Aaron Mahnke

But he too vanished after just a few minutes.

Dr. Stevens, who'd simply been an observer up until this point, stepped in to help.

According to the historical count of the events, Stevens used mesmerism, what we would call hypnosis today, in an attempt to help Laurence calm down.

And the seizures stopped.

The young woman managed to tell all the adults in the room, her parents, Dr. Stevens, and the neighbors who had brought the spiritualist to the Venom home, that evil spirits wanted to control her.

She was afraid, and she wanted help.

Dr. Stevens suggested that perhaps she could find a good spirit instead.

Laurence nodded and then closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, she smiled.

It was as if all the pain and trauma were gone and Laurence had been whole again.

Except she hadn't.

Instead, she turned her gaze toward the neighbor standing in the corner of the room with a look of intense recognition.

Father, she said, and then added, it's me, Mary Roth.

Mr. and Mrs. Roth were understandably full of mixed emotions.

They'd spent the last 12 years getting over the loss of their daughter.

Mr. Roth had even gone to see a medium more than once, hoping for answers, or at least closure.

In one instance, the medium handed him a note, claiming it had been communicated to her by his dead daughter.

There was a lot of guilt there, obviously.

They had left their daughter alone for three whole days after all, and when they returned from their trip, she was dead.

They'd spent years getting over that.