Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1850-07-12
New York, July 4tb, 1850
"a Couple of hours with the Spirits.,,

| males upon whose presence the spirital demon
STATIONS attend, are now in this city, not at
Barnums Museum as you see frequently stated,
but at Barnums' Hotel. sought an early op-
portunity to wait upon them, to learn by nv own
| observation, of that about which had heard SO
much. found assembled iu the reception room,
number of gentlemen hailing from all parts of
the country, Florida being represented from the
extreme south east, and Wisconsin from the
north west. The ladies soon made their appear
ance, an old lady, (the mother) Mrs. Fox, and
three daughters the eldest widow, Mrs, Fish,
and the others, one about Is, and the other ID
years of age. Mrs. Fish appears to be the prin-
clpe one of theg group, and she is quite an inter-
esting and intelligent female. We seated our
selves around tbs table, and had bat got comfor-
taby arranged when the s'rappings'' common
ced AS to the nature of the rappings let me
say it is not different from the sound produced
by ordinary rappings. If you should take a
wooden mallet and cover it with one thickness
OF cloth and rap on the under side of a table the
sound imagine would be the same as produced
on this occasion. 1t accustomed a sensible vi
bratlon to the table perceptible to any one who
would place their hands on it, at request too, the
sound appeared under the carpet or the door of a
closet which door was considerably Jared, as l
experienced by placing my hand on it. One
gentleman present with whom the spirit seemed
very familiar requested it to rap on his chair
which it Immediately did. He then requested it
to manifest itself by touching him, when he sta
ted he felt it distinctly touch and cover his
hand. Let me say here before abiding to any
questions which were asked, that the individuals
who can be present and witness these demonstra-
tons and still contend that they are made by any
or all ofthese persons is the most credulous of
mortals. For my self the appearance of the
females-the knowledge obtained of them at
glance-suficient to convince me that they had
no voluntary agency or power over the matter
by which they were deceiving people and those
to whom this is not sufficient must distrust the
evidence of all their senses to believe the sounds
created by them. Nothing can be more plain
or papable, than that whatever the sounds NAV
be, from whatever source they may come, these
females are not only as innocent in the matter
as any one present, but also as ignorant.
With reference to questions, a great many
Were asked, and nine out of ten answered when
answered at all correctly, and with reference to
those replies claimed to be incorrect it, suspect
the incorrectness is more in those asking, not
knowing themselves, than the source replying.
An example; one old gentleman asked, chow
many children have | 2" Rap, rap. six times-a
mistake have but five, again the question. Rap,
rap, six time again--ah, says one sitting by,ssa
stray child some place" On this the old gentle
man colored up, stammered little, and passed
rapidly to another question; and so it is, great
many of the questions the partias themselves
are not certain to the replies or as in this case
do not find it convenient to acknowledge the fact
There was one gentleman present with whom
spirit purporting to be that of his brother, con-
versed very freely. Through him great many
questions were asked-a gentleman from Florida
put great veriety of questions with reference
to his family all of which were answered, as he
stated correctly. He asked it to state the name
of his wife, and his surprise and pleasureI may
be imagined when "Mary" her name was dis
tinctly announced by means of the alphabet
He looked round seeming almost to expect her
presence, and here ] would state, that no one in
the room but himself knew the name so that it
could have been through no one present that the
result was produced And another fact. These
spirits make no distinction between living and
dead. They seem to know of no such thing as
death, for If you ask them show many children
have l." theyswill reply the number including
dead and living.
They will tell you how many in this sphere,
and how many in the other, their distinction be-
ing only in the sphere where they reside This
to many minds will be pleasant and consoling, as
tits another evidence of the faint line which sep
arates us from the loved and gone, and that
though the she'll crumbes, the soul lives in
fairer home, waiting the time of reunion. This
Florida gentleman asked how many children he
had in the other sphere, when two was the num-
Der stated. He then asked for their names,
when 10, the loud distinct raps were changed,
and the little, tiny, infantne raps, corresponding
to the infant voice, announced "Richard" and
CELIA" The surprise and pleasure of the pa
rent, in thus being brought, as 1t were, in the
presence of his departed children may be ina
gined.
| was accompanied by Mr.. Il C., of
our city, who found an opportunity to put ques-
tion He wrote down number of names, and
among the rest that of Gen. H, who died
recently. This list was put into the hands of
the gentleman with whom the spirit most freely
conversed, and he without knowing one name
from another asked if the spirit would rap when
he put his pencil on the name of Mr. Gs friend
He then passed his pencil over the list and when
ne came to H, rap, rap, distinctly upon the
table. He then asked, care you happier in your
new home than on earth ?" if so, rap twice
when two distinct raps were made This may
be startling to orthodoxy, but no one who has
ever studied the laws of progressive develop
ment, will doubt, but that all who pass hence
pass to higher and happier condition. TIE de-