"The next visitor was one Catherine Wimpole, who claimed that she had died at the age of 12, 116 years before--or in 1812. She had lived in Clarges Street. It is remarkable that in nearly every case the Communicator, readily & without hesitation gave the names of streets which did exist at that time, and never made any bad mistake as to the monarch who reigned at the time. There was nothing of a really evidential character from Catherine Wimpole, but a Spiritualist must feel surprise that one who died as an innocent girl of 12 so long ago had not progressed beyond the somewhat mediocre crowd who assembled round this circle. . . ."
There are only minor scattered differences between the text in the present lot and that of chapter 15 (published in 1930 for the first time in The Edge of the Unknown under the title, "Singular Records of a Circle," concerning a séance in Uruguay), suggesting that these are fragments from a late draft.
With--Two items: Manuscript written in Pitman shorthand and Roman characters in unknown hand, in pencil, presumably containing a medium's transcription of a portion of a séance, headed with the words "Monte Video," concerning the interview with "John Coke" described near the end of chapter 15. 2 pages, 4to, written on the recto and verso of a single sheet of heavy paper. [Montevideo?], circa 1930 • Arthur Conan Doyle. Typescript, with few scattered holograph corrections, fragment of transcription of interview with "James Kirk" described near beginning of chapter 15. 2 pages, 4to, onionskin paper, written on two sheets. Np, circa 1930.
Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, as the spiritualist movement grew, interest in stenography among spiritual mediums increased as well, with many spiritualist publications of the time including advertisements offering lessons in shorthand.