Related by Mr. Myers, page 208, Proceedings S.P.R., July, 1892:—
“About March, 1857, Mrs. Mennier, in England, dreamt that she saw her brother, whose whereabouts she did not know, standing headless at the foot of the bed with his head lying in a coffin by his side. The dream was at once mentioned. It afterwards appeared that at about the time the head of the brother seen, Mr. Wellington, was actually cut off by the Chinese at Sarawak.” On this case, Mr. Gurney remarks—“This dream, if it is to be telepathically explained, must apparently have been due to the last flash of thought in the brother’s consciousness. It may seem strange that a definite picture of his mode of death should present itself to a man in the instant of receiving an unexpected and fatal blow; but, as Hobbes said, ‘Thought is quick.’ The coffin, at any rate, may be taken as an item of death-imagery supplied by the dreamer’s mind.”
“We have now, however,” says Mr. Myers, “seen a letter from Sir James Brookes (Rajah of Sarawak), and an extract from the Straits Times of March 21st, 1857, in the (London) Times for April 29th, 1857, which makes it, I think, quite conceivable that the dream was a reflection of knowledge acquired after death, and the head on the coffin had a distinct meaning.” Sir James Brookes says:—“Poor Wellington’s remains were consumed [by the Chinese]; his head, borne off in triumph, alone attesting his previous murder.” The Straits Times says:—“The head was given up on the following day. The head, therefore, and the head alone, must have been buried by Mr. Wellington’s friends; and its appearance in the dream on the coffin, with a headless body standing beside it, is a coincidence even more significant than the facts which Mr. Gurney had before him when he wrote.”
The transmission of thought from a spirit discarnate to one incarnate, whose body was asleep, should not be esteemed impossible. Abundant instances, equally well substantiated, might be recorded did space permit.
THOUGHT TRANSFERENCE IN PRAYER.
This may be a common experience, but only once in my life have I had conscious knowledge of anything so remarkable. For some years before devoting my attention to these subjects, I resided in Liverpool, and had been a member of the Zion Methodist Church, or Chapel, in Everton, and in time was duly placed on the local preachers’ plan. In this capacity I became acquainted with a worthy old man—a chapel-keeper, who looked after the meeting house situated in —— street. He had been an old soldier, and possessed something of the faith of the Roman centurion. Poor in the things of this world, he was rich in the sublimity of his love to God and the nobility and purity of his life. I never think of “Old Daddy Walker” but his character and this incident comes to my mind, viz.:—One morning I was hurrying down West Derby Road to business, and, indeed had got halfway down Brunswick Road, when I commenced to think about old Walker (I had not seen or thought of him for some months). I attempted to throw aside my impressions, as passing thoughts. No use. I became worried about him, and was asking myself questions. “Was he ill?” “Maybe, he is in want?” “I think I will hurry back and see?” I had not much time to spare. It would consume fully twenty minutes to walk back. After hesitating, I went up Brunswick Road and up West Derby Road, and to —— Street, and tapped at the door of his house. There was no response. The street door was slightly ajar. I went in, and found the old pair on their knees in the kitchen. He was engaged in earnest prayer. After kindly salutations, I apologised for intruding, and told him, as I went to business, “I had been bothered about him in my mind, and did not feel satisfied until I had seen him, and knew the truth.” He told me, as near as I can recollect, “He was at his last extremity. There was no food or fuel in the house, he had no money, and he had been putting the whole case before the Lord.” I had half a sovereign about me, which I had taken out of the house for an entirely different purpose. This I gave to him. The old man, rubbing a tear from his eye, looking at his wife, said: “Mary, don’t thee doubt the Lord anymore. I said He would help, and He has given me what I asked for.” Old Walker went on to explain, not only his bad fix, but that he had no money to buy firewood with. He meant that he bought up old wood and tar-barrels, which he cut up into lengths and made into bundles, and sold for firewood; and that he had asked the Lord for ten shillings, as he wanted that sum to buy a certain lot which could be obtained for that amount. The old man obtained what he asked for. He believed the Lord had answered his prayer.
THOUGHT TRANSMISSION IN PRAYER.
Since writing the above, the following came under my notice. In the J.S.P.R., May, 1885, Dr. Joseph Smith, Warrington, England, says:—
“I was sitting one evening reading, when a voice came to me, saying: ‘Send a loaf to James Grady’s.’ I continued reading, and the voice continued with greater emphasis, and this time it was accompanied with an irresistible impulse to get up. I obeyed, and went into the village and bought a loaf of bread, and, seeing a lad at the shop door, I asked him if he knew James Grady. He said he did, so I bade him carry it and say a gentleman sent it. Mrs. Grady was a member of my class, and I went next morning to see what came of it, when she told me a strange thing happened to her last night. She said she wished to put the children to bed, they began to cry for want of food, and she had nothing to give them. She then went to prayer, to ask God to give them something. Soon after which the lad came to the door with the loaf. I calculated, on inquiry, that the prayer and the voice I heard exactly coincided in point of time.”
“More things are wrought by prayer