WCP3005

[1]¹

9, St Mark’s Crescent N.W.

March 26th. [1869]²

Dear Sir

During our conversation yesterday you seemed to consider that some case of naming the number of a bank note would be good evidence of clairvoyance, if the facts were proved. I find there have been published several cases of a similar nature though not the same in exact form and beg to refer you to the following.

In D^r. Haddock’s "Somnolism and Psycheism"³, — he relates among others two discoveries made by an ignorant girl under his care for medical treatment.

1. A Grocer’s Cask box at Bolton, (name and date given) was stolen, and was [2] discovered, and the thief found out by the clairvoyant.⁴

2. A young man who had suddenly disappeared from a place 20 miles from

Bolton,— was traced by the clairvoyant to America, and to several places,— all of which were afterwards found by letters from him to be accurately given.

3. Three bank notes supposed to have been stolen from the Bolton Bank (in July 1849) were discovered by the clairvoyant in the Bank itself among other papers, when all the clerks were at first position they could not be.

This account was published in the "Times" of Sept. 13. 1849,— the names of all the parties concerned were given.⁵ The facts can be verified [3] or disproved by any one who will take the trouble to investigate it & it appears to me fully to answer the objection you made.

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Again in D^r. Macario’s work "Du Sommeil et du somnambulisme" (1857)⁶ he gives an account of Bank Notes for 18,000 francs having been found entirely through a clairvoyant, Mdlle. Clemence.

Names and details are given.

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Another case is most important.

One of the Clerks of the Mont de Pieté absconded with a large sum of money[.] A friend of the Commissioners’ went to Alexis⁷, who gave the amount stolen[,] the name of the clerk and traced him first to Brussels, then to Spa then to Aix la Chapelle [Aachen], then back to Spa where he was arrested, having been traced at these places as Alexis had declared. These facts were [4] communicated to the author⁸ by M. Prevost the Commissioner of the Mont de Pieté in August 1849.⁹

This last case and that of the Bank at Bolton, well illustrate what I maintained yesterday,— that no amount of evidence will convince those who will not trouble themselves to examine into these matters. These have been published shortly after the events with names dates and places given, and have not been disproved or contradicted. Till these are disproved or contradicted what is the use of any other evidence of a similar nature?

I am myself somewhat tired of hearing of the bank note that was not read, when there are so many cases similar to those I have quoted.

Yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

G. H. Lewes Esq.