The southern press., 1850-06-25
.MystsS hookings.

The city papers Few York have re-
Gently contained long and circumstantial ac-
counts Of revelations alleged to be ma5s
from the spirit-world through the agency Of
certain females, recently from the city of
Rochester, where, for some time before, they
astonished and perplexed many people with
similar phenomena.
Meetings Of doctors, lawyers, preachers,
AMI writers have been held, many Of whom
nave been convinced. The process is, for
these females to introduce to speaker any
spirit he may desire to confer with-as the
Witch Of Endor did to Saul--and when the
spirit is Intercepted, It usually answers by
knocking on or under table in the room.
In a recent account Mr.. ]. Fennimore
Cooper is stated to have asked concerning
some very peculiar circumstances Of a spirit,
and received accurate answers not to be ac-
counted for on any but supernatural princi-
Piles. The editor Of the NeW York Com
mercial, however, was lately invited to ex-
anime these phenomena, and gives very
unfavorable account OF them. He concludes
as follows:
snow we do not wish to interfere with any one 8
method of getting livelihood. But having been
invited in our public capacity, to investigate this
matter, we suppose we must in the same capacity
give our opinion upon what we heard and saw.
holder and more contemplate humbug, that had
the least association with respectable parties, we
have never known. Communications were held
with three gentlemen, and with them only two
of them were known to the performers, and were
evidently well disposed to believe all that the rap
pings or rappers pretended to. The conversation
with the third was bungling affair The noises
were by no means so remarkable as we were led
to believe. We felt no jar upon the table, and IN
truth it seemed to us that the sound was always
about half way between the floor and the table. 1t
sounded higher upon the cupboard. The ladies
were then standing up. There was no pretension
to move any chair or table in the room.
"As to the communications by spelling out, one
of the ladies acting as interpreter and medium OF
communication, it is really too much OF farce for
grave comment The lady runs down the scale
Of the alphabet, and can Of course frame any an
swer she wishes. The rapping itself, meaning the
sound, is the only thing worth moments thought
or investigation. 1t was often done altogether too
carelessIy, too much at haphazard, to be imposed
upon any person not predisposed to such credu-
lily, the deliberate response of an intelligent
spirit. The idea Of supernatural agency is entirely
out of the question. Had we had the opportunity
and appliances for investigation, we should have
endcavored to ascertain why it was necessary for
the ladies to sit together-why they could not dis
pose themselves premiscuously around the room !;
as well as sundry other things which the gentle
man who invited the "committee of investiga-
ton {" must have been well aware could not be in
sent last evening.
I" But more than enough Of this. We give our
readers the benefit of some four hours loss Of time
on our part. We are firmly convinced that we
have not applied too harsh term to the "rap-
ping I" imposition. Those who have dollars to
amusement but We assure all that, in our delibe-
rate judgment, not a cents worth of information
will they get for dollar expended to hear the
rappings."