu said my request was a very peculiar one, and ho was afraid lie could not give me the information .1 sought, but be would try. He inquired if I had anything upon me which my brother had pos-

sessed, or which had passed through his hands—a letter, look of hair, or even anything. Unfortunately T had not a single thing upon me which had ever been in my brother's possession. The doctor thought ■under the circumstances he could not serve me, and "was about to dismiss me to fetch a letter or something of my brother's, ■when he said, ' Wait, let us see what personal connection will do.' He therefore invited me into a small back parlour, and presently brought into the room a young woman who acted as his general servant, and who could neitherrcadnorwrite. He immediately threw her into the mesmeric state, and then he instructed me to take the girl's hands in mine, that he might establish through me a link by which my long-lost brother might be traced. I had no sooner taken hold of the girl's hands than she exclaimed, ' Oh, doctor, this gentleman has such a strange book in his pocket; it is not printed like any of yours, and it's about spirits.' "Well, the fact was I had a small phonographic magazine in my pocket, published by Isaac Pitman, and* printed in phonographic characters, and in this magazine was an article on mesmerism and spirit intercourse. Noav, I had not shown this book to the doctor (he could not read phonography), nor said anything to him about it, and it was hidden away out of sight. How was it that a completely ignorant girl, who could not read the simplest spelling-book, should be able to see, hidden down in my pocket, a book invisible even to my own eyes, and be able to tell its nature and contents, although printed in characters which the doctor could not read, and which even very few of our most learned and scientific men could read at that time. Having so clearly and powerfully demonstrated her powers, all seep ti cism was banished from my mind. The doctor then briefly told her my business —that I wanted to know whether my long-lost brother in America, was alive or dead, and if alive where living and what doing. For a quarter of an hour she was silent, all -which time I held her hands in mine. She then began to complain of excessive heat, although comparatively cool in the room. She said she had passed over a vast expanse of water, aiid had seen a lot of ships which were very nice, but now she had come to a country which was very hot (it was July), and the clocks seemed to be all wrong, for they where about I. 1 , hours late. (Of course she knew nothing about the difference in time between here and America.) Presently she exclaimed, "I have found him, but lie is very sickly. He is just recovering from a three months' sickness, and is having a short walk." She described his personal appearance so accurately that I did not doubt she had discovered my long lost brother. She told me he was married and had a litle girl, and described his wife and child to me. She said he was not a householder, but lived with his wife's parents. She even described his library, and told me which were his favourite books, all which statements I afterwards found to be as true as gospel.