as to touch it.
When giving it to her sister she said, "If I can come back it will be
like ringing the City Hall bell!"

Mrs Blodgett, Hannah Wild's sister, adds, "Hands have never touched that
letter; it was in my husband's safe. When I sent it to Professor James I
took it out with scissors."

Mrs Blodgett having, in the last half of 1886, seen Professor James's
name in a journal concerned with Psychical Research wrote to him and
told him the above circumstances. In consequence he tried to get the
letter read through Mrs Piper. He sent her, not the letter, of course,
but a glove which Miss Hannah Wild had worn on the day she wrote the
letter, and the lining of her hat.

Mr J. W. Piper, Mrs Piper's father-in-law, acted as sitter. Phinuit took
his time, and tried for the contents of the letter during several
sittings. The result was a long dramatic elucubration, which reminds us
involuntarily of certain of Mlle. Smith's subliminal productions. I will
give three paragraphs of it. The remarks between parentheses are Mrs
Blodgett's; the reader will appreciate the facts by the light the
remarks throw upon them. However, it may not be useless to remark that
Phinuit found Miss Hannah Wild's exact name, which had been carefully
hidden from him.

1. "Dear Sister,--In the bottom of my trunk in the attic with my clothes
I have placed a little money and some jewels, given to me, as you know,
by mother, and given to her by grandfather, who has now passed away.
Bessie, I now give to you; they are all I have, I wish I could have
more. It has grieved me not a little not to have given the Society
something, but as you know, sister, I am unable to do so. If it be
possible I will give them my presence in spirit." (Sister left no trunk.
Never lived in any house with an attic. Mother never gave her any
jewels. Mother's father died in 1835. Mother died in 1880, and gave all
her jewels to me. These jewels had previously been given to mother by
myself. Sister left money, and could have given the Society some had she
chosen to do so.)

2. "The table-cover which I worked one year ago I want you to give
sister Ellen, John's wife. The reason I did not dispose of them before
will be a satisfactory proof of spirit return. My dearest sister, should
you ever marry, as I think you will, take the money and use it as you
think best, to buy a wedding outfit." (She never worked a table-cover. I
worked one and gave her. Brother John died when five yea