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Foster, Charles H - The spirit who died of apoplexy
Identifier
020443
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
The Salem Seer – George Bartlett
Philadelphia Evening Day of April 4, 1873, A PEEP AT THE FUTURE.
One gentleman wrote, " When will I go to Europe ? " on a piece of paper, folded it up, and threw it in the pile. Rapidly, without opening the paper, or even looking at it, Foster replied, "Not before 1875." The gentleman, who was apparently an Englishman, acknowledged that such was his intention.
Then the brother of the gentleman appeared, and his name and date of death were announced. A student then asked if his sister should take a journey. In a minute the medium was greatly excited. He said the influence was upon him very strong, and meant something urgent. "She must go at once," the spirit says; "great danger menaces if she remains. Go — go — go, by all means go " — at the same time forcibly striking the table with his hand, and much determination. The gentleman , at our request, explained that his sister had come from England , but this climate did not agree with her, and she had urged him to send her back.
A PUZZLED PARTY.
We now thought it our turn, and asked the name of our infant brother who died in 1852. It was at once written on a piece of paper, in a large, scrawling hand, the medium exclaiming, "Ah, now we have one very near and dear to you." It was correct. Then we asked what disease brought death to him, and were requested to write a number of diseases on paper. We wrote about a dozen, and the medium, taking a pencil, half closed his eyes and ran his pencil through until he hit the right one, which he marked and threw to us.
Our lips we bit slightly. How could he know that?
At one time during the sitting he announced : "A spirit who died of apoplexy is present." None of us recollected any such friend. Presently he gave the name, and we then recollected that it was the name of an acquaintance, a person with whom we were on but little better terms than an occasional meeting and conversation. He had died, however, several years ago, during our absence from the city, and we had either never heard the cause of his death, or else forgotten it. Here, then, was an admirable test, — and this morning, on our way to our office, we stopped and inquired of a person who knew, and ascertained that the death occurred from apoplexy. That's a stunner for us, and leaves us more mystified than ever.
In conclusion, we would state that Mr. Foster remains here until the 15th hist., and those who disbelieve our statements can call on him themselves, assuring them that our article was in no way prompted by Mr. Foster, but by a desire to place our experiences before the public, we having heard extraordinary statements of his ability.