666 C. The following case is taken from Mrs. Sidgwick's paper, "On the Evidence for Clairvoyance," in Proceedings S.P.R., vol. vii. p. 41. The case was sent to us by Mr. W. B. H., who writes: -

Bridgeport, Ct., December 18th, 1889.

... The incidents were related to me by Mr. S. R. Wilmot, a manufacturer of this city, several years ago, and I wrote them down from memory, and he afterwards revised the manuscript Mr. Wilmot and his wife and sister are still living here, and would, no doubt, be happy to answer any questions about the matter. He does not know that I have had his narrative compared with a file of the New York Herald, as per memorandum appended. It seems to stand the test pretty well, however.

If published, please do not give my name, as I have simply acted as scribe, and have no personal knowledge about the incidents. W. B. H.

The manuscript account, in which Mr. Wilmot's corrections are embodied, was as follows: -

On October 3rd, 1863, I sailed from Liverpool for New York, on the steamer City of Limerick, of the Inman line, Captain Jones commanding. On the evening of the second day out, soon after leaving Kinsale Head, a severe storm began, which lasted for nine days. During this time we saw neither sun nor stars nor any vessel; the bulwarks on the weather bow were carried away, one of the anchors broke loose from its lashings, and did considerable damage before it could be secured, and several stout storm sails, though closely reefed, were carried away, and the booms broken.

Upon the night following the eighth day of the storm the tempest moderated a little, and for the first time since leaving port I enjoyed refreshing sleep. Toward morning I dreamed that I saw my wife, whom I had left in the United States, come to the door of my state-room, clad in her night-dress.

1 The other accounts make it probable that it was not till next day that Mrs. W. of B went to A.

At the door she seemed to discover that I was not the only occupant of the room, hesitated a little, then advanced to my side, stooped down and kissed me, and after gently caressing me for a few moments, quietly withdrew.

Upon waking I was surprised to see my fellow-passenger, whose berth was above mine, but not directly over it - owing to the fact that our room was at the stern of the vessel - leaning upon his elbow, and looking fixedly at me. "You 're a pretty fellow," said he at length, "to have a lady come and visit you in this way." I pressed him for an explanation, which he at first declined to give, but at length related what he had seen while wide awake, lying in his berth. It exactly corresponded with my dream.

This gentleman's name was William J. Tait, and he had been my roommate in the passage out, in the preceding July, on the Cunard steamer Olympus; a native of England, and son of a clergyman of the Established Church. He had for a number of years lived in Cleveland, in the State of Ohio, where he held the position of librarian of the Associated Library. He was at this time perhaps fifty years of age, by no means in the habit of practical joking, but a sedate and very religious man, whose testimony upon any subject could be taken unhesitatingly.

The incident seemed so strange to me that I questioned him about it, and upon three separate occasions, the last one shortly before reaching port, Mr. Tait repeated to me the same account of what he had witnessed. On reaching New York we parted, and I never saw him afterward, but I understand that he died a number of years ago in Cleveland.

The day after landing I went by rail to Watertown, Conn., where my children and my wife had been for some time, visiting her parents. Almost her first question when we were alone together was, "Did you receive a visit from me a week ago Tuesday?" "A visit from you?" said I, "we were more than a thousand miles at sea." "I know it," she replied, "but it seemed to me that I visited you." "It would be impossible," said I. "Tell me what makes you think so".

My wife then told me that on account of the severity of the weather and the reported loss of the Africa, which sailed for Boston on the same day that we left Liverpool for New York, and had gone ashore at Cape Race, she had been extremely anxious about me. On the night previous, the same night when, as mentioned above, the storm had just begun to abate, she had lain awake for a long time thinking of me, and about four o'clock in the morning it seemed to her that she went out to seek me. Crossing the wide and stormy sea, she came at length to a low, black steamship, whose side she went up, and then descending into the cabin, passed through it to the stern until she came to my state-room. "Tell me," said she, "do they ever have state-rooms like the one I saw, where the upper berth extends further back than the under one? A man was in the upper berth, looking right at me, and for a moment I was afraid to go in, but soon I went up to the side of your berth, bent down and kissed you, and embraced you, and then went away".

The description given by my wife of the steamship was correct in all particulars, though she had never seen it. I find by my sister's diary that we sailed October 4th; the day we reached New York, 22nd; home, 23rd.

With the above corrections I can very willingly subscribe my name.

S. R. WlLMOT.

Mr. W. B. H. adds: -

The files of the Herald show that the City of Limerick left Liverpool October 3rd, 1863, Queenstown October 5th, and arrived at New York early on the morning of the 22nd of October, 1863. Herald, October 14th, 1863, says: -

"Steamer Africa from Queenstown on the 4th inst. put into St. John's N.F., yesterday afternoon, on her voyage to Boston by way of Halifax. The Africa struck on the rocks near Cape Race at ten o'clock last Monday night (October 12th) during a dense fog. She was put about before she struck, but took ground, fore, aft, and amidships. There was considerable sea running, with a southerly wind at the time. The steamer's boats were got ready, but not launched. The Africa floated off after an hour, and was speedily cleared of water by her pumps. Captain Stone then headed her for Halifax, but soon deemed it prudent to put into St. John's, Newfoundland. Both cargo and vessel were badly damaged. When our last despatch was forwarded from St. John's, the Africa was making a large quantity of water".

Found no report of severe storm. A. H.

July 1889.

In answer to inquiries Mr. Wilmot writes to Mr. Hodgson: -

Bridgeport, February 25th, 1890.

As to whether I and my wife have ever had any analogous experiences, will say for myself, Yes, dreams revealing subsequent events, but nothing of such a joint nature.

I only spoke of my dream and Mr. Tait's experience to my sister (who was with me then, and is now), as I could not quite divest myself of the thought that Mr. T. might have invented his part from witnessing something unusual in me while asleep, therefore my questions to him when about to disembark at N.Y. I do not think it likely that Mr. Tait mentioned to others on board ship, or if he had, that it could now be ascertained. I did not mention these things to any but my sister till after reaching home and learning what I did from my wife. That astonished me; it almost took my breath away. S. R. Wilmot.

Miss Wilmot writes: -

In regard to my brother's strange experience on our homeward voyage in the Limerick, I remember Mr. Tait's asking me, one morning (when assisting me to the breakfast table, for the cyclone was raging fearfully), if I had been in last night to see my brother; and my astonishment at the question, as he shared the same state-room. At my "No, why?" he said he saw some woman, in white, who went up to my brother (who was too seasick to leave his berth for several days). I soon went in to see [my brother], who told me that Mr. Tait had wondered at my coming in to see him, and I think he said he had dreamed of seeing his wife there, but in the imminent danger that loomed over us, I did not fix my mind on their after conversations.

I think my brother must have written to Mr. Tait the share my sister had in the vision - shall I call it? When visiting at the Taits'in Cleveland, two or three years after, he spoke of the wonderful coincidence. It evidently impressed him. If he were still living, I would refer you to to him.

Eliza E. Wilmot.

Mrs. Wilmot says: -

Bridgeport, Conn., February 2ytA, 1890.

... In reply to the question, Did I "notice any details about the man I saw in the upper berth ?" I cannot at this late day positively say that I did, but I distinctly remember that I felt much disturbed at his presence, as he leaned over, looking at us.

I think that I told my mother the next morning about my dream; and I know that I had a very vivid sense all the day of having visited my husband: the impression was so strong that I felt unusually happy and refreshed, to my surprise.... [Signed] Mrs. S. R. Wilmot.

In commenting on this case, Mrs. Sidgwick observes: -

This case differs from those that precede it. In them the clairvoyant person was apparently a passive recipient of the telepathic impulse from the agent which led to the clairvoyant perception. But here Mrs. Wilmot seems, as it were, to have actively sought communication with her husband. I should still hold with Mr. Gurney that this is no reason for regarding the incident as other than telepathic, for there is as little ground for supposing that Mrs. Wilmot could have perceived psychically any cabin as there is for thinking that Mrs. Paquet [see 663] could have had a vision of any death scene. In other words, it is probable that the presence of the husband and brother respectively were essential conditions of the percipience, which, therefore, depended on some unknown process of communication from mind to mind. The fact that Mr. Wilmot at the same time dreamt of his wife seems to me, if anything, to strengthen the telepathic hypothesis, because it shows that there was actually a community of mental impressions.

But it may be said that it is more difficult thus to account for Mr. Tait's seeing a figure at the same time as Mr. Wilmot, and that this at least tends to show that Mrs. Wilmot was actually there in some sense other than a purely mental one. The question here raised is the difficult one of the significance of collective psychical experiences.... Briefly,... besides the possibility of a direct telepathic communication between the primary agent and both percipients, there are two hypotheses to account for collective hallucinations, - assuming of course that they are not due to suggestion by word or gesture. One is that there is some kind of objective presence, some centre of " phantasmogenetic efficacy," located in space and within range of the operation of the percipient's senses. The other is that the primary percipient, B, whether his own impression is due to telepathy or is purely subjective, becomes an agent as regards the secondary percipient C, who receives his impression by thought-transference from or through B.

It is this second view which I agree with Mr. Gurney in thinking the most probable....