- 53 - breathing with a loud rattle. The vision then shrank to a height of about 30 centimetres and vanished with indescribable suddenness. Again, a strong, sweet scent of roses filled the room, and Mirabelli slowly regained consciousness. The subsequent examination failed to yield any natural explanation of the occurrence. At Santos, the headquarters of the Academy, a séance was held at 3:30 in the afternoon, the results of which are attested to by 60 signatures. First, an apparition of a woman appeared, who engaged in conversation with those present and then vanished. A few minutes later a bell rose into the air and began to ring in silvery tones. Mirabelli awoke from his trance and claimed to see an awe-inspiring figure clad in white linen and surrounded by a shining aura standing beside the table. Meanwhile, the bell in the air rang incessantly. Several spectators who had been sitting at some distance now rose and approached the circle that had been formed by the investigating committee. Presently a sound was heard like that of a person’s heels brought down firmly on the floor, whereupon Colonel Soares and Dr. Octavio Moreira Cavalcanti announced the presence of the deceased Dr. Bezerra de Menezes, well remembered by all as an eminent hospital physician. The apparition turned to the spectators, spoke about himself and assured them of its presence. His language and his resolute manner made a deep impression on everyone. His voice was carried throughout the room by the megaphone, and several photographs of the vision were obtained. Drs. Assumpcion and Mendonca now approached the shrouded figure and subjected it to an examination that lasted for 15 minutes and furnished evidence that they had before them an anatomically normal human being, possessed of all of its natural organs. The scholars who were present vouched for this with their signatures. After the materialized spirit had shaken hands with the participants, it announced that it was about to disappear. It soared through the air like an airplane. Its feet vanished first, followed by the legs and the abdomen. Only the chest, arms and head were still visible. Dr. Archimedes Mendonca, who, like all the rest, had watched the process with intense interest, approached the still materialized torso, and reached for it. He instantly fell to the floor unconscious, while the vision vanished entirely. When Dr. Mendonca came to in an adjoining room, he declared that he had felt a sticky mass between his fingers before he passed out. On waking, Mirabelli was greatly exhausted. His bonds were found to be intact, as were the seals on the doors and windows. The report of the investigating committee contains 34 illustrations, the first three of which show the conditions under which the experiment was carried out, the manner in which Mirabelli was bound, and the supervision exercised by the committee. A particularly remarkable photograph is the one showing Mirabelli, dressed in white, in the midst of the 14 members of the investigating committee. His forearms are dematerialized, nothing being visible of the left one and only a faint blur of the right. Most interesting of all, however, are the 18 photographs of the spirit materializations, most of which show the materialized figure and the medium together on the same plate. In a few instances the apparition was photographed alone. In several others, the materialized spirit is seated at the table
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