New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-06-29

out even obtaining their consent; ana henOo sooy
cannot ia justice De required TO give tneu hses "
any public certificate OF the s ,sc,s. y,sssouog.
Waaamsbvgh June q. 1880
The stratford Mysteries and knecEings i"
Geperaf-Kev. DIR. Phelps
n. "A, Editor, of The Netg- York Ob'errey;
Mrssss. EpIress Public attention has been
jailed Of late to certain strange manifestations
which have been denominated Mysterious AnocE'
ipes" They first began to attract attention In the
CITY of Rochester, between two and three years
seo. Since that time, similar manifestations have
been in the Cities Of Auburn, Syracuse, aud IN
other places in Western New-York, and recently
in several places in Ohio, New Jersey, Conneca'
cut a nd Massachusetts. For several weeks past,
something Of the same character has been wit
messed at nv house /. commenced on the 10th OF
March last, and continued, with slight inserrup'
lions. from two to three months. For the first five
or six weeks, no communications were made that
we could understand but the phenomena consist
ed in the moving Of articles Of furniture in man
per that could not be accounted for. Knives forks,
spoons, nails blocks of wood, &c were thrown in
different directions about the house. They were
seen 10 move FROM places and 10 directions which
made it certain that no visible power existed by
which the motion could be produced For days and
weeks together, watched these strange move
ments with all the care and caution, and close at
ten,ion which / could bestow. Witnessed them
hundreds and hundreds Of times, aud know that
in hundreds II instances they took place when
there was no visible power by which the motion
could have been produced. Scores Of persons OF
the first standing in the community, whose educa.
ton, general intelligence candor, veracity and
sound Judgment, hone will question, were request
ed to witness the phenomena, and, il possible, help
us to a solution of the mystery. But as yet no
such solution has been obtained. The idea that
the whole was a " trick OF the children an idea
which some Of the papers have endeavored vito
great zeal to pr0mul gate, Ia TO every one who Is
acquainted with the facts, as stupid as II is false
and injurious. The statement, too, which some ut
the papers have reiterated so often that the
mystery was found out 10, regret 10 say, untrue;
With the most thorough investigation which
have been able TO bestow upon it, aided by gentle.
men of the best talents, Intelligence and sound
Judgment, in this, and in many neighboring towns,
the cause oil this strange phenomena remain yet
undiscovered.
About the middle Of April gentleman who was
spending the night at nay house, proposed to try
the method ofnterrog alton which had been adopt
ed in Western New. York, and 20 our utter amaze
ment q series of responses were returned, from
which the inference irresistible that they must
have been produced by e being which possessed
intelligence For several weeks communications
were made in this way relating almost wholly 20 a
matter in which certain members OF the family are
supposed TO have an interest at the same time the
other manifestations continued, aud very great an.
nov apce was experienced. The mode OF communi-
cation was by some persons repeating the alphabet
and the letters Of the word to be uttered were In
Dictated by rap from some invisible agent / tried
Ill Al. nod IL In lind hal la
power was by which the rapping was produced
have heard il hundreds of times, and have done
my best to ascertain the cause; but as yet have
not succeeded / have been often asked If be-
heved it was the work Of spirits. have as often
replied that do not know what it is. i have new
er seen q spirit and | do not know what a spirit
boud do If Is would or what il would do If it could.
The facts, however, are of such nature and have
transpred under such circumstances as TO render
the idea Of trick.or designed deception wholly in
admissible Still, however, l have become fully
sxtsfed that no reliance whatever is 10 be placed
on these communication either q source OF val.
liable information, or as means Of acquiring truth.
Ispeak OF what has TRANSFERRED at my house, and l
have the fullest confidence that If il is the work OF
spirits il is the work Of wicked spirits Indeed
they profess to be wicked spirits in state OF tor
ment seeking mitigation Of their torment by re-
dressing the wrongs Of which they were guilty in
life. have watched the progress OF this matter
with great care, and have done the best in my pow
er to learn what these strange things mean; and
although have not yet been able 10 ascertain the
cause, am satisfied that their communications are
wholly worthless. They are often contradictory
often prove false-frequently triang and nonsensi-
cal and more in character with what might be ex
pected Of q company Of loafers on a spree, than
with what might be expected from spirits returned
from the world ofretrbuton, to "tel the secrets Of
their prison house"
Similar manifestations are now being made in
many other parts of the country. According 10
information which suppose to be authentic, they
are witnessed in from $50 10 900 different places ct
the present time. In many al these places, they
are said 10 advance ideas the doctrines oil reli
gion, holly at variance with the teachings of the
Bible, and sabversive Of many essential truths
which the Bible reveals. Under an impression
that whatever is communicated by spirit must OF
course be true, many persons are receiving these
communications as the truth OF 6od-as a new
revelation from the spirit-world But it should be
remembered that there is no proof that what par
ports to be revelation from spirits, is the work Of
spirits at all The most that can be said is, that
we do not yet kRor how or by whom these CON-
municstioDs are made. lfthey are made by spirits,
We have no proof that they are good spirits The
presumption Is, that they are bad spirits-lying
spirits. AT my house they often accused each other
Of ying-conirsdicted at one time what they AZ
6rmed at another-hficted injury on property in
the most wanton manner, aud have given through.
out conclusive evidence that the discipline OF hell
which they profess to have experienced for several
yeas, has as yet been wholly Intellectual in i'm
proving their characters, and qualifying them for
the higher sphere" for which many suppose that
tie discipline after death is a preparation.
cannot now say to what conclusions future de-
veloPments may lead me; bat my present impress
son 70, that TIE whole thing. so far the transac
hobs IN this place are concerned, is 10 be set down
Smope these devices OF Satan. by which he is pro
metirg his work Of destroying soals and my chief
hl,N ia
time is 20 caution all no would avoid error against
Trusting TO these pretended revelations. | have
had better opportunity than mos, men to witness
tb. M srd TO judge Of their claims, and have full
confidence that the opinions have ex pressed will
be kurd to DC correct will mesely add, that for