Inferences from Haunted Houses and Haunted Men | Page 2

subject appears to be
indulging in a grim smile."[4]
[Footnote 4: "Elements of Hypnotism," p. 99.]
I venture to call attention to the grim smile worn by Charles Kingsley
in the portrait which prefaces the large edition of his Life and Letters.
Charles Kingsley suffered from frequent fits of exhaustion; these are
often the results of excessive hypnotism after the limit (at the fifth or
sixth effort) of the hypnotist's power has been reached. His brother
Henry, we learn from Mr. Kegan Paul's "Memoirs," was excessively
hypnotisable. His character was weaker perhaps than Charles's, but the
geniality of his writings bears testimony to his remarkable ability.
He was only rescued from a condition little better than a tramp's by a
kind friend. Charles's life was perhaps shortened by hypnotism. One of
Kingsley's neighbours at Eversley was the late Sir W. Cope. The elder
son of this gentleman, when Secretary of Legation at Stockholm, came
to a tragic end. He suddenly, when out walking with a friend, although
his health had been apparently perfect, began to shout and wave his
umbrella. He was put under the care of attendants, as he was considered
to be temporarily insane. He jumped out of a window and was killed.
Voices insulting or threatening him, and with such scoundrels speech
would be of something dreadful, would provoke or frighten the
unhappy man.
About two years later a distinguished priest, well known in London,
also suddenly waved an umbrella and behaved as if he were angry. But
he showed hardly any sign of insanity, and on applying to the proper

court for release from supervision, was declared sane by a jury.
Strength of mind and religious feeling doubtless saved him from the
fate of Mr. Cope. A brave man can resist such an attack under
favourable circumstances.
It is well known to those who have read the Biography of Lawrence
Oliphant, and that of Dr. Anna Kingsford by Professor Maitland, that
Lawrence Oliphant, who became a Shaker (a member of a sect who
employ hypnotism, as Mr. H. Vincent describes, to bind their
neophytes to them),[5] wrote commonplace vulgar verse on religious
subjects, although himself a highly cultivated literary man.
[Footnote 5: "Elements of Hypnotism," Appendix, note 3, p. 270.]
Hypnotism doubtless led to this; the verse thought out in some vulgar
Shaker's mind was transferred to Oliphant. Not only was Oliphant
induced to become a Shaker, but his wife became one also, and both
sacrificed much money to the society and agreed to live in celibacy. Let
us continue again from the known to the unknown. Mrs. Lawrence
Oliphant's brother, the late Captain Lestrange, R.N., left his ship
without leave, to avoid his wife. He had married an undesirable person,
who has also been dead some years.
He was a most intelligent officer, and commanded the despatch vessel
of the Admiral in command of the Mediterranean fleet. It is most
probable that he was weakened by hypnotism, otherwise he would not
have entered into this marriage, or allowed himself to be broken down
by disgust at its consequences. An exceedingly manly, robust character,
and devoted to his profession, he could not without being hypnotised
have deserted his ship. The only reason he had for leaving it was that
his wife threatened to come to the Mediterranean to Malta. There was a
gang of criminal hypnotists on the Mediterranean coast then. Captain
Lestrange fled to Copenhagen, a place connected with most of the
attacks of criminal hypnotists, mentioned before and hereafter. He had
visited it on duty two or three times, and been in contact with others
who suffered. He died two or three years afterwards, probably of a
broken heart. Here, for the second time, a connection between two

victims is traceable.
In the former case, the two were simply neighbours; the probability that
in each pair of cases one gang was concerned is very great. One gang,
if not both, were connected with Copenhagen; indeed, they may have
been the same gang.
If striking haunted house stories are rare, the reason is that, on obvious
grounds, gangs of hypnotists are rare also.
The writer believes that Lord Howe's and his sister's courage prompted
the attack on them by a gang of hypnotists 120 years ago.[6] Poltergeist
disturbances are caused by a single person generally; it is not
impossible that in rare cases there is a confederate.
[Footnote 6: A. Lang's "Ghost Stories."]
These victims of hypnotists were thus four--two very eminent literary
men, distinguished also in other ways; a very rising naval officer; and a
diplomatist, a member of the foremost of the services of the Crown.
Father B. was attacked in 1888-89 in London. In June 1892, Father H.
visited the Haunted House at B----. He first brought the haunting to the
notice of Lord