- 52 - The skeleton continues its weird stroll. Other participants, encouraged by Dr. Ganymed de Souza’s example, overcome their horror and get up one after the other to touch this dismal personification of death and nothingness. All of them are shaken by the occurrence. The corpse-like smell lingers on. While the minutes are counted, the skeleton begins to disintegrate slowly, beginning at its feet, until only the skull remains floating in the air, its jaw no longer chattering, until it falls to the table and stays there. All this occurred at 9:45 a.m., in bright sunlight, under controlled conditions almost as though the police had stood guard, in the presence of many educated persons, and lasted for 22 counted minutes. While the spectators were still discussing the events related above, the medium again fell into a state of agitation and declared that he could see present in the room the figure of Bishop Jose de Camargo Barros, who had lost his life in the shipwreck of the “Syrio”.. All conversation quickly ceased, and Mirabelli was again put under the prescribed supervision, conducted this time by Messrs. Ataliba de Aranha and Odassio Sampaio. The scent of roses filled the room as the medium passed into a trance. Suddenly there appeared within the circle a fine mist, on which all eyes were immediately fixed. The mist parted and became denser, gleaming like a golden cloud, out of which, as the minutes were counted, there gradually emerged a smiling apparition wearing the episcopal biretta and clad in the full insignia of office. Rising from the chair, it announced, in a loud voice audible to everyone, its name: “Dr. Jose de Camargo Barros”. Those present made sure that they were not being deluded. Dr. Ganymed de Souza got up, fearlessly approached the apparition, and stopped directly in front of it. The apparition said nothing, but smiled at the investigator, who now went even closer, touching and examining it minutely by tapping its body and teeth and rubbing his finger over the gums to determine the presence of saliva. He listened to the heartbeat and to the breathing, applied his ear to the bishop’s abdomen to assure himself that the bowels were functioning, examined fingernails and eyeballs, paying extra attention also to the capillaries, and resumed his seat. There was no question in his mind that the figure before him was that of a man. The other witnesses followed Dr. Ganymed de Souza’s example, and the mysterious guest was equally obliging to all. Everyone was certain that no frivolous hoax was being played on them, but that it was in fact a human being with the organs of a normal human body that stood before them. The bishop conversed with those present in pure, refined Portuguese. Finally, he said: “Now watch me closely as I disappear.” With this he went back to the chair of the medium, who was still in a deep trance, while the spectators intently observed every motion, so as not to miss the most interesting part of the phenomenon, namely the dematerialization. On reaching the medium, whose trance continued unbroken, the bishop bent over Mirabelli, laid his hands on him and regarded him silently for a while, as those present gathered in a circle around the two of them. The bishop’s materialized body contracted spasmodically several times and then began to disappear, shrinking bit by bit. The medium, bathed in cold sweat, was
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI1MzY3