CHAPTER XXXVIII 



SPIRITUALISTIC EXPERIENCES IN ENGLAND AND AMERICA 



The publication of my book in 1874, not only brought me 

 an extensive correspondence on the subject, but led to my 

 being invited to take part in many interesting seances, and 

 making the acquaintance of spiritualists both at home and 

 abroad. As what I witnessed was often very remarkable, and 

 forms a sort of supplement to the " Notes of Personal Evi- 

 dence" given in my book, and also because these phenomena 

 have had a very important influence both on my character and 

 my opinions, it will be necessary here to give a brief outline of 

 them. 



I attended a series of sittings with Miss Kate Cook, the 

 sister of Miss Florence Cook, with whom Sir William Crookes 

 obtained such very striking results. The general features of 

 these seances were very similar, though there was great variety 

 in details. They took place in the rooms of Signor Randi, a 

 miniature painter, living in Montague Place, W., in a large 

 reception-room, across one corner of which a curtain was 

 hung and a chair placed inside for the medium. There were 

 generally six or seven persons present. Miss Cook and her 

 mother came from North London. Miss C. was always dressed 

 in black, with lace collar, she wore laced-up boots, and had ear- 

 rings in her ears. In a few minutes after she had entered the 

 cabinet, the curtains would be drawn apart and a white-robed 

 female figure would appear, and sometimes come out and 

 stand close in front of the curtain. One after another she 

 would beckon to us to come up. We then talked together, 

 the form in whispers ; I could look closely into her face, ex- 

 amine the features and hair, touch her hands, and might even 

 touch and examine her ears closely, which were not bored for 



344 



