On another occasion another doctor, calling himself Arnold, confirmed the diagnosis of Dr. Snobinski, and rated my brother for having neglected to follow the regimen recommended by the famous Russian. On this occasion, during examination of the chest, when the patient chanced to laugh, the doctor [in the person of Mr. Andrew] suddenly gave him a mild box on the ear with his open palm. This, I understood, was to rebuke his laughter, which, as is well known, is a dangerous luxury to one suffering from valvular disease.

At times we were entertained by a negro, who gave us no little fun. His effort to speak English was most amusing, and presented just those difficulties which perplex the negro in this more matter-of-fact sphere.

These phenomena had led me to perplexing thoughts, and, though unable to explain them on purely psychological grounds, I was slow to admit that the medium was not also the cause of the effects he produced. I had so far accounted for the music and the sketches; the varieties of the handwriting were a little puzzling, the diagram and the prescription a little more so, but I was still inclined to suspend judgment till I should acquire more facts. With a view to this, I one evening interrogated: "Where are you?" Answer: "In the sphere next the earth." "Could you tell anything of the future?" Answer: "We are as ignorant of the future as you are." This I thought was at least honest, and very probable, but too general to be of service to me in arriving at any decision. I resolved to put what seemed to me a searching test. None of the others knew Latin or Greek, so I asked an answer in Latin. This was readily given, but so badly spelt that I failed to fully translate it. Not yet satisfied, I asked any quotation from a Greek author - so that by comparison with the original, identity or variation might be satisfactorily apparent.

This resulted in a quotation from the Odyssey, Bk. xi., lines 57-8:-

These lines were beautifully written in cursive characters, and minute even to the accents. As a student I had read Odyssey XI., but could not have given the lines from memory, or written them out with correct accents. On comparing the lines with the Greek text I found them to be without flaw. My puzzle was now twofold: (1) That I was not able to read the Latin proved that what was given was not anything I had previously been revolving in my own mind, but had come from an independent intelligence; (2) The medium was not acquainted with either Latin or Greek - did not know one from the other. Clearly I must now quit the hypothesis that the medium was the author of his own message, as not adequate to account for all the facts.

The Greek and the Latin [Mr. O. adds in a later letter] were both obtained at the same sitting. I asked for the Greek because the Latin was so badly written that I could not fully make it out. The medium that evening was Andrew, who, I am fully convinced, could not possibly have any knowledge that Greek would be asked for - and even if he had known, he could not have given it, since he did not know the Greek when it was given. The controlling spirit was unknown to any of the company. In reply to my questions he described himself as a youth of nineteen, according to their reckoning, but was only twelve years of age when he died. When I asked how he was occupied he told us he was still at school. This information led me to ask for the Latin and subsequently for the Greek.

Still more inexplicable was the evidential sign given to a doubting acquaintance. This gentleman requested permission to be present at one of the sittings, but his general behaviour there indicated that he regarded a sitting as a kind of farce. He brought with him another gentleman of equally sceptical temper. The first remark from the medium that evening was, "There are strangers present to-night." This remark seemed to our friend so commonplace that he requested evidence of the presence of a spirit. On being asked what evidence he would like, he jokingly said, "Bring a candle!" - an idea probably suggested by sitting in the dark. The wish had scarcely been expressed when a candle was placed on the table before him, with the request that he should immediately quit the company. The candle was found to be warm, a circumstance explained by the fact that it had been used in the next room only a few minutes before. My brother immediately went to the next room and asked for a candle. The good lady was much surprised to find that while the candlestick was still standing where she had placed it shortly before, the candle itself was gone.

My brother then showed her the candle which he held in his hand, and this she identified as the one she had used a few minutes before - indeed there could not be two opinions, as there was only one candle in the house. This was regarded by the circle as the most wonderful result yet obtained. Here was proof amounting to a demonstration that a material object had been passed through matter; the candle had been brought from one room to another, though both doors (there were two doors in the room in which the sittings were held) were locked before the sitting was commenced.

This candle incident I give on the testimony of the others, as I myself was not present that evening, a circumstance which I afterwards regretted. Personally I have not seen a case of matter through matter.

During that winter we obtained many interesting phenomena. The spirits (?) would strike any note we asked on a violin or harmonium which stood by. The notes requested would sound forth distinctly, though no visible hand was near; and this was done both in the dark and in the light, though more often in the dark.

One evening a visitant addressed one of my brothers as an old schoolfellow, and in proof of his identity he reminded my brother of a poem they had once learnt together as boys, namely, one by "Surfaceman" (Alexander Anderson), entitled "The blood on the wheel." My brother perfectly recollected the exercise, and had no doubt as to the identity of the speaker. The wonderful thing here was that the medium had become acquainted with my brother later in life and had no knowledge of his schooldays.

Of the scientific value of these results I was not aware till I had the pleasure of meeting yourself, and if we had met some months earlier I should certainly have preserved the legible results of our sittings. They were destroyed in ignorance of their scientific worth, and chiefly because associated with a departed brother whose early death we still lament. Though our sittings are long past their results still dwell with me in all but their first freshness. Circumstances conspired to break up our little company. Of our circle of five two have since married, one has left the district, and another has departed this life. The death of our most spirited member was the end of our meetings.