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Psychics : facts and theories – M J Savage

The incidents I am next to relate occurred two years ago this winter. The place is a large city in a neighboring state. The three persons concerned are a doctor, his wife, and one of his patients. The story, as I tell it, was given me by the wife. She was an old school friend of some of my personal friends, who hold her in the highest esteem. Her husband I have never met; but a connection of mine was once a patient of his, and speaks of him always with enthusiastic admiration, both as a man and a physician. He is a doctor of the old school, inclined to be a sceptic, and had never had anything whatever to do with mediums. He is not visionary, and this was his first experience out of the normal.

On a winter night, then, two years ago, he was sound asleep. Being very weary, and in order that he might sleep as late as possible, the green holland shade of his own window was down to the bottom, and there was no way by which any light could penetrate his room. His wife was asleep in a room adjoining, with a door open between. She was waked out of a sound sleep by hearing him call her name.

She opened her eyes, and saw his room flooded with a soft, yet intense yellowish light. She called, and said, "What is that light?" He replied, " I don't know ; come in and see ! "

She then went into his room, and saw that it was full of this light. They lighted the gas, but the other light was so much stronger that the gas flame seemed lost in it. They looked at their watches, and it was about five full minutes before it had faded away. During this time he explained to her what had occurred.

He said he was wakened by a strong light shining directly into his face. At the same time, on opening his eyes, he saw the figure of a woman standing at the foot of his bed. His first thought was that his wife had come in and lighted the gas, as he knew she intended rising to take an early train in order to visit his mother, who was ill. Being very tired and needing sleep, he was about to reproach her for needlessly waking him; then he saw that the figure, from which now all the light seemed to proceed, was not his wife. By this time he was broad awake, and sat upright in bed staring at the figure. He noticed that it was a woman in a white garment ; and looking sharply, he recognized it, as he thought, as one of his patients who was very ill. Then he realized that this could not be so, and that if any one was in the room, it must be an intruder who had no right to be there. With the vague thought of a possible burglar thus disguised, he sprang out of bed and grasped his revolver, which he was accustomed to have near at hand. This brought him face to face with the figure not three feet away. He now saw every detail of dress, complexion, and feature, and for the first time recognized the fact that it was not a being of flesh and blood.

Then it was that, in quite an excited manner, he called his wife, hoping that she would get there to see it also. But the moment he called her name, the figure disappeared, leaving, however, the intense yellow light behind, and which they both observed for five minutes by the watch before it faded out.

The next day it was found that one of his patients, closely resembling the figure he had seen, had died a few minutes before he saw his vision, — had died calling for him.

It will be seen that this story, is perfectly authentic in every particular. There is no question as to the facts. It only remains to find a theory that will explain the facts. Was it a telepathically produced vision, caused by the strong desire of the dying woman to see her physician? Or was it the woman herself coming to him a few moments after leaving the body? I leave my readers to reply for themselves.