The following in an excerpt from a 1901 book compiled by B.F. Austin. In Joseph Barker's testimony, he details an enounter with 32-year-old Maggie Pollock at her parent's home in Blyth.
On the 10th of August. We partook of breakfast with the Pollock family, after which we retired to their sitting room and became seated as directed. Miss Pollock inquired if I would oblige her with some article which had been handled freely by me. Seeing a spectacle case showing itself in the outside pocket of my coat, she said that would do, and the same was placed in her hands with the spectacles enclosed therein.
In a few moments this medium passed into the trance condition and quickly began to describe the appearance of a spirit which the medium declared stood near to my right shoulder. It was, the medium declared, the spirit of a man of medium height, and seemed to have passed from the mortal not long before, and he gave to her an indication that it was a stomach trouble, inflammation, which was the direct cause of his passing to the spirit world.
“And now,” said the medium, “I see something very strange. He holds in one hand a pair of spectacles and points the same at you, Mr. Barker. Perhaps you will understand the meaning of it.” I said, “Yes, it is George Wilkinson, who comes with this test to assure me beyond a doubt of the reality of spirit communion.” I noticed that the moment mention was made by me of the name George Wilkinson, the medium acted as though she received a sudden shock from an electric battery.
I will now state why this pointing a pair of spectacles at me was regarded as a satisfactory test. Some ten months previous to this séance with Miss Maggie Pollock, I had occasion to go to Meriden, in the State of Connecticut, to see my sister, Mrs. Mary Wilkinson, who had about five weeks before my visit followed the mortal remains of her husband, the before-named George Wilkinson, to the Meriden cemetery.
On the day before my appointed time for leaving for my Kincardine home, my said sister brought to me a pair of spectacles in a case and, calling me by name, said: “Will you try on these spectacles and see if they suit your eyes as well as those you are wearing?” I did as requested and informed my sister that the spectacles suited me well.
She replied, “I am glad of that,” and begged of me to accept the same and wear them instead of my own, and added these words: “They will serve to remind you often of dear George, and I am sure he would rather you would have those spectacles than any other person.”
I may state that this test fully satisfied me of the reality of spirit return and made a convert of me. I might add that before leaving Miss Pollock we had several séances, and Mrs. Barker as well as myself received some dozens of tests which were to us highly satisfactory, coming as they did from parents, brothers, sisters and acquaintances who had passed over to spirit life. I could easily write of tests enough to make a good sized book, but that is not required.
It is a matter of great regret to me that I did not commence to do my own thinking and investigating 50 years ago when I first heard of modern Spiritualism, instead of putting it off until nearly 70 years of age.
