Page:The Naturalisation of the Supernatural.pdf/146

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126
Telepathic Hallucinations

Thank you very much for your letter just come. I am so sorry your face is sore; did it make you cry on Sunday night?

II. (From Miss Maughan to Miss Clark, received by the latter on August 23, 1888.)

E. Kirby Vicargae, Spilsby,
Tuesday evening, August 21nd. 1888.

[Post-mark Spilsby, August 22nd, 1888.]

. . . On Sunday we went to see Wroxham Broad. . . . We had an immense amount of walking to do altogether, and I think I got a little cold in my face in the morning, and all night I suffered with it, and my face is swelled still. . . .


III. (From Miss Maughan to Miss Clark, received by the latter August 26, 1888.)

Thursday, August 23rd, 11 p.m

I am putting bread poultices on my gurus. I have never had such a huge swelling before, and it won't go down. It is so horribly uncomfortable. . . .

Saturday afternoon.—Thanks for letter. Yes, I was crying on Sunday night—only on account of the pain. It was awful, but I only cried quietly, as Edith was asleep. . .

But visual hallucinations are at once more impressive and more valuable as evidence. I will begin with a case in which it is hard to know whether to class the percipient's impression as an illusion or a hallucination. The point is not of material importance since the impression, whatever its nature, was of an exceptional, if not actually unique character in the percipient's experience. The vision, it will be seen, preceded the death by rather more than twelve hours, but occurred during the period of the fatal seizure.