When Charles #Dickens unexpectedly died in 1870, readers felt doubly cheated, not only losing the author, but also the ending of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." But with spiritualism at its height, avid fans decided to take matters into their own hands and consult...his ghost! 👻

In Battleborough, Vermont, in 1872, tramp printer Thomas Power James had a trance in a boarding house seánce. "Charles Dickens" wrote a polite note to James, requesting a 15 Nov. meeting.

Ghost Dickens asked James to write the ending of "Edwin Drood" through "spirit-pen" 👻🖋️
T.P. James kindly did so, with a medium's aid. The result was a completed "Part Second" (1873), which features a "Medium's Preface"!

👻Ghost Dickens claims that injured Edwin Drood is rescued by Durdles, allies with Datchery to expose an insane Jasper, and later marries Rosa 👻
None other than #Sherlock creator Arthur Conan Doyle attended a seánce at which American violinist Florizel von Reuter (who died 1985!) interrogated Ghost Dickens about the lost finale of "Edwin Drood," and was told,

👻"Edwin is alive and Cris[parkle] is hiding him" 👻
In "Twenty Years' Experience as a Ghost Hunter" (1916) Elliott O'Donnell complained that despite the lapse of years, Ghost Dickens 👻 had proliferated rather than subsided, with "foolish and conceited" people naïvely assuming the great late author would wish to contact them!
Though in 1858 #Dickens mocked spiritualism in "The Rapping Spirits" and this HILARIOUS piece, he also wrote many ghost tales himself and attended @GhostClub1862. Likely, he would have satirized but understood the craze to interview his ghostly shade 👻https://t.co/mvqOfqt6PU
Some form of logic may have supported using seánces and other otherworldly means to contact the Ghost of Charles Dickens 👻 in the Age of Spiritualism

After all, if the ghosts of lawyers can return on Christmas Eve to remonstrate, why not famous authors to finish the story?
For more on the reputed activities of Ghost Dickens and theories about "Edwin Drood," read @DrPeteOrford's "The Mystery of Edwin Drood: Charles Dickens' Unfinished Novel & Our Endless Attempts to End It" (2018): https://t.co/cCa1WnCmUu
Also, read T.P. James/Ghost Dickens's "Part Second" collaboration here, containing the "Medium's Preface": https://t.co/v5XKoxRUNu
Courtesy of the A.C.D. Encyclopedia, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's full account of his "meeting" with Ghost Dickens can be read in "The Edge of the Unknown" (1930), section "VI. The Alleged Posthumous Writings of Known Authors": https://t.co/TxYMJBeqT4
Last, but not least, O'Donnell's text on Ghost Dickens's afterlives, complaining about the arrogance of his spiritualist fans: https://t.co/ryukRs3eDA

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🌿𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓 : 𝑫𝒉𝒓𝒖𝒗𝒂 & 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒏𝒖

Once upon a time there was a Raja named Uttānapāda born of Svayambhuva Manu,1st man on earth.He had 2 beautiful wives - Suniti & Suruchi & two sons were born of them Dhruva & Uttama respectively.
#talesofkrishna https://t.co/E85MTPkF9W


Now Suniti was the daughter of a tribal chief while Suruchi was the daughter of a rich king. Hence Suruchi was always favored the most by Raja while Suniti was ignored. But while Suniti was gentle & kind hearted by nature Suruchi was venomous inside.
#KrishnaLeela


The story is of a time when ideally the eldest son of the king becomes the heir to the throne. Hence the sinhasan of the Raja belonged to Dhruva.This is why Suruchi who was the 2nd wife nourished poison in her heart for Dhruva as she knew her son will never get the throne.


One day when Dhruva was just 5 years old he went on to sit on his father's lap. Suruchi, the jealous queen, got enraged and shoved him away from Raja as she never wanted Raja to shower Dhruva with his fatherly affection.


Dhruva protested questioning his step mother "why can't i sit on my own father's lap?" A furious Suruchi berated him saying "only God can allow him that privilege. Go ask him"