New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-09-11
yhe Mysterious sounds-Thetr Displays oil
Frte,Itasace.

To the Editor Of The 1TttKH<;
g,g In former communications have, as
think. clearly shown that the phenomenon OF tue
mysterious rappir ga" SO called, do occur withost
the agency Of thoae whom they particularly follow,
or of auv human being in the material sphere Of
existence. am happy 70 find in The Tribune
olsst Saturday your own testimony in favor Of this
position After all that has been asid and done on
both aides OF the controversy / think We have
right to regard this point as nov pretty well es.
tabshed--at least until something occurs to create
a new issue. With this view Of the subject,
presented in my last some facts and arguments
showing the modus opsrandi by which spirits in
the other world may produce the phenomena ia
question; and now, 10 further confirmation Of the
spiritual theory, p oceed to Offer few considere-
tons as connected with the intelligence displaye9
BY these soonds.
Were it the object simply to detail the naked
facts in proof of the intelligence OF these sounds, we
would scarcely know where TO begin or where 70
end. But no one, We presume, who has paid any
considerable personal attention to this phenomenon
or who has read much that has been written on the
subject, will any sooner deny that the sounds do, at
times display aome degree of intelligence, than he
will DENY that the sounds do occur. The fsR facts
which we shall relate therefore, will be given only
as specimens Of the thousands which might be re-
lated, while our main concern Will be with the ehd-
racter and circumstances OF the facts and the In
ferences which may be legitimately drawn from
them.
Let it be first observed that the interrogators o.
this mysterious agency are generally total SfraHS.
ers TO the parties to whose presence the "raPPngs
are confined, and are often unknown by slagle 10
dividual in tie city or town where the consultation
is had. Such strangers have their questions an
swered with rs much accuracy as any oshersi and
often. out of scores Of test questions which they
NAV ask, not one is answered Incorrectly. Their
Questions moreover, generally relate to the private
affairs OF their own family, the ans wers TO which
are unknown to any but themselves, even in their
own immediate circles. They are commonly put
with every precauton not to afford any clue to the
correct response, and in such way as to afford
msny chances of failure to of success should
any person attempt to guess the answer. The by
pothesis, therefore, that those in wbose presence
the rappings" occur, or any Of their supposed &C
complices, can acquant themselves with the pri-
ceive correct answers 10 their questions IS deemed,
at present, altogether unworthy Of consideration.
One mode bv which those invisible agents dis
pav their mentality, is by an appeal to the memo
~ OF the nterrogREor and to his 20 yer OF asaools
ton The following cases are IN point Mrs r,
the wife of the writer desired to hold communi-
IN with her departed aunt, and requested me TO
AJAX her cues tons asked if The spirit OF Mrs NJ.
(tbe aunt was present, and would regpond,-to
which question there WAS an affirmative rap.
then asked for some sign By which Mrs f. would
know that it was really Mrs ii. with whom she
YRa about to converse Immediately there COM
menced singular sound upon the table, which
seemed SIS though produced by the heavy friction
Of a emothe substance. did not at frat recog-
nize the sound, until Mrs. F. exclaimed, g That.
indeed is aunt NJ. on her bureau The sound,
in fact, was precisely that which is produced by
the inward and outward motion of bureau draw.
er, and it seemed though the dra yer was full
and there was slight friction of the clothing al
pArijoular points during its inward aud outward
passage Mrs. hi, during her life in this sphere
was distinguished for her excessive lOndness 81
order: and Mrs L. bad been in the habit of part
cnIerIv assooiating this trait in her character with
the manner in which she arranged her things in
her dre yers, having a particular place for every
article and never allowing them to become de-
ranged No person in the room except Mrs L.
and myself bad ever heard OF Mrs ID, fnnch iess
of tbis peculiar form in which her love OF orderhad
displayed itself.
Another one Of Mrs. F.'s departed frenda then
made herself recognized by rapping the time of
familiar tune which she was accusiomed during
her early life. to play on the piano. Tnia is q 10
ken of recognition which have frequently heard
endowed in other cases OF supposed communion
with departed friends through this medium.
In other instances Ihaye heard sounds ofvarious
mechanical operations, such IS that of saving,
planning, filing, boring driving nails with ham
mer and in one or two instances have heard
sounds precisely like the creaklng OF the tlmbera
of bhip iab0ring in a heavy gale. In each in-
stance these sounds were recognized by the inter
rogator aa indicative Of the ccupation in which
the spirit whom the communicating intelligence
proeased to be, employe during the life the
body, though no person present save the laetroBa
tor was previously aware OF that fact A clergy
man relates that sister of his ia the spirit world
indicated her presence by the continued aud pro
sracted sound Of spanning and Keeling, an occlpa-
ton in which she was much employed during her
natural life Il will be recoOeoted that ia our last
article we showed that according to the reveia
tious of the Seeress Of Preyorat and many other
cleirvoy ants recently disembOdied aprit i. capa-
bic of producing Almost eng given sound by acting,
through the ''nerve spirit, upon the etsctroid es
senoes of the wood other substance from which
the sound proceeds thus causing the requisite Vi
braton among the particles.
All these signs and tokens of recognition are
about what might naturally be expected from
spiritE not many years 10 the other world, and
privileged TO make their friends still in the body
sensible Of their presence. Bat this is sometimes
.moss effectusly done by spelling out names and
communications by the alphabet, OF which could
relate numerous affecting instances. This indi
eating the letters Of the alphabet by raps, however
is tatdy process, and for that reason. amoag 9th
ers, the communicating inteligneoes are not often
willing to employ it.
The following instance showing the deeply pen
etrstpg perceptions of the agent of these sounds,
is among numerous others proving the same point,
had written down some ten or more questions in
book. AS they personally involved two indi
vduais, deemed 1t Improper to ask them aloud
before the company that was present, aud pro.
ceeded to ask them mentally, They were all