New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-04-02
Spiritual Manifestations In OtseRo County,
Correspondence OF The Tribune.

Spiritual Manifestations In OtseRo County.
Correspondence OF The Tribune.
Morris, Thursday, March p, 1851.
HORACE GREELEY, EsQ.-Dear Sir In your
GemiWeekly of the 92d inst you published
note-from Rev. 7. ]. Smith Of this place-cOn-
corning "a new phase Of Spiritual Manifestations
in this place. In your comments appended to
said note you express the "wish that some can
did observer would more circumstantially describe
this hand .raising matter" l have been an OBJ
server Of nearly all the different phases oil the
manifestations that have appeared here, and will
endeavor to give a candid description. The first
Appearance here, was 10 the night. After having
been in bed some time, lady was aroused from
her slumbers by a strange sensation In one oil her
arms abe awoAe and found her arm in vertical
position; she called her husband and related the
incident to him, and soon discovered that by lay
ing her hand down in passive position aud
calling on the spirit Of one Of her children, her
hand would rise. The experiment was con-
tinued by asking questions-such Tor instance
If it is the spirit Of my son w. carry my hsnd to
my bead which was Immediately done. III you
have any thing to communicate to US, signify 1t oy
carrying my hand to my shoulder &c They
finally succeeded in spelling out sentences, by
calling the AlphAbet-and whenever the letter
that was wanted was called, the hand would rise
The next phase was by writing. Another me-
dunn had her hand raised while lying on the ia
be- on which lay pencil and paper, the haad
moved toward the pencil, picked it up, moved to
the paper, and commenced writing, not very
legible hand at frst but kept improving rapidly
until it could be read fully easy as this scrawl
Of mine. What is very remarkable about this
writing phase, is, that mediums have written ex
act fac. Smiles of the persons by whose spirits
they were said to be inhuenced-and WHO had
never seen the persons nor any oil their Wrt'hs'
The next phase consists OF the mate Alphabet:
There are now some or 10 mediums, male snd
female, who have them, and the most remarAaoie
feature about this phase 49, that there are no TWO
alike, and / know Of none exactly IKE tue one
used in any Of the Deal and Dumb ASP lgms.-
The next phase is what may be called Panic
mime. The medium is htst mesmersed by the
spirit, and then questions are answered by mo.
tions and gestures. There are also OCCASIONAL
raps mixed in but no communications nave YET
been made by raps. They have the promise oil
intelligent rappiDes soon
There are so many new things continually ap-
bearing, that it would be impossible to detail any
amount in the limits of this letter, nor do think 1t
would pay at present for me to undertake 10
write what have Witnessed 1t was supposed
at FIRST that it was necessary, In order TO become
a medium, that person must hrst go There
there was one to get inocuated, but this IS iouna
to be mistake. Manifestations are continually
appe airing, uncalled for, at MONDAY, in the twi-
light of evening, and in the silent hours oil the
night $780, -
AS regards the nature of the sentiments, &c'
are such as an angel of light need not blush TO
own, and the devil In vain try TO initiate. Others
again are what may be termed false and sh'y.-
Some of the pant0mlmc Manifestations resemble
the experiments exhibited by itinerant lecturers
on Psy choOgy. One OF your Correspondents be-
lieves that there are thousands OF mediums IN
the country; believe there are millions. ANY
person can find out whether he or she is ne
dunn by laying the hand on table--in calm
state OF mind and calling on the spirit OF some
departed friend, and whenever they call on one
that has any affinity with them the hand Will be
raised, and after.oAce raising they may continue
the experiment until some one Of the phases oil
communication is established. -.
The thing is spreading rapidly, that it will
be impossible for the Buffalo doctors to explode
the matter unless they give their whole time to
the work.
One word in regard to the mediums here. do
not believe any of them intend TO deceive, and
many of them | know are incapable oil writing
OF their own accord such compositions as have
emanated from them, and tits, in my opinion, equal
ly impossible for them to have answered the ques-
tons that have been put mentally:
/ have written the above amidst continual ln-
teuuptions. If you think it worth publishing, pub
lish it if not not. Yours, &c o. NJ T.
Remarks.
We are greatly obliged to our friend for
the foregoing. though we could wish he
had given us more facts, even though he
had withheld his judgments thereupon.
For instance, he gives US his very decided
opinion that answers have been given
through this new Spiritual Telegraph to
questions asked mentally. Without at all
questioning either his truth or his sagacity
we wish he had, instead of this, stated s0hat
questions, within his positive knowledge,
had been asked mentally and aohat answers
had been evoked by them, and what
grounds of assurance he has that there was
no.collusion between the questiOner and
the medium There are many cool, con-
siderate people who take an interest In
these Rappings, etc. as calculating tie
nature and pOecers Of the human mind, the
influence of Imagination, the power OF
Sympathy, &c. without regarding them as
involving the agency of disembodied spirits
still less of our departed kindred-whlle
others regard the whole as an impuden:
iuggle or mixture of fraud and mesmerism.
For the qualification of all these classes,
we prefer to print facts, occurrences, de-
yelopments, appearances, or whatever you
please to consider them, with as little ad-
mixture of speculation as possible. Will