The Sun.
London, England, 1851-06-25 00:00:00

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NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE

RACES.
(THIS DAY.)

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRA PH•)

Third Triennial Stakes.
Evatine ... ... ... ... ... ...

Fby Trueboy, out of Miss Lydia ... •••
Wou by a length.
North Derby Stakes.

Azsth
Le Juif

Won by a head.
EXPOSURE OF THE RAPPING IMPOSTORS

IN THE UNITED STATES.
The extent to which fanaticism and delusions of
every possible kind succeed in America is perfectly
astonishing. Nothing appears too gross foe the
credulity of the free and enlightened republi-
cans. The Rochester rappers or knockers mentioned
in the following account were supposed to have
communications with the invisible world, and thous
the imposture has been finally exposed the American
public, public, like the Bourbons, appear never to gain "Peeri-
ence in such matters, and they will be as readily taken
in by the next hoax which is offered to their credulity.
The following statement is from a female who is a con-
nexion of the Fox rappers, and assisted as a
She is known to be very trustworthy and respectable, anti
her deposition settles the whole question. The cliques
of humbuggers is exposed, and the folly of the followers
of Greely is us well established as those of the believers
in Joanna Southcote:—
DEPOSITION OF MRS. NORMAN CULVER. TAxEN
ARCADIA, N.Y., APRIL 17, 1851. neediura;
I am, by marriage, a connexion of the Fox g
their brother married my husband's sister. The girl:
have been a great deal at my house, and for about but
years I was a very sincere believer in the raPPinge; •
les
some things which I saw when I was visiting the g 1
at Rochester made me suspect that they were deceiving;
I resolved to satisfy myself in some way; and some tune
afterwards made a proposition to Catherine to assist
AiTrls•
her in producing the manifestations. I had a cools
visiting me from Michigan, who was going to consult the
spirits, and I told Catherine that it they intended to go to
Detroit it would be a great thing for them to convince
him. I also told her that if I could do anything to
help her, I would do it cheerfully; that I should pro-
bably be able to answer all the questions he would ask,
and I would do it if she would show me how to make
the raps. She said that, as Margaretta was absent, she
wanted somebody to help her, amid that if I would be-
come a medium she would explain it all to me. She,.
said that when my cousin consulted the spirits, I must
sit next to her, and touch her arm when the right letter
was called. I did so, and was able to answer nearly
the questions correctly. After I had helped her in this
way a few times, she revealed to me the secret. The
raps are produced with the toes. All the toes are used.
Atter nearly a week's practice, with Catherine showing
me how, I could produce them perfectly myself. At
first it was very bard work to do it. Catherine told hoe
to warm my feet, or put them in warm water, and it
would the a be easier work to rap; she said that she
had sem( tunes to warm her feet three or four times in
the cow se of an evening. I found that heating may feet
did enable me to rap a great deal easier. I have some-
times produced a hundred and fifry raps in succession.
I can rap with all my toes on both feet; it is most dif-
ficult .to rap with the great toe. Catherine told me how
to mansge to answer the questions. She said it was
generally easy enough to answer right if the one wee
asked the questions called the alphabet. She said the
reason why they asked people to write down several
names on paper, and then point to them till the spirit
rapped at the right one, was to give them a chance to
watch the countenance and motions of the person, and
that in that way they could nearly always guess right.
She also explained how they held down and moved
tables. (Mrs. Culver gave us some illustrations of the
tricks.) She told me that all I should have to do to
make the raps heard on the table would be to put mY
foot against the bottom of the table when I rapped, and
that when I wished to make the raps sound distant on
the wall, I must make them louder, and direct my own
eyes earnestly to the spot where I wished them to be
heard. She said if I could put my feet against the bot-
tom of the door, the raps would be heard ea the top of
the door. Catherine told me that when the committee
held their ankles in Rochester, the Dutch servant girl
rapped with her knuckles, under the floor, from the cel-
lar. The girl was instructed to rap whenever she heard
their voices calling the spirits. Catherine also showed
me how they'made the sounds of sawing and planing
boards. (The whole trick was explained to us.) When
I was at Rochester last January, Margaretta told Me
that when people insisted on seeing her feet and toes,
she could produce a few raps with her knee and ankle.
Elizabeth Fish (Mrs. Fish's daughter), who now lives
with her father, was the first one who produced these
raps. She accidentally discovered the way to make them
by playing with her toes against the foot-board while in
bed. Catherine told me that the reason why Elizabeth
went away west to live with her father, was because she
was too conscientious to become a medium. The whole
secret was revealed to me, with the understanding
that I should practise the medium when the girls
were away. Catherine said that whenever I prac-
tised I had better,have my little girl at the table with
me, and make folks believe that she was the medium,
for she said they would not suspect so young a
child of any trick. After I had obtained the whole
secret, I plainly told Catherine that my only object was
to find out how these tricks were done, and that I should
never go any farther in this imposition. She was very
much frightened, and said she believed that I meant to
tell of it, and expose them; and if I did, she would swear
it was a lie. She was so nervous and excited that I
had to sleep with her that night. When she was in-
structing me how to be a medium, she told me how
fright ned they used to get in New York for fear acme
one should de ect them, and gave me the w hole history
of all the tricks they played upon the people there. She
said that once Margaretta spoke alcud, and the whole
perty believed it was a spirit.
MRs. NORMAN CULVER.
We hereby certify that Mrs. Culver is one of the most
reputable and intelligent ladies in the town of Arcadia.
We were present when she made the disclosures con-
tained in the above paper; we had heard the same from
her before, and we cheerfully bear testimony that there
o tenet be the slightest doubt of the truth of the whole
statement.
C. G. POMEROY, M.D.
REY. D. S. CHASE.
I have in my possession other depositions from persons
residing in Rochester, who have been confederates of the
Fox girls in the rapping business, which, in due time
and form, will be made public. The reign of these im-
postors is nearly at en end, end the few editors who have
been the means of deceiving the public in relation to
their real charecter, will, I trust, have their reward in
the deep indignation and scorn of those whose credulity
has been abused.
11. BURR.
Pittsburg, May 20, 1851.

ELECTION OF SHERIFFS.—Yesterday Mr. James
Hartley and Mr. Thomas Cotterell, were elected sheriffs of
London for the ensuing year.
The Committee of University College
have received notice of a legacy of 200 guineas, free of duty
by the late M
r John Helling, of the Hampstead-road.
.
THE LADY GODIVA PROCESSION AT COVENTRY.
--This ancient triennial celebration took place yesterday, and
Hospital
was conducted with unusual splendour, a circumstance to
which the favourable state of the weather very materially
contributed. 'lt was calculated that there were more than
60,000 persons present, there being, it was believed, at least
30,000 strangers in the town. The procession itself was
i n
the aboutco n
rLO(Vf
not far short of a mile in:length. A large number of persons
Keith
Hall, near
arrived by the special train from London, and
ItNhenEia otil l o LlFE.—yesterday l.i in tor eleft the station at Birmingham for Coventry
the morning.
l‘lAltitGE
morningr
themarriage
Aberdeen, with the accomplished 11.1 f, of s
Louisa Madeline
Captain Hawkins, second daughter of '
Bank, Perthshire, was solemnized at
tSt. George's, Hanover-
square, when Captain and Mrs. Hawkins, of No. 48, Port-
land-place,
gave a splendid
breakfast on the occasion, which
was attend
attended by a very '
numerous circle of the fashionable
world; after which the Earl and Countess of Kintore left
London
in a postchaise and four for the Star and Garter
Hotel, Richmond, Surrey, where they intend to pass the
honeymoon, and • will then proceed on a tour to Italy.
Hor T -
-NTELLIGENCE....••MAIDQT —Th ONE. ere ap-
pears to be in somequarters • '
of iy....
this
. u arises from their having accomplished their des-
tiny and migrated, leaving behind, however, the destructive
results of their visit in the knits and lice. The attack has
been
so severe that nothing but the strength of the bine
could have enable it to withstand its effects as it bas done.
1 he plantations just now seem to be wavering in the balance,
and no one can say whether they shall recover or go into a
total blight. We are more favoured in this district than in
Sussex, where there has been more fly and less bine. The
blight is not confined to the hops, but equally attacks other
plants which are suitable food for the vermin. In some in-
stances the plums are almost entirely destroyed. We know
one case in which a month ago there was promise of 1,000
bushels where there will not be 49. Everything now de-
pends on the weather.—ALtidstone Journal.