BF .P5 BookJ]5s CoipghtNl CDEHRIGHT DEPOSm t% Pottisoii's li OR THE UNSEEABLE FUTURE, BY William M. Pattison, BEIN(i A CONCISE DESCRIPTION OF THE MARVELOUS VI SIO^'S EXPERIENCED BY THE AUTHOR DITRING [ ; MANY YEARS OF SOLITARY PIONEER LIFE. PRICE, - 50 CENTS. , Pattison's Book; Can the Future Be Foretold? THE VISIONS, EXl-EKIENCES AND PROPHECIES OP WILLIAM M. PATTISON, OP SNOHOMISH. WASHINGTON. With ax iNTKoorcTioN by Ej.drihgk .Mouse. iSNOHoMisH Printing Co. SNOHOMISH / g-f 3 S %. <^-^ Copyrighted 1893* AJl Bights Re-served. PATTISON'S BOOK. INTRODUCTION, Mr. William M. Pattison has resided in Snohomish connty, Washington, for abont eleven years, I made his acquain- tance soon after his arrival. For^the past eight years his life and business has been familiar to me. He is an unedu- cated man, being just able to read and write ; but having only a very small amount of book knowledge. His gift, for such it seems to be — training and ed- ucation having done almost nothing for him, — does not seem to depend on intel- lect, education or moral development. It is the ^Svonder working faculty" that gives power to the savage medicineman, Indian conjurer, the spiritualist medium, the seer and fortune teller, in every age and among the various races ; and which everywhere, to the ignorant and unedu- cated, seems to be a special revelation from on high, imparting divine Avisdom to the sons of men. All we can say is that Mr. Pattison, in in eminent degree, possesses this power, or influence. He can readily describe his feelings and the methods used by 2 him when using his remarkable power ; but further than this he is no more able than anyone else to tell how he does it. The good spiritualist brother can give what seems to him and his fellow spirit- ualists a full and complete explan- ation. To others their explanation might seem wholly inadequate, or even untrue; while there are ''some pious souls'' who ^¥Ould consider that only the ''evil one" could enable a person to do such things. Mr. Pattison does not attempt to de- cide between all these different opinions. He simply knows that for over forty years, in countless instances, he has fore- told the future, giving all the minute circumstances surrounding a given event, describing scenery, persons and opinions of persons concerning a given event. Thousands upon thousands of such pre- dictions, to my personal knowledge, have come true, even to their minutest detail. In many cases this is where the thing de- scribed was years ahead, unlikely to occur and wholly unthought of. In many instances those who afterwards did these things were not in the country- when the prediction was made, and were unknown to the people living here at the 3 time. Since then such strangers have come here, done the work previously set for them to do, in the time, place and manner previously foretold^ and at a time when he also foretold that others would be doing ''other things'' of an en- tirely different nature, which would be in a given state when still other events entirel}' disconnected with these other particulars would take place. It is not everything that Mr. Pattison tells, that conies true. He frequently miss- es in dates, less frequently in places, but rarely in scenery or surroundings. He is of a sanguine temperament and finds it more difficult to ''see things" for per- sons of a light complexion, or those pos- sessing a temperament similar to his own than he does "in looking" for those of dark hair, or dark complexion, or entire- ly different ideas, opinions and tempera- ment. What he "sees" he describes with lit- eral accuracy, as it w^ould appear to an uneducated person, having his ideas and opinions. Thus, if he sees a book in his visions he can describe its size, shape, binding, illustrations, the size and ap- pearance of the type, but seldom can 8 read from it, or describe its contents. He is not unfrequently at fault as to the meaning of his visions. He 'Usees'' cer- tain things as one would in a dream. It seems to be a reality to him, but what is its meaning or application, or Avhat is the proper interpretation, he can only judge from his experience in such mat- ters. Not unfrequently those who have frequently listened to his recital can, b}^ ^'putting things together" as it were, make a more correct application of the things seen than he is able to do. Mr. Pattison does not go into a trance or loose consciousness, but is able to keep up a conversation on any other matters, and knows everything going on around him, while describing the past, present or future of others ,in many cases strang- ers, or scenes or persons far removed from him. Still all outside talk, or oth- er interference, business or other troub- les distracts his attention and makes it more difficult for him to ''see" anything. When looking for anything this way his whole mind seems to be concentrated on that one thing. When a slight clue is obtained, or the thing sought is per- ceived, he acts like a man in a forest 9 trying to follow a dim trail. His whole mind is intently watching for the slight- est evidences. These he sees plainly and states them. If noted down by an observer they freqently constitute a most valuable means of explaining the whole vision, but where the matter inquired into is lengthy Mr. Pattison's memory of these minor details is apt to be less vivid than that of most of his listeners. Fre- quently the only w^ay he can recall them is to go clear back to the beginning and retrace the whole thing over again, when he will reproduce each word and phrase with literal accuracy. One w^ould expect that a person with such a faculty as he undoubtedly pos- sesses would forsee and avoid all the ''ills of life," yet, strange as itr/ay seem- while he may have warnings of impend, ing danger, the same as other people, he can seldom foresee anything of bene- fit to himself. His intuitions do not seem to help him, in the slightest degree, to avoid trouble or danger. In fact dur- ing the past ten years he has been fa- mous in this community for the extent and variety of his troubles and misfor- tunes. He has had no end of difficulties 6 with his neighbors, and also in business and family affairs. He is a stirring busi- ness man, who, but for such troubles, which many other men would have fore- seen and avoided, would have made large sums of money. He is as apt to have these troubles when he is right as other- wise. While these difficulties may lessen his popularity and prove his gift to be of little use in his personal affairs; yet it is true that he has forewarned many others of difficulties and dangers, which they have thus been the better able to meet or avoid. Months and years afterward men frequently come and thank him for warnings thus given or assistance ren- dered. SOME EXPERIENCES. It was fully two years after my first acquaintance with Mr. Pattison before his peculiar gifts became known to me. I had heard him ridiculed as being ec- centric and peculiar in his ways. Being employed to attend to some legal busi- ness for him in 1883, I vv^as particularly impressed by his keeness and shrewd- ness. While he seemed very ignorant of books, his criticisms of men and events 7 were in every \vay very tliorough and searching. One da}^ in Febnar}^, 1883, he came into the Eye printing office, in Snoho- mish, to tell me that he had acted on le- gal advice previouslj^ given him, and that the result was satisfactorj^ etc.. I was running a job printing press, trying to get ont a magazine. /Vfter thanking me for my assistance in his affairs, we fell into a general conversation, and I questioned him as to his past life, pres- ent objects and his intentions as to the fntnre. He incidentally refererred to his power of ''foreseeing the fntnre." This amused me so I jokingh' asked him as to the success of the enterprise I was then intently interested in, and wished to know how it would terminate. Con- sidering him to be ignorant of such things, his answer did not surprise me when he said: '^You will get out this issue all right, but something will take place so you will find it impossible to publish any more numbers for man}^ years. Railroads will come here first, Snohomish will grow rapidlj^, the town will be spread awaj^ out, and when you go into the publishing business again 4 . . . you will print an illustrated daily news- paper.''. I thought this a good lot of informa- tion to come all in a lump. Then it all seemed to be wholly improbable, and I put it aside as the blind guess of an un- educated man. He gave some further details and left. Everything has thus far taken place as predicted, except I have not returned to thepublishing bus- iness. Should I do so the plan of pub- lishing an illustrated dail}^ newspaper here could be easily carried out. After 1 had given up the magazine project Mr. Pattison called on me a num- ber of times, t^ach time he would give me some more of his ''tamanamus." I would frequently make fun of him for his skill in making up yarns. I would call his predictions lies and joking call him an old liai, etc. He took this all in good party but claimed he had some ''prophecies" at his hom.e noted down which he wished me to write out for him so he could preserve them. Possibly some day he might wish to have them published. I agreed to write them out, the first time I should go up the river. He then was proprietor of the Park Place 5 ferty on the Skykomish river. In the summer of 1883 I had bnsiness up on the Snoqualimie. My son, Ed. C. Morse, and myself were living together ^'batching it" in Snohomish. The boy was then 11 years old. Leaving home at 4 p. m., I walked up to Pattison's and stayed there over night. I wrote out his prophecies. The paper has since been burned up. Among the predictions there written down was a full account of ''the burning of Seattle," which afterward took place as predicted. Another described terrible earthquake and volcanic convulsions. He afterw^ard claimed this was fulfilled in the eruptions of the islands of Java. Another prediction, as yet unfulfilled, was a great foreign war, wherein the en- emy would succeed in landing a very large armj^ in Pennsylvania. He also gave a full and accurate description of la grippe as an unknown disease that would prevail over Europe and America but be milder on Puget Sound than else- where, and fixed the time of its appear- ance by events which took place in my life at the time la grippe appeared here, which events he had verbally foretold to me. I then left him, went through lO tlie Tualco settlement and up tlie Sno- qualiniie river. It took me two days to go and return. Among other exper- iences I met a school teacher in the woods, going with some children to bchool. After conversing with them I went on; but on my return stopped at the school and amused the children by tell- ing them an Indian legend. Mr. Pat- tison gave me a detailed description of all these things on my return to his house. then asked him to describe what had taken place in town during my absence. He said the boy had got- ten along all right; but that a man had called at the cabin, on my son, wishing to see me; that this man had conae in on the steamer just after I left town, and had called to see me every day since, and was at that moment talking to my son. He described his actions and ap- pearance, and repeated the conversation then taking place. He further said that if I went to town that day I would see this man, but if I put it off till to-morrow the man would grow tired and leave town. He also told me it would make no difference to me or the business, be- cause it would not be completed then. II but finally I would collect quite a sum of money from this man; but before I col- lected the money I would go to his house and have a long conversation with his wife and family. He told me many oth- er things. I did not go direct to Snoho- mish, but reached home the next day. I had not recognized his description of the man in town, but on reaching home, I found his story true even to the min- utest detail, nor do I suppose he had re- ceived any information about my visitor. Jasper Sill, of the Stillaguamish river valle}^, was his name, and as attorney for eastern people I afterwards collected from Mr, Sill a considerable sum of money as predicted. For a couple of years after this Mr. Pattison called frequently at my resi- dence. I used to invite him to stay over night, and would require him to pay for his lodging by telling ^^some of his lies." Independent of the truth or falsity of these predictions there was much to in- terest and entertain in the way he would present unlooked for and seemingly im- possible things as realities. It seemed marvelous that so ignorant a man could invent, out of the whole cloth, so many 12 strange stories. About this time I was writing down hundreds of Indian legends. His stories, while wonderful in their construction and very entertaining when completed, were oftimes, like an Indian legend — tiresome to listen to, because some times he had to hunt and search for some time before he could find all the points he was looking for. This un- pleasant wa}' of reaching conclusions caused many who first witnessed his in- vestigations to be disgusted and to call him an '^old fraud.'' Time and again I have had him tell things that those who overheard him declared were sill}^ lies, made out of the whole cloth, too transpa- rent to impose on anyone, and too im- probable to ever come true. Yet, most always it was these improbable, unlikely yarns that afterward fitted into the pro- gress of events, and naturall3% carefully and completely to be realized. Had he better understood the customs and us- ages of polite societ}^, and had been prepared to tell his stories offhand, in choice language, so as to impress and amuse his hearers at the time, he could have speedily acquired fame and fortune 1... i-"*. .-. o^'r-vr>iQp of his Deculiar talents. ^3 As it is his influence commences as men find his predictions beginning to be real- ized. In 1883 and 1884 he told me enough to fill a very large book, had it been written down then. Since then he has had fewer stories. I used to tell him that he had told me so many lies that he was afraid to invent and tell any more because he had forgotten many old ones which I still remembered, and he was afraid to tell me new ones for fear that they would contradict or disprove the old ones. Still the old ones kept coming true, and the new ones that seem- ed to be in conflict came true also, but the conflict was, in their being realized, removed in an unexpected manner. To some people he could describe their past life, or tell occurrences then taking place among their friends or re- lations at a distance. In my case his visions rarely referred to the past, but his predictions w^ere almost wholly con- fined to the future. He has told much in figurative language, what for years seems to be coming true in a figurative manner also, yet none the less a real ful- fillment of his stories. An immense ^4 amount of matter remains as yet unful- filled. Much about my work and busi- ness that he told me some five or six 3^ears ago would be coming true in one or two years is just coming to be real- ized. Thus he wrongly estimated time and crowded into one or two years a mass of events which now promise to take fifteeu or twenty years for their realizatiou. Despite these discrepan- cies, and also the fact that seldom will any personal eflfort to bring about these events succeed^ these predictions seem to come true in regular order, one after another in their turn ; the unreasonable and improbable in the course of events becoming reasonable and probable, and finally an accomplished fact. In 1883 ^^^- Pattison was tr3dng to procure himself a wife by correspond- ence. Some of his friends would pre- pare his letters. These he would bring to me and ask me to revise and improve. Then he would in numberless ways re- quest my advice in his courtship. Fin- ally I told him that if he expected me to help get him a wife, turm about was fair play, and he must use his ''taniana- nrio'' to help me find a wife also. He ^5 agreed to this, and described a person ''with 1-ght blue eyes and golden hair'' coming with a broom in her hand to as- sist me, as my destined companion. Suf- fice it to say he fully and completely described my present wife, her age, ap- pearance, methods of work, education, religious opinions, her idescs and views which she would have when we should marry, with subsequent changes in her opinions on a great variety of subjects. At that time Mrs. Morse was living in California, the wife of another man; a stranger to both of us. Afterward they came to Snohomish, her husband died of appoplexy, and our marriage took place exactly as Mr. Pattison predicted. Among other things he described accu- rately a church that would be building when should marry her. The side nearest to where my home would be was to be painted half way up from the ground to the eaves the day of the wed- ding. The men who built the church were not in this country, nor were any plans made for its building when he told me this. I was to have nothing to do with it, further than that I would pass and repass it daily, and this half painted i6 side should fix the date of wedding. Some months after Mr. Pattison's first description of Mrs. Morse I was employ- ed to write up the tide marsh lands of Washington. I traveled over the Sound countrj^ extensively. Returning from each trip I would name and describe to Pattison some lady I had met on the trip, as my destined bride. I would tell him wherein his fortune telling had proven true and , wherein he had failed. A half dozen times over I repeated this joke at his expenses, he admitting that one could not alwaj^s be certain about all the small particulars; then each time he would fall into a half dreaming state and begin his description of the one des- tined to be Mrs. Morse. ^'Yes. now I can see hei coming, with light blue eyes, and golden hair,bare-headed and holding a brooom in her hand,.'' Still, while I became acquainted with her while her former husband was alive, yet I never thoug^ht of Pattison's prophecy as ap- plied to her until after I had proposed to her and we were about to marry, then the truht of the whole description came suddenly to my mind, and the ''joke" I had enjoyed at Pattison's expense about 1/ these other ladies and the partial failure of his predictions was on me not on him. In 1885 I married the present Mrs. Morse. The presence of Mr. Pattison seemed repulsive to her and he could rarely tell her any valuable things about the future. On the other hand he could tell me all about her ideas and opinions, in her absence what she was doing and what she was thinking about, and tell these things all correctly. In the fall of 1885 I was up to Park Place ferry and stopped overnight at Pattison's. Asa test I asked him to tell all Mrs. Morse had been doing that evening, who, if anybody, had called during the evening, and what she at that moment, about 10 p.m., was doing, and what she was then thinking about. On returning home next morning Itold her Pattison^s whole story. She admitted it all to be true but claimed that '4t was an unfair ad- vantage to take of any woman." BUvSINESvS PROPHESIES. From 1883 ^^i^til 1886 Pattison made hundreds of predictions regarding the nature and extent of my fortune and busines. Like most fortune tellers he represented that ni}^ worst troubles were i8 in tlie past ; that after a long strnggle and some effort,! was to achieve wealth, fame and fortnne; that before I should die, my name and influence would be known and felt everywhere, and after my death my reputation would be greater than when living: all of which was, of course very comforting to me. While ready to admit that he could tell some things — that some of his '^guesses" had come true; and perhaps others, also, might hereafter prove true — I was in- clined to look upon the matter as afford- ing temporary amusement only, that Mr. Pattison had told me a good story because he expected me to aid him in busi-ness, to counsel him in his troubles and also because he found it cheaper to stop with me when he came to town on business than go to a hotel. Before he began his prophecies he used to act as if he thought me a **good book-man," but one unfitted to make money or suc- ceed in business; but after he began to study my case by his visions, etc., his manner toward me changed entirely and ever since he has acted as if, despite all trials, troubles and discourage- ments, my ultimate success in ever}' 19 field of effort, was, by liim at least, to be regarded as certain. At that time bis neighbors considered him to be grasp- ing and exacting in small matters, and frequent were the complaints and troubles about the collection of ferryage. The first evidence I had of his change of feeling toward me was his request to me to consider his ferry, his house and his home free for me to use at my con- venience, without money and without price. Since then, no matter hov/ roughly I may have treated him at times, he has seemed to be determined not to take offence; but no matter what the sacrifice, to secure and preserve my friendship at all hazards. From 1879 onward, for over a half- dozen years, my means were not only extremely limited but despite the most strenrous exertion on my part, all aven- ues of success seemed closed to me. Without sacrificing all independence and manhood, it seemed w^ell nigh im- possible to make even a good living, at anything which presented itselr here. Many different things were tried, yet no matter how good the prospect the result was in every instance far from 20 successful. It seemed wholly out of the question to try to do an}' of the things I most desired to do. It was at this time Mr. Pattison came to me with his ^'big stories.'' It is needless to say they seemed to be absurd in the extreme. They consisted of a series of vivid pict- ures, each giviug the expected state of affairs as the}/^ would appear to an e^^e- witness, with a blank as to all between. Mr. Pattison inferred that the intervals v/ould be short between each of these visions when they came to be realized, or in other words, that such visions rep- resented a wxll nigh continuous picture of what my life and fortune might be ex- pected to be, when, in fact, if they all came true, manj^ things he has grouped closel}^ together in real life, will be sep- erated by months or even years of strug- gle and hard w^ork. These visions give results oftentimes without setting forth hovv^ such results are to be achieved. Again they present conversations, opin- ions and states of mind about things, the doing of which, if it is ever to be ac- complished, is still years in advance. Therefore it is useless to give more than an outline of a few things that have 21 thus far become materialized, that ceased to be prophetic visions, but are now real facts. Finally after trying manj^ things I was induced to lease some wild land, clear it up and fence a tract in the forest and away from roads, without team or other convenience, to make a living by running a vegetable market garden. After being established there in 1886, I found myself stoppings while at work there, in a very rude cabin, with a dirt floor, which Pattison had fully described in 1883, but in his description of the the cabin, he had neither seen or des- cribed the garden. The interior of the cabin had been minutely and accurately described, how I lived there, and man}^ things which took place there foretold. I raised vegetables there in 1886, '87, 88 and '89. After establishing mj^self thus I rallied Pattison about his '/big stories" of extensive operations, etc., he was to have me do; and in the spring and sum- mer of 1887 wished him to describe my crops and what I should do that season. None of his stories fitted the place or the work I was then doing. Toward the end of the season Pattison came to town to see me, not finding me there he 22 came out to the garden. When lie had reached the place and had called him '^an old liar,'' and said to him that he had told me nothing but lies about the place, he admitted it, btit claimed he had never seen the place at all in his visions. He asserted that it must be a different place I was to live on he had been describ- ing ; that, if true at all, '^"^s stories were of an entirel}^ different locality, I was af- terwards to find elsewhere. He recog- nized the inside of the cabin, and that was all. Of course I would make fun of him and his prophecies by wholesale; which he stood as best he could. After working there several years, there still seemed small show of my owning or con- troling much real estate. Suddenh', in 1889, a man who felt he must sell and came and begged that I should buy an unimproved farm of 150 acres. There was a rough but substantial faim house. The Snohomish river ran in front, the railroad crossed the rear of the place. There was but little clear land. Neither Pattison nor myself were familiar with the place. When offered to me at a price far below its real value, 1 told my fried it was impossible to buy, as I had 23 no read}^ money and no means of bor- rowing any. Still lie kept after me, and finally I told him if lie would take a third mortgage I might assume the first mortgage then on the place, I then might raise him some money bj^ borrowing of one of my creditors a small snni on con- dition of giving this creditor a second mortgage that wonld include a prior in- debtedness as well as the total sum ad- vanced, and the owner of the place would content himself with a third mortgage. After maii}^ negotiation title w^as secured but on receiving a deed, mortgages ex- ceeding by $400 the consideration of the deed, resting on the place. Under such peculiar circumstances I w^as able to overcome obstacles and take a first step toward ''fame und fortune," as prophe- cied by Pattison. I moved on the new^ place in '89, in April. I soon found that the house inside and out had, years be- fore, been described by Phttison, and all my w^ork since done there; in clearing improving and cultivating the place, my successes and failures there, and I am likely to do there for years to come. When I laughed at him about his failure to describe the garden on rented land,he 24 really was describing iiiy future home, on a place I vSliould own and cultivate. In SnoliG)inisli I have rented many dif- ferent places in the past ten years. Pat- tison's descriptions have preven very peculiar. Where he thought he w^as de- scribing different parts of one building his descriptions have proven true in this vv^ay: he has described the inside of only the rooms occupied in another,- or only the outside of a third. Still so far as realized at all, each has proven a true description. He has had much to say about an extensive business I am sup- posedly some da}^ to start near the bank of the river, but this now seems more probable than formerly, but that is all. RAILROADS, ETC. As a means of fixing the time when I should commence doing a considerable business — and Pattison assumed to de- scribe many kinds of business I was to become interested in — in 1883 he began to describe the railroad developments of Snohomish county and vicinity. At that date there were no railroads from Seattle down the Sound; none were even pro- posed to be built from Seattle around the north end of Lake Washington. Ap- 25 parent!}^ no one had thought of Snoho- mish as a possible railroad center. Had any one at that time described the pres- ent route of the vSeattle, Lake Shore & Eastern from ^'Snohomish junction'' northward to Fiddler's bluff, and thence down river to Snohomish city, he would have been called a crazy prophet b}^ all. This is vvliat i\Ir. Pattison actually did at that time ! In 1883 ^^ described the rivalry between as to right of wa}', the opposition over bridging the Snohomish river, the breaking of the bridge, the stopping of construction and Snohomish remaining for some time practically the end of the railroad. He also described the location of the railway station, and the rapid growth of the town particlarly near the station; the filling up of the Front street gulch and the new build- ings there, and also the grading o f the street. Then he told how the Northern Pacific railroad company, despite the ef- forts of Seattle, would fi^nally secure con- trol of this new railroad, and how in ef- fect in w^ould practically become abranch of the Northern Pacific system of rail- roads. In 1883 there was none of these things in existence, yet he described 26 tliem as fnlly^ as complete^ and as truly as they could now be set forth and described. Seemingly^ at that time^tliis was all given incidentally, as it were, to illustrate how all these things must now take place before I should be able to se- cure any considerable degree of prosper- ity or business success. Then he claimed that finally I was to secure afoot hold in Snohomish on Front street and also near the railroad bridge, and not only carry on an extensive bus- iness myself, but incidentally be the cause of a great many kinds of business being concentrated at Snohomish. Of course all these things remain, to yet be realized. Possibly he may be mistaken and none of them come true. They are told here to simply illustrate how his prophecies were given. Mr. Pattison also described the growth of ''The Eye^' newspaper, its enlargment and increased business, and the various relations I was to hold towaid its publishers. Finally, in 1888 he described the pres- ent route of the ''Three S'^ railroad first from Snohomish to Port Gardner, going northwest from the present Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern railway station; 27 and also its building eastward to the Skykomish river valley, and up that val- ley, the mines on Silver creek and their development, etc. He has many times described a big city away up in the mountains, supported by mines in its vicinity. Since 1883 he has had much to say about a big public building north of the western part of town, to which people would go from all over the country. Possibly this means the new county court house. He also told how, after the town was '^spread way out,'' and all these rail roads were here, strife w^ould spring up between this place and people near the mouth of the river; that finally the}^ would have the advantage, and that men from the mouth of the river were to come and get the ''records'' and bear them away down river. Still Snohomish was to continue to grow the same as be- fore. Can it be that some day Everett may become the county seat of Snoho- mish county? This is sufiicient to introduce Mr. Pat- tison's own story. ELDRIDGE MORSE. Snohomish, Wash., Sept. 14, 1891. Mr. Pattison's Story. I was born and raised in Erie county, Pennsylvania. My father's ancestry was Scotch, my mother's English. M}^ father died at 54; my mother, still alive, is 85 years old. When about ten years of age my peo- ple began noticing my visions. My mother called me her vision-boy. When about fif- teen years of age I began to tell things about to happen among the neighbors. I told many about their past life, as well as fore- told things yet to come. Many of the peo- ple there were greatly astonished at these things. When about seventeen years of age I left home and lived for several months in Ohio. My home there was near the lake shore, about fortv miles from Cleveland. Then I stayed awhile in the oil regions of Pennsyl- vania, among the mountains. This was be- fore the regions were fully developed. I there prophecied the success of the oil busi- ness. I told it then to only a few, but it was all afterAvards fully realized. I was in Pennsylvania and New York for several years, working for wages. At the age of twenty-five I was married in Penn- sylvania. Two years afterAvard T moved to Ktni'ias, lived there fourteen months, then •29 went back to Chicago, Illinois, by wagon team. After a few months in Chicago and Michigan, I lived two years in Wisconsin. Thereafter, for a number of years, I was on the frontier, in the mountains, and through most of the territories. About 1870 I re- turned to Chicago. For several years I was in Illinois, Minnesota and in or near Chic- ago. In Ottowa, Illinois, I joined the Odd Fellows, and I did many things there that seemed mysterious and astonished the peo- ple. I was in request among Spiritulist cir- cles throughout that whole region. At Peo- ria, Illinois, I stopped for some time, and did nothing there but tell fortunes. Those who visited me were astonished at the full- ness and accuracy of my predictions and other statements. I there told men about their farms; places they would own and cultivate; how they would manage their crops; buildings they would put up, etc. Years afterward many of these things came true exactly as I predicted them. This was true where I had no per- sonal knowledge of these places, buildings and surroundings when I told these things. One evening I told a strange lady when first meeting her, about her moving on that day, the things moved, and that among them was a cabinet organ, and that, at that instant, her daughter was at the place moved to, and playing on this organ — which was all true. 30 About that time I was travelling over that region with a team, selling goods. One night I stopped at a farm house. During the evening I told the head of the family that he had been a soldier and described to him how he had broken his leg just above the ankle in crossing a small stream while on the march— all of which was true. Then I described to him how he got out, trimmed and shaved a large pole near his barn, two years before, Avhen -his vrife said: ''That was the 'liberty pole' he got out at that time.'' Then I turned and remarked that I would like to tell her some things. She was frigh- tened and objected. Before leaving I told her husband that in a short time she would be taken down vrith consumption; that she did not then know the disease had begun its work, but before many months he would send her to a hospital for treatment, and that inside of three years he would be a widower. This all came true.' Another time I was hearing a man lecture on psycliology, mesmerism, and other sim- iliar subjects. I had never seen or heard of him before. While he was lecturing a Avom- an dressed in black seemed to come and stand beside him for a time, then to dissa- pear. The thought came to me that the lecturer Wcis a widower from the East whose wife had been dead for tliree years, and that 31 this apparition was his wife. After the lect- ure 1 introduced myself to the lecturer, and requested an inter vie^v for the following day at his rooms, which request was granted. On the following day, as I drove to the house where he was stopping,! saw the same wom- an's form floating in the air in front, and around to one side of the house. I followed it to the door, knocked and entered. There I stated the object of my visit and told him he was from the East, and that he was a widower whose wife had been dead three years. I described my visions and selected by their aid his wife's picture from about one hundred photographs. This lecturer told me I should follow this business exclusively, because if I did other things I would not see so clearly; and that he had never met one whose powers were equal to mine—all of which I found to be true: That is, whenever I did other things my visions Vv^^^e not so clear— I could not see things so perfectly. About that time I gave much of my time to these things. Often these visions would come to me and it seemed as if I must leave my work and go and hunt up and tell people what I saw of them. When a young man at home I would sel- dom refer to these things in my mother's presence. She was very religious and held m11 snob nowprc: to bp of tbp rjpvil Fin^illv -'2 after one of my western trips I was at the home of a married sister. The family per- suaded my mother to listen to me. On 'book- ing'' I was surprised to ^^see'' my mother's sister, Aunt Cloe, whose home was fifty miles away, at Aunt Catherine's, whose house was only twenty miles distant. Aunt Cloe was tossing on a bed in sickness and pain. 1 told my mother she would never see he sis- ter Cloe alive again, bvit that she might see her corpse. I then described her disease, sickness and death, the room in which she would find her dead body. This worried my mother so that I went to the postotfice and found a letter for mother from Aunt Catherine telling about Aunt Cloe being taken sick while coming to visit her sisters, and requesting mother to come immediately. Next morn- ing at day-break mother and I started in a wagon for a Au.nt Catherine's. When within some three miles of there 1 told mother Aunt Cloe had just died. Be- fore reaching the house we met a cousin who told us Aunt Cloe was dead. We found her body in a room exactly as described the night before. After this my mother fully trusted me, and frequently inquired about things. Since my coming to Puget Sound she has had some money stolen. She wrote to me about it. I told her when, where and how it had 33 been taken; described the parties; told her where the money was then hidden, and how she might recover it. AN INCIDENT. Ebenezer Hubbell was a childhood ac- quaintance of mine. We grew up together. Both had been West, had had many exper- iences, and had each came back to Pennsyl- vania. I was at the home of his wife's par- ents. His mother-in-law wished me to tell some things. Hubbell swore that no man could tell any thing about him. He called it all a humbug and before all the people at *'the party'' ridiculed his mother-in-laAV for listening to such stories. His boisterous conduct caused much surprise at the party. At his mother-in-law's request I secured his attention and promised to tell him a few things that would convince him that such things could be told. They all listened. He had been married only a short time and his young wife was present. To annoy him I began by telling about his experiences out West, ^^sparking a girl in Missouri." I de- scribed her actions, appearance, color of eyes and hair and how he had got ''the mit- ten." ''It is a d d lie," he said with an oath. ''It is true all the same," I answered. Then they all laughed at him. "Afterwards," I said to further convince him, " you were travelling through a corn^ Si field in Wisconsin; the corn stood in its bloom; the ears were nearly full size, and there were pumpkins among the corn, both ripe and green. You picked up a rusty sword with its point broken off. With an independent mind you walked along for a few rods, swinging this sword in your hand and wondering how it had ever came to bo in the corn-field. Then you threw it and it stuck in a ripe pumpkin and went on.^' Hubbell Jumped up in astonishment and exclaimed : ^'My God, ! that is so ! and the girl story is true. I thought someone might have told you about the girl, but no one could about the sword because no one knew it but me.^^ PUGET SOUND EXPERIENCF:S. In 1880 I came from St. Paul, Mhm., to Puget Sound by way of Sad Francisco. Soon after my arrival I settled at Park Place on the Skykomish River, in Snohomish county. Ever since then I have lived in Snohomish county. I married again since coming to Park Place, ¥/ash. When I first came to Snohomish City there was no wagon road eastward from there to the Skykomish River. Most of what is now the wagon road to Park Place was then only a trail. With a companion who came with me from tlie Eastern States, we walked over this route. We came to the bank of the Skykomish River, and there 35 in a vision as it were, I clearly saw a small town near where I afterward built my ferry. I told my comrade my vision and said: '^I w^ill locate here if I can obtain that land across the river.'' Looking still farther eastvN^ard,away up the Skykomish River, just under the mountains, I saw Vv^here a good sized city w^as to be built. On subsequently going up the Skykomish River, years afterward, I saw on Wallace River, near the Skykomish, a tract of land that seemed to be the place where my visions had located this city. No town is yet start- ed, but mining developments indicate that such a town vv^ill be located there at no dis- tant day, not far from where timber and farming land and mining meet each other. For ten years past I have frequently describ- ed this town to my friends and neighbors. I secured this tract of wild land across the Skykomish and began to talk roads and fer- ry to my neighbors. There were no roads on my side of the river, near my home. The settlers were not interested in roads; they said the river gave all the outlet they desir- ed. I opened up trails, started up the ferry, and interested the whole region in roads, so that good roads soon existed all over the Park Place and Tualco settlements. What was then called Park Place is now the town of Monroe. My prophecies and visions and original 36 ways caused me to be great! }' ridiculed. In derision I received the nick-name of '^Blue- fay'' Pattison. Others, when they saw the bu.siness around the ferry, the progress and advancement in that neighboorhood, became very jealous and envious of me. So I had a great many rivalries, and mo0B than the us- ual amount of opposition to contend with. Finally I came to Saohomish, ran a ferry across the Snohomish river, engaged in the bakery and other business and for several years past my chief interests were, and mosc of mv time has been spent in Snohomish City^ SOME OTHER EXPERIENCES. Since coming to Washington I have never made fortune telling, or my ^^faculty of see- ing things^', describing the past, present or future of individuals, a business. My business and other troubles and my losses and anxieties have seriously interfered with my ability to do good work in this line. It is only by putting to one side all troub- les or perplexities. that I can sufficiently con- centrate my mind so as to ''see'' fully what pertains to the affairs of myself or others. It is seldom that during twenty years past that I could banish all other matters and think only of one the thing I wished to look into. When worried over my own personal affairs I would have many fore warnings of ii.j, ii;in[; trouble or danger; but most of 37 these things would present themselves fn such a way that I could not fully understand or apply the warning until after the danger or trouble had taken place, when, in many cases there would have been a literal fulfill- mont of the thing forewarned. Yet, besides the many things told Mr. Morse as related bv him, I have told hun- dreds of yeople in this county as well as at Seattle, many things about their past, pres- ent or future, that have been strictly true and have greatly astonished my friends. Again, many have advised me to take my time and go to much trouble to hunt up things for them without paying me anything or else simply treating me to a cigar or some other similiar slight courtesy. It is very wearisome hard work to sit down and con- centrate my mind on other people's affairs, ^^Just to amuse them,'' when it neither inter- ests nor profits me. So, Avithsuch people, I sometimes told them* a few things to get rid of them, or else flatly decline to act for them. Some of the things told this way have been so true that they have surprised and startled my hearers: others have denied my powers to ^^see things" because I declined to waste my time simply to gratify their idle curiosity. As an illustration of such idle, off-hand remarks, one time I was down town when a book-keeper in a store called me in and earnestly requested me to tell him some 38 things. I began by telling him that 'S^ou will see a couple of young ladies coming down the street this afternoon. They will be coming down to see you and will do so. Thev will banter and loke you aud vou will know the object of their visit and will rec- ognize by their talk that they are the per- sons I am now describing.'' In an half -hour this all came true as he told me later in the day. Pattison's Prediction s Under this heading it is proposed to set forth some of my visions and prophicies, which are to be chiefly realized in the future. A VISION. In 1877, while in the forest in the moun- tains of Pennsylvania, I saw a vision which I wrote down soon after. It impressed me so strongly that on losing my writing after- ward, I re-wrote it three times. The follow- ing is almost a literal copy of this vision as first written by me in 1877. ^^This which I write is to come. From this date all in the future. Hark! and hear the awful doom to come\ He that hath an ear, let him hear! He that hath a tongue, let him speak! Vision of the world in view, that makes the blood run cold. A great cal- amity, floods and storms, sickness and erup- tions. A great war shall come such as his- 39 tory has never penned before like unto it. One army shall be dressed in blue and the other in drab and manv colors. Fathers shall sigh, mothers shall weep and children cry. It will make the people think of Sodom and Gomorrah. It will make them think of ancient times; of the temple of Babel; its downfall — and great was the fall; and so it shall be. Oh! the great corruption in this land, Our office men. From tho lowest to the highest shall scheme and fill their own pockets. While that is the case what are we going to do, when honor is no more; while the largest streams are dammed up with flood-wood? What are the little ones going to do? Woe, woe! unto the nations! The great downfall such as the world never knew before. The blind have led the blind and where shall they fall? The earth shall quake, the rocks shall be rent, and the earth shall shake. Balls of fire shall fly in the air which shall cause the heavens to look red, instead of blue. Light in the heavens will be seen, which shall cause the minds of men to ache, and the w^hole heavens shall shake. After this war and these convulsions of earth and the heavens, there shall be one king, then two, a space, then three, a space, then four, a. space, then five, a space, then ten kings in this free country, as it is -called. Oh! the rolling of thunders shall be heard, which shall awake the slumbering echoes, 40 and then the very forest shall bow its head to mother earth and to its natures God. Cold chills shall be felt through the nations, like unto the shock of a thunderbolt. You fool- ish minds may laugh and scorn this hand and pen, but, lo! it's all the same, it will come. These many things shall come by degrees. Let the world read this and think of the day I was born. Let this be kept and preserved, when these active limbs are pow- erless and this brain refuses to act. Let them be preserved for the nations,'' In plain language the above sets forth great social troubles and war, yet to come to this nation at a time when there will also be earthquakes and other convul- sions, diseases and trouble coupled with lack of honor or purity among the official class, from the highest to the lowest. All this may be many years in the future. After this there will be many changes and altera- tions and divisions in government, possibly not kingly rule, but many changes from any thing now existing, most of them for the worst. Perhaps our present form of govern- ment will be wholly destroyed. If it comes, it will be mainly through corruption of pub- lic men. The great war — the beginning of these troubles — -if not a foreign foe will be rebellion against the official class. The blue will be government troops, and those in drab and many colors will be typical of a rebel- 41 lion against the government, springing up everywhere, five or more to one against the government. AVith foreign wars and tu- mults to add to the confusion. CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENT. For j^ears I have had visions of society, the progress made by science and improve- ments in the arts of life. The following are some things ^^seen:'' Inside of fifty years the telegraph will be done away with; the telephone w^ill be im- proved and take its place' and wires will be run to nearly every dwelling. Speeches in distant cities will be repeated in homes in the country generally and in all cities and even in foreign nations by phonographs and telephones. Something like a hundred years from now improvements will take place bj^ which without wires telephones or telegraphs, people thousands of miles apart will be able to secure the attention of others and converse with them as readily as if they were close together in a room. All steam engines and steam power will be done away with. Electric power or some- thing similiar will take its place. I can fix no date for this. Ocean navigation will be changed alto- gether. Ships as now constructed will be done awav with. Men will cross the ocean in a new kind of vessel as speedily as now, on land bv railroad. The new vessels will 42 dart swiftly over the surface, without sink- ing much in the water. I see nothing to support them from sinking, but this new conveyance, bj^ some unseen powder, scales swdftly along the surface, only just touching the surface, without sinking in the water, like our present ships. In a vision, while this is being wTitten, I see the w^hole arrang- ment. The vessel;, moving swiftly over the. water have on either side wings that rest in the air, above the water. Some do not turn some are made to act like wind mills to help the motion of the vessel. Above the vessel are cables and wares, crossing the ocean in many directions. These wires are held above the water by huge baloons stationed in the air, above the wires and anchored to them, which hold the wires high up and keep them taut by their boviyancy. The faster the ves- sel moves along the water, the wings on each side by the resistance of the air lift up the vessel so that it skims more lightly on the water. It will be some time before this takes place. Cables held by rings hang from the wires over head down to vessels and seem to draw the vessel along with great speed. These new vessels are very large and formed on the bottom something like existing ships so that if anything should give way they would still be safe. Above ibe water they have cabins and long seats like railroads and every convenience for 4P freight and passengers. They have tubes and valves arranged with air organs in these tubes within these vessels so that if the sup- ports should give av\^ay, even in mid-ocean, it vrould be impossible for them to sink any deeper in the water. Nothing short of a great hurricane could affect the safety of these boats or the passengers on them. The baloons seem to be made of metal painted in various colors, stripes running clear around them. They are four-sided pyramids, wide at the bottom, very smooth, bright and shiny, with different colored stripes running clear around them. These balls — for each baloon serves a purpose like a ^^governor'^on a steam engine (two smaller balls below and on eithes side, held by short arms)- — seem to be moving around the sttaionery top nost ball. Underneath each ball is machinery that creates power within the baloons to keep them in place and run the vessels. One hundred years from now most all modern inventions— tools, machinerv and mode of travel — now in use, will seem as an- cient and old-fashioned as now things seein to people that were in use two hundred or more years ago. My present impressions are that after the wars, convulsions and troubles given i.i ihj vision at the head of this section,are through with, and everything will be finally settled, and there will be less corruption and op- 44 pression than ever before — men will not struggle for wealth and power — the rights of the masses will be better protected. Every- one by a study of science will be able to help along the progress of all and most of these great improvements will be made that are above outlined and generally referred to. This only gives a few things that have very strongly impressed me. The class of men who heretofore, by their creeds, number and and opinions, have retarded arid held back the progress of science, will soon grow so few in numbers and influence that the progress of science in the future will be much greater than ever before, SOME LOCAL PREDICTIONS. My visions since coming to Puget Sound have always been of the most flattering character, about the progress and growth of Puget Sound. Not to give details, in effect I may saj^ that in size of all cities, density of population, wealth, trade, commerce and manufactures, the Sound country will ex- ceed any of the Eastern states. In influ- ence and education it will be ahead of any other region. Its mines will be more valu- able than those of Pennsylvania or Califor- nia. In this country gold, silver, copper,ti]i. lead, coal and iron as well as many other metals will be mined before many years in immense and as yet undreamed of quanti- ties. Within fiitv vears there will be a citv 45 on Puget Sound with nearly 2,5000,000 peo- ple. On Snohomish River will be places of from 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants. My whole visions would be too numerous to mention or describe. These few outlines are given to show the character only and en- able the public to judge for themselves of their truth and value. I do not wish the public to look upon me as other than a plain common man, who for years has held back from telling his story, but now simply and plainly tells it to all, not to praise himself nor pose as a hero, but simply that each can select what seems of interest or value and leave the rest. SOME IDEAS AND OPINIONS. Too much nonsense is taught by our schools today. Haughty pride will never acquire an education in science or good sense. The fathers and mothers should teach their sons and daughters the system of laws that govern their bodies. If they would it would prolong life and make freqent the cases of persons living to those ripe old ages of health happiness and vigor. It would deprive the doctors of the opportunities to rob people of their money, health, beauty and happiness. It is one of the grandest truth to teach to the children. It would prolong the lives of the rising generation and put an end to the deception of doctors. The laws of Nature are all right; they 46 shine resplendent everywhere with goodness beauty and truth. The great christian churches say the}' love and worship a per- sonal God. They say he made all things good and right. And then they proceed vvith an attempt to fix nature better than God did. Although they have said God is perfect, yet they deny it by their acts. Hov/ can so many Christains break Nature's law^s which govern the human system, seven days in the week, and yet conscientiously declare tha.t they are obiedient to His will, the most mighty and omnipotent creator, whom they acknowledge to be the author and furnisher of all thhigs. Do thev consider the laws of Nature to be the laws of God? And under the impression that Nature did not make them good enough they proceed to paint, primp and deform. | themselves, pinching one portion of their J body so that one rib slides over another and ' enlarging other portions wath pads, bustles, etc, On the other hand men shave off the corners of their beards, clip their hair,pincli their feet, wear stiff hats, etc., all of which is injurious to health. Men, women and children seek to im- prove on their complexions by the use of ])oisonous paints, powder, arsenic, cosmetics nnd the like. The duty of women to bear children has b^en evaded. Miniv doctors are constantly 47 eniploved to prevent nature taking her course They seek to avoid the natural consequences of corruption among females, thus saving women from the results of their own acts, to the injury of the race. The children born have short lives and weak constitutions from the treatment of their mothers, and medi- cines given before their birth. Artilicial 80c"al barriers have also been formed, which do not in the least conduce to the happiness of society. We are destroying the laws of Nature, (which are God's laws) every day. The State of Washington has the grandest climate and most fertile soil that the sun of heptven ever shone upon for the healthful development of the human race. ViaiONS OF THE PAST AND FUTURE. Oh! now I see human skulls lying deep beneath the soil of the earth, They died to satisfy the lusts of the priests of the Catholic church, who struck them down without shovv^- ing them any mere;/; but hundreds of the votaries of that church do not knov/ it. The crimes of these priests are beyond the lim- ited comprehension of the people of this world so far have they been hidden from our view. . If their's be a just God, in which they profess to believe, who keeps a heaven to reward the just and a hell to punish the wicked, I trust he will consign the afore- mentioned monsters to the hottest ])lace in lelL 48 In July (year unknown) the mountains will be blown up. The hot lava will run down. A great war will come. England will be in it. Capital and Labor will fight, Cal- ifornia and Washington will roll in a fer- ment. Many islands will be visited bv areat disasters, The earth will quake furiously. History has never told us of crimes equal to those that will be committed, which Avill be sufficient to stop the pulsations of the human heart and make our blood run cold. One man shall eat ano!:her's flesh. A famine shall rage. See the bloody torrents floating toward the sea. I see human bodies torn in pieces and flung in the sea and knives and hatchets flung after the pieces. Then I see boats sinking, stained with blood, and scenes of rage and terror too horrible for human eyes to dwell upon. In another visions I see mighty inven- tions spring into existence. Lamps will make their own fuel, wagons will run with- out horses or steam; so will plows and other machinery and tools. Steam will then cease to be a motive power by which our en- gines will be operated. Silk and cotton will be on common level with each other before the rich and poor can shake hands together. Love can then meet Lovers hand and heart upon a common plane. This must be done before the lion and the lamb can lay down 49 together. But this will never be while the human heart and pulse beat. Gabriel's horn will never blow for you when you are dead and sleep beneath the soil. The thoughtful man seeking knowledge shall rise to the highest level, while he who only repeats what is taught in the schools shall fail. The free thinker shall find the truth and the slave to religion shall be no more. The present telegraph will dissapear and give place to a more useful telegraph of a new age. The universe shall crack and all Nature's laws shall come to a halt. Ever3^thing will change; old ideas will pass away and the truth of Darwin will be universally accepted. Evolution and a new reign of progress will commence again. Tubes will be constructed from cit}^ to city across the land, and under and across the ocean, to crttj the mail and small packa- ges. Electric carriers will carry parcels of freight throughout the cities and to farm houses in the country. Water s[)Outs will be a terror, rising from the water so frequently as to do great dam- age to cities and shipping and washing peo- ple from the land and destroying them in these convulsions. America must come under the power of arbitration, which must take the place of courts — the poor must have 50 their rights made as secure as the rich — and fewer lavrvershe in Congress or the legisla- tures, their places filled by .practical men before justice and prosperity can floiU oVi and fill the land. SNOHOMISH FIRE. Ill visions I have repeatedly seen nearly all of Front street in Snohomish in flames. The hottest place will be near Burn's brick block. Many fires will set in this town by bad men seeking their own advantage. AT WASHIXCiTON CITY. I see a tremendous fire in Washington city that Avill endanger the white house. This Avill also be started by unprincij)led men who Avill set the city on fire. I see great danger ahead for President Grover Cleveland. He is in danger from poison or other deceptive acts of pretenders who will try to secretly and fouly make away with him and take his life. Let paper be our government money ii you want this government to prosper. Let our country be the basis of our money; that gives equal rights between man and man, whether poor or rich. This must be done soon or blood will be shed. Equal rights must be^had. The people cry, Oh, ye office men. You must waste no time. Do not urito others Athat you would not have other.^ do unto you, or this country must fall.