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Mrs Conant and animals. More cases of healing. A doctor speaks
of eternal life.
The spirits who come to assist in a person’s
passing are aware of the approaching event two or more
days in advance, but usually do to put in an
“appearance” at the bedside or place of death until an
hour or two beforehand. In the same way, “Oscar” the
hospice cat in the Rhode Island nursing home “Steere
House” [as reporte in July 2007] comes and sits with the
patients just two hours before they pass, obviously
psychically aware of the presence of these spirits who
come to assist in the transition. Fannie Conant’s cat
back in the 1850s was also able to see the medium’s
spirit guides when they were around her. When Fannie
used to sit quietly in her room before attending a
séance, the cat would curl herself on the carpet at
her feet and fall asleep, rarely ever stirring from
that posture till her mistress arose to go out.
“On one such occasion, while the cat was thus
positioned, Mrs Conant became deeply interested in a
book she was perusing, and suddenly awoke to the fact
that she had overstepped the limits of the time
allowed for reaching the office [where her seances
took place]. Looking up, she perceived standing by
her side, the spirit of Father Fitz James (one of her
guardian band) who said: ‘You are ten minutes late!’
Before Mrs Conant had time to make the slightest
movement, which might be considered as causing the cat
to awake, that animal opened its eyes, looked straight
upward toward the influence, and springing upon
all-fours, with curved back, and all the usual signs
of anger or fear, proceeded to spit at him after the
approved feline manner. This demonstration concluded,
as if to warn her mistress, the cat sought shelter in
the further corner of the room beneath some of the
furniture. The medium distinctly saw the spirit smile
at the excited movements of the animal, after which he
disappeared.
Another instance of psychic vision in a pet was
with her favorite dog, “Carlo.” On several occasions
spirits anxious to manifest themselves at the circle,
but unable to do so, have followed her to her own
room, and lingered around her, causing her to be
cognizant of their presence, and inducing a morbid
nervousness which forced her to walk the floor without
cessation, and with no apparent prospect of relief.
At such times the dog would accompany her in her
pacings up and down the apartment, growling and
showing his teeth, the hair upon his back bristling
with rage. If she ordered him to lie down and be
quiet, he would do so, but perceiving the spirits
about to advance again, he would start up, snarling,
and come to her side, snapping at the intruders –
always pointing out the place where they stood as
plainly as did her own perceptions – and when they had
left the apartment, he would give vent to his
satisfaction in joyous gambols.
Spirits can also influence animals in order to
attract humans’ attention, or to avert disaster.
While Mrs Conant was once in the neighborhood of
Medford in company with a party of friends in an
uncomfortably crowded vehicle, the plan was proposed
to make a short cut through the woods, by which four
miles could be saved. All favored the project except
Mrs Conant, who could not think of it approvingly,
though she was not able to tell why she objected
thereto. [Perhaps robbers were lurking in the woods,
or a bridge over a stream was unsafe]. In any event,
hardly had the head of the horse been turned toward
the desired direction than the animal began to rear
and plunge in a manner entirely at variance with his
previous reputation as a very quiet family beast. The
party, who had just overpowered Mrs Conant’s
objections to the wood path, now begun anxiously to
inquire of her: ‘What IS the matter?’ while the horse
at the same time commenced a backward movement which
threatened to be anything but agreeable. The medium
said she did not know what this portended, but she
could see that her Indian control, Wapanaw, was
standing before the horse, refusing to allow him to
proceed, and evidently strongly impressing him with a
disposition to take the steps in retrograde just
referred to. The medium was certain that the horse
could perceive the spirit and feel his warning
influence as plainly as she could herself; but the
party being skeptical on that point, she desired that
the animal be turned in the opposite direction and
along the regular road; the point would then be
settled as to whether it was a cautionary disembodied
human spirit, or his own obstinacy which troubled the
equine. On turning the carriage the horse moved off
soberly as was his wont, and the journey was completed
without accident.
Mrs Conant, while residing on Hanson Street,
Boston, was suffering from incipient congestion of the
heart, and while down town one day, became aware of
the danger of a crisis in her case. She made the best
of her way, fainting and exhausted, toward the office
of Dr. Pike which fortunately was situated not far off
and succeeded in reaching it, when she sank upon a
sofa. The spirit of Mr Berry, her former friend from
The Banner of Light and patron, then took control of
her organization and informed the doctor that there
was extreme doubt of her surviving the attack, but
that he thought he could hold control till she could
be removed to her home. The doctor at once proceeded
with his charge, by private conveyance, to her house,
being obliged to carry his patient up the steps and
stairs to her room. Arriving there he deposited his
almost insensible burden upon a lounge. At this
juncture the dog “Carlo,” who seemed to be moved by
some strong excitement, suddenly whined and sprung
from the floor, striking her heavily upon the chest;
he then began to lick her face, and to breathe
vigorously into her nostrils, [in our terms,
administering C.P.R.] She awoke to consciousness in a
brief season, and informed the physician – who had at
the first decided to drive the dog away; but either on
second thought, or in obedience to spirit impression,
concluded to allow him to continue – that she seemed
to be dead, the spirit appearing to be completely froe
from the physical form, when the sudden blow struck by
the dog called her back to her body (having probably
set the heart in motion) and the magnetic life
imparted by his breathing on and licking her face,
brought her again to conscious existence, and saved
her for the work yet marked out for her – as for all –
in the great plan of eternal wisdom.
This dog “Carlo” departed from his material form
on Christmas day in 1870, and was buried, with his
bed, in Mrs Conant’s lot at the Forest Hill Cemetery,
which lies outside the Highland District of Boston.
The day after he was interred, the spirit of Charles
H. Crowell, brother of Mrs Conant, and himself a
remarkable medium, appeared to her, telling that her
pet was with him in spirit life.
For eighteen years had “Carlo” patiently trotted
along the devious path of canine experience – growing
lame and deaf in common with the majority of humanity
as age came on, and at last a singular friendship
appeared to spring up between himself and a young dog
named “Gip,” the property of Mrs Dewitt, at whose
house Mrs Conant was then making her home. When
“Carlo” went out into the street, “Gip” would follow
to look after the safety of his infirm companion,
which he would do with as much care as if he were a
child conducting an aged parent through the crowded
streets of the metropolis. Often when “Carlo”
ventured a short distance from the house alone, “Gip”
would go, if informed of the fact, and bring him back,
leading him by the collar, with unerring fidelity.
Satisfied beyond doubt by the teachings and
impressions of the spirits who are her constant
companions, Mrs Conant confidently expects to meet and
regain her pet in the world toward which she is going
[she was to pass less than five years later, in 1875].
She thinks that there is but a step between us and
the animal creation, and that that step does NOT rob
them of their immortality. “Nothing fair and
beautiful can perish out of the universe of God. In
the beautiful archetypal [spirit] world we shall
surely find fairer flowers, brighter birds, and
animals more beauteous than ever were seen here!”
Many of us probably have many other stories to
tell of animals’ sixth sense or psychic ability.
Sylvia Barbanell among others has written a book about
the topic.
There is much more to tell of Fannie Conant’s
physical mediumship which we will have to let readers
find for themselves in her biography compiled by Allen
Putnam, from which the previous stories were selected,
and we will include some of her lectures and further
experiences in the “trance talks” and “rescue”series.
For now here is a little more about her experiences
with the spirit doctors.
“In the fall of 1858, Mr Tubbs having retired
from the management of the National House, and
removed, with his family, to California, Dr. Pike
commenced keeping house on Springfield Street – Mr and
Mrs Conant boarding with him. Mrs Pike was at that
time already marked as a prey to consumption, and
slowly sank till May, 1859. Throughout her sickness
Mrs Conant was to her as a sister, and many comforting
evidences of spirit presence were granted through her
to her fading friend; one of an especially cheering
character was given a few days previous to her
decease: Mrs Pike had a constitutional dread of death
[most of us naturally do, I think!] – her whole nature
seemed to shrink back from the verge of what appeared
to her a precipice toward which disease was hurrying
her. Notwithstanding the assurances of Doctors Fisher
and Kittredge from the world of spirit that she should
stay in earth life as long as she really desired, she
feared at each crisis of the disease, that she had
lain down for the last time. Ten days previous to her
transition, Dr. Kittredge came and described the home
whither she was going, and the recital created such a
desire in her to be there, that all fear of death was
removed. He further told her, that when she was
about to depart from the earthly form, her spirit
friends would “place a little white lamb, with a blue
ribbon around its neck, upon the foot of her bed.”
When the final moment drew nigh (at about 6 o’clock on
the morning of the 21st of May) though comparatively
unexpected, as is often the case in lingering
diseases, her face suddenly brightened, and she
exclaimed to Mrs Conant:
“Oh, Fannie! There is the lamb! I am dying now –
I know it!” She turned to her husband, who stood by
the bedside, and said:
“My dear, I wish you to promise me faithfully to
be Fannie’s friend and her physician, and to take care
of her in all the events of life.”
He promised, and her spirit passed on, leaving
only to mortal sight a pale face lit up with the
inflowing glories from over the border of death. The
medium and the husband were solaced by a message sent
by the arisen one at noon of the same day, wherein it
was stated that she had arrived at the beautiful home
described before her passing, and that everything was
as had been foretold.”
A year later, Mrs Conant was returning home from
a séance and was bout to turn into Acton Street when
she saw someone coming from Bradford Street, and said,
half-musingly, to herself: ‘Why, if Abbie [Mrs Pke]
were alive I should say that was certainly her.’ The
lady drew nearer, and Mrs Conant perceived that she
was dressed in a black silk, brown and white plaid
shawl, and a bonnet trimmed with pink flowers – just
as she had seen her friend Abbie costumed for a walk
in the old days. She asked the medium, when she came
up to her, if a certain person resided on Bradford
Street, to which Mrs Conant replied that she did not
know. She then recognized the face and voice as being
those of her friend, but felt bewildered at the
occurrence. Mrs Conant did not remove her gaze for
one moment from the mysterious stranger, and the
further to satisfy herself that the person before her
was a human being, took a portion of her shawl and
rubbed it between her thumb and finer, that she might
be assured of its material texture. She was strongly
impressed – although for some reason unknown to her
she did not – to cry out: ‘Why, Abbie, IS this you?’
She did not cease her grasp of the shawl till she
reached the door of her residence, when on ascending
the steps, she abandoned her hold for an instant; one
of the girls at the house opened the door at the
moment – thus rendering unnecessary the ringing of the
bell – but when she looked for her companion, although
hardly three seconds had passed, she was gone! Nor
could any trace of her be discovered, though Mrs
Conant ran down again into the street, and dispatched
one of the children to the nearby houses; - the answer
returned by the neighbors questioned was invariably
that no such person had been seen by them. Sometime
afterward, at a circle, the spirit of Mrs Pike [Abbie]
came, saying to Mrs Conant: ‘Well, Fannie, you were
determined to see that my dress was really of silk,
and my shawl of wool.’ She then told her that she had
appeared to her in that manner in accordance with a
promise made while in earth life, that she would
present herself after her demise so plainly that she
could not mistake her. Mrs Conant never saw her in
like manner again, but her organism was controlled by
her at different times afterward, a series of letters
descriptive of the spirit land being given by her,
which may be found in the files of the “Banner of
Light” for 1859.
[I have had a very similar experience, just one
time, when my father, deceased 37 years earlier,
materialized in broad daylight as I was passing by
outside a friend’s apartment building. He was dressed
in clothes he used to wear just before he died, and
his old raincoat, and spoke to me about a current
problem. Then he turned to talk briefly to two other
residents just coming up the walkway from the street.
They took their leave and went up the steps into the
building on their own and closed the door. My eyes
followed them in, then I looked around, but my father
had vanished. He could not have gone up the side
alley, and there was no one else with me on the
walkway down to the street. I never saw him again,
but he has come back more than once to give messages
during private and public meetings through different
mediums. Richard].
Mrs Conant was plagued with illness throughout
her time as a medium. It is not surprising that she
had many close calls, seeing that she had a weak heart
to start with. The spirits took care of her, though,
making sure that she did not do too many physical
chores in her daily life. She worked very hard as a
medium, often seeing clients from 9 in the morning
until 5 at night, then again from 6 until 10 in the
evening. Almost every year she and her husband changed
residences. When living in Exeter Place, Boston, in
1861, Fannie was attacked with a malignant malady
(gastric fever) which seeking out the chest as its
seat, seemed to ramify throughout the entire system,
threatening to speedily close her earthly pilgrimage.
Looking back, in memory, over those days it still
seems to her a miracle that she recovered. During all
these hours of trial she was tread and sustained by
her spirit physician, Dr. Fisher, and Dr. Pike, her
unfailing friend in the flesh. Captain Gibbs the
spirit pirate was also ready, when he could be of
service, to aid her.
Another former physician of Mrs Conant gives his
experience concerning her case, and its after effects
upon his mind, when after his death he returned to
speak through her when she was entranced:
“I went forth from this life in absolute
darkness, since I did not believe in a life after
death; but a good God, being no respecter of persons,
was quite as good to me as to any one else, and I have
learned, or rather, unlearned, the mistakes I made on
earth. I am now in the enjoyment of circumstances or
conditions that prove to me that the soul is endowed
with eternal life. There was nothing on earth that
proved that to me. The church was a myth, and all the
various religious faiths were like so much children’s
play to my mind. I was a physician by education and
occupation. When I saw the breath passing out from
the dying, I said: ‘that is the last of them’ I
believed it, and I promised some of my good
church-going friends that I would assure them in some
way if it were possible to, of my change of faith in
the other life, provided I found another life, and
changed my faith. They did not know of this happy way
of return, neither did I. But I am compelled to say
to them that with all their churchly power and
influence and faith, they are quite as much in the
dark as I was. They will find quite as much
difficulty in ascertaining their true status in spirit
life, as I did. I would advise them to change the
base of their operations here on earth, and
investigate by this new light that seems to be
flooding the world, and that offers everybody, rich
and poor, bond and free, a chance to bask in its
beams. This is my advice to them.
I had a singular experience with this medium,
whose physician I was for a time during my earth life,
which produced so great an impression on my mind that
I never forgot it, and I really believe it was the
remembrance of that, which roused me to consciousness
in the spirit life, and made me know where I was, and
what change I had passed through. It may not be amiss
for me to relate that experience:
One afternoon, in the year 1851, I was called to
see this medium, who was sick at that time. Her
powers in this direction were not known – neither by
herself, I believe, nor by any of her friends. On
coming to her bedside, I soon saw that she was in the
last stage of Asiatic cholera. The fatal collapse had
set in, and the physician known too well where that
must end. I saw not the slightest hope in her case;
when, to my surprise she aroused and said to me,
‘Doctor, can you save me?’ I merely replied, ‘I am
sorry I was not called before; I will do what I can.’
I immediately prepared the remedies which I
usually gave in such cases, and added something a
little unusual, deeming it would have a good effect in
her case, if anything could. I administered the
medicine once in twenty minutes. I watched for the
effect, but there was none. True to its nature, the
disease prevented the action of any remedies upon the
system. They had no effect whatever. The remedies
which I had given, were the best, the very best known
to me, and those which would never fail, if given
before the setting in of this fatal collapse; but I
was informed by her attendants that his condition had
been upon her for over four hours, consequently I made
up my mind she was fast sinking in death.
After having administered four, or perhaps five
doses with no effect, she again roused, turned to me,
and said, ‘Doctor, double the dose and give it to me
once in ten minutes, and also apply baked potatoes
under my arms, on my wrists, and on my feet. Bind
them on, hot from the oven.’ I said to myself,
‘Nothing can do her any good; in my opinion, nothing
can do her any harm; this order shall be obeyed.’ I
carried it out as quickly as possible. After sitting
by her bad some two – between two and three – hours
longer, I felt the pulse returning, and saw that the
hue of death upon her face was departing. I began to
hope, I scarce knew why. I knew that there never had
been a case on record where a recovery had ensued
after collapse had set in. But she slowly began to
improve, and after about three hours the pulse became
plainly apparent. It was evident that she was better.
She then looked up to me and said, ‘Doctor, I shall
live; give me twenty drops of laudanum, with twenty
drops of spirits of camphor, once in twenty minutes,
until I sleep. I shall get well.’
I was particularly averse to all narcotics, and
never gave them. I left them out of my practice
entirely, and she knew it; so I hesitated. She again
made the request, and it seemed to me to come in the
form of a demand. I had not the remedy with me,
because I never used it. I inquired if it was kept in
the house. No, it was not. One of the attendants
immediately said, ‘I will go for it.’ It was brought
from the nearest druggist’s and I gave it according to
her directions. After I had given three doses, she
slept. When she awoke she was beyond all danger, and
I left her, wondering what was the power that had
spoken to me, for I felt conscious it was something
besides herself that had given me such orders – had
worked so miraculously. I termed it a miracle.
When the friends and neighbors inquired of me
concerning her sickness, I said, ‘I cannot tell you
how it is that I have saved her; certainly it was a
miracle.’ By the remembrance of that miracle, my own
consciousness was quickened in the higher life. By
the same power, I return here, speaking through these
very lips that I was the instrument of saving in
mortal life years ago.
We cannot tell how truly God speaks to us, even
through the simplest methods. We should heed all the
voices of nature, I think, and weigh them well, and
when we meet with anything that clashes with our fixed
opinions, instead of throwing it aside, we should
analyze it – we should ask, whether or no God has not
sent it to us a s a revelation direct from himself. I
am Dr. John Gardiner, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.”
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