New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-07-20
Knocbings on Grimes.


Having some knowledge Of Mr.. Grimes, from
having heard him lecture in this place some years
ago. desire to recall attention to some parts Of
his communication on the "KnocAings." l pass
over Part l. as it consists maioly Of promises and
opinions In Part H. be claims 10 have detected
al mposture Of this nature, by making woman
acknowledge that she made "knockings' by ma.
ohnery. Had Mr.. G. told Us that he examined the
places where she told him the apparatus was con-
cealed, and found it arranged as stated bis evil
dence would have been more in point. But he tells
US he first magnetized young man, and sent him
away by his will. That he then nGgnetized the
woman and though he says she was not cairvoy-
ant he does not say she was not under the control
Of bis mind Now have seen Mr.. Grimes by g
few passes bring individuals under his control so
far as TO make them say and do anything he willed
them to without regard to truth, personate charac
tiers, &c. &c. before large audiences His influence
over them too, in some cases would continue Tor
hours after they left him-they pursuing during
that time such conduct as he had directed. Now
these things are as diicolt to believe and found at
fret as few believers as the spiritual manifesto
iions or knockings." 1 have fall faith that If air.
Grimes bad willed the woman to sey that she had
"retufned from Rochester to her house, riding
through the air on broomstick," she wyuld have
entirely subject to his mind, and this state M.
Grimes knows is far short Of clairyoyance. For
though MIR Crimes when here in 1874, claimed to
have had thous ands in such comfortable stu alton
be declared he did not believe in inde pendent or
true cairvoy6nce.
Mr. 6 should call to mind the stubborn incredu.
lily with which his lectures and experiments have
in some places been received and the many charges
of COLLISION that have been made against him. He
should remember too, how he has been deceived
by persons presenting themselves as subjects at
mis- lectures, and, after he had apparently magnet
lied them and performed his usual variety OF ex.
periments with them, they have Immediately de.
cered to the audience that he had actual inAu.
'ence over them they having dissm1lated % De.
ceive bin aud show how collision could take place.
Then, 10 doubt Mr. q though himself III treated
Now, others have reason to think he has i'll Gated
them. Mr.. Gs business Of lecture Animal
Magnetism will scarcely flourish in contact WITH
revelations by spirits and few will care 10 know
their Psychological development, if bumps" or q
table can be relied on At best Mr.. Grimess evi. |
dence is only equal TO one of the many who are |
disinfe esttd ana who have voluntarily come fur.
ward to declare they had correct answers to G3l |
their questions. That Mr. Gs questions were On.
swered Incorrectly at rnum's does not explain |
why or how so many Others should receive colrec.
answers.
lam not aware that any good reason has been
offered why the spirits do not communicate |
with all. But may we not suppose that some per-
sons have departed relatives who are unemiable or
worse in their dispositions The spirits seem 10 |
retain much OF the characters they possessed when
in this life, and therefore II 10 not surprising that
some make no ans wers and some answer errone. |
ousy. Again, some persons go there with their |
minds resolved todenounce their parted relatives
as trilers or impostors emissaries from Satan,
il they reply and to declare Mrs. Fish and the |
Misses Fox as deceivers il they do or do not
So much for MIR. Grimes. Allow me 10 say that |
heard more thanone hundredtest questions ask ed
and correctly answered by these nockngs on the |
9Th Of June, and neither in the forenoon nor after
noon Of that the only day | ever heard them, was
any answer sscertained to be wrong. By "test
questions | mean such question as no one pre-. |
sent but the asher could know the answer Some |
that were thought at first hearing TO be wrong were
proved by the recollection Of the asker 70 be right
On that day Mr. Wallace was present We had |
never met before. sat next him, and observed |
him to be very careful that no hint should escape
by which an answer could be guessed His state. |
ment, in your paper Of the 18Th is not at all exag.
gefated, on the contrary he has omitted much that
was Interesting.
More than dozen received answers 70 question,
that day my presence, and no one was eventu. |
ally declared wrong. l also heard four kinds or
species Of sounds made ali at one time and in the
same locality protesting to be the knockings Of |
four departed relatives, each giving their peculiar
rap.
have conferred with several gentlemen of this
village, who have each, on different days, "paii
their collar, and heard the knockings" at Bar.
nuns. All OF them agree First that the sounds
could not, under the circumstances, be made By
ventriloquism, electricity machinery any known
agency and, second, that let the sounds be made
al the will OF any person or persons it would be
impossible to answer the questions correctly with
the sounds or without them, by any known means
or by any theory yet suggested other than that OF
an invisible INTEL gence.
But yet, am not an unquestioning believer, and
desire not that others should be. intend 10 hold
fast the advice OF the Apostle Johp. "Believe not
every spirit but try the spirits even if have TO
." Buy the truth and sell il not" Ina
PosgAksspsse July H. 1850.