876 B. From Proceedings S.P.R., vol. viii. pp. 238-42.

The following case of a communication indicating the whereabouts of a missing note of hand was sent to Dr. Hodgson by Judge W. D. Harden, of Savannah, Georgia, who is well known to him:-

345 W. Thirty-fourth Street, New York, October 3rd, 1888.

Dr. Richard Hodgson, - My dear Sir, - Thinking that you may possibly be back from your vacation, I send you with this the account of the finding of the note by Mrs. B. and the letter to me from Dr. Knorr.

W. D. Harden.

Savannah, Ga., September 16th, 1888.

Judge W. D. Harden,

Dear Friend, - This morning, when I paid a professional visit to Mrs. B.'s sick son, she showed me a rough draft of the statement she intended to send to you. . . .

I think I need to add very little to Mrs. B.'s statements. You are acquainted with the modus operandi of the communications with the sliding rod, the rod and the alphabet board being at B.'s house, the same you saw at Miss Maggie R.'s. In order to facilitate your description for Dr. H. I send you a paper model of the rod and a printed alphabet (with other convenient inscriptions), that is to be pasted near the two (right and left) edges, leaving a space between of sufficient width for the points of the rod to point out the desired letters.

I have to remark that a couple of days after the death of Miss Nina B.'s fiance (Mr. N. H.) I assisted her to get into communication with him. We succeeded, Miss Nina turning out to be feebly mediumistic, and many communications were received from him.

This attracted Major B.'s attention. He tried then with me (the major was then an agnostic), and found that he also was mediumistic, and he got communications from his father and his uncle that were so characteristic that he became convinced of the reality of spirit communion. So when the major departed, last spring or summer, he was well acquainted with the modus operandi of spirit communion; and therefore the very day after his departure we could receive a few words from him. Later on we received many messages from him.

I think I was present at the seance when he stated that the note was deposited somewhere, but could not tell where. It looks as if at that time he had not yet discovered the whereabouts of the note, but continued hunting for it, and at last discovered it.

L. Knorr, Savannah.

Judge Harden, - In compliance with your request I will state: After my honoured husband Major Lucius B.'s departure from this life, I was in distress of mind that none could understand but one surrounded by similar circumstances. Of his business transactions I knew but little. After a week or two of stunning agony, I aroused myself to look into our financial condition. I was aware that he had in his keeping a note given by Judge H. W. Hopkins to some several hundred which was due, and I searched all the nooks and corners of his secretaire, manuscript, letters, memorandum-books, read several hundred letters; but all for naught. For two months I spent most of the time going over and over, but with the same result. I finally asked him at a seance about the note.

Q. "Have you deposited the note anywhere?" A. "I have." Q. "Where?" No answer.

Finally I wrote to Judge H. (who had written me about it): "I had as well tell you the note has not been found. I cannot imagine where it is." This was on Friday. The following Sunday, about four o'clock, my daughter Nina, who possesses some singular power, proposed we try if we could not get a communication from our loved ones. While she went to get a little arrangement (a rod that worked on a board upon which the letters of the alphabet were printed) I sat in my room alone, thinking, if it were possible for Major B. to see the heart filled to overflowing with anguish, and added to this the mind distressed by business cares, would he not communicate with me and try to give some consolation or assistance.

But I did not express my thoughts to any one. Nina returned, and after a little conversation we put our hands on the rod and it promptly spelt "Look in my long drawer and find Willie." I became excited, ran to the bureau and pulled out the bottom drawer, turned the contents upon the floor, and commenced to search. Under all the things was a vest; in its little breast pocket was the note.

Major B. was in the habit of calling the bottom drawer, where only his under-garments were kept, "My long drawer," to designate it from several small drawers set aside for his use. The vest was the only garment, other than underwear, in the drawer. The vest was the one taken off him when he first became ill. He was unconscious during the first day of his illness. The vest was put in the drawer after or during his illness by my friend, I think, who assisted in caring for him while sick.

The drawer had not been opened that we knew of after he left us until the note was discovered. Although I had moved to another room, I gave instructions that the bottom drawer was not to be disturbed.

As soon as the rod spelt "Look in my long drawer and find Willie," I was perfectly electrified with the knowledge that Willie H.'s note was in that drawer, although I never would have thought of looking in such a place for a valuable paper.

Major B. and myself always spoke to and of Judge H. as "Willie," he being a relation of mine and a favourite of Major B. from Willie's childhood.

I have just read the above to my daughter, and she says she will endorse the statement as being correct. - I am, very respectfully,

Mrs. E. F. B. B., widow of the late Major Lucius C. B. N. H. B.

Savannah, Ga., September 16th, 1888.

The two signatures have been made in my presence, and I corroborate many of the facts and circumstances mentioned in the above report. I am now requested by the ladies to say that they do not wish their names to appear in public. Louis Knorr, M.D.

Savannah, October 27th, 1888. Judge W. D. Harden,

My dear Friend, - The delay in answering yours of the 9th inst. was caused by Mrs. B., who sent me her answer only an hour ago, notwithstanding my having reminded her a dozen times.