American Society for Psychical Research_. Professor James did not at
first recognise all the importance of the Piper case. No shorthand
report of the sittings was made, and he did not even take complete
notes. However, he assured himself that fraud had nothing to do with the
phenomena, but without taking all the minute precautions which others
have since taken. He satisfied himself that here was an interesting
mystery, and says so in his report, but he left the charge of looking
for the key to others. But I shall give an account of the sittings of
Professor James, in the first place because it would be improper to
neglect even the superficial studies of a man of such eminence, and
secondly, because they will give my readers a clear idea of the
phenomena.[8]

Professor James made Mrs Piper's acquaintance in the autumn of 1885 in
the following way. His mother-in-law, Mrs Gibbens, had heard a friend
speak of Mrs Piper, and as she had never seen a medium, she asked for a
sitting out of curiosity. Mrs Gibbens, who went sceptical, returned
rather impressed. She had heard a number of private details which she
believed were unknown outside her family. On the day following Professor
James's sister-in-law went in her turn to see Mrs Piper, and obtained
even better results than her mother. For example, the inquirer had
placed a letter in Italian on the medium's forehead. It must be observed
that Mrs Piper is entirely ignorant of that language. Nevertheless,
Phinuit gave a number of perfectly correct details about the writer of
the letter. The mystery became interesting, as the young Italian who had
written it was only known to two people in the whole United States.
Later on, at other sittings, Phinuit gave the exact name of this young
man, which he had been unable to do at first.

Professor James's attitude when these facts were related to him can be
imagined. He did what most of us do, or have done. He played the _esprit
fort_, joked his relatives about their credulity, and thought that women
were decidedly deficient in critical spirit. His curiosity was none the
less awakened. Some days after, in the company of his wife, and having
taken all possible precautions that Mrs Piper should not know his name
or intentions beforehand, he went and asked her for a sitting. Intimate
details, principally about Mrs James's family, were repeated. Others
even more circumstantial were given. What was the least easily obtained
was just what co