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Professor Lombroso.

A Highly Sensational Record.

I could add pages of further evidence of similar facts by others of these distinguished Italian savants, but will conclude with a brief allusion to Professor Lombroso, the illustrious psychiatrist and anthropologist, whose name is one to conjure with in the Scientific circles of the world. It took some of his colleagues years to induce him to enter upon this mind-expanding field of Scientific exploration, so great was his disbelief in the genuineness of these phenomena and so antagonistic were his views to the existence of a Spiritual realm.

Dr Lapponi, Chief Physician to his Holiness Leo XIII. and Pius X. referring to this antipathy in a work in which he acknowledges his own belief in these phenomena, says—"There are not wanting those, who, from being contemptuous of Spiritism have become convinced adherents to that Spiritism to which they brought the largest possible amount of doubt and diffidence, amongst whom should be specially mentioned Caesar Lombroso." And he adds, "Lombroso, with all his scepticism, after having assisted in Milan at some seances given by Eusapia Paladino, was constrained to say to some of his friends—'After that proof I shall go away because I feel I might go mad; I must rest my mind.'" This, apparently, refers to the meeting between Lombroso and his deceased mother, reference to which is made below.

It was Professor Bozzano, I understand, who finally persuaded Lombroso to take part in the investigations, and after witnessing an exhaustive series of phenomena, Lombroso created a great sensation in Italy by writing to the Press—"I am ashamed and grieved at having opposed with so much tenacity the possibility of the so-called Spiritualistic facts—the facts exist and I boast of being a slave to facts" He further declares—"There can be no doubt that genuine Spiritualistic phenomena are produced by intelligences totally independent of the medium and the parties present at the seances. On many occasions I have found this to be the case, a notable instance being when three spirits appeared in the room together, each at a considerable distance from the others, and each producing distinct phenomena."

"On one occasion Dr. Imoda observed that whilst a phantom took out of M. Becker's hand a pen and returned it to him, another phantom rested its brow on that of Dr. Imoda, and on another occasion, whilst I was being caressed by a phantom" continues Lombroso, "the Princess Ruspoli felt herself touched on the head by a page 43 hand and Dr. Imoda felt his hand pressed forcibly by another hand." "Several mediums," he adds, "can write with both hands, and also speak with someone at the same time." "Things moreover, occur," he says, "which are contrary to the medium's will and even against the will of the so-called spirit who operates."

In illustration of this fact he declares—"One day a woman of great beauty appeared who had died two years before. . . Her head was covered with a line veil; she breathed a warm breath against the back of M. Becker's hand, carried his hand up to her hair and very gently bit his fingers. The apparition was perceived by two others present and returned several times. An attempt was then made to photograph it; the medium and the controlling spirit consented, but the phantom, by a sign with the head and hands, indicated to us that she objected and twice broke the photographic plate."

At another time an etheric hand appeared and dashed a block of paraffin to pieces, and ethereal hands "have been seen holding objects, twanging the mandoline, beating the drum, opening boxes, and putting the metronome in motion without a key."

And then, as if to seal his conversion to the Spiritualistic theory, we find Lombroso, writing on the 6th of March last year to Professor Falcomer, of Venice, declaring that "he had seen and been brought into contact with his deceased mother at a sitting with Eusapia Paladino."

During the seances held at Turin under the direction of Professor Lombroso a lump of clay was placed on the table inside the cabinet with the object of obtaining the impression of a face or a hand. After a while "great raps were heard on the table," the medium being at the time seated outside the cabinet, "and the table on which the clay was placed rapped out with its feet, 'The impression is made.'"

"I was asked," writes Dr. Mucchi, "to take the mould. I was about to enter the cabinet, but was repelled by two hands, 'made of nothing.' I felt them; they were agile and prompt; they seized me and pushed me back—the struggle lasted for some time; the hands seemed to take pleasure in resisting me; they pushed me back if I tried to enter and pulled me forward if I retired. I ended by seizing the lump of clay which these 'Satanic' hands persisted in claiming for themselves; when I withdrew they thrust me out with a violent shove which nearly upset everything. There were observable on the clay two or three impressions such as might be made by a closed fist."

"A hand issued from the curtain near my head," continues page 44 Dr. Mucchi. It first showed with closed fist, then the hand opened and the fingers stretched out. This phenomenon was repeated several times; everyone could take note of it, because the hand stood out against the illuminated wall. The same hand subsequently laid hold of the wood of the cabinet and shook it violently. I tried in my turn and I found that to do this required considerable effort. Whilst I was doing so the invisible hand seized mine, pressed it and let go, giving me a friendly pat on the shoulder."

A small table was subsequently torn out of the hands of one of the investigators by some invisible agency, "turned over and upside down, shaken about for a quarter of a minute, and ultimately was violently seized, knocked about and smashed in pieces. Two of the feet were thrown down amongst the investigators and the third hit Dr. Norlenghi in the face. Then the unknown entity seized one of the feet of the table and rapped with it repeatedly, now on one, then on another of the hands of the sitters, whilst the big table shook and laughed in its own fashion."

The leading French newspaper, "Le Matin," has recently published a series of interviews with well-known writers on mediumistic phenomena. Lombroso was one of the Scientific investigators interviewed and in the course of his remarks he said—

"I have been present at one hundred, at least, of these Spiritistic experiments. I have seen them at Milan, at Genoa, at Naples, at Turin, and at Venice. I am perfectly convinced of the authenticity of the phenomena presented by Paladino. . . I was present one clay when a pot of flowers, weighing from 30 to 4olbs., made a flight through the air. This pot, originally placed several yards away from us, rose of its own accord, then hovered about our heads, and finally came to rest on the table. On another occasion I had the happiness of seeing my mother again, and of embracing her and conversing with her."