Observations placeholder
Andrew Lang – Mrs. Emma-L. Darton and the dog Dan see a ghost
Identifier
028551
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
NOTES by Professor Ernesto Bozzano
Further details on this case can be found in the volume cited above of the Journal of the S.P.R.
Mr. Andrew Lang assumes that in this circumstance it is probably a case of "telepathy before an arrival". That is, Mrs. Darton's sister, preparing to return, had thought intensively about something about her domestic environment, which would have determined the telepathic projection of her ghost in the environment in question. These telepathic manifestations are actually taking place, and the English Society for Psychological Research has collected a fairly large number of them. However, I believe this is unlikely to be the case in the instance we are examining, as it seems impossible that the dog would have become furious in the presence of a member of the family.
By eliminating this hypothesis, it would not be easy to find the origin of the ghost that appeared collectively to the lady and her dog, unless it was considered to be a haunting phenomenon.
In any case, we are not interested in solving this issue at this time. We only need to note that, again in this example, the dog was the first percipient.
A description of the experience
Professor Ernesto Bozzano - The parapsychological manifestations of animals - 130 cases proving animal mediumistic abilities
Case 34. - (Collective visual, with an anteriority of the animal over man.) - Professor Andrew Lang communicates to the Journal of S. P. R., vol. XIV, p. 70, the following episode, contained in a letter to him from a lady belonging to his friends:
22, York Mansion's Battersea Parks, S. W.
February 10, 1909.
Dear Professor,
In your recent article in the "Morning Post", you mention a case of an appearance perceived simultaneously by a lady and her dog. I think you can be interested in a similar event that happened to me and my dog six years ago. I was reading, sitting by the fireplace in my living room, with its door closed. My dog Dan was sleeping on the floor.
Suddenly, I was distracted in my reading by my dog, who had started to growl loudly. I leaned over him to calm him down by caressing him, but he continued growling more intensively. So I looked in the same direction as the animal, which I could only do by turning around in my chair, and to my amazement, I saw a woman's shape dressed in grey, right by the door. I could not distinguish the features of her face, which remained hidden by a plant placed on a table.
At first I thought it was my sister and I spoke to her and asked her how she got home so early and how she could enter the room without making any noise. But I soon remembered that being alone, I had pulled the lock on the door of the house. Then I jumped up, frightened, while Dan was barking at the intruder who immediately disappeared, even though the living room door had remained closed. The dog showed all the symptoms of anger and terror. The eyes were shiny, but the head was low and the hair spiky along the spine. It seemed being convinced that it had seen a real person, since, when I opened the door, it started barking furiously and went down the stairs and then up again, always looking for the intruder, which, of course, we were unable to find. I was alone at home and felt a sense of relief when, shortly after, the doorbell rang and I opened it to my sister.
I have no theory to propose for the explanation of this fact; it has been impossible for me to link the vision of the ghost with events that occurred before or after. But I am absolutely sure what we saw, me and the dog, although there are no other witnesses to support my story. Naturally, I immediately told my sister about the event.
(Signed: Mrs. Emma-L. Darton.)