Harrison Clark Jr.’s Wife

Date: Prior to March, 1907.

Location: Perhaps New York, USA?

The following incident came from one of my former students, now a lawyer, an intelligent man. His special interest in the matter was not awakened until he lost his wife and at my request he reported the present incident, after narrating it to me personally. The gentleman who might have corroborated it in writing was reluctant to do so, tho he confirmed it viva voce. —Editor

March 3, [1908].

Dear Professor:—

I wish to give you the written account which you asked for of my observation when my wife died; she was a very spiritual girl and I always imagined in consequence that she did not have a very strong grip on life and was ready—psychologically and not voluntarily—to relinquish her hold. She was the youngest of a large family and was the particular pet of her father when a girl. Both her parents had been dead about ten years. She was not in the habit of mentioning her parents particularly, and all her interests were centered in her home. The last thing she said to me before she died was that she complained of being sleepy and from then on to the end, some two hours, she was not very conscious, as far as we could see, of her surroundings. When she was in the last struggle she called out “Mama” once or twice, and later “Papa! Papa! Take me up, they are killing me.” (I remember this distinctly.) Shortly afterwards, some ten minutes, she passed away.

Considering that she did not frequently speak of her parents, that at and shortly prior to her death she was too weak to speak to me, but nevertheless called out in a loud voice just as she was passing away, the incident is interesting as bearing upon the mental states at such transitional periods.

Yours faithfully
Harrison Clark, Jr.

New York, March 4th, 1908.

Prof. J. H. Hyslop, Esq.,

Dear Professor Hyslop:—

I received your two letters of yesterday and thank you for sending me the publication of last year. I shall peruse them with interest. I think I can obtain corroborative testimony of the incident that I mentioned to you in my letter of yesterday, and shall try to do so.

Yours faithfully,
Harrison Clark, Jr.

New York, April 23, [1908].

Dear Professor:—

In reference to the incident I put on record relating to what my wife said on her death-bed, my statement to you was accurately corroborated by one of my brothers-in-law, who is the only person who heard the whole statement as I gave it to you. Unfortunately he shows a superstitious reluctance to going on record and reducing his statement to writing, although I have asked him several times.

Yours faithfully,
Harrison Clark, Jr.

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Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research (York: Vol. 12, October, 1918), p. 589-590.