Mathieu. He holds her two feet and one hand; M. Antoniadi holds the other hand. The lamp is lowered still more. The darkness is almost complete. M. Flammarion, having remarked that an unknown physical force is evidently present, but perhaps not an individual personality, feels his hand seized all of a sudden by some one (or some thing), and is interrupted. Then, a little after, he complains that his beard is being pulled (on the side opposite the medium, where I am. I did not perceive anything).
At 11.30 the lamp is turned up. It is comparatively bright in the room. The curtain, after all these movements, is seen to be more and more pushed aside, enveloping the head of Eusapia. Suddenly, above her head, we all see the tambourine slowly appear and fall upon the table with a noise like that of sheep-bells. It seems to me brighter than the feeble glimmer of the concealed lamp would justify and as if accompanied by white phosph.o.r.escent gleams; but they are perhaps flashes of light from its gilded ornaments, which, however, ought to appear yellower.
When the lamp is turned down, the noise of moving furniture is heard; the round table is fetched clear up onto the top of the large table.
It is removed, and the tambourine executes a dance all alone with a peculiar sound like the ringing of bells. Mme. Fourton says that she has had her hand pressed and her fore-arm pinched.
At 11.45 the window curtain is closed in its turn; and, after a moment, we all see in the direction in which the cleft in the corner curtain ought to be, above Eusapia"s head, a large white star of the color of Vega, though larger and of a softer light, and which rests motionless for some seconds, then is extinguished. Shortly after, a zigzag glimmer of light, of the same white color, runs over the right-hand curtain, tracing two or three upright lines of several inches in length, like an N very much elongated.
In spite of the fact that night has fallen, there is still sufficient light entering by the two uncurtained windows, and proceeding from the vague glimmer of the lamp behind the easy-chair, to enable each one of us to distinguish his neighbors. Our silhouettes are outlined in the large mirror near us and above the sofa. The white collars of the men are clearly seen, their faces a little less clearly. Yet on my left I see very plainly M. Baschet, on my right Mme. Brisson, standing and holding her hand up to her face to shield the eyes. I also distinguish Mme. Flammarion, who has come and seated herself near her.
M. Flammarion feels an object gliding over his hair. He begs Mme. de Labadye to take hold of it; and a music-box falls into his hands, which, before the seance, was placed upon the ogee, in the corner concealed by the curtain. M. Brisson has taken the place at the table formerly occupied by M. Flammarion, facing Eusapia. A cushion hits him full in the face. As I am approaching the mirror, I see the reflection of this pa.s.sing cushion by the comparatively bright light at the far end of the room.
M. Baschet seizes the object and rests his elbow upon it. It is s.n.a.t.c.hed from him, flies over our heads, hits the mirror, falls upon the sofa, and rolls upon my foot. All this without my being able to perceive any movement on the part of the medium.
Midnight draws near. The seance is adjourned.
MM. Antoniadi and Mathieu then declare that the control with which they were charged has not been successful, and that they are not sure that they have always had hold of the medium"s hands.
Report of M. Antoniadi
(_The Same Seance_)
I shall give you an exact account of the role I played, that I may gratify your desire to know the truth.
I restricted myself to ascertaining whether there was _a single phenomenon_ which could not be explained in the most simple manner, and I arrived at the conclusion that there was not. I a.s.sure you, on my word of honor, that my watchful, silent att.i.tude _convinced me, beyond all manner of doubt, that everything is fraudulent, from the beginning to the end_; that there is no doubt that Eusapia shifts her hands or her feet, and that the hand or the foot that one is thought to control is never held tight or very strongly pressed at the moment of the production of the phenomena. My certain conclusion is that _nothing_ is produced without the subst.i.tution of hands. I ought to add that, at first, I was very much astonished when I was. .h.i.t hard in the back, from behind the curtain, while I was very clearly holding _two hands_ with my right hand. Happily, however, at this moment, Mme.
Flammarion having given us a little light, I saw that I held the _right_ hand of Eusapia and--yours!
The subst.i.tution is made by Eusapia with extraordinary dexterity. In order to ascertain it, I was obliged to concentrate my mind upon her very slightest movements with the severest attention. But it is the first step that costs; and, once familiarized with her artifices, I predicted with decision _all_ the phenomena by the sensation of touch alone.
Being a good observer, I am absolutely certain that I was not deceived. I was neither hypnotized, nor was I at all frightened during the "bringing in" of objects. And, as I am not a lunatic, I believe that a certain weight should be given to my affirmations.
It is true that, during the seance, I was not sincere, disguising the truth of the efficacy of my control. I did that with the sole purpose of making Eusapia think that I was a convert to Spiritualism. I did this to _avoid scandal_. But, once the sitting was over, the Truth choked me, and I was most eager to communicate it to my great benefactor and official superior.
It is not prudent to be too affirmative. It is for that reason that I have always been reserved in my interpretation of natural phenomena.
Consequently, I am unable to be so terribly affirmative as to take oath to the absolute charlatanism of the manifestations of Eusapia, before, as Shakespeare says, I have "rendered a.s.surance doubly sure."
I have no personal ambition in the spiritistic line, and all the careful observations that I made during this seance of November 21 are only one stone the more contributed to the edifice of Truth.
_It is not on account of prejudice_ that I do not believe in the reality of the manifestations, and I can a.s.sure you, if I were able to see _the least_ phenomenon that was really extraordinary or inexplicable, I should be the first to confess my error.
The reading of several books has led me to admit the possible reality of these manifestations, but direct experience has convinced me of the contrary.
My frankness in this report unhappily borders upon indiscretion. But frankness is here synonymous with devotion, for it would be to betray you if I were false for an instant to the sacred cause of Truth.
Report of M. Mathieu.
(_Seance of November 25_)
The seance opens at 9.30. M. Brisson, controller on the left, puts his feet on Eusapia"s feet; M. Flammarion, controller on the right, holds her knees. In a moment the table leans to the right, its two left feet are lifted and then it falls back; then follows the lifting of the two right feet, and finally the lifting of the whole table off of its four feet to a height of about seven inches above the floor (contact of feet certain and knees motionless). I take a photograph.
At 9.37 a slight lifting on the left; then a lifting on the right, and a total levitation (photograph).
During the levitations of the table the salon is lighted by a strong Auer burner. It is now extinguished and is replaced by a little lamp which is placed behind a fire-screen at the farther end of the room.
Absolute control of the hands and of the feet made by MM. Brisson and Flammarion.
M. Brisson is slightly touched on the right hip, and at this moment the two hands of Eusapia are plainly seen.
At 9.48 the curtain shakes and then puffs out three times in succession. M. Brisson is again touched on the right hip; the curtain is drawn back as if by a curtain-band. M. Flammarion, who holds Eusapia"s hand, makes three gestures and to each of his gestures corresponds a new divergence of the portiere. Eusapia recommends that we "give attention to the temperature of the medium; it will be found to be changed after each phenomenon."
At 9.57 the light is diminished and is henceforth very feeble. The curtain bellies out, and at the same moment M. Brisson is touched; then the curtain is flung forcefully over the table. At the request of Eusapia, M. Delanne lightly touches her head behind, and the curtain slightly trembles.
Eusapia asks that a window be partly opened, the one in the middle of the salon, saying that we shall see something new. M. Flammarion holds with his left hand the knees of the medium, and with his right hand holds the wrist, the thumb, and the palm of her right hand before him at the height of the eyes. M. Brisson holds the left hand. Eusapia seems to call something from the direction of the window, making gestures, and saying, "I will catch it." Then a little branch of privet comes and touches M. Flammarion"s hand, apparently arriving from somewhere near the window. M. F. takes this branch. A moment later two spindle-tree branches come from behind the curtain at the height of M. Brisson"s head and past the edge of the curtain, which is pulled up and back. The branches fall on the table.
M. Brisson, all this time at Eusapia"s left, is next touched on the hip, _at a moment when the hand of the medium is at the height of M.
Flammarion"s beard_. Then the chair of M. Brisson is pulled and pushed about. We hear distinctly, behind the curtain, sounds from the shaking of the round table, upon which is the tambourine. Certain vibrations of the tambourine are produced, corresponding to the movements of the round table. At this moment M. Brisson mentions the fact that he has been out of touch with the foot of the medium for about half a second, but he is then holding her two thumbs about ten inches apart, and M.
Flammarion has her right hand close to his breast. The right hand of M. Brisson, holding the left of Eusapia, pa.s.ses behind the curtain, and M. Brisson says that he has the impression of something like a dress-skirt puffed out against his ankle.
Thereupon ensues new jolting and b.u.mping of the round table and the tambourine, with displacement of the round table. (Undoubted control by MM. Flammarion and Brisson.)
10.30. Clattering noises of the round table in the cabinet are heard.
M. Flammarion makes gestures with his hand, and synchronistic movements of the table and of the tambourine take place in the dark cabinet.
10.35. Eusapia asks for a few minutes" rest. The sitting is resumed at 10.43. The violin and the bell are hurled with force through the cleft in the curtain (M. Brisson gives a.s.surance that he holds Eusapia"s left hand by the thumb, upon her knees, and M. Flammarion the entire right hand). At this moment a photograph is taken by flash-light.
Cries and groans from Eusapia, blinded by the light.
The sitting begins again some minutes afterward, and M. Jules Claretie, sitting at the left of M. Brisson, has his fingers twice touched by a hand. M. Baschet, who is standing away from the table, holds out a violin to the curtain: the violin is seized and thrown into the cabinet. He holds a book out to the curtain: this book is seized, but falls to the floor, _before the curtain_.
M. Claretie presents a cigarette-holder and feels a hand which tries to seize it, but he resists and will not let it go. M. Flammarion asks him to let go of the object: the hand bears off the prize. A moment after, this object is thrown from the cleft between the two curtains against Mme. de Basilewska at the other end of the table. It had been both presented and removed at the middle of the curtain.
At eleven o"clock Eusapia begs for a little more light. M. Claretie has become controller of the left in place of M. Brisson. He is touched on the left side. Then the round table is overturned while advancing toward the main table. M. Claretie perceives that his chair is moving backwards, as if pulled back; then he is. .h.i.t on the shoulder and experiences a strong pressure under the arm-pit. The curtain suddenly approaches M. Claretie, brushes against him, and envelops both himself and the medium. M. Claretie is then pinched in the cheek.
M. Flammarion presents to the curtain the hand of Mme. Fourton, and the two hands are pinched through the curtain.
The music-box, which is in the dark cabinet, falls on the table; Mmes.
Gagneur and Flammarion at the same moment make mention of a hand. M.
Baschet presents the music-box to the curtain; a hand seizes it through the curtain, he resists, the hand pushes him away; he presents it again, the hand seizes it and throws it back, and the box thus thrown wounds M. Claretie, who is struck beneath the left eye. The tambourine is thrown forward upon the table after having remained suspended a moment above the head of the medium.
At 11.15 a complete levitation of the table for seven or eight seconds. Absolute control by MM. Flammarion and Claretie. M.
Flammarion has his knee pinched by a hand. Next the round table is transferred to the knees of M. Claretie and is forced upon him in spite of all his resistance. Levitations of the table take place in full light. Verification of the feet. The feet of one of the controllers are beneath, those of the other above, and those of the medium between the two.
Report of M. Pallotti
(_Seance of November 14_)
(There are present at this seance, besides the hosts of the evening: M. and Mme. Brisson, M. and Mme. Pallotti, M. le Bocain, M. Boutigny, Mme. Fourton.)
At the commencement of the sitting several levitations of the table took place, and, when I asked the spirit who was present if he could let me see my daughter Rosalie, I obtained an affirmative reply. I then made an agreement with the said spirit that a series of eight regular raps would indicate to me the moment when my dear daughter would be present. After some minutes of waiting, the number of raps agreed on was heard in the table. These raps were vigorous and made at fixed intervals.