Weird Experiences. Mysterious happenings.
“Light,” the official organ of Psychical Occult and Psychical Research, published in London, publishes the following in its August issues:
More Spontaneous Phenomena.
The Sunday Supplement of “The Daily Victoria Colonist” (British Columbia, Canada), of May 13th last, states that some time ago there was considerable excitement at New Zealand, Prince Edward’s Island, because of the ‘noises’ which it was alleged a girl named Margaret Cheverte caused the people about her to hear – or to imagine that they heard. It is said that these ‘noises’ could be heard miles away, and that there was no cessation of them until the girl was taken away from her home and placed in the Hospital for the Insane at Charlottestown,’ where she remained several weeks, but as she did not develop any signs of insanity and there was no symptoms of anything out of the ordinary about her, she was removed to her home. The report continues: –
Nothing further regarding her was heard until a few days ago, when it was learned that she had become subject again to the strange hypnotic sleeps, taking them twice a week. While in this state she is so completely under the hypnotic spell that she cannot be awwakened, although the people in the house have rolled her on the floor, shaken her vigorously, and used other means to arouse her. In this condition she will answer correctly questions of various character dealing with the past and present – questions of which she could have had no previous knowledge – although she can do nothing in the way of foretelling the future.
The parish priest, Rev. Dr. Walker, has now, however, forbidden anybody to subject her to tests of mind-reading. But the strangest thing is the new nature of the delusions. The neighbours say that the noises they hear coming from the house while the girl is in the hypnotic state resemble the running of machinery – sounds which take the place of those formerly heard – being new to the ears of the country people. They also say that they see lights around and over the house, both these demonstrations indicating that the girl was reproducing the sounds she had heard while at work in the laundry, at the hospital, and that the lights are reproductions, of those with which the hospital was illuminated.
There are sounds which take the place of those resembling railway trains, rappings, etc., with which she was familiar at home. Only when she is in the sleep are the n oises to be heard and just at what time she will be taken with the sleep cannot be definitely told. The neighbours, having become used to the sounds, are not showing the same excited state of mind as upon the first occasions, but nevertheless the case is causing considerable interest among psychologists who have heard of her wonderful operations.
Darling Downs Gazette (Queensland), 30th September 1910.