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304
The Case of Mrs. Piper

'sensitive' who wrote automatically, in order that he might obtain corroboration for her own writing, and it concluded with the remark that he must now leave her in order to join E.G. in controlling the sensitive. The hour of her writing on August 28th does not appear, but as she usually writes early in the day, and as mine of the same date was at 10.30 p.m., it is probable that hers preceded mine.

"It thus appears that on a certain day 'Talbot Forbes' in Mrs. Forbes' script declared that he was seeking and implied that he had found another automatic writer through whom to communicate with her.[1] On the same day a statement was made in my script about fir-trees planted in a garden which had a meaning for Mrs. Forbes, and a special connexion with her automatic experiments, and the signature of this script, to which attention had been directed, represented partially the badge of Talbot Forbes' regiment, together with a sword.[2] As bearing on the question whether such a combination is likely to have been accidental, I may say that on no other occasion has a bugle appeared in the script, nor has there been any other reference to a planted fir-tree."[3]

The coincidence of the two writings was only brought to light accidentally, in November, owing to Mrs. Forbes, in talking with Mrs. Verrall about her son, happening to describe the regimental badge. Mrs. Verrall then remembered the drawing above reproduced, which had puzzled her at the time. The nail from which the bugle is hung is clearly indicated in the original. [4]

  1. The actual words are, I am looking for a sensitive who writes to an Father to believe I can write through you. . . . I have to sit with our friend Edmund to control the sensitive.—(Signed with Talbot Forbes's initials.)
  2. No explanation of the open scissors has been suggested.
  3. Except once subsequently, on November 27th, 1901, after verification of the incident, when it was quoted as an encouragement.
  4. Proceedings, S. P. R., vol. xx., 222.