962. Not least important as regards the question of identity are some of the communications purporting to come from young children. I give in 962 A a synopsis of the chief points in connection with the twin children, Margaret and Ruthie, of Dr. A. B. Thaw, and quote here an account of communications coming from the child of Mrs. Katherine Paine Sutton. (From Proceedings S.P.R., vol. xiii. pp. 386-9).

In the two sittings which Mrs. Sutton had in December 1893 (p. 484),1 she had articles which had been used by her recently deceased little girl Katherine. One incident that was characteristic in the case of Ruthie, the patting of her father's face, was repeated in the case of Katherine when it had no special significance. There were only three points that might be described as in part common to the two children, Ruthie and Katherine. Katherine had "lovely curls," mentioned by Phinuit, and also called for the "tick-tick," but Phinuit added correctly that she called it "the clock," and the word babee was given correctly, as Ruthie also used to pronounce it. Apparently the only incorrect statement purporting to come from the child was that she called a lady (Mrs. C, a friend of Mrs. Sutton, who purported to be present in "spirit," bringing the child, and whose Christian name and surname were given correctly by Phinuit) Auntie. The lady was not her aunt. The statements made came through Phinuit Concerning a silver medal it was said that she wanted to bite it, and concerning a string of buttons that she wanted to put them in her mouth, both correct. Phinuit said that she had no sore throat any more, and that she kept showing him her tongue.

Katherine living had sore throat and her tongue was paralysed. She gave correctly the name by which she called herself, Kakie, the name Dodo by which she called her brother George, the name Bagie by which she called a living sister, Margaret, and the name Eleanor, of another living sister for whom she called much in her last illness. She also asked for Dinah, this being the name of an old rag-doll. She said truly that Dodo used to march with her, "He put me way up." She wanted to go to "wide horsey" - as the living Katherine had pleaded all through her illness, and to be taken "to see the mooley-cow," the name by which the living Katherine called the cow, which she was taken almost daily to see. She said she had "the pretty white flowers you put on me," and Phinuit described lilies of the valley, which were the flowers that had been placed in the casket (see p. 303). She said she was happy with grandma - Mrs. Sutton's mother had been dead many years - and later on wanted to send her love to her grandma and also apparently to her great grandma who was referred to as Marmie. She had a grandmother and also a great-grandmother then living, and Marmie was the name by which Mr. and Mrs. Sutton spoke of the great-grandmother, but Katherine always called her Grammie. She also referred to two songs she used to sing: "Bye-bye, O baby bye," and "Row Row, my song." This "Row Row" song was sung frequently by Katherine during her illness, and was the last sung by her when living, and she asked Mr. and Mrs. Sutton to sing it at the sitting.

They sang the first four lines, and the voice - presumably still "controlled" by Phinuit in imitation of Katherine - sang with them. Phinuit then hushed the sitters, and the voice sang the remaining four lines [alone]. It is, of course, a familiar child's song (p. 486). At the second sitting a fortnight later, the voice sang all eight lines alone, then asked Mrs. Sutton to sing it with her, as she did, and then at Mrs. Sutton's request also sang with her the other song "Bye-bye," precisely, according to Mrs. Sutton, as the living Katherine sang it. Mr. Sutton, who was present at the first sitting, did not attend the second sitting, and he was asked for immediately after this singing, which came at the beginning of the sitting. "Kakie wants papa." This was a very characteristic expression. There were indications suggesting a knowledge of what was going on in Mrs. Sutton's family. At the first sitting Katherine said she went "to see horsey" every day. The sitters had been staying in the country with Mr. Sutton's parents and had been driving frequently. Margaret, a living sister, was still there, and driving daily.

Mrs. Sutton, who has had many psychical experiences herself in seeing the "apparitions" of "deceased" persons (see p. 484) had "seen Kakie" during that visit to Mr. Sutton's parents. At the second sitting Katherine said that she saw Bagie with grandma, and that she played with Eleanor every day and liked the little bed. A lady had recently lent Eleanor a doll's bed, but Mrs. Sutton had not associated this with Kakie. There were incidents at both sittings which showed associations that seemed to be in the mind of the child, which did not awaken the corresponding associations in the minds of the sitters even when the contemporary notes to the sittings were made. Thus in the first sitting she asked for "horsey." Mrs. Sutton gave a little toy horse with which the child had played during her illness. But the child said "big horsey, not this little one," and Mrs. Sutton surmised that she referred to another toy cart-horse that she used to like. At the second sitting came "Kakie wants the horse," and the little horse was again given.

1 The references in this passage are to the pages of Dr. Hodgson's Report.

"No, that is not the one. The big horse - so big. [Phinuit shows how large.] Eleanor's horse. Eleanor used to put it in Kakie's lap. She loved that horsey".

These additional particulars, which were true, then reminded Mrs. Sutton of the horse referred to, which was packed away in another city, and which had not occurred to the mind of Mrs. Sutton in connection with Kakie. Similarly at the first sitting she asked two or three times for "the little book." The sitter noted that she liked a linen picture-book. But the remarks made at her second sitting suggest that the little book in the child's mind was not this one. "Kakie wants the little bit of a book mamma read by her bedside, with the pretty bright things hanging from it - mamma put it in her hands - the last thing she remembers." Mrs. Sutton states that this was a little prayer-book with a cross and other symbols in silver attached to ribbons for marking the places, and that it was sent to her by a friend after Kakie had ceased to know any one except perhaps for a passing moment. Mrs. Sutton read it when Kakie seemed unconscious, and after Kakie's death1 placed it in her hands to prevent the blood settling in the nails.

She adds later that Mrs. Piper's hands, when the book was asked for at the sitting, were put into the same position as Kakie's.

Another book was mentioned at the second sitting which apparently was the one Mrs. Sutton thought of at the first sitting. "Kakie wants the book with red letters and pictures of animals." Correct description.

At this second sitting also Katherine again apparently referred to Mrs. C, - who was not a relative, - as Auntie, and to her great-grandmother as Marmie. At this sitting Mrs. Sutton twice saw the "apparition" of Kakie (and she also saw the figure of Dr. Clarke, another communicator, just as Phinuit said: "Here is an old gentleman who wants to speak to you, Dr. Clarke." See p. 484). On one of these occasions Mrs. Sutton "saw her for a moment standing at the table trying to reach a spool" of silk, and at the same moment Phinuit reached for it, saying: "She wants that, she and Eleanor used to play with. She calls it Eleanor's." This was all true, but the sitter "had not connected it with Eleanor in her thoughts." Another incident I quote here just as it is given in the detailed report of the sitting.

[Kakie asks for her ball. I gave it to Phinuit, who tries to find what she wants to do with it]

"Bite it? Toss it? Roll it? Throw it? "

[No, she wants a string. Mrs. H. gave him a string. He tries to tie it around the ball.] [A little red wooden ball with a hole through it. The ball had a string through it when she used to play with it].

"No, that is not right - through it".

"There, there, be a good little girl. Don't cry. Don't be impatient. You want your mamma to see how you do it, so she will know it is you, don't you, dear? Old man will do it for her".

[He put the string through, held it up, and hit it with the finger, making it swing].

"That is it, is it not, darling? Nice little girl as ever was".

[While she was sick it was her great delight to have me hold the string and let her hit the little red ball with her finger or spoon. She made the motions as if doing it, after she became unconscious].

1 If the human personality survives death, it may be a difficult question to decide in individual cases precisely when the consciousness is finally withdrawn from the body.