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 Mary Rose Barrington, Ian Stevenson and Zofia Weaver, A World in a Grain of Sand: The Clairvoyance of Stefan Ossowiecki,  2005

We start in April and May, 1927, when Geley Richet and Dr. Geo-Langa, a scientist who was also skilled in conjuring, took the first steps toward verifying the seemingly incredible stories told about Ossowiecki. At this stage Ossowiecki was cautiously described by Geley as M.O., perhaps in deference to his professional status as a chemical engineer and businessman, but in later reports Geley must have realized that Ossowiecki's psychic powers were so very well known in Poland that there was no need for his identity to be kept confidential.

Early Experiments by Geley and Richet
Experiment series l April-May 1921 [related by Geley]

During our unforgettable stay in Warsaw we witnessed the truly astonishing faculties of M. Ossowiecki.  Ossowiecki, an engineer and industrialist, a man leading a very active life, has since early childhood had the gift of clairvoyance.  This faculty, which we hope soon to study in all its aspects, thanks to M. Ossowiecki's unbounded co-operation and dedication, manifests in different ways.

For the moment we shall leave aside the astounding stories told by sincere witnesses, and we shall content ourselves with reporting the main experiments carried out by Prof. Richet, M. Geo-Lange and myself.

After a private dinner where we had had the pleasure of meeting M. Ossowiecki for the first time, he invited us to try an experiment. He suggested reading a sealed letter.  I was sitting about three meters away from the clairvoyant, at the other end of the table. I took a letter from my pocket and folded it so as to place the signature on the inside; I put it in an envelope, I sealed it up and handed it to M. Ossowiecki, who took it in his hand.

With some difficulty he told me the approximate contents of the letter. But he made some mistakes, describing the writer of the letter as "an elegant man, handsome, feminine in character" when the writer was in fact a woman. On the other hand, he read with total accuracy the first five letters of the signature, and said that there were four more letters that he could not read. The total number of letters was correct.

The experiment was encouraging. M. Geo-Lange, sitting opposite me, very far from the clairvoyant, wrote on a piece of paper the following sentence, in English:

I consider you are wonderful.

It is impossible for the clairvoyant by normal means to have had any knowledge of what was written on this paper, which was immediately folded and put in an envelope, which was stuck down.

M. Ossowiecki, kneading the envelope in his hand, walked a few steps up and down the room, and said, "It's in English! I can't read it, I don't know any English."

M. Geo-Lange exclaimed, "That's marvelous."

M. Ossowiecki continued, "I see one isolated letter, then a word of eight letters that starts CON, then two short words, then a long word that is like Vendredi, but it can't be vendredi because it's English."

The second session was conducted by Prof. Richet, alone in his hotel room, next day. Taking all necessary precautions not to be seen, the Professor wrote the following sentence, which he put into a closed envelope. "Never does the sea look grander than when it is calm. Its furies diminish it."

Here is the professor's written note: Ossowiecki said: "I see a lot of water!" (I said: very good!) "It's something difficult. It’s not a question, it's an idea of yours that you've taken up." (I said: very, very good.) "The sea was never so grand as ...I can't grasp this whole thing." (I say: it's perfect, it's wonderful.) "The sea has such grandeur apart from its movement."

The professor then wrote a four digit number, which was read without any error (as ever, it was put into a closed envelope).

The professor had prepared two sealed up envelopes, identical in appearance, and he had put in each of them a letter he had just received. He took one at random from his pocket and handed it to M. Ossowiecki. But he was too tired, said nothing definite and asked the professor to defer the experiment. The professor, who had to leave the next day, handed the letter to me, without telling me what it contained.

The third session, carried out by me, alone, at M. Ossowiecki's residence, on 1st May 7927.

First experiment: I gave the clairvoyant the sealed letter that Prof. Richet had left with me. Here are the words I noted down as he spoke them, promptly and without hesitation:

"There is talk about a lady called Berger. It's a gentleman 50 years of age who wrote this letter, which is a reply to a letter from Prof. Richet. This letter does not come from Paris, it comes from a place near the sea. It's about various matters. It's an invitation. There is something about this lady called Berger. She is 33 years of age. She is married. I can't read this. It was written very quickly, it's confused, it digresses. It's a musical man who wrote it."

In this long monologue, there was just one mistake: 'A place near the sea." All the rest is correct: it is an invitation to give lectures on behalf of various societies.

It says "you will be Mrs. Berger’s guest of honor." The letter includes the words "[written] in great haste" It is very badly written and rather incoherent. The age and characteristics of Mr. and Mrs. Berger are correct.

Second experiment: I sit facing the clairvoyant. Between us is a very wide rectangular table. There is no mirror and there are no reflective surfaces behind me.

I write on a card, under the table, without moving my arm (supported by a book resting on my knees). "Nothing is more stirring than the muezzins' call to prayer." I put the card in a large, opaque envelope (still under the table). I stick down the envelope and give it to Ossowiecki, who takes it in his hand and rubs it. Here is what he said:

"It's not a question. These are your ideas. There is something.... A feeling of prayer, something very deep ... a call.... From men who are killed, wounded ...no, it's not that.... Something affecting, emotional."

Then, straight off the clairvoyant said:

"Nothing is more moving than the call to prayer; nothing in life is more tender, that moves the soul like prayer.... Towards ... what ... who ... it is a certain caste of men, mazzi .. . madz ... a caste .. . I can’t see any more."

These experiments, very simple, seem to us conclusive. In a series of sessions to take place soon at the Institute, we shall try to study some of the theoretical problems that arise from M. Ossowiecki's mysterious and admirable faculties. [14 1921 No.5]