The following record is taken from a paper by M. Jean Charles Roux, medical student, published in the Annales des Sciences Psychiques (vol. iii. pp. 202, 203). These experiments in thought-transference at a distance were preceded by a series of fairly successful trials with playing-cards at close quarters, and by some other experiments designed to test clairvoyance.
Third Series: Experiments at a distance.
Lemaire is in his room, I in mine, with two rooms intervening. At an hour previously fixed on, I suggest a card to him.
| Date. | Card thought of. | Card guessed. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | Mar. | 15, | 1892 | 4 hearts | red, hearts; low number, five |
| (2) | " | 18, | " | 10 hearts | 3 diamonds |
| (3) | " | 27, | " | 6 spades | 6 clubs |
| (4) | " | " | " | Kg. diamonds | Knave diamonds |
| (5) | " | " | " | ace diamonds | 5 clubs |
| (Agent had failed to concentrate his attention.) | |||||
| (6) | " | " | " | Queen spades | King spades |
| (7) | " | " | " | 4 clubs | 6 clubs |
| (8) | Apr. | 6, | " | 3 clubs | 5 clubs |
| (9) | " | " | " | 2 spades | 2 spades |
Fourth Series.
The account of the following six trials at a distance in space and time, which are imperfectly recorded in the Annales, is taken from a letter received from M. Roux, dated the 19th December 1893:—
(10) Paris, 2nd April.—Lemaire having gone out I drew a card from the pack, the 9 Hearts, and tried to transfer it to him. Then I wrote a note to the following effect: "Guess the card that I am thinking of as I write these words," and left it on the table. A few minutes after Lemaire entered and guessed the 7 Hearts.
(11) 3rd April.—Lemaire was out. I drew a card from the pack, the ace Hearts, and tried to transfer it to him. As on the previous day, I left a note on the table and went out immediately. When I came back at midnight I found a line from Lemaire saying he had guessed the ace Hearts.
The four other experiments took place in a country town, at Chateauroux. We lived about 500 or 600 yards apart.
(12) 13th April.—In the morning I saw Lemaire and said to him, "At 2 o'clock you must guess a card that I shall suggest to you." I went home, and at a quarter to twelve I drew from the pack the 5 Hearts. I saw Lemaire again in the evening. He had guessed the 6 Hearts. He was walking in the street with a friend. At about two minutes to 2 P.M. he looked at his watch, remembered the experiment, and immediately the idea of Hearts came to him. A few minutes later, when alone, he tried to guess the exact card, and decided on the 6 Hearts.
(13) 13th April.—I said to Lemaire that on the 14th April, at 9 A.M., he was to guess a card. After going home on the 13th April, at 10 P.M. I drew a card from the pack—4 Clubs. Next day, at 9 A.M., Lemaire guessed 2 Clubs.
(14) July 17th.—Lemaire was to guess a card at 9 o'clock. At 10 minutes to 9, from my house, I tried to transfer the 4 Spades. (I have forgotten to make a note of whether I merely thought of this card or whether I drew it from a pack.) At 9 o'clock Lemaire guessed 5 Spades.
(15) 30th July.—This experiment is more complicated but none the less interesting. On the 30th July, at 11 A.M., Lemaire was to guess a card which I had tried to suggest to him on the 26th July. This card was the Knave Diamonds. But he forgot to do it, and did not remember to guess the card till 7 P.M. on the 30th July. Now on this same day, the 30th July, from 6 to 6.30 P.M. I was myself engaged in guessing a card by clairvoyance, and after many attempts I decided on 7 or 8 Clubs, and Lemaire, guessing the card at 7 P.M., also decided upon 7 Clubs. So that I had suggested the card to him unconsciously.
Thus, omitting the last trial as of doubtful interpretation, we find that in 14 trials the card was guessed correctly twice, the number alone once, and the suit alone nine times, or three times the probable number.
Transference of Visual Impressions.