721. I now come to a considerable group of cases where the departed spirit shows a definite knowledge of some fact connected with his own earth-life, his death, or subsequent events connected with that death. The knowledge of subsequent events, as of the spread of the news of his death, or as to the place of his burial, is, of course, a greater achievement (so to term it) than a mere recollection of facts known to him in life, and ought strictly, on the plan of this series, to be first illustrated. But it will be seen that all these stages of knowledge cohere together; and their connection can better be shown if I begin at the lower stage, - of mere earth-memory. Now here again, as so often already, we shall have to wait for automatic script and the like to illustrate the full extent of the deceased person's possible memory. Readers of the utterances, for instance, of "George Pelham" (see Chapter IX (Trance, Possession And Ecstasy).), will know how full and accurate may be these recollections from beyond the grave. Mere appari-tions, such as those with which we are now dealing, can rarely give more than one brief message, probably felt by the deceased to be of urgent importance.

I will quote at length a well-attested case where the information com-municated in a vision proved to be definite, accurate, and important to the survivors. (From Proceedings S.P.R., vol. viii. pp. 200-205.)1

1 Some of the correspondence about the case given in the Proceedings is omitted here for want of space.

The first report of the case appeared in The Herald (Dubuque, Iowa), February nth, 1891, as follows:-

It will be remembered that on February 2nd, Michael Conley, a farmer living near Ionia, Chickasaw County, was found dead in an outhouse at the Jefferson house. He was carried to Coroner Hoffmann's morgue, where, after the inquest, his body was prepared for shipment to his late home. The old clothes which he wore were covered with filth from the place where he was found, and they were thrown outside the morgue on the ground.

His son came from Ionia, and took the corpse home. When he reached there, and one of the daughters was told that her father was dead, she fell into a swoon, in which she remained for several hours. When at last she was brought from the swoon, she said, "Where are father's old clothes? He has just appeared to me dressed in a white shirt, black clothes, and felt [mis-reported for satin] slippers, and told me that after leaving home he sewed a large roll of bills inside his grey shirt with a piece of my red dress, and the money is still there." In a short time she fell into another swoon, and when out of it demanded that somebody go to Dubuque and get the clothes. She was deathly sick, and is so yet.

The entire family considered it only a hallucination, but the physician advised them to get the clothes, as it might set her mind at rest. The son telephoned Coroner Hoffmann, asking if the clothes were still in his possession. He looked and found them in the backyard, although he had supposed they were thrown in the vault, as he had intended. He answered that he still had them, and on being told that the son would come to get them, they were wrapped in a bundle.

The young man arrived last Monday afternoon, and told Coroner Hoffmann what his sister had said. Mr. Hoffmann admitted that the lady had described the identical burial garb in which her father was clad, even to the slippers, although she never saw him after death, and none of the family had seen more than his face through the coffin lid. Curiosity being fully aroused, they took the grey shirt from the bundle, and within the bosom found a large roll of bills sewed with a piece of red cloth. The young man said his sister had a red dress exactly like it. The stitches were large and irregular, and looked to be those of a man. The son wrapped up the garments and took them home with him yesterday morning, filled with wonder at the supernatural revelation made to his sister, who is at present lingering between life and death.

Dr. Hodgson communicated with the proprietors of The Herald, and both they and their reporter who had written the account stated that it was strictly accurate. The coroner, Mr. Hoffmann, wrote to Dr. Hodgson on March 18th, 1891, as follows:-

In regard to the statement in the Dubuque Herald, about February 19th, about the Conley matter is more than true by my investigation. I laughed and did not believe in the matter when I first heard of it, until I satisfied myself by investigating and seeing what I did.

M. M. Hoffmann, County Coroner.

Further evidence was obtained through Mr. Amos Crum, pastor of a church at Dubuque. The following statement was made by Mr. Brown, whom Mr. Crum described as "an intelligent and reliable farmer, residing about one mile from the Conleys".

Ionia, July 20th, 1891.

Elizabeth Conley, the subject of so much comment in the various papers, was born in Chickasaw township, Chickasaw County, Iowa, in March 1863. Her mother died the same year. Is of Irish parentage; brought up, and is, a Roman Catholic; has been keeping house for her father for ten years.

On the 1st day of February 1891 her father went to Dubuque, Iowa, for medical treatment, and died on the 3rd of the same month very suddenly. His son was notified by telegraph the same day, and he and I started the next morning after the remains, which we found in charge of Coroner Hoffmann.

He had 9 dollars 75 cents, which he had taken from his pocket-book. I think it was about two days after our return she had the dream or vision. She claimed her father had appeared to her, and told her there was a sum of money in an inside pocket of his undershirt. Her brother started for Dubuque a few days afterwards, and found the clothes as we had left them, and in the pocket referred to found 30 dollars in currency. These are the facts of the matter as near as I can give them. George Brown.

Mr. Crum wrote later:-

Dubuque, Iowa, August 15th, 1891.

Dear Mr.Hodgson, - I send you in another cover a detailed account of interview with the Conleys. I could not get the doctor.

I have had a long talk with Mr. Hoffmann about the Conley incident, and think you have all the facts - and they are facts.