In the second of the incidents above described, and in the account which follows, the percipient's statements included facts which were not within the knowledge of any of those present, and we are forced to the conclusion that the percipient in some way derived her knowledge from persons at a distance. The case presents a curious experimental parallel to the dream (No. 60) recorded in Chapter VIII., and to case No. 107 below. In the present instance, however, the persons whom we may perhaps call the agents, though unconscious of their agency in the matter, do not appear to have been personally unknown to the percipient.
No. 101.—From DR. WILTSE.
"Mr. Howard lived six miles from me. He had just built a large frame house; our subject had never seen the house, although, I presume, she may have heard it talked of. Mr. Howard had not been home for some days, and asked that Fannie should go there and see if all were well. She exclaimed at the size of the house, but railed at the ugliness of the front fence, saying she would not have 'such an old torn-down' fence in front of so nice a house. 'Yes,' said Howard, laughing, 'my wife has been worrying the life out of me about the fence and the front steps.' 'Oh,' interrupted Fannie, 'the steps are nice and new!' 'She is off there,' said Howard, 'the steps are worse than the fence.' 'Don't you see,' exclaimed Fannie, impatiently, 'how new and nice the steps are? Humph!' (And she seemed absolutely disgusted, judging by the tone.) 'I think they are real nice.'
"Changing the subject, Howard asked her how many windows were in his house. Almost instantly she gave a number (I think it was twenty-six). Howard thought it was too many, but upon carefully counting, found it exact.
"From my house he went directly home, and, to his great surprise, found that during his absence his wife had employed a carpenter who had built new front steps, and they had been completed a day or two before Fannie had scanned the premises for him with her invisible telescope.
"Mr. Howard's son, a youth, had gone into an adjoining county and was not expected back for some days. Fannie was acquainted with the young man (Andrew). Mr. Howard, having business back at the station, was with us again the next night. His faith in our 'oracle' had assumed larger proportions, and he suggested a visit home by means of Fannie's wonderful faculty. She described the rooms excellently, even to a bouquet on one of the tables, and said that several young people were there. Asked who they were, she replied that she did not know any of them except Andrew. 'But,' I said, 'Andrew is not at home.' Fannie: 'Why, don't you see him?' Q. 'Sure, Fannie?' F. 'Oh, don't I know Andrew? Right there, he is.' Mr. Howard returned home the next morning, where he found that Andrew had returned late the day before, and that several young people in the neighbourhood had passed the evening with him."
The following are copies of questions addressed to Mr. Howard, and his replies to them:—
"'Did she describe your new doorsteps to you before you knew they were built?' 'Yes.'
"Question.—'Did she describe your house and tell you Andrew was there when you thought he was away, and, if so, was he actually at home as she stated?'
"Answer.—'Yes.'
"Question.—'From what you saw, were you satisfied that Fannie had, when mesmerised, powers of imparting knowledge unknown to others about her?'
"Answer.—'Yes.'
"WILLIAM HOWARD,
Kismet, Tenn., Morgan Co."
"We testify to these questions, asked William Howard, to be facts. We were present at the same time Mr. Howard was when Miss G. was mesmerised by Dr. A. S. Wiltse. We further state that when any of us would prick the doctor with a pin, she would flinch with the same part of her body. Miss G. was not in the habit of the use of tobacco. The doctor was in a different room, with a wall between them. When he would smoke, she grew nauseated and seemed to taste the same as he did.
"W. T. HOWARD AND LIZZIE HOWARD."
No. 102.—From MR. WILLIAM BOYD.